Is Perry Rhodan a StarForce game?

I've read conflicting accounts, does anyone know for sure if Perry Rhodan has been StarForced?

If it is, I think I've wasted $34 for this game. I can only hope the US release for Perry Rhodan will not be StarForced.

Mission -- I don't know if the European version uses Starforce. I do know that the US version does not use Starforce.

I did not see anything indicating, that it uses Starforce, when I installed it.

Thanks, Becky for the info. I do remember you mentioning that in one of your other post.

The back cover of Perry Rhodan (UK release by Koch Media from Interact) had this printed: This game is copy protected. This leads me to believe that StarForce is used but I am not certain.

misslilo - Did it ask you to restart your computer after the installation? (this is a good indicator of StarForce drivers being installed) Does your registry has any of the following entries:
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\sfsync03
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\sfhlp02
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\sfdrv01
If there is, your computer has been StarForced.

Anyone else who can confirm about Perry Rhodan (UK release)'s StarForce status, feel free to comment.

THose files are not on my computer after installing Perry Rhodan.

Thank you, Ana for the reply. I'm glad I don't need to spend more $$ to buy the US release.

Ummm... You do know that StarForce isn't the only copy "protection" being used, right? SecuROM, SafeDisc, and TAGES are also commonly used, and some games use their own custom disc check.

Hi Jenny, Yes, I'm learning... I know little about copy protection, StarForce and the other methods you mentioned (that's why I had to ask these questions). I read about a lot of people complaining StarForce causing problems to their optical drives/computer etc and hence the worry. I don't think I will want to enjoy 10-20 hours of game play and have a ruined DVD-RW drive etc. It might cost me a few hundred dollars to get a replacement part for my Toshiba laptop. So I rather not play if the game has StarForce... Right now, what I'm hearing is Perry Rhodan is not "StarForced" .....

a couple random thoughts of this. What form of copy protection is on the demo? I've read where they have been using the copy protection on demos. It would seem whatever it is it would be the same on the full game.

Also would the distributor/publisher tell you if you asked them? It seems a reasonable request if someone is concerned or cares about what is installed on their computers. I know it is a hot issue but perhaps asking will get an answer.

Mission -- I've played several games with StarForce and never had any kind of problem. I suspect that the chance of a ruined DVD-RW drive after playing a game with StarForce is low. If it was a significant problem, I can't imagine that we would see publishers continuing to use StarForce after all this time, especially because there are plenty of copy protection alternatives out there.

Copy protection on a demo is not necessarily the same copy protection used on the game itself -- at least, I don't think you could rely on it being the same.

Oldmariner -- writing to the distributor/publisher to ask about the copy protection is a VERY good idea. It is a legitimate question, and I would expect the publisher to answer a consumer inquiry such as that.

Becky-- As I said Starforce is a hot topic that pushes people's buttons. I've not had any trouble with it but I understand the concern. Asking the publisher seems like a simple notion and doing so may answer the question. It may also provide info on how receptive publishers are to customer concerns. Once you buy the product in most cases you are stuck with it when you get to a point where you discover what protection is there. So asking before buying seems to be your only recourse. Anyway asking can't be a bad thing. I have not tried that yet either

Hi Becky - I'm sure you are aware of the class action lawsuit and Ubisoft abandonment of StarForce. I reproduced two of these articles for the benefit of readers:

Ubisoft officially dumps Starforce
http://www.gamespot.com/news/6147655.html

Ubisoft no longer using Starforce protection
Class action lawsuit prompts cancellation of partnership
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/ubisoft-no-longer-using-starforce-protection

My concerns are not based on hearsay. For a publishing giant like Ubisoft to drop StarForce, for a class action lawsuit to take place, these are grounds for concern (at least for me). The best prevention for me is not to play the StarForce game at all even if the chances of a ruined DVD-RW drive or hard drive is low.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not here to get into a debate with you whether StarForce does harm or good. All I wanted to find out is if Perry Rhodan has StarForce. I appreciated your feedback and agree with you that the probability of getting a ruined DVD-RW drive is low. But I'm more inclined in prevention than risk taking

Mission -- I know that StarForce has been an issue for quite some time. I have not read widely about it, but I confess to holding a theory for sometime that (at least part) of the reason there was such a fuss about Starforce was that it happened to be unusually effective and difficult to hack.

Publishers may stop using StarForce for a multitude of reasons -- seeing reviews on Amazon, for instance, where the reviewer hasn't even played the game but spends the whole "review" talking about the awful affects of StarForce is enough to make a publisher decide to simply use a different form of copy protection next time. Being slapped with a 5 million dollar lawsuit, whether for a real harm that occurred or not, would certainly be another.