Angry Birds - PC Version Activation Issues? -

davidjett

Hi everyone, hoping I can get some Angry Bird PC assistance from someone more knowledgeable than myself. :) I purchased an activation key from the online store and was able to succesfully use the key on my desktop and as of today it's still working perfectly. I also installed the game on my office laptop with the hopes I could play on the road. In order to register the game I had to turn off my latops Symantec Network Protection in order to transmit my key to the activation website for confirmation. I was able to succesfully register and play the full game but after every reboot my registration info is missing and I'm forced to reactivate the game. The problem now is that I've used up my (four) I think activations using the same key so I'm not going to have to repurchase a new key, not a biggie as they are charging peanuts for a great product.
Does anyone know why my laptop keeps losing my Angry Birds registration information? I would like to purchase a new license but would like it to be the last time. :)

Thanks in advance!

David

BirdLeader

After you rebooted did you AV come back on? Have you tried disabling it and then launching the game again to see if it works (i.e. it doesn't prompt you to reactivate)?

davidjett

Thanks for the quick response BirdLeader! Unfortunately I did, I've disabled Symantec and the registration info is still missing. :( I'm thinking that the registration must be changing something within my system registry that my work PC just doesn't like. I guess it's time to buy a tablet if for nothing other than to play Angry Birds. ;) I'm still waiting on a DS Version!!!

BirdLeader

Damn! Is this Windows 7? If so, have you tried running Angry Birds as an administrator to see if that matters? If all else fails contact [email protected]. If you do please let us know what they say, as I'm sure it will help others.

birdee

I have had the same issue with both AB & ABR. It has been approx 8weeks now since I purchased both. I contacted pcsupport and they informed me that they had received similar feedback and asked me questions regarding the issue and said that they were working on a solution.
I've been in contact since the original correspondence and still no good news. I was informed that once an update was available all would be sweet.... about a month ago I purchased a the activation code again for Rio in some kinda of hope that it would be different somehow.... nope. after three prompts to enter it, it is now invalid again..
I'm having withdrawls and am kinda starting to just feel annoyed about it, I know the PC market probably isn't as lucrative and the apple/android market and possibly not as high on the list of priorities, but it is the only platform I can access the game via so I'm just feeling a bit frustrated
Anyhow I will just keep waiting and hopefully it won't take too much longer.

BirdLeader

Hi @birdee, sorry you're having issues. I am probably not going to be much help, but I can at least try. Are you only trying to register AB / ABR on a single computer? Also, what operating system are you running?

TnTSCS

Ha, @birdee, exact same issue here, except I didn't buy the game registration code a second time. I bought both AB and ABR, it worked the first time I put in the code, but the next time I fired up the game it asked for the code again (I think it might have worked a second time, I forget) it said the code was invalid - for both AB and ABR.

I bought this for my girls to play and they've only had about 30 minutes worth of game play :(

I already heard them tell their friends to NOT have their parents buy them the PC version because it sux - LoL. My oldest one put it on her facebook that rovio rips people off with the PC versions.

I hope when the BlackBerry playbook version is released this summer that there aren't major issues like the PC version.

I just sent another eMail after my last correspondence with [email protected] and actually received a pretty professional ticket response type of eMail. Here's hoping that the PC versions are fixed soon. I can now see my request at http://rovio.zendesk.com/requests

@BirdLeader, I have it installed on Windows Vista. I had originally misread the terms of use and thought it could be installed on up to 3 PCs, but after reading it again, it's for install on a "single" PC up to 3 times (I'm assuming if I have to reinstall windows, I can reinstall AB/R without having to buy it again). I first installed the game on my PC to play through it to make sure the content was appropriate for my girls (ages 11, 9, 7, and 5)... I then installed it on their PC and laptop. If that's the reason my codes went invalid, then I guess I would request a new code with the understanding that it is for installing on a single PC only.

BirdieOne

Hello;

Same problem here with Windows 7. I installed the program on my laptop (only one machine, then) but I had to enter the activation code every time I started the game. The result is that I could enjoy 3 beautiful sessions before the code was deactivated.

Contacting [email protected] has been useless. Simply, they do acknowledge the problem but wouldn't give me a new code or reactivate my old one. As above, they simply suggest to wait for the new version and hope that the bug will be fixed.

Further emailing them has been unsuccessful; simply they did not answer my emails anymore.

What really sucks is that, in simple terms, I have purchased a program that I cannot use because of a glitch of the program itself, and Rovio willingly ignores the problem. No refunds, no new code. Nothing.

I am angrier than the birds now. Of course, it's not because of the five bucks, but because of Rovio's attitude. Besides, is all this even legal? (I mean selling software that they know would/could not work). Wouldn't this be considered as fraudulent business?

BirdLeader

@BirdieOne I really do believe they are trying to rectify the issue. I think the scope of the popularity of the game is making support difficult to say the least. Creating software, especially video games, for the PC is notoriously difficult. Unlike Mac there are infinite hardware and software configurations that can make fully testing ones game almost impossible (read: you need LOTS of beta testers running lots of different configurations).

Also, the problem with the activation codes may not even be on Rovio's end. They may have purchased or contracted with a 3rd party and integrated their technology into the game. That can sometimes lead to problems like this and since you don't control the embedded code it can be difficult to fix and you may have to wait on them.

Trust me, I'd be angry too if I couldn't play and if I felt the response to my issues was less than great. I guess I'm just trying to help people get a better understanding of what might -- emphasize might -- be going on.

