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Can I legally have two installs


Kerbal pancake

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I've been playing ksp and I'm wondering if legally I can have two installs one with mods and one stock? Is this legal and if so how could I do this?

The reason for this is my mods make my game crash and Having two installs would be a lot easier than manually installing and removing mods when I need to

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16 minutes ago, CalculusWarrior said:

KSP is shipped DRM-free, so you can have as many installs as you'd like! Just make a copy of the game folder, wherever it is located (either in the Steam games directory or the downloaded copy from the website).

So basically back up game files?

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I've got about 12(ish) copies of ksp in a "main ksp" folder somewhere else than the steam-app folder, to prevent automatic updating. Every install/copy is a different version or has a different set of mods that alters the game to my liking (different planetpacks for example). And every install/copy has one savegame. 

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7 minutes ago, Epicdreamer said:

I've got about 12(ish) copies of ksp in a "main ksp" folder somewhere else than the steam-app folder, to prevent automatic updating. Every install/copy is a different version or has a different set of mods that alters the game to my liking (different planetpacks for example). And every install/copy has one savegame. 

That must date back to 1945! :D

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I have 26 separate installs.  Most are stock and modded versions, as well as Beta versions that were released for testing.  1.2.1, 1.2.2, and 1.3.0 have three different copies each - completely stock, stock Kerbal with mods, and Galileo's Planet Pack (which replaces the entire Kerbol System, including Kerbin), for a total of nine copies.  I never play stock anymore, but I keep the stock copies in case I bork up a modded install so badly that it needs a complete reinstall. 

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I've got 4 install in my active directory and 7 more on my KSP_Backup drive.

The mains are:

  • 1_3 modded (main install)
  • 1_3 stock (tracking down ev bugs in main)
  • 1_2_1 modded (previous main)
  • 1_3_1pre (prerelease for testing and bug hunting)

The 1_2_1 modded should have been moved to KSP_Backup already, but I'm lazy :wink:

 

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Just need to copy the GameData folder.  I keep one with stock, one with mods.  Just rename whichever one you want to use to GameData.

In the picture, I would be playing modded.  To switch, I just rename the GameData folder to GameData.Modded, and rename GameData.Stock to GameData.

Since your saves (and therefore ships) aren't kept in GameData, they'll be accessible either way without needing multiple copies of those.

Screenshotat20170802.png

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9 hours ago, CalculusWarrior said:

KSP is shipped DRM-free, so you can have as many installs as you'd like! Just make a copy of the game folder, wherever it is located (either in the Steam games directory or the downloaded copy from the website).

Doesn't this make KSP extremely sensitive to piracy?

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6 hours ago, SupperRobin6394 said:

Doesn't this make KSP extremely sensitive to piracy?

Its not quite that pronounced. Its not like DRM is ever more than a token resistance to piracy, unless it is extremely invasive, requiring expensive infrastructure (limited activations, that kind of thing), and even then its nothing more than an "effort barrier". So its a tradeoff, and DRM-free has its advantages. Its actually pretty common.

The best thing I think, that KSP has going for it in terms of piracy resistance is the nature of its demographic, maybe because its sciency or nerdy, we want to contribute, we want to be a part of it - to join the forums and suggest mods, or just ask questions and advice - even if that just means owning it. Inevitably some people pirate it, but again, a tradeoff, enough people pay to make it lucrative. If this wasnt the case, we'd see effects.

**edit**

And another thing, constant improvement and updates hinder piracy more than any DRM, because pirates need to crack each update as well. And even if they do, its just a hassle to get hold of them, I imagine, and buying it seems cheaper and cheaper.

Edited by p1t1o
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5 hours ago, SupperRobin6394 said:

Doesn't this make KSP extremely sensitive to piracy?

Oddly enough, KerbalEDU does have DRM and Squad insisted on it.  Apparently the educational market (and the students who could easily copy the game) aren't nearly as trusted as normal KSP players.

I'm slightly annoyed that I can't get previous editions by Steam (and thus tend to keep the installs I have), but I suspect that is more up to valve than squad.  It is certainly great to have the option of having both windows and linux at the same time.

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On 9/5/2017 at 9:04 AM, SupperRobin6394 said:

Doesn't this make KSP extremely sensitive to piracy?

DRM doesn't stop piracy, all it does is cause headaches for people who legitimately own the game.

True piracy will still happen.  It is possible to download plenty of cracked games that originally shipped with DRM and the people that cracked it had no trouble doing so.  Meanwhile DRM often causes system latent system hardware incompatibilities and affects performance and in the past has been known to cause physical damage to computer components.

Ultimately, DRM was a failed industry wide experiment that some foolish companies still cling to for reasons unknown... and it's costing them sales.  A large portion of PC gamers will not buy games with DRM.

Edited by Alshain
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On 9/5/2017 at 10:04 AM, SupperRobin6394 said:

Doesn't this make KSP extremely sensitive to piracy?

piracy isn't an issue of property, piracy is an issue of service.
the only way to stop piracy is to provide a better service than the pirates.
sure, piracy is going to happen, even DRM protected software is hacked/cracked and pirated.
I think more time and effort is spent combating piracy than providing service with DRM protected software, that in turn fuels the need for piracy. ironic, isn't it?


Some software companies realize that their software can be hacked/cracked and pirated no matter how much time and effort goes into combating piracy, and to re-iterate that piracy is a service issue, these companies will offer their software free of charge, encourage re-distribution, but require a subscription fee for help/support, since pirates are very unlikely to offer a help/support service better than the company that developed the software, the company makes a profit from free software. smart.


Fortunately, KSP isn't DRM and though vulnerable to piracy, Squad has provided a service good enough for most of everyone here to obtain legal copies of their software.
I bought mine through Steam back when it was just a $10 USD beta and I couldn't be more happier.

Edited by Xyphos
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