Blockbuster and Activision have been competing for the rights to control the flood of undocumented immigrants into the USA.  Blockbuster was leading in the chase, having proven that nobody checks in with them and gets away  for more than a week.... Now, in a bold move that has Bill Gates envious,  Activision proves that you don't really own the games you buy from them.

Via its backdoor PunkBuster contract, Activision locks in its temporary (game rental) to just one person.  That's right folks.  Once on a server with the name "Putz boy," always on the server with the name "Putz boy."

What has happened?

As mentioned on a previous post, I like to change my player name depending on the luck I am having with that name... on that day.  After playing with the name Ike for a while,  I changed it to Biff (done it plenty of times before); Nachos server changed the name back to Ike.  I double checked this just to be sure.  Yep, sure enough... I don't own my name (gaming software) anymore.

Granted, it didn't kick me... It just changed my name back.

Flags have gone up on my usual run of conspiracy theories again:  This is step one on invading your ownership.  PunkBuster (always under the guise of making the game better for you) is locking in your player name to your cdkey... bet it is also locking in your hardware configuration (just like Microsoft... betcha!).

Now, it is just changing my name back.  In the future it will just kick me until I get the name right... or it will kick me if I change my graphics card....  In the future,  I will have to prove consistantly:  one owner... one computer... on ip... one name.

If I am finished with the game,  I will not be able to remove it from my hard drive and give it to someone to play.  

If my fears of the future are not true, why do I not own my software to the degree that I can play online with any name I choose at any time.  Please do not insult my meager IQ by suggesting that locking in a player name has anything to do with kicking cheaters online.  What if a family takes turns playing online under different names (say, father-son)...  Oh, I get it:  buy another copy of the game for each person.

Am I just going off the wall again here (like I do sometimes).

Okay, rant over.

interesting hmmmmmm

And if you have EVER read the EULA of any piece of software that you have purchased in the last 5 years or so you would notice that they all make clear that you do NOT "Own" the software, but that you have in fact paid for the rights to "USE" the software.

You also cant change your name when dead, dont know if that was a factor.

I really didn't want to get into a discussion of license agreement (again)... just like I didn't want to get into a discussion about all the places you can openly buy used software. If it were truly a binding agreement in that regard there would be alot of people online... off-line and down the street from me in jail:

Go get 'em:
"We operate 1064 stores in 46 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Sweden and Germany primarily under the names Electronics Boutique."

Actually, I said that I might want to give it away... not sell it.  I do see this as a step for publishers to attempt to gain via a backdoor what they cannot (obviously) enforce in the courts.

Anyhow,  I still fail to see what locking a name in has to do with kicking or banning someone from a server.  If someone is causing trouble, ban 'em.  An admin really doesn't attempt to truly identify someone by their name.  The name is not the cd key or the ip.  

What I really wanted to talk about is one more thing that puts a nail in the pc game coffin.  Anything that discourages families playing pc games hurts the pc game business... and in turn Raven.  I am not the enemy folks.

What locking a name in does is remove the flexibility from the game.  It discourages different members of a family from taking turns to go online and play from the same computer.  Different members of a family will use different names, ala starting different single player games.


.... I own the right to use it... just as I obviously own the right to sell it on Ebay if I wish (like the zillion other people do).  But I do not.

Apox,

Whenever I go back to the server it automatically returns my name to Ike.    If it is a glitch in my software then I owe everyone a huge apology.

I tried it last night and this morning.  I changed my name in the game.  Rebooted the game.  Checked to see if my name was changed to Biff... it was.  I went online to the Nachos server and it changed my name to Ike.

Maybe one is running osp which uses a different sof2mp.cfg? Dunno. I've seen this happen on my other system the kids use and change names. Chapy has used mine on a few occasions and changed the name and when i change it back later i have no problems with it sticking. Might just want to edit the sof2mp.cfg manually once.

Okay....

I guess I will have to put my conspiracy theory to rest.  Thought I had Activision by the backdoor short-hairs.

I was gonna' ask for a lifetime free game per year or something just to shut my yap.

Thanks Ram....

I might just have to play as Ike.... Did okay the other day:  finished 6th over-all (out of about 22)... 68 points... very close game on ctf Jordon.

Like Ram said, it's because the server has a Mod. Either change the name when on the server. Or what I do, delete the sof2mp.cfg out on the mod folders(osp, etc.), that way it puts the mods back to my regular setting the next time I run them.

Come to think of it..... I was gettin' an every-now-and-then "headshot" during the game... quite satisfying.