I have yet to see any actual proof from... well, anyone, that ARC is spyware.
As such if you could provide some proof, I would greatly appreciate it. As-is I am unfond of Arc, but this may move me to Steam.
Im actually here to try and help my fellow gamers, despite my jokes and lack of cooperation with ARC.. now before u think im here to troll, im only sharing info released by the company for those who didnt know....make up your own minds if your still cool with ARC or not, but below i have added a link to my signature for it. I personally find it an unnecessary violation of my pc, but i know not everyone minds it. But you should check up on these things before you click and accept any agreement and then add it to your pc! Dont be in such a hurry to accept any contract a business hands you, until you read and understand what it is and does, its just commons sense.
There are utilities that can help confirm or refute the suspected spyware-y nature of ARC, or possibly spot or rule out ARC as the cause of other problems.
I don't have ARC (and I won't), but if someone who does have it installed wouldn't mind testing, maybe we could get some answers.
If you're fairly knowledgeable about Windows and its underpinnings, and have ARC installed, having one or more of the following utilities running when ARC & STO are launched (and while playing) should be informative. Not just about spyware, but also about performance.
- SysInternals Process Monitor (specifically for monitoring file access and/or changes)
- SysInternals TCPView
- a good packet sniffer application; I've heard WireShark is good, but haven't used it myself
Again, if I had ARC on my system, I'd do this myself. But I won't install it, knowing that it's likely a one-way thing.
Silly question time.
If the game developers want to clone my hard drive and spy on me. Why would they need a second program to do it? they already have a program I want on my computer. All they have to do is have part of it rooting around and cloning everything back to them through the firewall I opened for them in order to play the game.
Heck all they need is to 'patch' the game client as it scans for broken bits and would infact be scanning your drive.
So why would they need the hassle of another program?
Originally Posted by pwlaughingtrendy
Network engineers are not ship designers.
Nor should they be. Their ships would look weird.
Silly question time.
If the game developers want to clone my hard drive and spy on me. Why would they need a second program to do it? they already have a program I want on my computer. All they have to do is have part of it rooting around and cloning everything back to them through the firewall I opened for them in order to play the game.
Heck all they need is to 'patch' the game client as it scans for broken bits and would infact be scanning your drive.
So why would they need the hassle of another program?
Just a guess, but seeing how popular and easy its become to put a collar on people these days, why not just make a program outright instead of going through the trouble of hiding it? No one would believe you had other intentions for the program since you gave them freebees and only really gave feedback and stood up for it through adds and puppets.
I dont use Arc Launcher, only if they give items away i use it, but otherwise i use the old STO launcher which is perfect.
Also please let us use the old STO website again, we can see its still up, but everytime i want to go there i got redirected to the stupid Arc website, I and many of us dont like ARC at all, so dont push us towards it with the launcher and the website, this will push people away from any of your games, like the new season 9 pushed away alot of old players (because the rep/trait system is not the ones we liked, and other changes that werent needed at all)
I already have Steam and I do not need another game client. I dumped all my EA stuff when they decided that they needed their own client. I will sadly dump STO, Neverwinter and Champions if PW decides to go this route as well. What is it with game companies and these now? Too much gorram greed...
As for the arcgames site itself, it looks very slick and well done and it is a nice showcase for all of your products. You get a bonus for no auto-playing videos.
Joined: June 12, 1972
"The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play." - James T. Kirk
I already have Steam and I do not need another game client. I dumped all my EA stuff when they decided that they needed their own client. I will sadly dump STO, Neverwinter and Champions if PW decides to go this route as well. What is it with game companies and these now? Too much gorram greed...
The poster notices that the Arc client's chat doesn't work with Cryptic's chat.
Are there any plans to integrate Cryptic's chat system into other Perfect World games? Because I think it's one of the coolest features Cryptic games have, that you can stay in contact with your friends from any of their games, even if you're not in game.
If not the chat system itself, you may want to consider a way to import users, friends and channels from their system.
(But for the love of Q, don't limit or remove the Cryptic chat system!)
Star Trek Online Advancement: You start with lowbie gear, you end with Lobi gear.
much as I loved STO ...I will NOT let you install such a proprietary program as ARC on my computer...ive gone back to SWTOR...thanks for all the fish...buh bye....
There are utilities that can help confirm or refute the suspected spyware-y nature of ARC, or possibly spot or rule out ARC as the cause of other problems.
