Is the No-CD patch from game copy world trustworthy?

[Reptorian]

Disclaimer: Not a RCT3 player.

It seems that there are players who do have CD for RCT3, and game copy world is still up (I think). I used game copy world exe for both Ultimate Ride Coaster Deluxe and Ultimate Ride Disney Coaster for about a decade, and never had a issue with them and they run in Windows 10, and they remain portable. So, wondering if it still the case for RCT3 and it's the only way that's not taken down.

Edited May 11 by Reptorian

[wolfpaw]

Not sure what you mean but I believe most just purchase RCT3 on Steam or other online video game distributors these days. For those that still do have a CD you obviously need the CD to play the game but I'm sure there are cracks and ways to manipulate an ISO version of the game without having a CD in for it to start. But that's teetering on torrenting and illegal stuff, haha

[Reptorian]

4 hours ago, wolfpaw said:

Not sure what you mean

Modified executable file to my knowledge. But, I have no idea what the older rct3 community did, and there is bound to be people who still have working cd copy of the game.

I raised this thread because of a recent reddit post where the original poster had a cd copy and isn't willing to buy from other source. So, this can be useful for that demographics.

4 hours ago, wolfpaw said:

But that's teetering on torrenting and illegal stuff, haha

It's the distribution of original game contents that where they'll care. They wouldn't care if you still need the contents to play with it. Even if they went further (which opens them up to ridicule), if you have a legal copy and simply modifying it, that's all fine.

Edited May 15 by Reptorian

[wolfpaw]

I do have a working RCT3 Platinum ISO that doesn't require a CD to be played, I used to use this before I eventually got the game on Steam. I still have my original CD but this was just easier to use and setup so I used to use it. I also have a working ISO of RCT3 vanilla which is very useful for pyro creating since the AFE is much better in vanilla versus platinum/complete edition.

[Traveller]

The "No-CD" hacked exe from GameCopyWorld, isn't a "patch", as such. As most of "No Disc" executables are simply just the original exe files, which has the DRM and/or forced disc check simply removed. I have personally never encountered a hacked game exe, which would have been "dangerous". Most virus scanners will give a false positive with these files, but that's what those messages are, false positives, because most virus scanners will simply detect that piece of code affecting DRM manipulation. Now, having said all that.... I do NOT personally recommend using these hacks, because they can contain issues affecting other features in the game. I too have the original RCT3 CD, and I did use the NO-CD, because it's so annoying using the disc, which serves no other purpose than to wear down my CD/DVD drive. Back in the day (late 90s-early 2000s) when I was working as a computer mechanic, our shop had a real surge in broken down CD/DVD drives - and at first we couldn't figure it out, because it wasn't limited to just one brand. Only much later on we discovered that some specific games which used a version of StarForce disc protection system simply broke the drives - when games with StarForce protection were played continuously long enough.

It's actually a really sad thing you can no longer purchase RCT3 from GOG, which I would always prefer to Steam version for ANY game - for one, because all GOG games are DRM free, and do not need a platform or network access, unlike Steam or EA's old Origin.

[Traveller]

On 5/16/2024 at 12:22 AM, Reptorian said:

Modified executable file to my knowledge. But, I have no idea what the older rct3 community did, and there is bound to be people who still have working cd copy of the game.

I raised this thread because of a recent reddit post where the original poster had a cd copy and isn't willing to buy from other source. So, this can be useful for that demographics.

It's the distribution of original game contents that where they'll care. They wouldn't care if you still need the contents to play with it. Even if they went further (which opens them up to ridicule), if you have a legal copy and simply modifying it, that's all fine.

This is very true! I still encounter from time to time people who "advice" people to stay away from GOG, because they can't get their small tiny heads around the concept of DRM and distribution strategies of gaming companies. The whole discussion regarding what's really strictly illegal and perfectly legal concerning what people can or can't do after purchasing a game, has been for a very long time a very debatable issue. Using a NO-Disc hack isn't illegal, and cannot be illegal, but creating one without permission is. (The clause regarding "reverse engineering")

One thing that vast majority of people really don't understand of the actual rights and wrongs, attached to physical disc versions of the game compared to digitally distributed games is poorly known.

In another words: When you purchase a physical disc, you actually do not own the game or the disc. Or put it bluntly: Buying and selling a second hand disc version of a game has always been illegal - yet not enforced, because it cannot be enforced. Most people don't realize this until after purchasing a second hand used game when they discover the original CD-key doesn't work (in cases where installing or playing the game requires Internet connection or has a forced online registration) While I can't speak for all gaming companies, who each have their own policies regarding "used" games - as I have worked for one such gaming company, I can tell from personal experience that at least they always deny transferring the original CD-key to a another account is the default practice - and giving a new CD-key for a game is very case by case thing. The company I worked at, denied these requests 9 times out of 10 - and still always required the original proof of purchase. And this is where we walk in to the "grey" territory: I recall several cases where the customer service agents  giving a new CD-key would have been completely justified action, but the customer service were told to deny this as a "matter of policy" - and at the same time the management saying it is a "matter of discretion".