Need Help "please insert original dvd"

[Captain Rico]

Well gents, I am at a complete dead end sadly. No matter what I do I always get that error to insert the original disk even though it is already in it lmao. I have heard of a "no dvd patch" for the game, however every single one I have found is either untrustworthy or is broken and doesn't work

If it is anything to go by: I currently have Windows 10 with an attachable CD drive since my desktop didn't originally come with one.

I... really don't know what to do after this should this also turn out to be a dead end too; so I am *really* hoping some of you chaps have a solution to this issue.

 

[Cerez]

Yep, an external disc drive is not going to work with most copy-protection software. Don't you just hate it when DRM damages a product, and stops you from using the software you've purchased?

A good way to avoid future troubles like this is to buy your game from DRM-free distributors/publishers, such as GOG.

COAS is available here: Sea Dogs: City of Abandoned Ships on GOG.com

Stay away from "buying" your game on platforms such as Steam. Same deal as with physical discs, just a digital lock instead of a physical one.

As for getting this copy of the game to run, one thing you can try is to run the game as an administrator (right-click shortcut and choose "Run as Administrator"), and see if that makes a difference, but I'm doubtful.

You will need a working no-disc crack, but you're better off, and safer, buying a DRM-free copy of the game again on GOG if you can afford it.

 

[Albert_Bowden]

I know this is a different game but i got pirates of the caribbean pc from 2003 to work from downloading it onto a memory stick from another computer. I downloaded the memory stick onto the other computer and it worked. If possible maybe try that for this game?

 

[Captain Rico]

Yep, an external disc drive is not going to work with most copy-protection software. Don't you just hate it when DRM damages a product, and stops you from using the software you've purchased?

A good way to avoid future troubles like this is to buy your game from DRM-free distributors/publishers, such as GOG.

COAS is available here: Sea Dogs: City of Abandoned Ships on GOG.com

Stay away from "buying" your game on platforms such as Steam. Same deal as with physical discs, just a digital lock instead of a physical one.

As for getting this copy of the game to run, one thing you can try is to run the game as an administrator (right-click shortcut and choose "Run as Administrator"), and see if that makes a difference, but I'm doubtful.

You will need a working no-disc crack, but you're better off, and safer, buying a DRM-free copy of the game again on GOG if you can afford it.

Well that sucks I must say! Never thought such a thing could exist; however thinking about it makes sense...

As for the digital copy: I checked Steam as well and went straight to the reviews since it seems weird to buy a game then block people from using it. I found that the reviews say it's fine and some even installed Gentlemen of Fortune with it.

I am curious as to how you got to that conclusion about not buying from Steam

Also, I tried the "Run as Administrator" option and your doubts came true, it didn't work.

I appreciate your input

 

[Cerez]

I am curious as to how you got to that conclusion about not buying from Steam

DRM Frequently Asked Questions | Defective by Design

Through Steam, Valve effectively rents the game to you (not sells, as they claim), and tracks your usage of it. If the platform goes down, or if you try to install or run the game on another computer without a Steam account, it won't work. A similar deal as with copy-protected discs -- except even more sinister when it comes to consumer control and abuse of privacy. And here you don't even have control over your copy (you don't "own" it). Most people are completely unaware, or don't care -- they should.

Also little known in the gaming community is that GOG, too, has an optional, Steam-like user interface (called Galaxy), but they actually let you control your own copy. When you buy digital game copies from GOG, you get the game DRM-free -- you can install it anywhere you like, and you can share it with your friends. You practically "own" the copy you've purchased. You can back it up and keep it forever -- no matter what happens to GOG -- and CD Projekt/GOG doesn't track your usage of the game like Valve/Steam does. It respects your privacy, it respects your rights as a user.

On GOG, you actually purchase a digital copy of the game with a user license, and you can do anything you want with it. (Like with a game CD without copy protection.)

I appreciate your input

You're quite welcome, and welcome (back) to the community! ^_^

 

[giocoso]

Hi! I am back in the Caribbean after many years, I reinstated my original DVD "Age of Pirates 2 - City of Abandoned Ships" (Not "Sea Dogs - etcc, but the original Playlogic DVD) and ... it no longer works, exactly like for Captain Rico.
I specify that I currently use Windows 10; I had previously used the game without problems with Windows 7, but ... many years ago ...
What do I have to do to replay? I would not like to buy the new product "Sea Dogs - etc ...", not for the price but for principle, and also because I saw that it does not have the speak in my language (Italian), but only the subtitles.
Thank you! And welcome back!

 

[giocoso]

I add:
I also tried to install the "Age of Pirates - Caribbean Tales" DVD (I also have that: original Playlogic) and it was even worse: not only does it not work, but it also sent my system into a tailspin; I had to restore it with a backup on Sunday 16/5.
At this point I try to follow the advice of Baroness Cerez, buying the two titles on GOG (total: 12 Euros), but I'm not sure if they are compatible and playable on my system.
Oh yeah?
Advice?

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

I also tried to install the "Age of Pirates - Caribbean Tales" DVD (I also have that: original Playlogic) and it was even worse: not only does it not work, but it also sent my system into a tailspin; I had to restore it with a backup on Sunday 16/5.

Ah yes, bloody DRM!
I had the exact same thing happen to me with Colin McRae Rally 2005.
I have the disk version of CT working through a "no CD fix" if you want to I can share it with you on PM if you want.