(snip)
So, nobody on either side of the argument is willing to take my challenge and prove once and for all whether or not ARC is touching things it shouldn't, and/or sending things back to the mothership that it shouldn't?
Under JetBoost (ARC has two system resources running in the background) Can STO run without the ARC? To me it won't launch. ARC uses about 90K on process. Right now I have JetBoost on and it reports what loading. I don't need Bluetooth under STO some other software that is not needed can be stopped. Another game booster is Wise Game Booster both of these programs are free ones.
Wise Game Booster places your system so it not running in server mode for programs and it tweaks the system forever. JetBoost focuses on what you RUN NOW. Along with it's JetClean keeps the system running smooth. JetBoost can change your power settings so if you had taken your PC off Balance Power to High Power (Full CPU/GPU) then JetBoost creates JetBoost Power setting which is keep the system from going to sleep. To me this can be removed and the system can be kept on High Power again. 15 m for monitor and 20 m for HD if the system is idle for those times.
So, nobody on either side of the argument is willing to take my challenge and prove once and for all whether or not ARC is touching things it shouldn't, and/or sending things back to the mothership that it shouldn't?
Well i think u should keep up on everything PWE/ARC released on the subject there sport, the FAQ's, EULA, and arc team updated releases on the forums and website for info, the other players arent here to answer your questions anymore then the arc team is. (unless your having trouble getting the client to work, then they help plug u back into the matrix) plus the fact Dstahl has admitted that the new players gained will make up for the players lost, their priority is to their advancement and not ours, its Judge Dooms future so dont expect them to be your buddy after you hand over the cash! u guys pop up with this same question after the last person who answered it has his response buried by a page or two, to keep the low information crowed thinking arc is the victim, arc is holding all the cards and yes we are working on the honor system once their probe is embedded into your pc! If u trust them, dont worry about it, if youve been here a while and arent bedazzled by their anglerfish freebees then i suggest treating their info as a contract and read it all with suspicion like they do, because its business to them not fun.
I think ill save this to a wordpad to answer this question again after a few pages go by and a random arc add forgets it again. :rolleyes:
This whole thing solidifies in granite who really made the season 7 decision.
Cryptic is nothing but a Game Making meat Puppet. PWE is the REAL offender here. If ARC becomes required for STO i will delete characters and leave this game in the rear view for good.
This whole thing solidifies in granite who really made the season 7 decision.
Cryptic is nothing but a Game Making meat Puppet. PWE is the REAL offender here. If ARC becomes required for STO i will delete characters and leave this game in the rear view for good.
I hope u never have to friend, cryptic put together a really awesome game that everyone should get to enjoy without restriction! if they have problems with gold sellers, let the players report em, bot blockers can be added to the games code itself...everything else with the arc client is just unnecessary unless u like fillers, billboards and a camera over your shoulder!
So, nobody on either side of the argument is willing to take my challenge and prove once and for all whether or not ARC is touching things it shouldn't, and/or sending things back to the mothership that it shouldn't?
Unlike our paranoid kitty cat, I've been busy. I'll do so tomorrow, but I doubt that even if nothing bad comes up, people like him will finally accept it.
So, nobody on either side of the argument is willing to take my challenge and prove once and for all whether or not ARC is touching things it shouldn't, and/or sending things back to the mothership that it shouldn't?
Its not I have been using ARC since it was first mention and I have not been invaded by Chinese or any such malware/spyware that everyone is crying about.
Can STO run without the ARC? To me it won't launch.
Yes I have done it several times and you can bypass arc all together if you have a hard copy of the game you do not need to install arc, on the other hand if you do not have a hard copy then your pretty much screwed but ARC is not evil and is no worse than other types of setups similar ie STEAM UPlay Origin ect..
well I can't find the response I wanted to quote so I will just say this ARC updates just like steam does but more quicker and the "play button automatically logs you in all you have to do is hit ENGAGE and your in game unlike steam where you have to sign in after you hit play also if oyu do not want arc then you have something to hide and are just like all the other cheaters in games such as FPS where you have to cheat to win now that said if you use a macro system that I do not include as a cheat system that just makes response times quicker fine i would use them as well if I had a keyboard that had macro buttons but if you have to modify the game to win then you do not need to be playing.
So when do we get the Server Status notification added to STO's arc page? It's been five months, when are website improvements going to happen?
