SimCity user agreement allows producers to gather your data?

[FeTheC 25]

I'm pretty sure I read that (was it the original SimCity? sc2k? sc3k? or sc4?) at least one of the SimCity games user Agreements basically allowed the Company to gather data on its users Actions on their computer. What'S the deal, I shortly googled and couldn'T come up with anything (but i didn't try very hard) anyone know anything about this? If not ill search again. The reason i remembered this is because i just realized sc4 is running as a Background process even though i closed it. only in Task Manager is it shown and using a fair bit of cpu usage

[matias93 7,535]

That sounds really weird.

First, maybe is because I use the CD version (as opposed to the digital downloads), but I've never seen the game running as a background task. Maybe is the managing tool of your game reseller the one that runs on the background, in which case you can stop it safely, and indeed it should have an option on its configuration to stop it from being loaded at the system start.

Now, about the game executable being able to go online and send information, I don't think it's possible. Consider that the game has a very rudimentary method to connect the user to their online service: a button on the region view that simply sends an URL to the browser. If the game designers would have the technology to send data directly from the game, why they don't use it to make a more appealing online interface inside the game, hence attracting more users to a site on where they could spend more money on downloadable content or other games? It doesn't make any sense.

To be sure, you could perfectly use the game while disconnected from the Internet and only connect your computer back when being sure that the game process has closed completely, but that's a bit over-the-top, IMHO. You can also configure your firewall to block all traffic to and from the game application, and it still will work without problems.

[rsc204 21,869]

I think this is related to Origin and their terms and conditions more than anything, which probably slipped their way into the EULA for all re-packaged digital releases. However, it's just there because the T&C's are a copy/paste affair reused for many games, it's unlikely to be applicable for SC4. I don't think that SC4 as an app was designed to mine data in this manner. Bear in mind it's a product of 2003, when few had permanent or fast internet connections and this sort of behaviour was unheard of. The digital re-release didn't see any huge code changes, in fact it simply altered the DRM method in use.

Consider also, if you are using a patched version of Windows 7 or beyond, MS is already gathering huge amounts of data about everything you do anyhow.

[SecretMbr_735754 2,158]

SimCity 4 is owned by Electronic Arts.  The EULA of EA Section 2 and 3 cover the data collection and use part of the agreement.  I would think all EA products have the same sections.   SC4 originally probably had no back door, but the more recent distributions may, or one combined with the installer and/or launcher.    The SimCity 4 exe file itself seems more likely clean.   Never seen it running in background after exit except in rare case of double copies running, and never noticed any excess CPU load or Ethernet volume.

[RobertLM78 1,598]

I actually have noticed this happen, but since I run SC4 in virtual machine I never really worried about it.  But I'll shut the game down, and the process will still be running. 

(I run the CD version of the game, too, on a virtual Windows XP system)

[The Thinker 479]

4 hours ago, RobertLM78 said:

I actually have noticed this happen, but since I run SC4 in virtual machine I never really worried about it.  But I'll shut the game down, and the process will still be running.

I've had this happen to me too, not on a virtual machine but on a computer lacking any form of internet connection.  I sincerely doubt that's due to any telemetry business, but rather more likely a software bug that causes the application process to not terminate properly when you close the game programme.

[Prophet42 1,503]

6 hours ago, rsc204 said:

Consider also, if you are using a patched version of Windows 7 or beyond, MS is already gathering huge amounts of data about everything you do anyhow.

For W7, not if you have the customer experience off and haven't installed any of the snooping patches (and turn off some select scheduled tasks).  I keep tight track of what gets installed on my machine

[FeTheC 25]

Everything that's been said seems reasonable and is probably the case. I'm having a hard time trying to find it again, but it was a comment on steam which claimed this (i know, not necessarily credible) also i'm pretty sure it was about the original SimCity. honestly I'm not worried. Besides the fact that I just don't do illegal stuff with my comp, I had to come to Terms with the fact that I am more likely to be monitored in a world in which Information gathering regardless of ''legality'' is already a high likelihood. Quite frankly I'm ironically for it at this Point wether or not People agree to it or not; but this is gettin off Topic it seems. 
I'm new to simtropolis and figuered if anyone could say anything on this matter, or if there is much of anything to it, then it would be someone from this community, so I thought I'd mention it and see what the Responses are. Thanks  

[jeffryfisher 2,176]

My patched disk-version of SC4 sometimes leaves a residual process, and sometimes it doesn't. When it does, the game sometimes restarts really quickly, but sometimes it hangs completely. The inconsistency suggests it's some kind of bug, or perhaps a buggy "feature".

As for gathering data, the program inspects system data so it can adapt to things like your graphics card right?  I think that counts as "gathering". Don't worry about it until you have to edit those config files to recognize modern graphics cards.