If a game is going to have copy protection included, might as well have it be entertaining for the rest of us. Games which feature a subtle, impossible-to-beat segment for those who pirate have always tickled my fancy. This form of trolling has been going on for a long time, but it’s still funny to see.
Garry Newman of Garry’s Mod fame has taken a similar fun-for-spectators approach recently. Pirated versions of his game now show an “Unable to shade polygon normals” error, which has resulted in many a confused and otherwise angry forum post.
And if it’s more than a simple laugh you’re looking to get here, be sure to read Newman’s thoughts on this decision over at his blog.
Garry’s Mod Developer Enables Error Message To Catch Pirates [Gamasutra]