I bought BioShock

[SUBMAN1]

I know - let the flogging start since I shouldn't be supporting this form of copyprotection, but I did anyway. Besides, it was on sale for $39. My reasoning is two fold - 1. being that it is a great game as said by every review possible, and 2. being that I was very interested in the copy protection itself - whats it look like? I spent most of last night toying with it to see if it could be fooled, and yes, it can be fooled. I now have a working installation without needing my CD key for activation (4 installs later - uggh!), and does not require the DVD to be in the drive, so don't let anyone tell you this is not possible. I had to accomplish this to make sure my key never becomes invalidated like others I have read about - that's just crazy and anti-customer in my opnion.

On the game front, I did get a little time in on it, but not enough to draw my own opinions. Great graphics with fluid motion is a given (playing on an x1900 XTX). The plane wreck in the Atlantic was entertaining with fire on the water in the middle of the night. The water motion and the way water looks in game I have to say does look great as everyone says. It is not slow moving either, but fast and fluid.

Anyway, I'll report more later on after I'm in a little ways in.

-S

[Skybird]

Bioshock? Happens to me each time I look into the mirror.

[bradclark1]

Oooh! I'm running to tell Neal. You are doing a baddy.:p

[Tchocky]

4 installs, wow. Doesn't SecuROM only allow you five?

[SUBMAN1]

4 installs, wow. Doesn't SecuROM only allow you five?
5 activations, but I never activated it! :p It took me 4 installs to figure out how 'not' to activate it and make it still play.

An example of one of its nasty habits is that if you don't let it connect to the internet, ot instantly erases the entire directory! That ticked me off the first time I saw it because I waited so long to have it put everything in it!

-S

[caspofungin]

i don't condone piracy, but there are several cracks available to bypass the whole activation procedure. also, the designers mentioned releasing a patch at some point in the future to get rid of the copy-protection -- it seems thay only wanted it during the first period of retails when the game is "hot" and demand for copies -- legal and otherwise -- is highest.

[antikristuseke]

Bioshock could have been a lot better if they had turned down the pace and included SOME rpg elements, dont be fooled it is not the fps/rpg hybrid it is made out to be. Im not saying its a bad game, just that itsn ot what it claimed to be.
anyway this man sums it up better than i could. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/1394-Zero-Punctuation-BioShock

[SUBMAN1]

i don't condone piracy, but there are several cracks available to bypass the whole activation procedure. also, the designers mentioned releasing a patch at some point in the future to get rid of the copy-protection -- it seems thay only wanted it during the first period of retails when the game is "hot" and demand for copies -- legal and otherwise -- is highest.

WHich is why I won't tell anyone how to do it, especially not on a thread in this forum. The whole point of wanting to do it is to bypass the limitation of only being allowed 5 installs - no matter if your machine crashes 5 times, etc. That is a violation of their own copywrite even. Anyway, that is why I researched it.

-S

[Letum]

i don't condone piracy, but there are several cracks available to bypass the whole activation procedure. also, the designers mentioned releasing a patch at some point in the future to get rid of the copy-protection -- it seems thay only wanted it during the first period of retails when the game is "hot" and demand for copies -- legal and otherwise -- is highest.

Circumventing copy protection to use a game with out the CD is not piracy as long as you own a legal copy.
Depending on the user agreement, altering files to achieve this may be less than legal.
Using files that are not derived from the product to achieve this is a grey area at best.

[SUBMAN1]

Bioshock could have been a lot better if they had turned down the pace and included SOME rpg elements, dont be fooled it is not the fps/rpg hybrid it is made out to be. Im not saying its a bad game, just that itsn ot what it claimed to be.
anyway this man sums it up better than i could. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/1394-Zero-Punctuation-BioShock


No it is not an RPG like System Shock was - and I would so far rate System Shock 2 much higher in terms of gameplay, even with its outdated graphics. I don't think another game will ever capture the sense of dread you got from the audio alone in System Shock 2. That game was a masterpeice - along with the original Thief. Thief 2, and 3 didn't capture THief 1's atmosphere as well.

