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Replacement CDs
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 Re: Replacement CDs
Posted by keved on Mon Aug 15th at 9:23am 2005

Anyone have experience with getting replacement CDs from games publishers, particularly Activision? Availability? Cost? Etc.

Basically I've lost my Doom 3 CDs. Last time I saw them was the best part of a year ago and since then I've moved house twice. I've just bought a new PC with an Ati 850XT PE card so want to put it through its paces, but just can't find my Doom 3 CDs anywhere. <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/sad.gif">

Before anyone goes off on a rant about pirating, I did indeed purchase it legitimately and still have my CD key and box for proof of purchase should Activision need them.

I sent Activision an email a week ago but am not expecting a reply anytime soon, if at all, so am just looking for a heads up on whether to bother waiting around or cut my losses and buy Doom 3 again (prob on Ebay, since I have my own CD key).

Thanks.





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 Re: Replacement CDs
Posted by Forceflow on Mon Aug 15th at 9:28am 2005

Correct me if I'm wrong ...

In this case, isn't it legal to download the Doom 3 cd's and use your own CD-key to install the game ?



:: Forceflow.be :: Nuclear Dawn developer



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 Re: Replacement CDs
Posted by Crono on Mon Aug 15th at 9:31am 2005

Actually, in this situation, you could just get a ripped copy and use your key ... there'll be no difference since ripped copies are just images of the cds anyway.

And, it will be a legitimate install and you'll be able to play online because of the key.

Not that the actual act of downloading an illegal copy is a good thing or anything, but I imagine the key is worth more then the physical CDs.

The option is either this ... which is the same as if you found your cd. Or give them more money ... Even if you had a friend with a copy of the game, you can still use your key.

But ... if you have the key ... what were the cds doing out of the jewel case anyway?

Activision will tell you to buy a new copy. Number one, you really have no proof that you "lost" the cds besides your word ... and companies never believe that

[EDIT]
Force, no, it's illegal, but, I don't see why it'd be "wrong". There is a difference.


Blame it on Microsoft, God does.



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 Re: Replacement CDs
Posted by Forceflow on Mon Aug 15th at 12:54pm 2005

The act of downloading the images is illegal, but I think the installation itself (with the key) is perfectly valid & legal.



:: Forceflow.be :: Nuclear Dawn developer



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 Re: Replacement CDs
Posted by keved on Mon Aug 15th at 2:55pm 2005

Thanks for the advice.

A colleague at work has Doom 3 so I'll be borrowing it from him and copying the CDs.





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 Re: Replacement CDs
Posted by Myrk- on Mon Aug 15th at 3:51pm 2005

Doom 3 doesn't work without a crack. You can't use virtual drives, or fake CDR's, doesn't work. Cracks are illegal too I believe because your changing the code.


-[Better to be Honest than Kind]-



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 Re: Replacement CDs
Posted by RaPtoR on Mon Aug 15th at 6:27pm 2005

Yes, everybodys right here.

When you buy a game, you don't pay for the cd, you don't pay for the graphics, you don't pay for the code, the only thing you pay for is a 10 digit number :P



God got tired waiting all sunday for the world to compile and finaly had it.
On the Eight day, god created func_details, and he saw that it was fast.



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 Re: Replacement CDs
Posted by Crono on Mon Aug 15th at 7:25pm 2005

? quote:
The act of downloading the images is illegal, but I think the installation itself (with the key) is perfectly valid & legal.


It'd be the same as borrowing someone elses copy. So, yeah ... and that's what I said <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_smile.gif">

Myrk, does it really matter? No one likes putting CDs in. And I know the vendors really don't care since you bought a copy anyway.

They're not illegal because you changed the code though, since that would make mods illegal too. They're illegal because you circumvent a security technique. (as far as I'm aware)

But, it's just greedy companies at that point, since you already shelled out $50 for the game, it'd be no sweat off their back for you to buy another copy.

http://wired-vig.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,57107,00.html

I agree with this ruling, sadly, it isn't American, but, it's good to know judges somewhere have common sense.


Blame it on Microsoft, God does.



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 Re: Replacement CDs
Posted by Foxpup on Wed Aug 17th at 2:30am 2005

I checked the SLA. There's not much you can do apart from ask Activision for a replacement. If you want it by next year, you should just buy it again.


Better to be in denial than to be human.

Bill Gates understands binary: his company is number one, and his customers are all zeros.



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 Re: Replacement CDs
Posted by keved on Wed Aug 17th at 8:03am 2005

? quoting Crono
But ... if you have the key ... what were the cds doing out of the jewel case anyway?

When I had to move out of my house and hand over the keys to the new owners, my new apartment was still months from completion (brand new apartment block). I put most of my possessions into a self-storage unit and stayed at a friends house until my apartment was ready to move into. I couldn't bring much to my mate's house, so put a bunch of games onto a 50 CD spindle. At some point, the Doom 3 CDs got lost.

Thanks for everyone's input. I borrowed Doom 3 from a colleague and followed instructions I found to write all 3 CDs to a rewritable DVD, and it installed fine using my key code. Then I installed my original Resurrection of Evil addon CD followed by the 1.3 patch, and can now run both the original and RoE episodes using my RoE CD.






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