And a new player brings up a very valid point: Why are the gold and lifer subscription options buried under the guides page? Sure it's a F2P game and you're probably only making a fraction of your income off of these players, but making the customer go searching for it is foolish and has probably cost you. There's plenty of room in the tab bar at the top for a Sub button that links directly to the appropriate guide page.
Nitpicking is a time-honored tradition of science fiction. Asking your readers not to worry about the "little things" is like asking a dog not to sniff at people's crotches. If there's something that appears to violate natural laws, then you can expect someone's going to point it out. That's just the way things are.
Unlike our paranoid kitty cat, I've been busy. I'll do so tomorrow, but I doubt that even if nothing bad comes up, people like him will finally accept it.
Im not paranoid! ..."ah! what was that?!!" ..er, um anyways..
if u find something plz share it, ive searched much but i may have missed important info , anything u can dig up to help would be appreciated. arc doesnt bother me, mandatory arc is what does, the guy below u mentioned u can still run the game with a hard copy, i have it backed up on a jump drive in case of a pc fail, plus i still have my original cdrom i bought when it came out. if my launcher still works without out ARC, then mission accomplished for me. i will even do the happy cat dance!
EDIT: i was reading this today during break and someone mentioned me having a tin foil hat...alright, fess up, whos making fun of my hat?
Any word on that "in the works" Ignore function? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
u just need a sense of humor, u guys on here are too uptight. if i poke fun at u like don rickles or get to have a moment of drama, do it back, u might have fun and make friends in the process...
but the , "we need an ignore button!" whine, makes u look like a snob
ive heard rumors of arc replacing the chat system too, it this true? ...anyone from pwe...cryptic..?
Well just my luck my Pc hard drie was wiped the other day and couldnt find the original launcher and I refuse to download Arc so guess my time in the game is.... Oh Wait I will download the game on the launcher I have called Steam which has games that I play besides STO.
Carstar is like me I wouldnt be bothered if it was voluntary but a mandatory one thats a no no. We are the human race and we have the right to choose.
NO TO ARC
Vice Admiral Volmack ISS Thundermole
Brigadier General Jokag IKS Gorkan
Centurion Kares RRW Tomalak
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
So, nobody on either side of the argument is willing to take my challenge and prove once and for all whether or not ARC is touching things it shouldn't, and/or sending things back to the mothership that it shouldn't?
Okay, I looked through TCPView and ProcessMonitor and I can confirm, at least, a few things:
1) The Arc launcher sends and receives very little packets (may not mean much, but that's what I can see)
2) Arc launcher's IP Address traces back to PW's HQ in California. So, for those who think this information is going to China in any meaningful way? It's not
3) After doing a start up with Arc launcher, I did notice that there's two "Arc.exe" listings. One shows up during the auto sign-on and the other when the launcher itself pops up. I'm guessing the first "Arc.exe" is the "OSOverlay". They both have the same IP address, though.
3a) Trying to end either of those processes shuts down Arc completely and you have to restart it. Haven't tried it with STO going, but I assume that STO would go with it.
4) The launcher for STO, when it pops up, just seems overly redundant when you put it against all of these processes. Then again, that's my opinion and you guys are just as willing to say that it's the opposite.
5) Starting up STO itself kinda does the same thing the Arc launcher does starting up - there's one process during the Cryptic loading screen, then there's a second at the character select, then a whole mess of them once you start up. The mess of them link back to localhost, so a lot of that stuff is on us, and the first two trace back to Cryptic's HQ in California.
6) The OSOverlay that really cheeses people off seems to be a one-and-done deal. It doesn't shut itself off, but it doesn't seem to actively ACTIVELY scan everything beyond when you first push play. But, I don't have any cheating devices, so I don't know if it'll kick on afterwards.
Thus, this is what I get out of it:
1) If Arc is sending anything from our computers, it's to California.
2) If there's any sort of programs inside it, it's probably in STO itself or if it is in Arc, it's either done so fast I missed it (which, after running ProcessMontior, I feel is the case) or I don't know what I'm looking for.
Okay, I looked through TCPView and ProcessMonitor and I can confirm, at least, a few things:
1) The Arc launcher sends and receives very little packets (may not mean much, but that's what I can see)
2) Arc launcher's IP Address traces back to PW's HQ in California. So, for those who think this information is going to China in any meaningful way? It's not
3) After doing a start up with Arc launcher, I did notice that there's two "Arc.exe" listings. One shows up during the auto sign-on and the other when the launcher itself pops up. I'm guessing the first "Arc.exe" is the "OSOverlay". They both have the same IP address, though.
