Incredibly, for a company only selling online, the only ways on their site to contact them are via post or by creating an account for their support ticket system and creating a ticket on it.

So I did that, saying that I would happily buy the game, but not with this DRM. The response was to close the ticket and mark it as “mindless rant”,

Yeah, that’ll do wonders for customer relations.

As has been said, this is always going to be a niche product with a limited audience. Presuming they are thieves – even when you have their credit card and valid contact details before selling to them – and insulting them is the way to ensure you go out of business.

Still, when that happens, they will “most likely” release a version without the DRM bugs and I will get a chance to play it.

I lol at DRM who in there right mind would use that?

I dislike proprietary software, but understand that some good games deserve credit and maybe even money, so I think that (after having tried it fully) you should buy this simulation if you like it, but for those that have already bought it, at least the fact that you can bypass the crap and install it on as many boxes as you want, and play wherever and whenever you want, should be of confort.
You don’t have to renounce to a good game because of the DRM, just buy it and then bypass it.

The irony of the thing is that while the DRM annoys to death all legitimate owners, any average reverser can patch DG_RJWp.exe (in .wine/drive_c/Program Files/Storm Eagle Studios) with two simple breakpoints (after having unpacked the exe and bypassed the cheksum) . Takes 20 minutes at most: on my version they were on 01582F6E for key 1 and 01582EF3 for key 2.

I haven’t tried Jutland yet, but I guess that the DRM approach wont be all that different.

Apropos legality: if I’m not mistaken in the European Union (contrary to the States), you are not only allowed but even encouraged to check that the software you install on your box doesn’t contain any trojan. So your right to have a look cannot be questioned.
As for the right of modifying the source code of a patented proprietary program (one of the main freedom rights granted for all linux software, btw) if you are worried just do the manipulations in some country, like S.Marino, that didn’t sign the Geneva convention of the patent’s holders mafia :-)

So if you already bought the game my advice would be:
1) switch to linux
2) install the DG_RJW demo and check that everything runs
3) patch it & forget the DRM crap

and if you didn’t buy the game:
4) if you like it, be ethical and buy it

Cheers!

These companies are bigger and stardock is a professional windows application developer as well as just doing games. They have more resources. I hate DRM as much as the next guy. And even though I like the idea of a jutland game, I am still deciding if I will play this game enough to justify the cost and having a 4th DRM app running in the backround.

I totally agree on the mercy thing. I had to reinstall twice. The first time it took three month for thec support to get me activated again, the second time they never got back to me. so essentially I have a non playable game for years on my harddrive now for which I spend a good deal of money. If Jutland has the same DRM I WILL NEVER BUY it. Even if I really long to be with the High Seas Fleet again, since all the other Jutland Games that were out there.

I emailed SES customer support with a simple question half an hour ago, and had a response within ten minutes. And, frankly, I don’t care about digital rights management.

What I do care about is having a decent naval combat simulation for World War I. And this really looks like one. It’s not exactly a mainstream wargame, but if you’re into naval warfare, it might be just what you’re looking for.

No one should touch such products, thats the only way they will ever disappear. May they rot on the shelve forever.

Not a good first impression.