As for COAS I can't help you as I have it from GOG.

At this point I try to follow the advice of Baroness Cerez, buying the two titles on GOG (total: 12 Euros), but I'm not sure if they are compatible and playable on my system.

Why is that?
They are the same games but with no DRM and a different name.
Other than that it's the same.
They should even work on Intel graphics out of the box, in contrast to PotC.
Plus if they don't work there's a refund policy.
GOG Voluntary Refund Policy

About the price you can wait for a sale probably.
At one point I saw them on GOG for 1€ each.

 

[giocoso]

Thank you for your reply, and for the "no CD fix" offer.
Reworking what happened, however, I think I give up on "Caribbean Tales", which upset my Windows 10 not for the game itself but probably for the additional components (old DirectX etc ...). I am comforted considering that Caribbean Tales was a very incomplete and simplified version of the "Age of Pirates" games.
We know that at present the most complete game is "City of Abandoned Ships", and that is what interests me, waiting for the news you announced for "Sea Dogs 4".
I will opt, I think, for the purchase of only "City of Abandoned Ships" (€ 5.09) in digital copy on GOG, hoping it will work: if it does not work, I will resort to the "refund policy".
Thanks again and see you soon!
Post Scriptum: If anyone has any other advice to add, I'll be grateful.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Hi! I am back in the Caribbean after many years

Welcome back!

I am comforted considering that Caribbean Tales was a very incomplete and simplified version of the "Age of Pirates" games.

Mostly true; except that I believe AoP/SD:CT is the one game in the series that has some pretty cool colony management concepts.

We know that at present the most complete game is "City of Abandoned Ships", and that is what interests me

Out of the box: certainly true. Though TEHO might be considered too...
With mods: PotC New Horizons could be in the running as well.

waiting for the news you announced for "Sea Dogs 4".

That'd be "Corsairs Legacy" then.
That's not OUR project, but we do very much support the developer.

 

[giocoso]

Welcome back!

Thanks for the greeting!
For everything else, I agree with what you said, including the evaluation of the management of the colonies in "Caribbean Tales", and the perplexity about "Sea Dogs 4", which seems more like a "hack 'n slash".
I'm also sorry for "TEHO", which from what I have seen is very deserving, and congratulations for your very heavy contribution!
Unfortunately, however, it does not exist in Italian (obviously ...), and I doubt that there is a team here that is willing to undertake a complete translation of a game.
I know of a few teams that translate popular game mods, but they wouldn't be working on a whole game (from 2012!).
So I settled for buying "City of Abandoned Ships" cu GOG (€ 5.09 ...) even though I already own the original Playlogic / Akella DVD.
The copy of GOG works great and I'm enjoying it like so many years ago!

 

[Pieter Boelen]

the perplexity about "Sea Dogs 4", which seems more like a "hack 'n slash".

"Corsairs Legacy" is focusing on land-based gameplay for now, because the developers are a really small team.
We'll have to be patient there, but eventually it should reach at least a similar level to the other games in the series.
And on a modern engine too.

congratulations for your very heavy contribution!

Oh, us here didn't do much on TEHO.
Except, of course, for @LarryHookins and @kb31 .

Unfortunately, however, it does not exist in Italian (obviously ...), and I doubt that there is a team here that is willing to undertake a complete translation of a game.

Do you mean CoAS DOES have an Italian translation?!?

The copy of GOG works great and I'm enjoying it like so many years ago!

Glad you're back to having fun!

 

[giocoso]

Do you mean CoAS DOES have an Italian translation?!?

Yes, even if only the subtitles. However, the speech remains English.
Instead "Caribbean Tales" also had the spoken in Italian: the most ridiculous and poorly acted of the videogames story, I remember!

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Yes, even if only the subtitles. However, the speech remains English.
Instead "Caribbean Tales" also had the spoken in Italian: the most ridiculous and poorly acted of the videogames story, I remember!

I'm both surprised and confused.
There's hardly any spoken dialog in these games, as far as I'm aware...

Unless you're counting those general "greetings" whenever you start dialog with any character.

But I had no clue those games got all their written text translated to Italian.
That's IMPRESSIVE!!

 

[giocoso]

That's IMPRESSIVE!!

Oh yes: all the dialogues, from start to finish, with all the various alternatives and response choices; the language is often very cultured and sought after, especially with "important" characters (Governors, Officers, Ladies etc ....).
And the whole menu is also translated: interface, goods, diary, memoranda, quests ... everything, in short.
In some (few ...) quests, however, they neglected to write part of the dialogues, replacing the writing with "........" More macroscopic example: in the Austin quest the assassins spoke only with ".....", and it was not clear what had to be done, so the quest was not executable. I had to do it myself by putting the game in the English version, copying the texts externally, translating them into Italian and then replacing the "...." of the Italian version with the translated texts.
Same with some short excerpts from the City of Abandoned Ships quest (one sentence from the Priest, one with Oreli Bertin, and one with Royel Haag. )
Then there were corrections to be made in the Tenochtitlan quest, to be able to make Silvio Ricci speak.
Fortunately, in his time I had saved all the patches on a CD, which was then kept together with the original DVD of the game, so even today I was able to fix everything.
I also found (and executed) the fixes for a short dialogue (which had the usual "....") in a file called "banders dialog", but I never understood which quest it refers to .. Anyway, it doesn't hurt, and everything worked, and it works even now.
P.S. : Anyone know what this "Banders" quest is?