Purchase of A-10C on Steam : lack of CD Key

[BlackLight_UK]

I just bought the game off steam and i have no key provided with it.

i have send an email to support requesting an cd key.

But as i can read this issue has affected more users?

 

Is it not an option to install the game from steam and then pulling it out of the registery afterwards?

 

No, it don't work like that with this title...

 

With A-10C, the DRM is a key-based activation, which (up til now) has been unavailable. You put the key in when the game starts for the first time.

 

Fortunately, I have just checked my Steam account, and the CD Keys have been issued... so therefore you just click on CD Key on the Links column of the A-10C item in Steam, copypasta, and (hopefully) away you go..... trying it now... updates to follow.

[BlackLight_UK]

SUCCESS !!!!!

 

The Steam-issued CD Key works with the standalone DCS World / A-10C Module... and am in \o/

 

Awesome news :D

 

To whoever wanted to be kept updated - consider this that update =)

[Cmdr]

Lucky you - I haven't gotten a key and steam support tells me to contact ED because they can't help me -.-

[EtherealN]

Cmdr, recheck later, it might take them a while to perform a full roll-out.

 

(Last time this happened, which was a while ago, the exact same thing happened: I saw people being told by Steam support to talk to ED at the same time as the relevant keys were being rolled out. Valve is a large company and it is highly possible that the support staff do not know what other divisions are doing at that exact moment.)

 

If you have not received your key, please attempt re-starting your steam client to see if it is working on cached data.

Edited January 4, 2013 by EtherealN

[drmagnumwolf]

best buy sells Sony tvs...is it Sonys job to make sure best buy has Sony tvs...no its best buys job. Steam stopped supporting dcs when a10 came out...wjy should they cater to steam. Yes steam sells it why are they selling a product they don't have in stock?

 

 

Wrong, the analogy to best describe steam is like a mall, and the individual shops are the publishers/sellers/developers. Or think of it like Amazon seller program. For example, when a company goes under, they immediately take the game out of steam's store. Because the company will not be able to receive any further money transfers.

 

And it is ED's fault for not updating the game in steam, not steam's fault for it being outdated. The company prepares the update, uploads it to steam's servers(some set up special dates for roll out) and then the game is updated. One example of this system that can easily be seen is Railworks or Train Simulator. Their page on steam is their own store, and they provide the serial numbers(on this case its valve, since they are using steam as drm) and the company behind Railworks provides the updates, and more products to sell.

 

Steam does not go out of its way to look for products to sell.

 

I suggest you familiarize with the digital store system to avoid further confusion http://www.steampowered.com/steamworks/

 

Ed doesn't provide keys they sell them. Therefore the have to actually own keys...in this case they don't.

 

To sell your product on steam, you have to enter a very long process and have a commercial account. One of the reasons why greenlight program was launched. Also, if ED used steam as DRM, there wouldn't be any of this problems, since in that way, its Valve/Steam who would supply the keys, not ED.

 

How many companies remove DRM after day one? None! The point of the DRM if irrelevant at this point.

 

As per request I will not discuss DRM here, and will simply leave this comment as is: Quite a few actually, Ubisfot regretted their always on DRM and activation DRM, and are taking it out..and even apologized for it!

Read this interview: http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/11/29/interview-cd-projekts-ceo-on-witcher-2-piracy-why-drms-still-not-worth-it/

 

The fact of the matter is steam sold a product they don't have "in stock". How that equates to ed screwing you over is beyond me. Isn't it steam that screwed you over by selling a product they didn't actually have? And since you obviously don't know you get 10 activations...if you use all 10 a month later one is replenished.

 

So why not say "unlimited" instead?

Edited January 4, 2013 by drmagnumwolf

[pacotito]

I'm not sure the exact details but steam decided against carrying new ed products. Which is why the sim is out dated. The steam version is the last full update to a10c after that it went to dcs world which steam doesn't carry. So steam has the last update to the full sim. Since they don't carry the modules or dcs world it won't get updated to the current module/world version.

[EtherealN]

Guys, seriously, on-topic.

 

I want this thread to be accessible to customers that may or may not still have problems with their Steam keys. In which case a restart of the Steam client should now be sufficient.

 

The rest of this "discussion" I have my opinions on, but it does not belong in this thread.

