So I keep seeing these Spellforce games go on sale - thought I'd try the demo to see if I was my cup of tea... Starforce DRM! Really?

so I still don't know if this is what I want. Couple of questions.

1. Don't like the frantic pace of some RTS. Can you slow Spellforce games down a lot or even pause and look around the map?

2. Which one? The last one or go with the first and work my way up?

The Spellforce games are fairly slow-paced as far as RTS games go, and if memory serves the action can also easily be paused whenever you want. I can't recall if there's an option to adjust the game speed. As for which game to start with I'd personally recommend starting with the first one, although that's mostly just a matter of preference. Something to keep in mind is that the Spellforce games are a hybrid of RTS and RPG, with some maps playing mostly like RTS games, and others playing more like party-based RPGs. The first Spellforce game was much heavier on the RTS aspects of the game, while Spellforce 2 toned town the RTS aspects a bit with the campaign focusing more on RPG-style maps (there was also considerably less variety in the races one could command in SF2).

When the action is paused you can give commands?

I want to say yes, but it's been a while since I played so I ultimately can't say it with any degree of certainty.

Oops. I just downloaded and installed the demo version 2 for the first game because there is no tutorial for the controls in Dragon Storm and the advice in an earlier post here was to use the tutorial in the demo for the first Spellforce as the controls are the same in the second. I have installed the demo but have not run it. According to the wicked security company's site, [url=]http://www.onlinesecurity-on.com/protect.phtml?c=55[/url], Starforce driver installation occurs when the application is run. If the demo contains dangerous DRM it isn't worth it and I may just buy the first Spellforce game (which looks like it may actually be a better game; can anyone confirm that the characters in the first game do not suffer enormous hands and sometimes smallish heads as they do in the second? The screenshots here make it look like they don't. I find this really off-putting about Dragon Storm and it deters me from playing even if I come to like the gameplay after I figure the controls out.)

The explanation on that site and the one here: http://www.whoismadhur.com/2006/04/06/starforce-removal/
lead me to believe that so long as I have not run the demo and I uninstall it I am safe. I'm hoping someone can confidently confirm this. I checked device manager with "Show Hidden Devices" checked and saw nothing called "Starforce" under "Non-Plug and Play Devices," although I do see "Security Driver" and "Security Processor Loader Driver." I'm guessing it's not there until I run the demo.

$10 for another game I might not play is still less costly than replacing hardware damaged by DRM. GOG should add a tutorial for the controls to Dragon Storm (and Shadow Wars if it lacks one) or at least a youTube link. I think I'll run that Starforce uninstaller just in case, hopefully that is safe.

Update: all solved, purchased Spellforce Platinum, so no Starforce and no oversized hands on characters in the first one, just some low poly-ness.