lol I know what bloatware is when I see one, but darn, look at those comments! :eek:
Making it madatory for people to install malware in order to play a game is borderline insane.
It really looks to me as PWE are trying to see how many people they can drive off.
I have already made my feelings plain on the main page i will play STO as normal but when this goes mandatory then PWE can say goodbye to me. There shoddy work and bugs have already let them say goodbye to my case as I will no longer be putting my money in game. So if they make this mandatory I won't be sparing a backward glance I know quite a few MMO's that look quite good. Also Civ V has released a expansion so maybe go back to playing that
NO TO ARC
Vice Admiral Volmack ISS Thundermole
Brigadier General Jokag IKS Gorkan
Centurion Kares RRW Tomalak
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I think an official post on these forums where someone promised that Arc will remain entirely optional for STO players would cool down the emotions and posting frequency alot.
I think we already have confirmation that ARC is gonna be mandatory. From one of Brandon's early posts in the official discussion thread:
If ARC becomes mandatory or all end up with all the good promo/sales then i will simply stop playing STO, as whiney as it sounds : i do not need or want another game client portal software on my comp or its required third party additions ( PANDO ! )
I think we already have confirmation that ARC is gonna be mandatory. From one of Brandon's early posts in the official discussion thread:
If that doesn't tell you, I'm not sure what will.
Thank you for the time...
"GameFAQs will never merge with Gamespot. We're not going to sell-out the soul of the site." -CJayC
Mods lie.
Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it. - Bubba
I think we already have confirmation that ARC is gonna be mandatory. From one of Brandon's early posts in the official discussion thread:
If that doesn't tell you, I'm not sure what will.
Thank you for the time...
I think it's hilarious that ARC is still in development and they've made it mandatory already for new installs to run. New players are already guinea pigs and don't even know it.
Is that legal ? Does the EULA allow for them to install that kinda bloatware/adware without warning ?
Pando gets a bad rap, quite often - it's often misunderstood and thus maligned by the masses.
That being said, for certain users - lower bandwidth, throttled bandwidth, capped 'n charged bandwidth, etc, etc, etc - it can be problematic.
Personally, with any programs that install it - I uninstall it. If the program requires it to run or reinstalls it, I uninstall the program (and Pando if it was installed again).
Several programs have required it be there, while others have installed it but ran fine without it.
The premise is fine - it's actually pretty nifty. Reduces the burden on the provider, allows for typically faster downloads for clients, can even do regional things that help based on location, yaddayaddaydadda...
...but some folks have lower bandwidth, throttled bandwidth, capped 'n charged bandwidth, etc, etc, etc.
So yeah, I don't run it. Won't run it. If it becomes a requirement...then I can only wish Cryptic the best of luck as I look for another game that does not require it.
"GameFAQs will never merge with Gamespot. We're not going to sell-out the soul of the site." -CJayC
Mods lie.
Then you didn't bother to look at the bottom of what I quoted, then.
*Do note that if you uninstall the game and need to reinstall, or get a new computer, you will need to download Arc to install and launch STO.
If players new to STO or those who do a reinstall off the Website have to use ARC, then I would guess everyone will be forced to ARC eventually. Without substantial and honest info, I am very inclined to give up on STO when this transition happens. And that will be a sad day for me personally.
Thank you for the time...
STO CBT Player - 400 day+ Vet, Currently Silver
Cryptic, would you actulaly like me to spend actual Money? It's Simple:
Full, Story-driven, select from start 1-50 Klingon Side
Scrap current Lock Box & Lobi system for something more reasonable
Expand Dil and Rep/Fleet Marks to regular story content
Then you didn't bother to look at the bottom of what I quoted, then.
If players new to STO or those who do a reinstall off the Website have to use ARC, then I would guess everyone will be forced to ARC eventually. Without substantial and honest info, I am very inclined to give up on STO when this transition happens. And that will be a sad day for me personally.
Thank you for the time...
Well if you read the bottom of what you quoted why did you even post at all sir? It is clear this is being forced on people. Where I live, my internet is literally ran by two mules and a goat. I don't need this.
Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it. - Bubba
If this little ARC program becomes mandatory for STO, it is highly likely that I will drop this game, cold turkey. Not because I don't like Cryptic or the game(quite the contrary, I'm quite passionate about both), but because I refuse to have such a program on MY machine, much less actually use it. Furthermore, I will actively dissuade people from doing business with anything under the PWE 'umbrella', rather than the praise and encouragement I currently dole out for STO.