[Echelon]

I just installed the steam client and it now provides a cd key.

You just right click on your purchased product and select cd-key and voila.

Copy it to your clipboard and you can now past it in a notepad.

I hope this key functions when activating the dcs a10-c.

 

Atm i am installing dcs world and afterwards the a-10c module.

Will post update when it accepts or does not accept the key.

 

Can i from now on use this key to activate my a-10c installation or is it a one time key only?

[EtherealN]

I hope this key functions when activating the dcs a10-c.

[...]

 

Can i from now on use this key to activate my a-10c installation or is it a one time key only?

 

It will function for DCS World A-10C module. It is your license key and can be re-used in the event you install on a new or heavily modified computer. In the event that you reinstall on a system that has not been modified, the activation will remain. (It is, thus, not an "install" that is being counted, only "computer".)

[CyBerkut]

Thank you, BlackLight UK and EtherealN, for the heads-up. I had to wait until I got home from work to log on to Steam, but it was nice knowing that it would probably be there when I got off from work today. I can confirm that Steam had a CD key ready for me, and that it worked properly to activate my DCS World installed version of A-10C.

 

If anyone else is still waiting for a CD key from Steam, I hope they get it straightened out for you soon!

[drmagnumwolf]

Guys, seriously, on-topic.

 

I want this thread to be accessible to customers that may or may not still have problems with their Steam keys. In which case a restart of the Steam client should now be sufficient.

 

The rest of this "discussion" I have my opinions on, but it does not belong in this thread.

 

 

I agree, I just got my key(finally), and now I'm going to activate it and finally play :) :joystick::joystick:

[Echelon]

Activiation done yesterday and it works like a charm now.

It says that i have 9 activations left but as i have read correct if all 10 are used up i still can activate once per month?

[Lange_666]

yup

[OHWHY]

got my cd key from steam and i installed the stand alone dcs world , but every time i try to run it i get

 

"DCS has stopped working a problem caused the program to stop working correctly, Windows will close the program and notify you if a solution is available"

 

any clues running Win 8.

[EtherealN]

From the available information, the only clue I can come up with is "something broke in som way". ;)

 

As for what broke, no clue. Game, operating system, driver, hardware - something in one of them. To figure out which, need more information. Best suggestion would be to get the problem data from Windows Event viewer. (EDIT: Found what appears to be a good guide for the Windows 8 version of Event Viewer here: http://www.computerperformance.co.uk/win8/windows8-event-viewer.htm )

 

Also, what do you mean by "Stand alone DCS World?"

The Stand Alone would be the thing you got through Steam, version 1.1.1.1, that has only the A-10C and thus is not "DCS World". If this is what is crashing on you, I would suggest as first step to try DCS World with A-10C Module.

While DCS World is the product named thus on digitalcombatsimulator.com. If this is what is crashing, please find the information about the crashes through Even Viewer. Guesses would be that you need to reinstall DirectX9c, or VC++ - see this FAQ: http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=67747

Edited January 18, 2013 by EtherealN

[Drake90]

Greetings,

 

I want to ask you about something. You see, a few days ago I found in the internet site called buy-play when you can buy cd-keys for the games. Well I want to ask you something. Such sites are legal or not?

[cichlidfan]

Do they have a statement somewhere telling you to make sure to use the key right away? If they do then I would stay away.

[EtherealN]

Humm humm...

 

While this is certainly not conclusive, they list their company as one in Delaware US, server is located in Britain, administered by a consultancy buerou in Warsawa Poland while support phone appears to be going to somewhere in the Chzech Republic or in Slovakia. Certainly nothing conclusive in any way, but it has me scratching my head.

 

That said, I don't find the DCS products on that site?

[joey45]

Not sure about outside of the UK but you can complain the the game is not fit for purpose.

ie can not run certain functions like MP and bring up the Sales of goods act [ or words there of] and demand a refund.

[Drake90]

Thanks for the answer. Anyway I have to admit that I had bought product on their site and it was pure risk. Luckilly I get normal cd-key. Anyway I don't think that I will take another chance. Also because you hmm, changed my point of view^^.

[EtherealN]

Well, if it helps I can ask the marketing people about the site. I've never heard of it myself before, but that is of course not my field.

[Drake90]

Well I would really appreciate that:). Thank you very much for help:).