3a) Trying to end either of those processes shuts down Arc completely and you have to restart it. Haven't tried it with STO going, but I assume that STO would go with it.
4) The launcher for STO, when it pops up, just seems overly redundant when you put it against all of these processes. Then again, that's my opinion and you guys are just as willing to say that it's the opposite.
5) Starting up STO itself kinda does the same thing the Arc launcher does starting up - there's one process during the Cryptic loading screen, then there's a second at the character select, then a whole mess of them once you start up. The mess of them link back to localhost, so a lot of that stuff is on us, and the first two trace back to Cryptic's HQ in California.
6) The OSOverlay that really cheeses people off seems to be a one-and-done deal. It doesn't shut itself off, but it doesn't seem to actively ACTIVELY scan everything beyond when you first push play. But, I don't have any cheating devices, so I don't know if it'll kick on afterwards.
Thus, this is what I get out of it:
1) If Arc is sending anything from our computers, it's to California.
2) If there's any sort of programs inside it, it's probably in STO itself or if it is in Arc, it's either done so fast I missed it (which, after running ProcessMontior, I feel is the case) or I don't know what I'm looking for.
#2: im still curious how the china thing came up, i know there is a big push for social media to keep tabs on people, but its a big stretch here, but i maybe wrong i havent considered it enough to really look into it
#3 hmm, if they wanted to monitor us, and be that strict on it, why allow steam, unless arc will run anyways in the background with it anyways, otherwise what would be the point of having it mandatory? I remember they did say not all their plans where released yet though. Possibly, the download point will have the arc code in it too, u mentioned 2 programs running from just the normal setup, maybe ones for the game the other for the monitor...then a kill switch if the monitoring ones disconnected...who knows
#4 different things suit different people, i myself am cool with double clicking an icon for an auto login, ...works done, chair, launcher-game ....happiness =^.^= have i ever said how much i like this game?
i think PW's attitude towards us in this matter and the EULA Sparklesoft mentioned (the yellow text link in my sig) is what really sent up red flags for me, thx for checking into this for us. im still hoping they dont make it mandatory. I have no plans to ever install it still.
Comments
Im actually here to try and help my fellow gamers, despite my jokes and lack of cooperation with ARC.. now before u think im here to troll, im only sharing info released by the company for those who didnt know....make up your own minds if your still cool with ARC or not, but below i have added a link to my signature for it. I personally find it an unnecessary violation of my pc, but i know not everyone minds it. But you should check up on these things before you click and accept any agreement and then add it to your pc! Dont be in such a hurry to accept any contract a business hands you, until you read and understand what it is and does, its just commons sense.
I don't have ARC (and I won't), but if someone who does have it installed wouldn't mind testing, maybe we could get some answers.
If you're fairly knowledgeable about Windows and its underpinnings, and have ARC installed, having one or more of the following utilities running when ARC & STO are launched (and while playing) should be informative. Not just about spyware, but also about performance.
- SysInternals Process Monitor (specifically for monitoring file access and/or changes)
- SysInternals TCPView
- a good packet sniffer application; I've heard WireShark is good, but haven't used it myself
Again, if I had ARC on my system, I'd do this myself. But I won't install it, knowing that it's likely a one-way thing.
If the game developers want to clone my hard drive and spy on me. Why would they need a second program to do it? they already have a program I want on my computer. All they have to do is have part of it rooting around and cloning everything back to them through the firewall I opened for them in order to play the game.
Heck all they need is to 'patch' the game client as it scans for broken bits and would infact be scanning your drive.
So why would they need the hassle of another program?
Originally Posted by pwlaughingtrendy
Network engineers are not ship designers.
Nor should they be. Their ships would look weird.
Just a guess, but seeing how popular and easy its become to put a collar on people these days, why not just make a program outright instead of going through the trouble of hiding it? No one would believe you had other intentions for the program since you gave them freebees and only really gave feedback and stood up for it through adds and puppets.
I imagine other interests could have a hand in it too, that could be why so many games are getting this overhaul too.
Im not saying jump into conspiracy mode, but its just the times we live in...its up to u if u wanna play along, or tell to go kiss a Wookie!
EDIT: for all u know i could be watching u for the NSA...well i did make "009Lives," thats Bond..Cat Bond, ill have a milk, shaken, not stirred!
Actually I am sure you are not watching for the NSA. They have the cable lines tapped.
