So better stay away from Steel Beasts dongles

[undercovergeek]

Hey - I'M still HERE!

I'm f****** happy all the f****** time ya t***s  :bd:

Anyway - you go and live in that climate and see how f****** cheerful you end up     If Washington State was any wetter, it'd still be behind Scotland.

Man you got up early to be insulted

[mirth]

Hey - I'M still HERE!

I'm f****** happy all the f****** time ya t***s  :bd:

Anyway - you go and live in that climate and see how f****** cheerful you end up     If Washington State was any wetter, it'd still be behind Scotland.

Man you got up early to be insulted

It was either that or sleep in and risk being happy.

[undercovergeek]

He likes to get up early to have more time to be miserable

[RyanE]

So an update.  This is a cut and paste from an email I sent back to esims...

"Now that is showing some flexibility and negotiating.  As I said at grogheads, I am waiting another week.  My Travel VP is working with United to figure out what happened to my luggage.  The funny part is after getting the $100 limit story from a low-level peon at the United Lost Luggage desk, it only took a phone call to the Mileage plus desk to get it to $300.  Within 24 hours they upped the amount beyond their standard rules.  Note the standard rules part.  They saw I was a frequent customer of their airline and I work for a large company that spends money with them.

That's called customer service.  I am going to post an update on grogheads that you have shown some flexibility, though I think four months and then suddenly I am back in the same situation is just you kicking the can down the road hoping I'll go away."

esims came back last night and offered to blacklist my dongle, which they had already said they did, and give me four months of free time-based license.  While they are finally showing some flexibility, its not much.  In the end, to use my software long-term, I will have to shell out $125 for a new dongle.  But is the only real movement they have ever shown, other than blacklisting the dongle.  As I said above, its kicking the can down the road hoping everyone forgets this in four months.

As to airing dirty laundry in the forum, I want to have a conversation with anyone who doesn't think this was the appropriate medium for this.  I had already had email exchanges with esims and gotten zero.  What more should I have done?  Should Have flown to their offices and met face to face?  Do you guys think I would have even gotten what little they are offering if we had kept it to email.  They had already stated their position multiple times by email.  What should have been my next steps?

Don't shy away.  If your willing to post an opinion like that after reading through this thread, I want to hear you advice on how to handle it.  Or are the comments just forum posturing?

One thing I found interesting is that Ssnake is really pushing me to get on board with time-based licensing.  Every suggestion seems to be to get on board that train.  That puts a thought in my head that something is going on with the dongle approach to the DRM and might be why esims is so rigid on replacing a dongle.

[mirth]

He likes to get up early to have more time to be miserable

Maximize the misery. Sounds very Scottish.

[mirth]

Thanks for the update, Ryan. What a PITA. And thank you for posting the experience here. Answers any questions I had about possibly purchasing the product.

I actually bought that RJW game from SES back in the day, despite knowing better about their crappy DRM scheme. I had Jim Rose accuse of me being a hater who had never purchased an SES game, until I posted a copy of my receipt online.  The responses you've received from sSnake rival what SES customers used to get from JR. 

[RyanE]

I wouldn't go that far.  I had my run ins with Mr. Rose and he just plain seemed unbalance.  Ssnake is the opposite.  I don't agree with him.  But he is committed to his company and his discussions are generally polite, if a little passive-aggressive now and then.  I have a much easier time empathizing with Ssnake than Mr. Rose.

[mirth]

Yeah, I guess that's a stretch, but when I see comments using phrases like ' blackmail', 'exortion' and 'hoarders' I get flashbacks to Rose.

[Apocalypse 31]

esims came back last night and offered to blacklist my dongle, which they had already said they did, and give me four months of free time-based license.

I dont understand how that is any sort of compromise for this situation.

Here's a question: If we lose our dongle, do we also lose our license for the upgrades? In your case, if you bought a new dongle (license) would you also have to buy upgrades to 4.0?

Edit: I guess its a moot point. I assume the new dongle would come with the most up-to-date version.

[MikeGER]

  That puts a thought in my head that something is going on with the dongle approach to the DRM and might be why esims is so rigid on replacing a dongle.

...i heard it through the grapevine ssnake might already be sitting on a solution to solve the problem of customers loosing item in the future  ;D
  ^-^

...you better stick to the Time-Limited license solution, i will do  ;)

[mirth]

^lmfao!!!

[Apocalypse 31]

Certainly brings "Plug and Play" to a new level.

[panzerde]

[mirth]

Certainly brings "Plug and Play" to a new level.

:DD

[Steelgrave]

As to airing dirty laundry in the forum, I want to have a conversation with anyone who doesn't think this was the appropriate medium for this.  I had already had email exchanges with esims and gotten zero.  What more should I have done?  Should Have flown to their offices and met face to face?  Do you guys think I would have even gotten what little they are offering if we had kept it to email.  They had already stated their position multiple times by email.  What should have been my next steps?

RyanE, as a moderator I have zero problems with you using Grogheads to air this issue. Nor do I have a problem with what you've shared. Trust me, if the moderator body as a whole had any issues, well....we're not exactly a shy bunch, it would have been addressed.