TnTSCS

@BirdLeader, I understand your point. Trust me, I rely on vendors to fix their code for our product as well, but what @BirdieOne is saying is that they continue to sell their product with a known registration bug in it. What it seems like they're doing is selling a product they know won't work on, say 25% of the installations (registration related only, not counting those that have display issues).

This type of business practice isn't good. As I stated in my previous post, my daughter's word of mouth about telling her friends to not buy this game for the PC is where it's really going to hurt Rovio. Of course, not by my daughter's word of mouth alone, but I know if she's telling her friends, they're telling their friends, and other people must be experiencing the same thing and telling their friends. Instead, my daughter has immersed herself into the zombie/plants game.

I just got an update in my eMail that "Rovio Support is assigned to your request".

I really hope a fix is released soon and that those paying customers that have been having issues are compensated a bit - like a free activation code for ABS or something. Rovio has had my money for 2 months now and we've been unable to use the product (play the game) for 1.5 months at least.

TnTSCS

I just downloaded the updated Angry Birds installer (well, the in-game updater did), installed it, and tried the activation again. Same error "Registration failed. make sure you entered the code correctly and you are connected to internet."

This is getting old.

BirdLeader

I just responded to your other comment (didn't connect the name at the time). No response from Rovio?

TnTSCS

Finally got a response - see this post for details (the one you replied to) - http://angrybirdsnest.com/forum/discussion/187/activation-code-for-angry-bird-rio

BirdieOne

From my side, I updated to version 1.6, contacted PC support @ Rovio again, and got a new code. The program activated correctly and everything works now fine.

jasmineanne11

@birdleader i have a problem too!

i download the free demo of angry birds and then when its in part 2, i saw that please enter your activation key first it said and then i keep requesting the [email protected] an activation code they've said :
Your request (#54956) has been received, and is being reviewed by our support staff.
To review the status of the request and add additional comments, follow the link below:
http://rovio.zendesk.com/tickets/54956

and i don't know what to do now, i keep requesting the activation code and then they i have said it repeatedly above.... so angry... i'm in front of this laptop for hours to just get the activation code!!
that's the only one thing i need!

jasmineanne11

and i don't know how to get the activation code... :( :'(

AMslimfordy

You have to buy an activation code from download.angrybirds.com.

birdee

Jasmineanne11 did you purchase a code after downloading the demo? it wont go past the first levels if you don't.
A lot of us purchased the key only to have repeat errors after the activation process.
My dramas started early June and I had on going correspondence with a human from the support team but it seems once the newest update was released it became an automated service where we get a number and wait... its frustrating.
I have been waiting over a week for a response since my last request, which was also the first time I joined the queue with my number... yes. frustrating. annoying.

birdee

oh yes in reply to the Q? further up from @birdleader, only one pc and i'm running XP.
as you pointed out, there's probably a billion and one issues that can pop up from making games for pc, and i do sympathize but i can't help but think that the pc platform isn't their #1 priority at the moment...

BirdLeader

Just wanted to add that your support request will likely still be handled by a real person. The automated system just helps Rovio manage and track the thousands of support tickets they get. In theory this should actually help improve customer service, but even a better system isn't perfect and shouldn't replace a "real" conversation. In part that is where we can step in and help, but obviously we can only do so much as well.

dGhost

I'm not sure why so many people are having support issues... I just dropped Rovio's helpdesk an email last month when I had just bought AB and AB Rio for PC about how I would recieve updates. It was a Friday afternoon, so I didn't recieve one on the weekend, which I expected, but come Monday morning, straight away I recieved a short, polite, human written reply telling me that the game would prompt me when there was an update available, and they also told me happy gaming, and to email them again if I had any more issues. Maybe it was the way I wrote to them, (for example, proper English grammar, not abusive in any way). Not saying that you guys would abuse the Rovio staff or not speak properly! :P Just telling everyone what I currently know and understand about the helpdesk. @BirdLeader, have you dealt with the Rovio helpdesk at all?

birdee

@dGhost through all my correspondence with the Rovio crew I have been nothing but super duper nice, polite and patient. On each occasion I thanked Kari for her timely and understanding replies to my enquiries. But now that I'm in a official queue and have waited a week now since my last email (which I have yet to hear back from) I am growing impatient. I work in customer service so I do understand that it is not a fault of the individual at the helpdesk and I'm am sure that they have been inundated with similar inquiries but I have shelled out 20 bucks to play games I cannot play and feel that once they were aware of the issues at hand they did not cease in making it available for purchase until the issues have been rectified, or at the least inform potential buyers that there may in fact be problems with the product and that they are working on it. Lets face it, if it were actual mud and bricks store and they were selling a dud product to the public they would not be getting away with it so easily. After 3 months of not being able to play a game I paid for I'm just slightly annoyed by it all.

dGhost

@birdee
I understand what you're saying - and don't take what I said the wrong way. I'm sure you were polite, etc. The thing I'm wondering, though, is WHY there is such a vast majority of people with this problem, and what causes it. What is the similarity on the PCs that the code doesn't work? Or are the codes dodgy? Hmmm...

FatBird

My best idea for why Angry Birds is one device per registration key is for security reasons.

Nawtqt

I received this reply today from Rovio Entertainment Ltd: "We have decided to discontinue development on Angry Birds and Bad Piggies PC games to focus on providing a better experience for these games on mobile devices. Digital PC games will no longer be available for purchase or download. Additionally, these games will no longer receive updates". This explains why, even if you can still download the games for PCs that they do not work or will not activate, not even with new activation numbers.

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