Ultimately, this program becoming mandatory will drive away and keep away far more 'customers' than it will benefit. I actually think this program will be a great addition if it is an OPTIONAL feature. However, this will have a noticeable impact on the Quarterly Report(s) if things continue down the obvious path this is headed.
Agree with this and what many others have posted. I pray that this is a rare instance where the powers that be listen to the voice of the community. DO NOT WANT!
I have made a significant investment of time and money in this game and I don't want to leave. But if this program becomes mandatory for me to access STO, I will bitterly take my time and entertainment dollar down the road. I think the number of departing players will be significant. Pay heed PWE, this will not benefit you. Abandon any plans of making this mandatory. Your paying customers do not want this.
I used something similar to ARC with Star Wars the Clone Wars, Star Wars: Galaxies, and DCUOnline, it was a waste of space & time, my gamming time was crappy due to the back ground downloading data that was not needed. So I physically removed those games from my pc and ended my sub to those games, if we're playing just 1 of 3 games we do not need ARC to launch the games like STO , NW, or Champions Online, just use the regular launcher for it. And if someone says its mandatory for me to use it to play STO then I guess I will not play STO.
I didn't know about the continuous stream of data (I'm not concerned by that), so I apologize.
However, can't you just start STO using ARC, then close ARC once STO is loaded ?
I didn't know about the continuous stream of data (I'm not concerned by that), so I apologize.
However, can't you just start STO using ARC, then close ARC once STO is loaded ?
If it behaves similar to steam (I think) and origin, no. The second you close the program, the game shuts down as well.
I really hope that the entire weight of the STO community will make Brandon say something to PWE, and that PWE by some glimmer of humanity will undo this.
I really hope that the entire weight of the STO community will make Brandon say something to PWE, and that PWE by some glimmer of humanity will undo this.
Fingers crossed that this will work and ARC will be made voluntary
Pando Media Booster (PMB.exe) listens on TCP ports 443 and 563. People having trouble getting web servers such as Apache, IIS, or others working should consider removing Pando Media Booster. Pando Media Booster runs at startup and takes priority to other downloads. Slowness in downloading or general network performance issues may be related to this product.
So if this ARC is anything like this, I will stop playing PW games to include STO. I only play and only have interest in 1 PW game and that is STO. I already have Steam and the STO launcher which is enough already.
I can say without hesitation the day ARC becomes mandatory is the day I stop playing STO. As another has said Blizzard games are already on the list and I have turned away from using them due to battle.net. PWE has no other games I'm interested in and I already have a STO launcher so you will not see me downloading this version of spyware/maleware. If PWE wants to send away large portion of the customer base then this is a good way to do it.
- A free ZEN for surveys advert appears.
- You get a coupon for "free" things requiring you to pay.
- Other PWE games get shoved in your face.
- An advert pop-up appears.
- Adverts for cash store content get shoved in your face.
- Patching fails.
- ARC requires excessive information to sign-up to.
- ARC then gets TRIBBLE, spaffing your information all over Pastebin.
- The program decides to go through every open file or process on your system for no apparent reason.
- Something NSA related. :P
- A free ZEN for surveys advert appears.
- You get a coupon for "free" things requiring you to pay.
- Other PWE games get shoved in your face.
- An advert pop-up appears.
- Adverts for cash store content get shoved in your face.
- Patching fails.
- ARC requires excessive information to sign-up to.
- ARC then gets TRIBBLE, spaffing your information all over Pastebin.
- The program decides to go through every open file or process on your system for no apparent reason.
- Something NSA related. :P
- When Spybot S&D classifies this as malware
Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it. - Bubba
Why even care, you install ARC, you launch STO, done.
Uh, no.
You install ARC, ARC launches the STO launcher you're currently using (and using just fine without ARC's help, might I add), the STO launcher you already have launches STO.
So what's with the extra unnecessary piece of bloatware?
No need to discuss. My answer is no. I am almost always on the road and play STO on the company's computer. However, they do not allow this type of software (Steam does not for example). So this means that I just could not play anymore even if I wanted to. Plain and simple.
- A free ZEN for surveys advert appears.
- You get a coupon for "free" things requiring you to pay.
- Other PWE games get shoved in your face.
- An advert pop-up appears.
- Adverts for cash store content get shoved in your face.
- Patching fails.
- ARC requires excessive information to sign-up to.
- ARC then gets TRIBBLE, spaffing your information all over Pastebin.
- The program decides to go through every open file or process on your system for no apparent reason.
- Something NSA related. :P
No need to discuss. My answer is no. I am almost always on the road and play STO on the company's computer. However, they do not allow this type of software (Steam does not for example). So this means that I just could not play anymore even if I wanted to. Plain and simple.