That said, BioShock might have a thing or two going for it in the way of atmosphere, but I have yet to delve deep enough to form my own opinions. Let it be known though, I am very jaded (seen it all, done it all) when it comes to gaming, so I will be it toughest critique. I already know it will never catch System Shock 2, but it still could be very good.

-S

[bradclark1]

The first thing I do when I get a game or even before is to see if there are nocd patches out.

[SUBMAN1]

The first thing I do when I get a game or even before is to see if there are nocd patches out.

There isn't an official one to be found on gamecopyworld - just a work around using Daemon Tools 4. I had to go beyond this to get it to function without the DVD.

-S

[antikristuseke]

Bioshock could have been a lot better if they had turned down the pace and included SOME rpg elements, dont be fooled it is not the fps/rpg hybrid it is made out to be. Im not saying its a bad game, just that itsn ot what it claimed to be.
anyway this man sums it up better than i could. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/1394-Zero-Punctuation-BioShock


No it is not an RPG like System Shock was - and I would so far rate System Shock 2 much higher in terms of gameplay, even with its outdated graphics. I don't think another game will ever capture the sense of dread you got from the audio alone in System Shock 2. That game was a masterpeice - along with the original Thief. Thief 2, and 3 didn't capture THief 1's atmosphere as well.

That said, BioShock might have a thing or two going for it in the way of atmosphere, but I have yet to delve deep enough to form my own opinions. Let it be known though, I am very jaded (seen it all, done it all) when it comes to gaming, so I will be it toughest critique. I already know it will never catch System Shock 2, but it still could be very good.

-S

I wasnt expecting it to do that, but even when i set my expectation bar pretty low it failed to reach it tbh.

[SUBMAN1]

I wasnt expecting it to do that, but even when i set my expectation bar pretty low it failed to reach it tbh.

That bad huh? So far, I have yet to have a sense of dread, and I am playing on the hard level, but I am not too far into it - just past the door that I opened using electricity - was jammed before. Anyway, if you were looking for an RPG, I guess you wouldn't find it here.

I would have played more, but I had sound issues with my sound card crackling to no end. Looking online, many people had the same problem and no one managed to fix it. I did manage to fix mine however using something completely opposite of what everyone else was doing - they all tried having the latest and greatest sound drivers and I went with an early rev WHQL driver released originally with my motherboard - worked like a charm in fixing the crackling sound problems 100%. As I say - having the latest and greatest rev of a driver is not always the best! :D I did share my 2 cents with them on the 2K board this morning, so maybe someone can make use of that idea.

-S

[kiwi_2005]

Theirs is a working one with unlimited activation, and importantly, contains no trogans, but you wont find it on GCW.

[antikristuseke]

I wasnt expecting it to do that, but even when i set my expectation bar pretty low it failed to reach it tbh.

That bad huh? So far, I have yet to have a sense of dread, and I am playing on the hard level, but I am not too far into it - just past the door that I opened using electricity - was jammed before. Anyway, if you were looking for an RPG, I guess you wouldn't find it here.
-S

No, its a good game if you want very fast paced action where the hardest you have to think is 1+1=2. Anyway dieing is meaningless, it costs you nothing and there are resurection chambers everywhere, which makes the difficulty seting meaningless, things only take longer to die. Because of that you can complete the entire game only using the wrench (well this isnt really true, but not far from it). Other than that the atmosphere is great, the story isnt too bad if you dont think about connections to reality and why there are vending machines for ammo, at all, ever. Im trying not to include any spoilers here so i should probably stop talking now. Anyhow on the shortness issue, i have completed the game twice now and I got it on monday.

Havent had any technical issues with it, though the game has a tendency to crash during autosaving so i recomend saving before going into a new area to avoid having to replay it due to a crash.

[SUBMAN1]

Theirs is a working one with unlimited activation, and importantly, contains no trogans, but you wont find it on GCW.

Like mine? :p

[SUBMAN1]

No, its a good game if you want very fast paced action where the hardest you have to think is 1+1=2. Anyway dieing is meaningless, it costs you nothing and there are resurection chambers everywhere, which makes the difficulty seting meaningless, things only take longer to die...

