This trash doesn't even work....

[Limax]

What the hell?

I installed the game and it always crashes when I try to start it.

Error Message: "The program doesn't work any longer. You can search for a solution online and so on and so on"

I meet the system requirements without any problems (Intel Core 2 Quad 3Ghz, 8GB Memory, Geforce GTX285, drivers up to date).

I just read that this game doesn't work with some Anti-Virus and Firewall programs. Well I have Bitdefender on my system and I ain't gonna deinstall or deactivate it for a game that requires a permanent internet connection.

Is there an actual solution or do I have to get my money back?

[Limax]

Well I found a working solution. I'm not really satisfied on what I had to do for it, but the game works now.

Anyway this is a warning for potential buyers. Lookout, you might have to change the settings of you firewall and Anti Virus software, because they could block the connection for Alice.

Solution if your game doesn't start and you have Bitdefender:
http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/90/6926305.page


Anyway, these DRM measures are getting ridicolous. I'm a jarateed off customer and wont buy games that are protected this way again. The sad thing is that if I had used a pirated copy I wouldn't have to bother with this stuff.

[DJ Cryotek]

To be fair, there are plenty of cases where the antivirus is the real problem. AVG is notoriously bad for gamers, it thinks everything is a freaking virus.

[Caiobrz]

The game does not requires a permanent internet connection and does not have any extra DRM other than STEAM, get your facts together. The firewall/antivirus simply won't let the game work properly, that's all.

(edit) as reminded by spyrichaete, there is only a one-time activation required. Lame, but it's only one time.

Yet, ever since the game was released (and I purchased this in day 1) this is the FIRST thread about the specific error, probably because others had more than 2 neurons to figure they should disable the ♥♥♥♥ty anti-virus (or get a better one like AVG, Avast, MSE, whatever)

[SHSPVR]

Disbale the Windows Firewall programs if have Hardware Router there not point in run back to back Firewall.
As for Anti-Virus that one more reason to go with Microsoft Search Security Essentials it way more reliable then everything else out there.

[spyrochaete]

The game does not requires a permanent internet connection and does not havey any extra DRM other than STEAM, get your facts together. The firewall/antivirus simply won't let the game work properly, that's all.

You're wrong. If you've had the game for a while maybe you forgot, but the Steam version of the game has a one-time activation - a white screen where you have to input your username, password, and product key. I'm a little irritated that this isn't mention on the Steam store page (http://store.steampowered.com/app/19680/).

Look at the link Limax posted. The crash is caused by the "Release Date Check" application. This is confirmed in the official reply from Origin (http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/30/6926305.page#15426714).

Limax has every reason to be furious in my opinion.

Disbale the Windows Firewall programs if have Hardware Router there not point in run back to back Firewall.

I disagree with this too. A router's firewall is pretty much bulletproof but you have to configure it manually. A software application firewall is nice because it prompts you about each new program that tries to access the internet. You should use both.

[Caiobrz]

Oh ... THAT was the game which required me to validade on that stupid EA stuff?? bah.

Anyway, 5 minutes and it's done, that's why I forgot, my mistake =p

I have some connection issues so I often leave steam in offline mode, so I vouch for the fact this game plays great on offline mode.

[Limax]

Yet, ever since the game was released (and I purchased this in day 1) this is the FIRST thread about the specific error, probably because others had more than 2 neurons to figure they should disable the ♥♥♥♥ty anti-virus (or get a better one like AVG, Avast, MSE, whatever)

Whoever says that AVG, Avast or MSE is better than Bitdefender has no idea what He's talking about.

In addition, it should never be required to turn of certain protection on your PC to play games. It's quite interesting that I had to put several exe files on the exception list of my protection software. What are they doing that Bitdefender thinks it has to block it?

edit: Bitdefender is properly configured on my PC. There are only very rare cases in which games actually caused trouble and guess what...the quality of these programs hasn't been very good (Homefront - audio lag was related to Virus scanning.... for example)

[Caiobrz]

Whoever says that AVG, Avast or MSE is better than Bitdefender has no idea what He's talking about.

Says the guy who needs to add a lot of false-positive .exe files into his AV application to use his computer.

[Limax]

Bitdefender doesn't report the files as virus positives. It just seems that the .exe crashes because it gets checked by Bitdefender.

Read my first post again. I didn't say that Bitdefender is blocking the program. Alice simply crashed when I tried to start it. After I added it to the exception list so that it wont be checked when I run it, it works.

In my opinion this just shows how unstable the software alice actually is.

Bitdefender is a great security system in my opinion. I had huge problems with kaspersky and avira, but Bitdefender never let me down before.

[Graeystone]

Try Comondo. When starting a freshly installed game a person can either manually put the game's .exe file in the 'trust files' or automatically do it when starting the game for the first time.