
Wing Commander III is now free - rjohnk
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2461827/free-game-alert-eas-giving-away-wing-commander-iii-and-its-wonderfully-bad-cutscenes.html
======
logfromblammo
I suppose it has to be asked. Will installing Origin or this specific title
result in the installation of intrusive and undisclosed DRM software on my
computer? If so, can the game title still be played after removing Origin and
any bundled DRM?

~~~
ewzimm
Yes it requires DRM. It also scans every file on your PC and sends info back
to EA. No, you can't play it without Origin installed.

~~~
logfromblammo
Then it is not free as in speech. It is not free as in beer. It is available
at the small, non-monetary cost of all of your privacy plus some of your
control over your computer.

EA has failed its race. It has failed itself. It has failed the human it knows
as the customer. The gamer, its playmate, it has failed. Its heart has not
been valiant enough, its marketing has not been skilled enough, and it has
failed the true gamers.

~~~
lewispollard
Or you could just buy it from gog.com DRM free...

~~~
logfromblammo
An excellent suggestion!

In fact, that would send a very clear message to EA that their DRM is worth,
at best, negative $6 to some customers. If people would rather pay $6 for a
game without the DRM than pay $0 for the game inextricably bundled with the
DRM, even a corporate executive could do that math without screwing it up.

Of course, if you opt for Origin instead, I guess that also sends the message
that you don't value your control over your computer any more than $6.

------
rpwilcox
Was wishing for the Mac version to be free, but then remembered the Mac
version is probably 68K (instruction set).

But still, had so much fun playing this on my 68030 back in the day ( _just_
before Apple made the 68K to PowerPC transition...)

~~~
DerekL
For $6 you can get a Mac-compatible version from GOG.com. The Windows version
on GOG.com is just the DOS version running inside DOSBox, and I'd be surprised
if the Mac version isn't too.

That's the irony of the Mac processor switch: it's usually easier to run an
old game in DOSBox or a Windows VM than to run a classic MacOS or PowerPC OS X
game.

~~~
lewispollard
Yes, I believe most GOG games on Mac run in Boxer, which is DOSBox with a
slightly more intuitive frontend/setup process -
[http://boxerapp.com/](http://boxerapp.com/)