Argh! I dislike non-finilization for incorrect actions! If its no big deal to die, then whats the point? I have issue with this idea. I've seen your chambers - several of them - The exact spot I am at is just past the point where I saw my first little sister, and the Big Daddy took out the guy who was about to club her.

-S

[Dowly]

BioShock was cracked 2 days after release IIRC. I've yet to see a copy protection that actually does something else than messes something up.

I wonder when they going to realise that it's only bad for them to add CP like for example SF to the games. I rather risk doing something illegal, than let SF mess my dvd drive, thus making it quite expensive for me to have to use 3 CDs before the burning is success. :nope:

[mookiemookie]

Bioshock was a good game. Not the greatest ever, but a good one.

This is the most accurate (not to mention HILARIOUS) review of Bioshock that I've seen: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation/1394-Zero-Punctuation-BioShock

[SUBMAN1]

BioShock was cracked 2 days after release IIRC. I've yet to see a copy protection that actually does something else than messes something up.

I wonder when they going to realise that it's only bad for them to add CP like for example SF to the games. I rather risk doing something illegal, than let SF mess my dvd drive, thus making it quite expensive for me to have to use 3 CDs before the burning is success. :nope:
It is not StarForce that is on BioShock - It is what I like to call StarForce 2, but it is actually SecurROM. Or maybe what should be called an evolution of SecuROM - owned by Sony. ANything owned by Sony and expect rootkit or something similar to. At least it doesn't screw with my CD drives like StarForce does. I refuse to have StarForce on my system. I'd opt to refuse this on my system to but I had to check it out. I'd probably forgo any software purchase in the future that relies on this protection mechnism. It is worse than StarForce in ways.

-S

[Skybird]

If copy protection is about delay only, they should burn a chip into the DVD that makes it readable and usable and installable not before three months after release date. :smug:

Good I read this thread, I did not know too well what SecuRom really was about, only that people already started to attack it again. I have heared enough here to stay clear of this one too, like Starforce. and I hate to be dependant on the internet to make an isntalled software usable. that'S why I almost never buy download versions of software for FS, for example.

[Dowly]

BioShock was cracked 2 days after release IIRC. I've yet to see a copy protection that actually does something else than messes something up.

I wonder when they going to realise that it's only bad for them to add CP like for example SF to the games. I rather risk doing something illegal, than let SF mess my dvd drive, thus making it quite expensive for me to have to use 3 CDs before the burning is success. :nope:
It is not StarForce that is on BioShock - It is what I like to call StarForce 2, but it is actually SecurROM. Or maybe what should be called an evolution of SecuROM - owned by Sony. ANything owned by Sony and expect rootkit or something similar to. At least it doesn't screw with my CD drives like StarForce does. I refuse to have StarForce on my system. I'd opt to refuse this on my system to but I had to check it out. I'd probably forgo any software purchase in the future that relies on this protection mechnism. It is worse than StarForce in ways.

-S

Yep, I know BS has SecuRom. Just an example. :up:

[Spruence M]

I think limiting the number of activations on a game is dumb. I wipe my hard drives at least 3 times a year... I can't play it more than 5 times, dumb.

[em2nought]

Kind of sucks when companies throw away customers that were happily buying thirty or so game titles a year in the pursuit of potential customers who will never buy their product.

The next thing I won't be buying because of draconian copy protection is a new computer(just aren't enough games without large associated hassles), in fact I think I'd rather go back to a PIII or even "board" games for that matter.

[SUBMAN1]

THe beginning of the game is meant to freak you out and show off graphics. Graphics were nice, but I didn't get freaked out probably like I was supposed to, so I had a nuetral or ho hum opinion on the game play. Now that the moral choices have started (Do you kill the little girls and become super powerful fast, or do you save them and risk not being strong enough to survive? My in game character is still weak if that tells you anything - but the little girls I notice leave you gifts, so it sort of makes up for the loss), and the story is picking up, I have to say I am liking it. Its one of the better games in ages I'd say. I like it!!! :up:

-S

[fatty]

It's funny, I've never seen any copy protection withstand defeat. SecuROM and even the mighty Starforce were cracked. The exceptions are the games played primarily online - the Tribes, Battlefields, Everquests, Unreal Tournaments, etc - which check your key against a master server and will forbid you to play online if your key is invalid or in use.