I feel sorry for you and anyone else in your situation. I wonder if PWE take circumstances like yours into consideration before doing something like this. Their actions with ARC to date seem to say "no"
Comments
lol
Making it madatory for people to install malware in order to play a game is borderline insane.
It really looks to me as PWE are trying to see how many people they can drive off.
Gulp,.. hope not because that would be disaterous.
Vice Admiral Volmack ISS Thundermole
Brigadier General Jokag IKS Gorkan
Centurion Kares RRW Tomalak
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
that decision is up to PWE and we all know they wont listen.
but i dont see anything wrong with arc...
I think we already have confirmation that ARC is gonna be mandatory. From one of Brandon's early posts in the official discussion thread:
If that doesn't tell you, I'm not sure what will.
Thank you for the time...
Cryptic, would you actulaly like me to spend actual Money? It's Simple:
"GameFAQs will never merge with Gamespot. We're not going to sell-out the soul of the site." -CJayC
Mods lie.
I think it's hilarious that ARC is still in development and they've made it mandatory already for new installs to run. New players are already guinea pigs and don't even know it.
Is that legal ? Does the EULA allow for them to install that kinda bloatware/adware without warning ?
Awoken Dead
Now shaddup about the queues, it's a BUG
That being said, for certain users - lower bandwidth, throttled bandwidth, capped 'n charged bandwidth, etc, etc, etc - it can be problematic.
Personally, with any programs that install it - I uninstall it. If the program requires it to run or reinstalls it, I uninstall the program (and Pando if it was installed again).
Several programs have required it be there, while others have installed it but ran fine without it.
The premise is fine - it's actually pretty nifty. Reduces the burden on the provider, allows for typically faster downloads for clients, can even do regional things that help based on location, yaddayaddaydadda...
...but some folks have lower bandwidth, throttled bandwidth, capped 'n charged bandwidth, etc, etc, etc.
So yeah, I don't run it. Won't run it. If it becomes a requirement...then I can only wish Cryptic the best of luck as I look for another game that does not require it.
Then you didn't bother to look at the bottom of what I quoted, then.
If players new to STO or those who do a reinstall off the Website have to use ARC, then I would guess everyone will be forced to ARC eventually. Without substantial and honest info, I am very inclined to give up on STO when this transition happens. And that will be a sad day for me personally.
Thank you for the time...
Cryptic, would you actulaly like me to spend actual Money? It's Simple:
Well if you read the bottom of what you quoted why did you even post at all sir? It is clear this is being forced on people. Where I live, my internet is literally ran by two mules and a goat. I don't need this.
Agree with this and what many others have posted. I pray that this is a rare instance where the powers that be listen to the voice of the community. DO NOT WANT!
I have made a significant investment of time and money in this game and I don't want to leave. But if this program becomes mandatory for me to access STO, I will bitterly take my time and entertainment dollar down the road. I think the number of departing players will be significant. Pay heed PWE, this will not benefit you. Abandon any plans of making this mandatory. Your paying customers do not want this.
I have no need for this, when the current launcher works just fine.
ARC might seem like a good idea on paper, and that's where it should have stayed, on the drawing board.
No thanks PWE.
DO NOT WANT!!!
However, can't you just start STO using ARC, then close ARC once STO is loaded ?
If it behaves similar to steam (I think) and origin, no. The second you close the program, the game shuts down as well.
Fingers crossed that this will work and ARC will be made voluntary
Please, do not make it a forced mandatory requirement.
So if this ARC is anything like this, I will stop playing PW games to include STO. I only play and only have interest in 1 PW game and that is STO. I already have Steam and the STO launcher which is enough already.
Take a swig every time:
- A free ZEN for surveys advert appears.
- You get a coupon for "free" things requiring you to pay.
- Other PWE games get shoved in your face.
- An advert pop-up appears.
- Adverts for cash store content get shoved in your face.
- Patching fails.
- ARC requires excessive information to sign-up to.
- ARC then gets TRIBBLE, spaffing your information all over Pastebin.
- The program decides to go through every open file or process on your system for no apparent reason.
- Something NSA related. :P
- When Spybot S&D classifies this as malware
Uh, no.
You install ARC, ARC launches the STO launcher you're currently using (and using just fine without ARC's help, might I add), the STO launcher you already have launches STO.
So what's with the extra unnecessary piece of bloatware?
Fixed that for ya.
Good lord, ever heard of alcohol poisoning?
I feel sorry for you and anyone else in your situation. I wonder if PWE take circumstances like yours into consideration before doing something like this. Their actions with ARC to date seem to say "no"