Storey timez!!

[Chozon1]

Once upon a time, there was a guy who got the notion to fire up Starcraft.

The problem was, he had received the game in a grab bag of old PC games, and though it came with two mini guides and a full Prima strategy guide (remember those? They were before the internets became the goto), it had no activation code. Meaning he could insert the CD and watch the nifty start logo, but never install the game. The realization of this hit him hard, and having been there before, he didn't bother firing up the installer. Though the thought occurred to him that he should perhaps just enter random alphanumeric codes, since, though the odds were astronomical that he would hit a correct one, the game had been sold and purchased and recreated so many times, luck might be on his side.

But logic, as well as the thought of accidentally stealing someone else' games, prevailed, and so...he tried science.

The guy had actually had the game running once before, years ago, but forgot how that had been managed. He couldn't remember if a helpful friend had provided him with an old code (perhaps one named Kenny, or Deepfreeze), or he'd found a way to break it, or used a slightly *ahem* shady method. The guy determined that option one wouldn't be called upon, and option 3 was out, since he had given up his shady ways...mostly.

Option 2, stunningly, didn't seem like it was possible. He assumed that with all the vastly superior tech of the day, and with all the vastly I-have-so-much-time-and-computer-tools nerds on the magic of the internet, surely someone would know how to either surpass or break, or fiddle with the activation code magics.

But no. After long treks across internet wastelands and crawling over forums he wished to forget, he had found nothing. Well, he'd found a website that randomly generated keycodes, but how shady is that? Come on son. Even if they worked, he'd probably just be stealing someones account. That wouldn't work.

So he turned to his own magics. He remembered that, though the computer was KIA, he had kept the heart on a shelf, to keep access to his musics and random LOLcat photos he'd saved. He then thought that he could dig through the registry on that HDD, and find the keycode, and use it to install the game on his newer computer.

The paths were tread again, searching for ways this could be done. The journey was short, because apparently reading old registries is of far more import than being able to crack codes like the hackers of the 90's did so effortlessly. He was not bitter.

So he did the magics, and found the registry, only to find the chest containing the key was empty. Bummer.

So, without food or water, he set off on the paths again, stopping in a seedy local tavern only to hear rumor that, if one only wanted to play the game solo and not multiplayer, you only had to enter 12345678901234567890 until the spaces were filled. Disbelieving, the guy quaffed his digital ale, and after some finicky issues with the CD installer, tried it.

Success!! The guy was too happy to majorly /facepalm over the wasted hours in the kingdom of Google. The age in which Starcraft was created was a simpler time for games, he supposed. Or the hackers were simpler.

Fifteen minutes later though, he majorly /facepalmed and sat in a corner with shame over his head.

The moral of this story? Techies be flatulated upon; sometimes hitting random keys like a hungry chimp really will solve your computer issues.

[ccgr]

Nice, glad this story has a happy ending!

[ArcticFox]

I'll bet a week's pay this is how the story ends:

So this guy played many happy hours of Starcraft on his new install, until he got sleepy and went to bed, and never bothered to start it up again.

[Chozon1]

Caution amigo. You just bet a weeks pay that I wouldn't sit around and play Starcraft for days on end.

The few men who have made that wager before paid dearly. >_>

That said, I, uh...may have spent an embarrassingly long time getting it working, and so by the time I did...I didn't really have time to play it. At all. XD I got it working and was like "well kewl lol...5AM dangit..."

But the fun of the puzzle is solving it, not having a completed puzzle, right?

[ArcticFox]

But the fun of the puzzle is solving it, not having a completed puzzle, right?

Absolutely!