Does the disk version of any of the following games require either online registration
or online activation? If so: via the publisher's site? via a 3rd-party site like Steam?
or some other way?

Agon 4: Lost Sword of Toledo
Black Mirror 2
Black Mirror 3
Book of Unwritten Tales
Culpa Innata
Dracula Origin
Gray Matter
Lost Crown
Lost Souls, Dark Fall 3
Nostradamus
Outcry, aka Sublustrum
Perry Rhodan: Immortals of Terra
Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis
Secret Files 3: The Archimedes Code
Whispered World

Thanks for your help.

Jema

Jema I can't speak specifically to any of those games, but registration is generally different than activation. A registration only informs the company you purchased their product, where as an activation allows you to obtain a code, of some type, which you input into a game so the game will play. Where you do one and obtain the other is dependent on the decisions of those offering the game.

My experience is that the address for either one is not necessarily the same, and information where to register or obtain activation codes comes with the game.

Homer, thanks for replying. What I'm trying to find out is if the disk version
of any of the games on that list requires either online registration or online
activation.

I've rephrased my question and hope it is now clearer.

Agon 4: Lost Sword of Toledo -- Mine didn't -- original version, don't know about reissues.

Black Mirror 2, Black Mirror 3 -- Depends on the publisher. The UK versions didn't. The Viva Media may have. I don't know about the 2-pack.

Book of Unwritten Tales -- I think it depends on the publisher.

Culpa Innata -- I don't think so.

Dracula Origin -- No.

Gray Matter -- Depends on the publisher. I think the Viva Media version did.

Lost Crown -- No.

Lost Souls, Dark Fall 3 -- No.

Nostradamus -- No.

Outcry, aka Sublustrum -- No.

Perry Rhodan: Immortals of Terra -- Not sure about the Viva-Media version. The UK version (Myth of the Illochim) did not (same game, name changed in the US version).

Secret Files 2: Puritas Cordis -- No.

Secret Files 3: The Archimedes Code -- Don't think so.

Whispered World -- The disc version contained SecuROM v7+ copy "protection" and would not play on my computer. However it did not seem to have online activation, and the person I gave it to was able to play it.


Asking people whether games have online activation may give you false negatives. Unless the person knows they were offline when they installed and started the game, the game could activate without their knowing it (unless they have an outbound firewall which blocks the activation.) In my case, I installed and played on a computer that wasn't connected to the Internet for most of these games. However some of them were European versions which aren't normally available in the US except as imports or trades (Black Mirror 2&3, Book of Unwritten Tales, Gray Matter, Perry Rhodan: Myth of the Illochim, Secret Files 2&3).

I'd recommend buying Book of Unwritten Tales and The Whispered World from GOG. You get DRM-free downloads that don't need activation. You can burn them to DVD and archive them or re-download as needed.

Hi Jenny100,

Thank you so much for the detailed response and the time you must have spent
on it.

Except Secret Files 3, I already have all the games on the list - but still unplayed.
It's only been recently that I learned that now even disk versions of games may
require online registration, and some online activation.

For those that depend on the publisher, I'll use your list and check my games
to see which version I have.

For any about which there is still a question, I'll take my system offline before I
try to install and play the game. For those that won't install and/or play without
being online, I'll follow your advice and check GOG to see if it has them.

Again, thank you. I sincerely appreciate it.

Jema