The CIA checks programs. :P
Originally Posted by pwlaughingtrendy
Network engineers are not ship designers.
Nor should they be. Their ships would look weird.
The lolcat division is a special branch! =^.^=
EDIT: i know, my time will eventually run out, and my launcher will be blocked and CatStar will be gone...
Also please let us use the old STO website again, we can see its still up, but everytime i want to go there i got redirected to the stupid Arc website, I and many of us dont like ARC at all, so dont push us towards it with the launcher and the website, this will push people away from any of your games, like the new season 9 pushed away alot of old players (because the rep/trait system is not the ones we liked, and other changes that werent needed at all)
http://youtu.be/j7O-SUEh-54?t=1m59s
As for the arcgames site itself, it looks very slick and well done and it is a nice showcase for all of your products. You get a bonus for no auto-playing videos.
"The more complex the mind, the greater the need for the simplicity of play." - James T. Kirk
unfortunately they are getting more forceful about letting us know they rule and we pay someday ill be blocked, dead...old news... =X.X=
once it becomes mandatory, you will then get to hear their Bisonopois speech...and gofasternow say with a tear in his eye, "that was beautiful."
This tease was brought to u by CatStarSTO
http://sto-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?p=16941401
The poster notices that the Arc client's chat doesn't work with Cryptic's chat.
Are there any plans to integrate Cryptic's chat system into other Perfect World games? Because I think it's one of the coolest features Cryptic games have, that you can stay in contact with your friends from any of their games, even if you're not in game.
If not the chat system itself, you may want to consider a way to import users, friends and channels from their system.
(But for the love of Q, don't limit or remove the Cryptic chat system!)
Wise Game Booster places your system so it not running in server mode for programs and it tweaks the system forever. JetBoost focuses on what you RUN NOW. Along with it's JetClean keeps the system running smooth. JetBoost can change your power settings so if you had taken your PC off Balance Power to High Power (Full CPU/GPU) then JetBoost creates JetBoost Power setting which is keep the system from going to sleep. To me this can be removed and the system can be kept on High Power again. 15 m for monitor and 20 m for HD if the system is idle for those times.
Time will only tell!
Well i think u should keep up on everything PWE/ARC released on the subject there sport, the FAQ's, EULA, and arc team updated releases on the forums and website for info, the other players arent here to answer your questions anymore then the arc team is. (unless your having trouble getting the client to work, then they help plug u back into the matrix) plus the fact Dstahl has admitted that the new players gained will make up for the players lost, their priority is to their advancement and not ours, its Judge Dooms future so dont expect them to be your buddy after you hand over the cash! u guys pop up with this same question after the last person who answered it has his response buried by a page or two, to keep the low information crowed thinking arc is the victim, arc is holding all the cards and yes we are working on the honor system once their probe is embedded into your pc! If u trust them, dont worry about it, if youve been here a while and arent bedazzled by their anglerfish freebees then i suggest treating their info as a contract and read it all with suspicion like they do, because its business to them not fun.
I think ill save this to a wordpad to answer this question again after a few pages go by and a random arc add forgets it again. :rolleyes:
Cryptic is nothing but a Game Making meat Puppet. PWE is the REAL offender here. If ARC becomes required for STO i will delete characters and leave this game in the rear view for good.
I hope u never have to friend, cryptic put together a really awesome game that everyone should get to enjoy without restriction! if they have problems with gold sellers, let the players report em, bot blockers can be added to the games code itself...everything else with the arc client is just unnecessary unless u like fillers, billboards and a camera over your shoulder!
Unlike our paranoid kitty cat, I've been busy. I'll do so tomorrow, but I doubt that even if nothing bad comes up, people like him will finally accept it.
Its not I have been using ARC since it was first mention and I have not been invaded by Chinese or any such malware/spyware that everyone is crying about.
Yes I have done it several times and you can bypass arc all together if you have a hard copy of the game you do not need to install arc, on the other hand if you do not have a hard copy then your pretty much screwed but ARC is not evil and is no worse than other types of setups similar ie STEAM UPlay Origin ect..
well I can't find the response I wanted to quote so I will just say this ARC updates just like steam does but more quicker and the "play button automatically logs you in all you have to do is hit ENGAGE and your in game unlike steam where you have to sign in after you hit play also if oyu do not want arc then you have something to hide and are just like all the other cheaters in games such as FPS where you have to cheat to win now that said if you use a macro system that I do not include as a cheat system that just makes response times quicker fine i would use them as well if I had a keyboard that had macro buttons but if you have to modify the game to win then you do not need to be playing.
