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Activation website

quote:


Originally posted by Matchoo:

This probably belongs in the tech support section, but it wouldn't let me create a new post there. I got my UCAWA CD from BMT yesterday, but I don't have a internet connection at home so I need to get my activation code elsewhere. I wrote down my CD key and my hardware code, but I forgot to write down the website I go to to active it.

If someone could post the web address or a link to the activation website, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance.


EDIT: If you have a problem with your CD-KEY registration, send email - and the CD-KEY number - to [email protected]. Be sure to explain the problem and mention the game (UCAWA, UCG etc) in the email!

[ 10-24-2005, 08:30 PM: Message edited by: Supreme Cmdr ]

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Guest Blond_Knight

AWA includes STARFORCE?? Requires activation?

Derek I like your game(s) but this is simply boneheaded. You should be aware how much gamers hate this kind of intrusion.

I'll keep my money.

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quote:

Originally posted by Blond_Knight:

AWA includes STARFORCE?? Requires activation?

Derek I like your game(s) but this is simply boneheaded. You should be aware how much gamers hate this kind of intrusion.

I'll keep my money.

I agree. How dare he implement a system to protect HIS intellectual work from piracy. The nerve of some people.

The first time running the game it pops up a activation page. It give you a hardware code which you then enter on to a website, along with your product key. The website gives you back an activation code you then type in to the activation page, and you're good to go. If you can't handle that little bit of work then you probably shouldn't be playing SC's games.

(p.s. Thanks for the link SC. Worked great. )

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quote:


Originally posted by Blond_Knight:

AWA includes STARFORCE?? Requires activation?

Derek I like your game(s) but this is simply boneheaded. You should be aware how much gamers hate this kind of intrusion.


First of all. You're an idiot. An IDIOT who - like most - just spouts the first rubbish that comes to mind.

I use Starforce ProActive. It is specifically designed for e-commerce games and has NOTHING to do with the CD-ROM protection (which requires special hardware at the CD-ROM replicators) used in games that DO use a CD-ROM based protection scheme. All ProActive does is asks you to enter a validation code and is NO different from the scheme I use for my own multiplayer validation. The ONLY reason I chose StarForce for this single player auth method (instead of using the same version I have to mp), is so that I don't have to babysit the servers and because StarForce already have the infrastructure to support online or offline activation. I don't have the manpower nor resources to do that.

EVERY single e-commerce game has some form of DRM protection. I have implemented no less than five for UCAWA and UCG. These include StarForce ProActive for BMT and other sites that don't offer downloads. Software Passport (previously Armadillo before DR bought the company) for Digital River sites. StarForce ProActive for www.boonty.com. ActiveMark for www.trymedia.com and yet another proprietary scheme for sites that are based on www.streamtheory.com. Even Turner's www.gametap.com service, which uses Exent's technology (which was just signed on by Microsoft as well), has their own DRM scheme.

quote:


I'll keep my money.


Your loss. See if I care.

Now get the hell off my site. You've been perma-banned for being a stupid idiot.

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I don't have an internet connection at home, so on Tuesday morning I ran the UCAWA executable and it came up with the activation screen. I selected to activate it manually and it gave me a hardware code. I wrote the hardware code and my game key down so I could activate it at work, and I left my pc on with the activation window up so I wouldn't lose the hardware code. I got on the website at work and activated the game, but on my way home from work a storm caused a power glitch at my house and my pc turned off. I figured I would have to re-activate it again since I had lost the activation window with the hardware code I had used. I re-ran the UCAWA executable which gave me the activation window with a new hardware code, but just for fun I typed in the activation code I got that morning using the old hardware code and it accepted it.

Is that what it should have done, though?

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Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear. I did run the program on my home PC at first, and I noticed every time I did it I got a new hardware code. I assumed that it probably used the pc time along with some hardware information to come up with a unique code. When I got to work I entered the hardware code along with my game key to get the activation key, which I assumed was generated using my hardware code. When my pc at home died and I lost the hardware code that was on the screen, I figured that the activation code would no longer be valid because the next time I ran the program I would get a new hardware code which would require a new activation key. It did give me a different hardware code when I ran it, but I entered the original activation key and it accepted it.

I probably just don't understand how the whole protection scheme is working, and it's working fine, but I wanted to make sure that there wasn't a bug or loophole that could be exploited.

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quote:

Originally posted by Blond_Knight:

AWA includes STARFORCE?? Requires activation?

Derek I like your game(s) but this is simply boneheaded. You should be aware how much gamers hate this kind of intrusion.

I'll keep my money.

this is exactly the same type of activation that is required of most Microsoft product and it doesn't seem to have an effect on the number of copies sold. Personlly I LOVE this type of protection scheme because I don't have to go and hunt through my 100 plus CD's to find the one for the game that I want to play.

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Hello

I just have a question about activation.

I noticed after i activated the game it said i had one activation left.

On my computer i test a lot of programs and alot of the times i have to format my harddisk.

So what happens when i run out of activations?

Lathe1

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quote:

Originally posted by Chavis:

Same question here.I upgraded my bios the other day,which then forced reactivation.

I now have zero activations left.

I noticed that all the hardware codes my pc generated are saved in the registry, so even though the hardware code that I used to activate the game was no longer on the screen as the current one, it still accepted the activation code.

