No-CD patches: right or wrong?

[Ivan Rapkinov]

as I search GCW for a no-cd patch for my latest games, I find myself debating the morality of using such things.

I only play games I've purchased; as I'm one of these suckers that actually likes to support the development of the industry.

but by using these patches, am I encouraging pirates and what not that manage to circumvent copyright? I mmean, if no one used them, they wouldn;t have a market, correcT?

but on the other hand, I'm quite fond of them as I HATE having to change CDs all the time. Even something like Daemon tools is better.

but I have a look at some of my most play games, and only the "mainstream" ones even need a CD...

Victoria: no cd
ATF/RT: no cd
Decisive Action: no cd
TacOps: no cd
EU2: no cd
HoI: no cd
TCM 2005: no cd
VBS1: no cd (but requires dongle...)

then we get to the not so played ones...

HL2: CD (why when you can get it off steam as a DL I have no idea)
Dawn of War: CD
KOTOR: CD
FSW: CD (BURN!)
JA2: Wildfire: CD

etc etc etc

I'm also easily distracted, so CDs tend to migrate around the study as I have a TacOps fad, or HL2 fad or whatever, and I'm quite fond of not having them scratched or wrecked, so I resort to no-cd patches.

should I fele guilty though?

[Doctor Sinister]

I don't use any no-CD patches but I can see their benefit. I don't have a problem with them personally, I've just never bothered to grab one, and I probably ought to as the number of CDs I have kicked around is running into the hundreds.

Dr. S.

[dannybou]

I use them as much as possible. It saves me from swapping CD's all the time.

[Jim H. Moreno]

You know, the only game that I remember where having to switch was a nuisance was Baldur's Gate. None other has bothered me. I'm thinking this will not be a problem much longer, though, as the new blue laser disk readers and higher capacity disks become more prominent.

[Overseer]

You know, the only game that I remember where having to switch was a nuisance was Baldur's Gate. None other has bothered me. I'm thinking this will not be a problem much longer, though, as the new blue laser disk readers and higher capacity disks become more prominent.

Well those things, along with game publishers actually using the DVD format will help the problem of switching CDs while in game, but most don't do that as is. A lot of games take more than one CD but only at install.

The issue they're debating is more related to constantly switching CDs when you switch games. They have a fair purpose in that regard, as I tend to have game cds in any one of four locations around here (and plus I have a possibility of forgetting a CD at home when I come up to school, or vice versa).

[MajorH]

I respect copyrights but I do not endorse copy protection. I believe that people who have legitimately purchased a product should be free to enjoy it with as few annoyances as possible. I have been selling TacOps for over ten years now. I have never required the insertion of a CD in order to play it nor have I ever included any form of copy protection. I don't even require owners to buy multiple copies in order to use TacOps on their extra computers such as a traveling/work laptop or on a home gaming LAN constructed of older PC cast offs. I do not believe that these policies have caused significant harm to my sales.

I am not surprised that most other game developers or their publishers insist on copy protection. However, I continue to be surprised that no effective revolt has ever surfaced from the users. I blame this to a large part on gaming magazines siding with the publishers on this instead of the users. I don't recall ever reading a game review that praised TacOps or any other computer game for not including copy protection. I have seen a few that lightly criticized a publisher for a particularly onerous scheme or for one that caused system problems for a lot of users.

[Redwolf]

You know, the only game that I remember where having to switch was a nuisance was Baldur's Gate. None other has bothered me. I'm thinking this will not be a problem much longer, though, as the new blue laser disk readers and higher capacity disks become more prominent.

Uh, how does that help? You still run to your PC to switch every time you switch from one game to another.

I think you fundamentally misunderstood the question and you talk about the installation.

[Redwolf]

I absolutely hate CD-in-drive requirements and use a no-CD patch wherever possible.

For the longest time of my more intensive gaming I had my computers in a different room than the consoles. Now talk about annoying, I had to runn halfway through the house, until I put some SCSI CD drive cables through the wall, too.

When I come home and I find a few PBEM patches in my inbox they are usually for different games. Even CMBO, CMBB and CMAK require different CDs, and throw in some TOAW, KP, one patch each, and then you have these annoying CM PBEM turns where you only watch the movie and you are done. Excuse me? The best part about CM is that the European publisher in the anthology dropped the CD-in-drive requirement but if you install CMAK 1.03 then you re-introduce it :mad:

Right now I have 5 CD drives in my gaming computer, I play very little, much of it is in no-CD games like TacOps or any game with a Linux version and I bought some quiet computer parts and have them in the same room again. So it's not that bad but still, excuse me.

[Redwolf]

Oh, I forgot the worst part.

For many games the major reason they don't run on emulated Windows version on Linux is the copy protection. By its very nature it tries to kill every alternate way of running the stupid thing. Well, thank you http://schlepper.hanse.de/smileys/trout.gif

Of course you can do it like battlefront.com for the CM series games where they require the CD in the drive but the CD is not copy protected in the first place http://schlepper.hanse.de/smileys/nuts.gif

[Jim H. Moreno]

Uh, how does that help? You still run to your PC to switch every time you switch from one game to another.

I think you fundamentally misunderstood the question and you talk about the installation.

Wha?? I do not understand,'run to my PC.' I have a laptop, it sits right in front of me. I don't run anywhere.

I was not speaking of the installation. Baldur's Gate required the player to switch CD's often, depending on where your party travelled to in the game. That is what I speak of.
:confused:

[Redwolf]

Wha?? I do not understand,'run to my PC.' I have a laptop, it sits right in front of me. I don't run anywhere.

I was not speaking of the installation. Baldur's Gate required the player to switch CD's often, depending on where your party travelled to in the game. That is what I speak of.
:confused:

Oh. Never mind then.

Let's say your notebook is the opposite of putting your console cables through the wall ;)

[Priest]

I use nocd patches whenever I can, I don't see a problem with using them...just so long as you own the game.

[CPangracs]

I use nocd patches whenever I can, I don't see a problem with using them...just so long as you own the game.
I agree. And, like many here, IF I borrow a game or play a game that is "bootlegged" (yes, I've done it;)), and I like it, I will buy it! I have wasted THOUSANDS on software based on a review or the packaging, only to find out it sucked when I got it home. I have no guilt at all trying it before I buy it, which is why I'm an absolute advocate of game demo's. I will NEVER buy a game based solely on packaging or reviews again!

The problem I see with No-CD patches is the possibility of malicious code introduced through them. I'm sorry, but do you really think that there isn't a possibility of the patch containing code which can do other things on your system when running? There are some unsavory cracking groups out there. I don't use a patch until someone I KNOW uses the patch without problems for at least a month. I also run virus scans on anything I put on my system, to include games directly from the publisher - you can never be too careful, and I have been burned by viruses in the past.

[chrisvalla]

I'm relatively indifferent... I just want to play the game... it doesn't bother me switching CDs.