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Mac Activation & Resolution Questions

EdifiedEdified
edited February 2010 in Shopping or Activation Support
I used to play MI as a teen. I'm headed off to Africa an I'd like to play ToMI but I'll mostly be without an internet connection.

Does ToMI require internet for activation or just a simple code? Is it one time activation online or do I have to be connected each time I start the game?

Also, does ToMI support 1280x800 widescreen natively or does it run in another resolution or stretched?

Thanks for you help!

Comments

  • Macfly77Macfly77 Moderator
    edited February 2010
    You need a connection to download the episodes and unlock them. It's not necessary after that.
    1280x800 is one of 9 resolutions supported natively.
  • EdifiedEdified
    edited February 2010
    Thanks! One more question...is it possible to deactivate on one computer and activate on another? What are the rules about activations and what happens if, in the future, the activation servers go offline?
  • Macfly77Macfly77 Moderator
    edited February 2010
    It is not possible to deactivate the game.
    However, you can activate it on more than one computer (not an infinite number, but quite a few).
  • EdifiedEdified
    edited February 2010
    I've had a pretty high turnover in computers lately and it's no fun getting burned by activation overages, especially if I only have one copy actually installed. Unless activations are unlimited it really makes sense to have an inactivate feature....although even that is a pain for us end users.

    Does that number increase with time? Is there a support article describing the rules? What happens if the activation servers go offline? Is there any assurance of longevity for these games?
  • EdifiedEdified
    edited February 2010
    I found the FAQ page and it sounds like TTG is fairly liberal with activations, so long as they are legitimate.

    I do hope that you get rid of the activation requirement after 3 years (or now is fine) and go to simple serial number entry or DRM-Free. Otherwise I feel like eventually I will lose all my piratey goodness, no matter how honest I am.

    For now, I'll join the ranks of paying customers ;)
  • Macfly77Macfly77 Moderator
    edited February 2010
    I will let Telltale answer your questions but as far as I know from having read about other users' experiences, the number of activations allowed is around 20.
    Also, if you buy the season, you will be entitled to a DVD with all the episodes for just the cost of shipping once it is available.
    More details about the DVD can be found here.
  • EdifiedEdified
    edited February 2010
    DVD is kind of pointless if we have to continue to rely on activation servers.

    Anyway, episode 1 is up and running well. I hope they'll go DRM-Free or simple serialization some time.
  • DjNDBDjNDB Moderator
    edited February 2010
    Edified wrote: »
    DVD is kind of pointless if we have to continue to rely on activation servers.

    The DVD Versions don't require online activation. They require access to the Disc for copy protection.
  • AvistewAvistew
    edited February 2010
    All these activation things make me curious...
    Is it by computer/IP/number of downloads?

    Like, If I download it, play it, delete it, then when I want to replay it I re-download it (on the same computer) does it count twice? Since it's online I've been deleting stuff as soon as I'm done with them so I don't take up room.

    What if I download it on a different computer with the same IP? Like, connected to the same Internet?

    I don't think it's ultimately a problem since you get the DVD versions too and these will work anyways, but it makes me curious. I kinda assumed I just needed to log in and I could download it no matter where I was, since logging in meant it was really me and not someone else. I guess I didn't think it through.
  • WillWill Telltale Alumni
    edited February 2010
    The system is currently in flux, but yeah you get a set, but generous, number of "activations." Ok, here is the basic run down as far as I know it (from the non-technical perspective). Each activation is basically a computer ID. When you install on a new computer, we give that computer a unique ID number and then store it on our servers.

    If at some point you run out of activations (which is pretty darn unlikely), then we can just delete your older activations from our system or something, freeing up new computers. It shouldn't ever really be a problem though, and in all of my time doing customer support I've only ever had to do it like once.

    Also, our dvds frequently rely on disc-based security. So if you are playing the disk version, you don't need a serial number or anything, just the disk in the drive. That could change of course (and indeed WG dvd is based on your serial number).
  • AvistewAvistew
    edited February 2010
    Thanks! So I can delete the game from a given computer and re-download it on it as many times as I want. That's all I need, really, since I'm not one to switch computers often. Plus I'd only do that when replaying before the DVD is released, afterwards I'd play using the DVD.

    If the DVDs were to start working using the same activation key thing, and assuming some people were to sell their DVD on ebay or something, and someone would get it, play it and resell it, and so on (I use that example because when I was a student I only played games after buying them second hand, and then I'd resell them right away. Much cheaper that way), does that mean it would run out of activations at some point, or just that it would be unusable by people who didn't purchase the digital version (and therefore didn't get an activation code)?

    That's all theoretical of course. I'm interested in that stuff but I realise I just never wondered how it worked. (For instance, someone in another thread mentionned that they were upset they needed the DVD inside to play. I had never stopped to think that it might be possible to play without the game inside. To me it was like trying to watch a DVD without putting the DVD in the player, I would never have even though of trying it).
  • WillWill Telltale Alumni
    edited February 2010
    For the serial number based dvds, the games on the disk are 100% exactly the same as the versions downloaded from the website. It's like you downloaded them yourself and burned them to a disk.

    So if you ever wanted to sell them, you'd need to sell your serial number too (or you'd end up with a really pissed off customer). So yeah, that would count against your installs.
  • AvistewAvistew
    edited February 2010
    I see, thanks :)
This discussion has been closed.