Playing Enemy Territory: Quake Wars without a CD in

[palebluedot]

If this is not allowed to discuss I am sorry but it is really frustrating to me. I am not advocating or discussing anything illegal in this thread *End Disclaimer*

So I bought Aspyr's ET:QW only to be shocked that it requires you to put the DVD in to launch the game (it does not need the DVD, it does this for "anti-piracy" measures, you know the ones that punish those of us who legally buy it and merely create a hurdle for a warez pirate to crack and over come for illegal players).

Anyways, the Windows AND Linux versions of this game dont require a disk, so it makes it even more frustrating. I am sick of putting the DVD in and out and putting wear on my drive (its making me not wanna play ET:QW).

Does anyone know of a way to bypass this mechanism? I legally purchased the game, and even if a person hadn't they wouldnt be able to play online since it requires a key. Does OS X have a way to make MINI-ISOs like you can in Windows? Does anyone know how? I would prefer to do that over making a full iso copy of the disk and leaving it mounted 24/7 :/

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!!

 

[Entopia7]

Yeah, I don't agree with the whole CD authentication thing either, but only because it's not imposed upon windows and linux users. Why should Mac users get the shaft?

 

[palebluedot]

Yeah, I don't agree with the whole CD authentication thing either, but only because it's not imposed upon windows and linux users. Why should Mac users get the shaft?

Exactly! I mean of course I'm used to it with EA games on Windows (BF2, etc.) but its SO frustrating that we have to do it when iD was hailed for not doing it in Windows AND Linux. Typical Aspyr I guess. The whole point of it is such a great frustration too since all the authentication is handled online.

I used to download mini-isos for the battlefield games I own and left those mounted. Its a pain though because then you always have the cd "in".

Is there a simpler way to bypass the authentication. Like I said I AM NOT trying to pirate here, I own the game. If I was a pirate I would just crack it and play single player (since you cant play online) and not care about doing it right, I DO want to play online because I own the game.

 

[nagromme]

I don't know, and I doubt the discussion will be allowed, since it COULD tie into piracy even if it doesn't in this case.

But I will chime in that the DVD check is ridiculous, and you should write to Aspyr and tell them why. Other games have removed that check with a patch, so Quake Wars could as well. I plan to write, myself. Just be mature: if you want results, give them reasons, not insults! They brought us a great game, and the made this DVD mistake (however misguided) to stay in business, not to hurt you.

After all, the main copy protection Quake Wars has is the online accounts tied to your serial number. All 3 platforms have that--and for Win and Linux, it's all they seem to need!

Reasons why a disc-check is such a bad idea:

3 small reasons:

* You have to put the disc in to play--obviously an inconvenience.

* You have to SWAP discs to play other disc-check games.

* You have to SWAP discs to use your optical drive for anything else, like burning data or watching movies.

And 3 BIG reasons:

* The disc is easily damaged or lost, and then you have nothing. It makes a product that should last forever into one that wears out and is gone. It's safe if you keep the disc in the drive all the time, but that's not practical.

* Laptop users lose portability; you have to lug a case with a disc inside--for EACH game. And the risk of loss or damage only increases on the go.

* Keeping a disc in your drive, aside from the annoying noise that results, SLOWS DOWN a lot of system functions when you're not playing:

- Every time you open or save a file, the disc has to spin up first. Often for network volume access too.

- Every time you do a Spotlight search (instant search is a feature of Macs, remember) the disc has to spin up first.

- Lots of Finder operations cause the disc to spin up first.

As a result, a WHOLE LOT of really common operations on your Mac go from instant to taking several long seconds. This is copy protection that slows down your whole machine even when not gaming!

In addition, these problems can lead otherwise honest people to educate themselves on ways to break your piracy protections, in order to more easily use the games they legally bought. That can't be good for the game companies.

EDIT: I did write with the above reasons. I wasn't sure where to write so I used the general feedback address. I thanked them for porting the game, asked them to remove the disc check, and explained why.

 

[Entopia7]

I've also sent a message to Aspyr about the disc check. Hopefully one of us will hear something back.

 

[nagromme]

I'm sure we'll get a form letter--whoever checks their email probably can't say much more than that. So I won't take offense at a form letter. BUT hopefully the messages will also be passed along, noted, and will influence the discussions about future patches.

 

[palebluedot]

I e-mailed them and told them that I could not play the game because my DVD drive was not working (out of curiosity to see what they would say).

The sent back a short email.

Hello [Name Removed],

Thank you for choosing Quake Wars for the Mac. Unfortunately, this game requires a DVD drive in order to play. There is no way around this.

I am sorry we could not resolve your issue.

Have a great day.

-Aspyr Tech Support

I sent back begging them, saying that I paid hard earned money and I should be able to play the game. They replied:

Hello,

Unfortunately, there is no way around needing the disc in the drive to play the game.
This fact is stated in the minimum system requirements listed on the box.
This is the way the game was built for copy protection purposes.

Sorry we couldn't help you more.
Thanks for your patience.


----
Let this be a lesson. If you loose your disc or break it or your drive you are SOL.

I am probably not going to buy Aspyr products anymore. I want to support companies like MacSoft that stopped doing this stupid practice. I tried to make a toast image of my disc so I could atelast play without the DVD in for a trip I was going on and that doesnt work either (plus takes up 5 gigs of wasted space).

Sigh. This is why PC gaming is dying.