And a new player brings up a very valid point: Why are the gold and lifer subscription options buried under the guides page? Sure it's a F2P game and you're probably only making a fraction of your income off of these players, but making the customer go searching for it is foolish and has probably cost you. There's plenty of room in the tab bar at the top for a Sub button that links directly to the appropriate guide page.
Joined January 2009
Im not paranoid! ..."ah! what was that?!!" ..er, um anyways..
if u find something plz share it, ive searched much but i may have missed important info , anything u can dig up to help would be appreciated. arc doesnt bother me, mandatory arc is what does, the guy below u mentioned u can still run the game with a hard copy, i have it backed up on a jump drive in case of a pc fail, plus i still have my original cdrom i bought when it came out. if my launcher still works without out ARC, then mission accomplished for me. i will even do the happy cat dance!
EDIT: i was reading this today during break and someone mentioned me having a tin foil hat...alright, fess up, whos making fun of my hat?
u just need a sense of humor, u guys on here are too uptight. if i poke fun at u like don rickles or get to have a moment of drama, do it back, u might have fun and make friends in the process...
but the , "we need an ignore button!" whine, makes u look like a snob
ive heard rumors of arc replacing the chat system too, it this true? ...anyone from pwe...cryptic..?
Carstar is like me I wouldnt be bothered if it was voluntary but a mandatory one thats a no no. We are the human race and we have the right to choose.
Vice Admiral Volmack ISS Thundermole
Brigadier General Jokag IKS Gorkan
Centurion Kares RRW Tomalak
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
Okay, I looked through TCPView and ProcessMonitor and I can confirm, at least, a few things:
1) The Arc launcher sends and receives very little packets (may not mean much, but that's what I can see)
2) Arc launcher's IP Address traces back to PW's HQ in California. So, for those who think this information is going to China in any meaningful way? It's not
3) After doing a start up with Arc launcher, I did notice that there's two "Arc.exe" listings. One shows up during the auto sign-on and the other when the launcher itself pops up. I'm guessing the first "Arc.exe" is the "OSOverlay". They both have the same IP address, though.
3a) Trying to end either of those processes shuts down Arc completely and you have to restart it. Haven't tried it with STO going, but I assume that STO would go with it.
4) The launcher for STO, when it pops up, just seems overly redundant when you put it against all of these processes. Then again, that's my opinion and you guys are just as willing to say that it's the opposite.
5) Starting up STO itself kinda does the same thing the Arc launcher does starting up - there's one process during the Cryptic loading screen, then there's a second at the character select, then a whole mess of them once you start up. The mess of them link back to localhost, so a lot of that stuff is on us, and the first two trace back to Cryptic's HQ in California.
6) The OSOverlay that really cheeses people off seems to be a one-and-done deal. It doesn't shut itself off, but it doesn't seem to actively ACTIVELY scan everything beyond when you first push play. But, I don't have any cheating devices, so I don't know if it'll kick on afterwards.
Thus, this is what I get out of it:
1) If Arc is sending anything from our computers, it's to California.
2) If there's any sort of programs inside it, it's probably in STO itself or if it is in Arc, it's either done so fast I missed it (which, after running ProcessMontior, I feel is the case) or I don't know what I'm looking for.
#2: im still curious how the china thing came up, i know there is a big push for social media to keep tabs on people, but its a big stretch here, but i maybe wrong i havent considered it enough to really look into it
#3 hmm, if they wanted to monitor us, and be that strict on it, why allow steam, unless arc will run anyways in the background with it anyways, otherwise what would be the point of having it mandatory? I remember they did say not all their plans where released yet though. Possibly, the download point will have the arc code in it too, u mentioned 2 programs running from just the normal setup, maybe ones for the game the other for the monitor...then a kill switch if the monitoring ones disconnected...who knows
#4 different things suit different people, i myself am cool with double clicking an icon for an auto login, ...works done, chair, launcher-game ....happiness =^.^= have i ever said how much i like this game?
i think PW's attitude towards us in this matter and the EULA Sparklesoft mentioned (the yellow text link in my sig) is what really sent up red flags for me, thx for checking into this for us. im still hoping they dont make it mandatory. I have no plans to ever install it still.
What does that even mean? I suspect most people playing STO are human, but what does that have to do with how a developer packages their game?