I would be happy with just a cd key I put in when I install the game, and maby haveing to put the CD in the drive to play it...

I selected 'other'.

Possibly a shame there isn't a "make available via Steam" as it's probably the most widely used system. It also has the advantage of not needing a different account for each publisher.

Single online activation with a CD-key, perhaps with an occasional re-check but not even monthly. Like how Win XP (and later?) does it. It's irritated me a few times, like when I changed hardware too much, without 'net access, and had to phone them to get re-activated, but I was able to do so. Just about the only thing I WON'T put up with is being required to be constantly connected to play a single-player game. BOOOO!!!

i think their biggest problem is i think they are looking in the wrong direction.

it seams that you need to stop all this log in, check in, monitoring BS and simply have a disk drive format that is unreadable or encrypted and cant be opened or looked at by any burners so even if someone wants to copy it they cant.

if they made burners able to read a certain formatted disk but as an industry wide standard all burners cant open/explore or rewrite anything in that format then thats the ticket.

it seams the most logical aproach and all pirated disks (not just games) would be able to use the protected format.

might take a little coopperation but its in the best intrest of all software makers so they have the infuence to do it.

yes someone will be able to crack the opening part of the protection but it would only have limited use since they cant burn it to a disk so piracy is limited to first having the actual game disk in your hand and isnt that the key? if you had to buy the disk to try to pirate then why would you still need to pirate it?

Ubi could make authentication a fun part of the game.

Enigma

Registered users would download once per month a list of that month's Enigma settings.

Prior to every patrol, the player would access either an ingame or independent Enigma simulator (of which there are several online)

Using the codes downloaded, the player sends Ubi a password or some other piece of information.

Once the message has been acknowledged, The player/Kaluen is authorized by Ubi/BDU to start the patrol. The player will then exercise the appropriate "radio silence" i.e. disconnect from the server.

Ubi gets authentication that would be hard to hack

Players get immersion into the coding and decoding that was part of the U-boat experience.

If we have to have authentication, make it fun and part of the game experience. :up:

yeah!
sounds great fun. :yeah:

...until ubi stops bothering.