Reasons why internet validation is bad.

**jasonf** · 12-12-2006, 03:25 PM

OK, just one reason... I don't mean to rehash the same topics we've had here before about authentication and validation.. some good points were made. What I want to talk about is Siege of Avalon; a subject fairly close to my heart, I loved that game and although we have in our midsts the ability to bring it back to life.. the trouble is, that little task is not so small and doesn't get around a very basic yet critical point.

There's no-where to download or purchase Siege of Avalon from anymore

Even Amazon don't stock it anymore. So even with the Open Source client, there's no where to legally get the data files from. So unless Digital Tome released the datafiles form the constraints of the license, there's no way to play it.

Why do I care?

I love RPG Games and to me, it's right up there with the best.

I've been re-playing Neverwinter Nights over the last couple of days (yeah.. I know, I should be working on Guns Reloaded

ops: ) , in particular, the Aurora Toolkit which ships with it (Very nice indeed). I was wondering if it would be possible to remake Siege of Avalon using the Neverwinter nights engine as a Mod. It wouldn't be easy though.. but I reckon a loose approximation of it could be made... then I thought.. it's gonna take an Age and a half!

Then I checked the Siege of Avalon and Digital Tome sites to see if I could find any reference maps and plot info. Only to find they are now taken by leech sites (or they appear to be) with nothing to do with the original game or company. So any attempts we make to get the game up and running again and any publicity it generates will only direct people towards these sites.

It's a sad time I think.

I don't understand what happened to Digital Tome. It seemed such a promising company. The game was really nice and the episotic content idea was brilliant.. I for one purchased all of the episodes, even though I never completed the game. All was lost when my PC died, now I don't have the data files anymore or any means of re-downloading them because the company has gone bust and the only way to validate the copy is online. See the problem?

I think this will also happen to any games powered by the Steam system. Right now, no problem.. but in the future, when people want to replay their games but the servers have long since died and their URL's have been snatched by leeches, users will be left with nothing more than a theoretical license which isn't worth anything or a CD which can only be used as a coaster.

so.. in short..

On line validation = BAD.

**WILL** · 12-12-2006, 03:41 PM

Hey Jason. Some very good and valid points in your post.

It does really make for a solid case against online validation. At least some aspects of it to be considered should anyone consider creating a game to use it or when purchasing games using it.