The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
I had always thought that they would play on a computer since a computer is a computer with no lock out chips or anything. My girlfriend says otherwise.
Basically, it's possible to "region lock" some content, but there's no standardized way of doing it, and if it is done then it is entirely because the publisher/developer decided to code something themselves to do so.
Dehumanized on
0
Sir CarcassI have been shown the end of my worldRound Rock, TXRegistered Userregular
edited December 2010
They're not completely region free, for the most part, but it's not a similar situation to movie DVDs or console games. In most instances, the most you'd have to worry about is getting the correct patch or whatever for your particular region.
They're only region based as far as the software company wants to take it. Steam, for instance, can accomplish it because they're a digital distributor. But if you bought a game in China and popped it in your DVD drive I'd find it hard to believe you'd run into any issues other than language ones. Most don't care about region encoding as it was strictly a way for the MPAA to make sure bootleg copies of House of the Dead from Quezfuckistan don't end up in the US.
That is to say there wasn't a game distributor that used it, but as far as I know hardly any games and publishers do something like that.
bowen on
not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
0
KakodaimonosCode fondlerHelping the 1% get richerRegistered Userregular
edited December 2010
Online services may be region locked, but the base game itself wouldn't be.
Basically, it's possible to "region lock" some content, but there's no standardized way of doing it, and if it is done then it is entirely because the publisher/developer decided to code something themselves to do so.
A million times this.
About a decade ago I bought a non-pirated copy of Ground Control from a legit game store in China. In the installer there was a thing that checked if your Windows was the Chinese version (or perhaps that the locale was set to China) and refused to install if it wasn't.
So while there isn't any standardized built-in region locking like in DVDs or console games, PC games can try to "region-lock" via their own software / installers.
About a decade ago I bought a non-pirated copy of Ground Control from a legit game store in China. In the installer there was a thing that checked if your Windows was the Chinese version (or perhaps that the locale was set to China) and refused to install if it wasn't.
Games sometimes check location (Region and Language control panel under Location), but for non-Western scripts, you might need to change the language for non-Unicode programs (Region and Language>Administrative panel (Win7)>Change system locale (to whatever country/language you bought the game in/from). Win XP is a little different, I think, but I haven't used it in over a year now, so I don't remember the specifics.
I'd say in general, if the box is in English, and internet is not required to activate the product, you have a 98% chance of it installing. With Asian titles, you need the different Region setting, not just the language setting. That can't be changed easily on every windows install (I think it requires Vista / 7 Ultimate, can't do it on Home Premium for sure).
MMO's can be different. Some test for region, some don't. I own both a EU and a US version of LotRO (both bought for pennies), they install fine but differently, and go to a different login. A few can be fooled by tweaking a file in the folder to redirect the launcher (I believe WoW was one of them at the start, but I don't know how it is now).
If you aren't sure, just google the specific title.
Posts
Steam even does it, but that is simply out of their control.
I simply mean buying them of course, there are indeed no region settings.
That is to say there wasn't a game distributor that used it, but as far as I know hardly any games and publishers do something like that.
A million times this.
About a decade ago I bought a non-pirated copy of Ground Control from a legit game store in China. In the installer there was a thing that checked if your Windows was the Chinese version (or perhaps that the locale was set to China) and refused to install if it wasn't.
So while there isn't any standardized built-in region locking like in DVDs or console games, PC games can try to "region-lock" via their own software / installers.
Games sometimes check location (Region and Language control panel under Location), but for non-Western scripts, you might need to change the language for non-Unicode programs (Region and Language>Administrative panel (Win7)>Change system locale (to whatever country/language you bought the game in/from). Win XP is a little different, I think, but I haven't used it in over a year now, so I don't remember the specifics.
MMO's can be different. Some test for region, some don't. I own both a EU and a US version of LotRO (both bought for pennies), they install fine but differently, and go to a different login. A few can be fooled by tweaking a file in the folder to redirect the launcher (I believe WoW was one of them at the start, but I don't know how it is now).
If you aren't sure, just google the specific title.