All the many license options! Which one is for me?

[Ssnake]

Don't like reading? Here is the TL,DR video:

 

 

While this thread is from 2013 and tailored to SB Pro PE version 3.0, I shall edit the text to reflect the current situation for SB Pro PE 4.1/4.2:

 

Some users may wonder which of the many different license options are for them. So the first question is:

1: Do you already have a CodeMeter stick?

For most at this point, the answer is: Yes.

That means, you have licenses valid for "eternity"; in this context, barring a cosmic event to wipe out our civilization, eternity lasts as long as the the stick, the PC as a gaming platform, Steel Beasts Pro PE as a software product, or eSim Games as a manufacturer of the software - whichever ends its existence first.

 

This means, you are purchasing licenses, and eventually license upgrades.

Typically you have one license of a previous version of SB Pro. For most customers (owning a version 4.0 license already) the upgrade is $30.- ... so, order that. UNLESS your latest SB Pro PE license is 3.0, or 2.6 in which case there's the "Upgrade License from version 2.6 or 3.0" for $64.-

For customers who never upgraded before the web shop offers an "upgrade from version 2.5 and older" at $94.-

 

2: Secondary licenses.

For friends and family in a LAN environment we offer much cheaper "secondary licenses". They are cheaper (just $25.-), but you can install them only if there already exists a 4.1 license on the CodeMeter stick. So if you other both an upgrade and a few secondary licenses, make sure to activate the upgrade license FIRST, and only then the secondaries.

 

If you belong to the very rare cases where you already have a CodeMeter stick but no SB Pro PE license on it, you could order a regular full license for $115.-

 

We also welcome new customers who haven't yet owned a copy of Steel Beasts Pro PE. You can either go the traditional way and purchase a software license for eternity (for the definition of eternity in this context, see above) by ordering a regular, full license for $115.-

These come with a complimentary one-month license (see below) to bridge the time between placement of order, and the arrival of the CM stick by mail.

 

3: Time-based licenses.

Alternatively, if you aren't quite sure yet if you will like SB Pro, or if you don't want to wait for the shipment, we are now also offering time-based licenses. You could also call it "software as a service", "software rental" or a "subscription". We offer basically three time-based licenses,

1. One month - $9.50
2. Four months - $29.50
3. One year - $49.50

Obviously, longer periods are cheaper per month, to make up for the risk of losing them prematurely due to Windows re-installation or other mishaps that might render the license invalid.

There are up- and downsides to this option.

The upsides are immediate access (no waiting for the shipment of a CodeMeter USB stick), no loss hazard (a USB stick is small and can get lost, stolen, or damaged ... and with it the license). Also, the cost are lower - so, what's not to like?

Downsides are a loss of flexibility (with a CodeMeter stick, you can install the software on many machines and plug the stick in wherever you intend to play, including lending the stick to a friend (a very good friend, probably)). Also, these time-based licenses do not work inside of virtual machines (for the CM stick, they do). Next, the costs are higher for uninterrupted usage periods exceeding seven years (which is quite a long time for a single computer game, but not unheard of in this community). Finally, as hinted above, if you need to reinstall Windows, this would render the license invalid.

Hopefully you found this explanation helpful.

[Flying Penguin]

Can non-Codemeter licences be moved between PCs at all? Reason I ask is that I will probably need to replace my PC in then next 12 months but I'm not keen on buying shorter period licences for cost reasons, especially if I have to postpone the upgrade (because life is complicated!)

Cheers,

Jamie

[Ssnake]

It may be possible if you register your virtual CodeMeter stick with "my.codemeter.com" which supposedly allows to shift licenses among your sticks. But I haven't tried it, and I can't vouch for it.

You may want to ask Support(at)CodeMeter.com.

If they have questions about the details of the licensing scheme that you don't know (how would you) please send them my way.

[Ssnake]

I just updated the first post in this thread in anticipation to changes coming with version 4.0.