AB2012: ^ It could be different .exe names or version updates causing the discrepency. Just a reminder though that when you get conflicting reports like this, then people really need to clarify exactly
how they're testing games for DRM as we're at the stage where
"I started the game without the client on the same PC so it must be DRM-Free" is only half the story. Eg, for some games on the Epic Game Store, when you install a game via the Epic Launcher, the Epic client inserts a cached authentication token (DRM license) into Windows Credentials (read up on
Epic Auth Interface). After game install, close the client, remove the Internet connection, start the game and such games "appear" to be DRM-Free but what's actually happening is the game still does a DRM check against that cached token inside the Windows Credentials first, if it's there it'll start offline but if it's missing (eg, you reinstalled the game by unzipping a backed up game-folder without having a client handle the installation either on a different PC or the same PC after a Windows reinstall) only then does the DRM become visible. But this DRM-check gets hidden when you test it on the same PC you downloaded via a client (even with the client closed).
Now I don't know if Steam are starting to do that, but the only real "litmus test" for DRM-Free is to test it on another PC that doesn't have a client installed just by copying the game folder (and required registry entries). If it still works, then it's definitely DRM-Free. If it doesn't, then it highlights the fact game clients are increasingly inserting "silent" DRM licenses into Windows Credential keychain itself essentially "locking" that particular download to that PC (like how CEG works), and cannot be trusted to be "DRM-Free" until that game is proven to work post full Windows reinstall / another PC without any client doing the reinstall at all.
Red Alert 2, Rengade and Tiberian Sun I installed them via Steam (I brought the Ultimate Collection Bundle) then copied all 3 game folders to a custom location, uninstalled them via Steam then launched each game from the exes I mentioned and RA2 and Renegade worked fine. Tiberian Sun did not work though (due to missing reg files which I didn't know it needed) so I re-installed that via Steam then tried launching it from the version I copied ealier and worked fine without hooking into Steam.
Then I spent a good few hours hunting down the reg entries that the game needs (as they are different than the retail version) which involved alot of uninstalling and re-installing but eventually found them. So now I don't have any of them installed under Steam and they all work fine without it.
I have them on this PC that does have Steam installed and usually running (they still don't hook into Steam.) And also on another PC that does not have Steam installed and never has done and they all still run fine.
I also re-downloaded and tested them them today from the current versions after reading people were saying they are not DRM free and they all work fine on both machines.
Red Alert 2 & Generals do not need any reg files so they can both be installed via Steam then copied to another location then uninstalled.
Renegade should be fine, just make sure to run Game.exe
RA2 though will need compatibility mode enabled for Windows XP Service Pack 3 and set to run as administrator for game.exe, gamemd.exe, mph.exe, mphmd.exe, RA2.exe & RA2MD.exe also you will need to update DDrawCompat (especially if you are running Windows 11 24H2, as anything older than 0.5.3 will not work.) After that running the original game from game.exe or Yuri's Revenge from gamemd.exe the game should work.
Also the game will crash during during the mission video intro for Soviet mission 10 (due to EA putting a damanged movies02.mix file in when they released it) they have never fixed it there is a script you can run that is posted on the Steam forums for the game (i'll not post a link to it) or I belive if you own the Origin version of the game (possibly the retail version as well) you can just copy movies02.mix from it into the game's folder over-writing it.
And finally for Tiberian Sun as I said the game will display an error without reg entries for the game so you can either install it via Steam then just launch it from game.exe to play it without Steam whilst leaving the game installed or hunt down the reg entries and save them as a reg file in the games folder then uninstall it from Steam (thats what I did.) The reg entries are slightly different from the original game. You will also need to update DDrawCompat (especially if you are running Windows 11 24H2, as anything older than 0.5.3 will not work.)
And as I said ealier all three of these games are on a PC that has never had Steam installed and work fine.
