Beating the email registration

[Munty]

Just picked this game up yesterday second hand... You would really think that by now the big businesses who live on back and forth game trading would have figured out there are certain games that CANNOT be resold.

The problem with EIC like so many others these days is that you need to register the activation code to an email address so once the person who originally owned the game has done so it becomes completely useless to whoever gets it next.

I've looked for cracks, patches, codes, torrents, everything I can find to get around this stupidity but nothing seems to do it. Does anyone else own this game here? And if they do can I use another code and email address that we know works? Obviously there's no way for me to find the person who owned this game before me so that's out of the question and if I fire off an email to sttarforce or whatever they're called I know exactly what they'll say as I've had the same problem before with different games running similar systems.

Any advice would be great and I'd like to stress that I DO own this game legally. If there's any way I can use someone elses code to get my game working I'll more than happily post up pics of the game, the code, even the receipt with yesterday's date on! I want to play this game, please help me

 

[Stallion]

I've had the same thing happen in the past with other games, most notably Galactic Civilizations - the only solution I could find was to take it back if possible or throw it out. Emailing the publisher/developer never got me anywhere in either case, since no matter how much proof I gave them that I owned the game seemed to matter. :urgh

I just avoid buying used games now - it's not worth the risk, especially if the store won't accept returns.

NWS Online Gaming Store, based in the States carries new copies: http://yhst-12000246778232.stores.yahoo.net/eainco.html . They accept money orders from both the US and Canada, but not overseas (not sure where you're at).

 

[Munty]

NWS Online Gaming Store, based in the States carries new copies: http://yhst-12000246778232.stores.yahoo.net/eainco.html . They accept money orders from both the US and Canada, but not overseas (not sure where you're at).

UK unfortunately so no good for me

How about using someone elses code? Surely there must be someone here who I can get the info off, I can prove I own the game any way you want!

 

[Stallion]

If I still had my copy, I'd give you my key and email address, since it's one of many I use for signing up for games. I think, though, that that wouldn't work - EIC's copy protection scheme sounds like it could be like Steam's, in that the physical boxed copy and the code are forever linked together.

You might try emailing the EIC developers and explaining your situation, and include scans/photos of your code and the receipt. I don't know if they'd be able to do anything, but they're probably more likely to help than the publisher. At the very least, you might be able to get them to go after whomever you bought it from for reselling something that can't be resold.

 

[Munty]

If I still had my copy, I'd give you my key and email address, since it's one of many I use for signing up for games. I think, though, that that wouldn't work - EIC's copy protection scheme sounds like it could be like Steam's, in that the physical boxed copy and the code are forever linked together.

That's the only thing I'm worried about really. I do wonder if I'd have to use the same cd as well as the email addy and activation codes. My God these devs are a bunch of c*nts aren't they...

 

[Stallion]

More likely it was the publisher that picked this setup - the publisher's Paradox Interactive, right? They seem to pick wonky protection measures for most of their titles.

 

[Munty]

Anyone else have any thought on this? Currently my best course of action seems to be burning down the shop that sold me this worthless DVD for cash money...

I've seen on ebay that I can get the whole set of these games for not too much but still 4 times the amount I paid for this one! It looks like it has a lot of potential to be a good game, is it worth buying new?

 

[Cap N Peaty 3rd]

For what it's worth.
Just purchased the East India Company Collection. Comes with the Directors Cut, Pirate Bay, Privateer, Battle of Trafalgar. The good news is there is no DRM on the DVD version. I've been playing Pirates Bay and despite the negative reactions this game has received, this little expansion is kind of fun. The battles are long enough it is a fun little break from my main game AOP2. 

While stationed in a smaller craft the waves I've seen have been big and really toss the ship about. And the mechanism for attacking the other ships is also not to bad, I read about the problems of game registration and it appears this has now been removed from the Collection edition, just thought I would mention this.

Looks like no one really gives a whiff about this game but it is sorta fun. And the ships do look good, Not as engaging as AOP2 but Pirates Bay is still fun specally in a small ship, I felt kinda sea sick from the rocking motion the boat really has a lot of motion. I can't comment on what the the rest of the game has to offer as I purchased it for the Pirate Bay and Privateer expansions and have not played all that much yet. Game registration is now voluntary.  

Lord Fauntleroy