And the whole time, a game with no copy protection at all - Galactic Civilizations II - has an enormous thriving community and one retail expansion pack with another on the way.

So the question is, when will the publishers learn that these measures are minor speedbumps for pirates and major inconveniences for legitimate players?

[caspofungin]

that escapist review is ****ing hilarious -- you should watch it regardless of whether you are interested in bioshock or not.

[SUBMAN1]

It's funny, I've never seen any copy protection withstand defeat. SecuROM and even the mighty Starforce were cracked. The exceptions are the games played primarily online - the Tribes, Battlefields, Everquests, Unreal Tournaments, etc - which check your key against a master server and will forbid you to play online if your key is invalid or in use....

Even the online portion has been defeated - It's called a keygen.

-S

[Bosk]

I haven't gotten around to downlo... umm buying Bioshock yet but I am a big fan of System Shock 1 & 2. Neither I would call a true RPG but as action/adventure/shooter hybrids they were superb. The first was far better than the second though I thought. It was also very technically advanced for it's day. (released about the same time as Doom 2 I think)

The thing I loved most about those games were the audio journals that dead crewpeople left behind which helped unfold the story and add creepy atmosphere. The scripts were pretty good by videogame standards too!


Speaking of RPG/action hybrid games the one I'm really looking foward to is Fallout 3. :yep:
I just hope the Morrowind team who's behind it can replicate the humor Interplay injected into the earlier games, that's what made them great!

[Dowly]

It's funny, I've never seen any copy protection withstand defeat. SecuROM and even the mighty Starforce were cracked. The exceptions are the games played primarily online - the Tribes, Battlefields, Everquests, Unreal Tournaments, etc - which check your key against a master server and will forbid you to play online if your key is invalid or in use....
Even the online portion has been defeated - It's called a keygen.

-S

Partly, yes. Games that arent connected to any 'master servers' are usually cracked quickly. But for example, Battlefield 2 is AFAIK, still uncracked. There's cracked servers you can play on, but you need to buy the game to go to the official/ranked servers.

Also, games that use license, which you must activate usually remain uncracked. Good example is Theatre of War, which have been out for months now, but still remain uncracked. :up:

[SUBMAN1]

Finished this game on the hard level. The end boss was easy considering I had a wallet full of money, full ammo, and I found the little health station during the fight. Still had 6 health hypos left at the end of the fight - and I thought this was supposed to be the hard level???

-S

[SUBMAN1]

I haven't gotten around to downlo... umm buying Bioshock yet but I am a big fan of System Shock 1 & 2. Neither I would call a true RPG but as action/adventure/shooter hybrids they were superb. The first was far better than the second though I thought. It was also very technically advanced for it's day. (released about the same time as Doom 2 I think)

The thing I loved most about those games were the audio journals that dead crewpeople left behind which helped unfold the story and add creepy atmosphere. The scripts were pretty good by videogame standards too!...

#2 was supurb as compared to the excellent #1. #2 did everything #1 and more - it had audio to dream for that instilled a sense of dread. This coupled with good enough graphics made #2 the System Shock of System Shocks! I only wish System Shock #3 comes out at some point that is on the same level as the first two in every detail. System Shock 2 rates as one of my all time favorite games ever. No other game captured it's atmosphere and plot twists. Excellent story coupled with an excellent way to deliver the content. Only the original Thief can compare. but that happens to be the same engine, so go figure.

-S

[kiwi_2005]

System Shock 2 rates as one of my all time favorite games ever. No other game captured it's atmosphere and plot twists. Excellent story coupled with an excellent way to deliver the content. Only the original Thief can compare. but that happens to be the same engine, so go figure.

-S


Yep System Shock 2 is still a shocker today.

When those guys who would yell out "We are, we are...." I knew it was time to run. :)

Great game.