My question is why couldn't we just save the hardware code we used for the original activation, then when we had to reinstall, just put it back into the registry and use the original activation code?

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Guest Chavis

quote:

Originally posted by Chavis:

Same question here.I upgraded my bios the other day,which then forced reactivation.

I now have zero activations left.

Well....I just found out what happens.I pulled out a stick of ram trying to troubleshoot a problem,now I'm SOL.

Ok....putting the ram back.

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  • 2 weeks later...

quote:

I agree. How dare he implement a system to protect HIS intellectual work from piracy. The nerve of some people.

The first time running the game it pops up a activation page. It give you a hardware code which you then enter on to a website, along with your product key. The website gives you back an activation code you then type in to the activation page, and you're good to go. If you can't handle that little bit of work then you probably shouldn't be playing SC's games.

(p.s. Thanks for the link SC. Worked great. )


Before i go out and buy how many activations do you get? unlimited like if i like format my computer will thatr go against a limit of like 2 or 3 activations?

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You get two activations to start. More will cost you $10.00. I suggest updating drivers, defragging your hard drive, and replacing any components that may be of iffy quality or are too old. In short, get your ducks in a row before you install. It has already cost me 1GB of Corsair XMS for $123.00. You have been warned!

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quote:

Originally posted by Teknocack Prime:

You get two activations to start. More will cost you $10.00. I suggest updating drivers, defragging your hard drive, and replacing any components that may be of iffy quality or are too old. In short, get your ducks in a row before you install. It has already cost me 1GB of Corsair XMS for $123.00. You have been warned!

More will cost $10.00, are you serious, I upgrade my computers on average once every 6 to 12 Months!?!

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Darkling,

I'm on your side but your system specs don't suggest a system of awe-inspiring power. How many computers do you own? And why are you playing UCAWA on the system in your sig? I know it's a pain, but I understand why SC is doing this. At least as much as someone who doesn't develop and sell PC games does.

Oh, and by the way, my sys ain't nothin' to write home about. Wasn't trying to put you down or nothing.

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quote:


Originally posted by Darkling:

quote:

Originally posted by Teknocack Prime:

You get two activations to start. More will cost you $10.00. I suggest updating drivers, defragging your hard drive, and replacing any components that may be of iffy quality or are too old. In short, get your ducks in a row before you install. It has already cost me 1GB of Corsair XMS for $123.00. You have been warned!


More will cost $10.00, are you serious, I upgrade my computers on average once every 6 to 12 Months!?!


Yes, he is serious. The fee is for abject abusers. However, judging by the looks of your sig, you haven't upgraded your system since Clinton was president. So what - exactly - are you clamouring about?

Though the initial activation only gives two, I am pretty flexible in re-issuing new keys for upgraders. I've had to do that a few times already (including for - would you believe - Shingen).

I had the option of making the keys expire after more activations, but two is the industry standard; and it works just like winXP.

Eventually, I will release a patch which invalidates the activation key; but that will be about six months or so.

Remember, we couldn't go with a disc based (StarForce HW, SafeDisc) protection scheme because BMT Micro don't have the special equipment required and because there are several versions of the game using different DRM schemes. I have already discussed this at length.

So, there is no need for panic.

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quote:

Matchoo stated:

I noticed that all the hardware codes my pc generated are saved in the registry...

Where in the registry did you manage to find the hardware code?

I'd just like to know because it'd be nice to have a back-up I can refer to if I lose one.

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quote:

Originally posted by Robert Iceman:

quote:

Matchoo stated:

I noticed that all the hardware codes my pc generated are saved in the registry...

Where in the registry did you manage to find the hardware code?

I'd just like to know because it'd be nice to have a back-up I can refer to if I lose one.


I'll look tonight for their exact location, but I don't really know if it would work re-entering it after a fresh install since I don't know what is used to generate it. If the activation just searches the registry for a hardware code that matches the activation code without bothering to re-check to see if the hardware code stored in the registry actually could be generated on that system, then it would work and would also open up a simple piracy scheme. I doubt the creators of the protection were that dumb (for lack of better word), so I'm guessing that adding the hardware code in the registry wouldn't work if you changed any hardware (probably even software)
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My concern with activation is simply because WinXP resets after 4 - 6 months or so - as I've activated WinXP about 10 - 12 times since I've owned it.

But if UC:AWA is going to reset in 6 months I don't necessarily have an issue... but I do reformat every few months or so.

Is there anyway to carry the key through a reformat if the hardware doesn't change?

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quote:

Originally posted by $iLk:

My concern with activation is simply because WinXP resets after 4 - 6 months or so - as I've activated WinXP about 10 - 12 times since I've owned it.

But if UC:AWA is going to reset in 6 months I don't necessarily have an issue... but I do reformat every few months or so.

Is there anyway to carry the key through a reformat if the hardware doesn't change?

Why are you reformatting every 6 months? The Win 9x days are over. There is no need to refresh Windows that often, unless its to satisfy some analness aspect of your personality.

But 10 to 12 Win XP reactivations? Sounds like you are swapping a lot of hardware.

Reformatting is defintely going to call for a UCAWA reactivation. EDIT: Actually, I forgot about the manual method. Maybe that would work using an existing hardware code. I'll shut up now, since I really am just guessing.

FYI, I recently swapped out a 9800 Pro for a X850XT PE and didn't need to reactivate UCAWA. I guess it flags BIOS updates though.

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