Why I bought a legit copy but was forced to crack it anyways

[Skree000]

before you read this: I do NOT support illegal game copying/downloading etc. I BUY MY GAMES. I am LEGIT! I will NOT tell you how to do that, because its forbidden here in these forums, and you should BUY your games also! What follows is an account of my struggles with the nazi-ware DRM included with Fallout3 and how it ruins my honest game-buying industry-supporting innocent gamer's life, and must be bypassed.

 

Fallout3's 'DRM-free' DRM is starting to really tick me off... I cant even run my game because I have DaemonTools and Alcohol120% installed, which I use to play disk images of completely legitimate games I already own (so i dont wear out the discs). SecuROM does a disk-scan upon installing Fallout3, Patching Fallout3 and also running the Fallout3 Launcher re-installs it if its been removed. If it detects DaemonTools, Alcohol120 or other ISO/image management/creation software, it will purposely sabotage the installation of Fallout3 and prevent it from running, because it considers this software 'piracy tools'. Talk about guilty before proven innocent...

 

I CAN play Fallout3, however I cant do it via the Fallout3 Launcher (I get a 'application has been installed incorrectly and must be reinstalled') (because it detected that software)

 

Why do I want to play through the Launcher?

Because I make mods for Fallout3, and I enjoy playing with mods, that can only be enabled in the Launcher's 'Data Files' popup box.

 

No problem right? Just uninstall DaemonTools and Alcohol? ... tried that.. it still doesnt want to run anymore. Im guessing its somehow detecting registry remnants of those apps, or SecuROM's own registry entries store the fact that I used to have Dtools and A120 and are being arrogant.

 

No problem either right? I (by hand) went through the registry using a helpful 'How to remove secuROM from your computer' and successfully eliminated the entries. I then used C-Clean and removed the broken reg links from the apps I removed. I then went through again by hand to remove any remaining Dtools or A120 entries. I then uninstalled completely, deleted all traces of Fallout3. I then re-installed fresh Fallout3.

 

result: Fallout3 Launcher will still not run, claiming the 'application is installed incorrectly and must be reinstalled'. I ALREADY REINSTALLED IT 4 TIMES! *rude gesture to SecuROM*

end result: im forced to download a cracked copy just so I can play the damn game I already paid for and own. The Dvd is sitting right in front of me.

 

Talk about ironic, DRM that forces legit players to circumvent it.

 

PS. Get this, SecuROM has a Help page for Fallout3 users encountering this problem. Their answer is 'run Fallout3 using the Fallout3.exe, not Fallout3Launcher.exe and you will be fine'

Sorry SecuROM but **** YOU! What If I want to use mods??!?! What If I want to change my graphics settings!?? Those are only accessible from the Launcher box, which will not run, because it thinks im a software pirate. *shakes head in anger and dissapointment*

[jaosals42]

Can you not even run it through the Fallout Mod Manager?

[TheOutlander]

Why do I want to play through the Launcher?

Because I make mods for Fallout3, and I enjoy playing with mods, that can only be enabled in the Launcher's 'Data Files' popup box.

 

What If I want to use mods??!?!

I use Fallout Mod Manager for that. Can't remember the last time I needed to use the launcher...

 

 

What If I want to change my graphics settings!??

You have a point with this one though. :confused:

[Skree000]

I didnt think i needed FOMM because I only ever ran 2 mods, the hairstyles mod and the one i was working on lol.

 

But *sigh* I guess If im forced to go get 3rd party software to play the damn game i bought, Ill do it.

[MythWisper]

Skree use YASU It cloaks your daemon tools.

 

http://forum.daemon-tools.cc/f13/new-yasu-...released-15702/

[Skree000]

im so pissed off at SecuROM and anyone that uses idiotic dysfunctional DRM like that. I just wrote a very strongly worded email to [email protected] and told them where to shove it.

 

I also found this really neat poem:'

 

The EA that ruined Christmas

 

From: EA punts SecuROM-less games on Steam

And in ('most of') Europe, too, By Austin Modine

 

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/12/24/ea...ithout_securom/

 

As EA stands on top of mount Crumpit...

 

"Pooh-Pooh to the pirates!" EA was grinch-ish-ly humming. "They're finding out now Spore with SecuROM is coming!"

 

"They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!" "Their mouths will hang open a minute or two, then the pirates down in PC-ville will all cry Boo-Hoo!"

 

"That's marketing buzz," grinned EA, "That I simply MUST read!" So it paused. And EA set its eyes to the RSS feed. And it did hear a sound rising over the net. It started in boards. Then to Amazon user reviews it crept.

 

But the sound wasn't sad pirates! Why, this sound sounded mad! It couldn't be so! But it WAS mad! Egad!

 

EA stared down at PC-ville! The publisher popped its eyes! Then it shook! What it saw was a shocking surprise! Every gamer down in PC-ville, the tall and the small, was downloading Spore! Without paying at all!

 

It HADN'T stopped piracy from coming! IT CAME! Somehow or other, it came just the same!

 

And EA's board of directors -- not folks in the know -- stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?" "It's being downloaded without SecuROM! It's been cracked without CD checks!" "It's being downloaded without install limits, drivers, and spyware that wrecks!" And they puzzled three weeks, till their puzzlers were sore. Then EA thought of something it hadn't before!

 

"Maybe piracy," it thought. "Isn't just the hardcore." "Maybe paying customers... perhaps... needn't be treated like a two-dollar w***e (rhymes with hardcore)!"

 

And what happened then...? Well... in PC-ville they say that EA's small heart grew three sizes that day!

 

And the minute its heart didn't feel quite so tight, it whizzed off a few limits, and set many things right. And it's jumped into a game service with a less-evil DRM scheme. And EA...

 

EA ITSELF...! The evil gaming megacorp uploaded a SecuROM-less Spore unto Steam!

[MythWisper]

I agree, SecuROM Sucks, I always buy my games legit, but im tired of not being able to play because my cat thinks shiny = Scratch the hell out of it, So i use daemon tools to play my games, but SecROM had to ruin that too, So i use YASU to Cloak my Daemontools, So in the end, We win D:

[Skree000]

Yasu 1.2 requires a newer (non-free) version of dtools =(

 

is there an older version of Yasu that runs off the free version?

[JimboUK]

I didnt think i needed FOMM because I only ever ran 2 mods, the hairstyles mod and the one i was working on lol.

 

But *sigh* I guess If im forced to go get 3rd party software to play the damn game i bought, Ill do it.

 

It's better than Beths useless launcher anyway, no need to mees about with Dtools or anything else.

[TheOutlander]

I didnt think i needed FOMM because I only ever ran 2 mods, the hairstyles mod and the one i was working on lol.

 

But *sigh* I guess If im forced to go get 3rd party software to play the damn game i bought, Ill do it.

 

It's better than Beths useless launcher anyway, no need to mees about with Dtools or anything else.

Indeed, being able to edit load order, check mods, unpack and pack bsa's, edit mods (useful for getting rid of nasty master ghost dependancies) etc. While F3 launcher does squat.