Dear Game Publishers,
Do you ever listen to your developers? Ever?
I know that the developers of Unreal Tournament 2003 didn't want to require the damned CD. I know that the developers of Half-Life 2 didn't want to require the damned CD, because the version you can buy directly from them DOESN'T.
You know that license key you include with every version of your software?
That's enough.
You know what making me have to use the CD does? It makes it so I don't play your game. And because I don't play your game, I don't care about your sequel.
You know what else you do? You make the pirated version of the game more valuable. That's right, why should I play $50 for a crippled game that requires a specific CD to be in my drive in order to start playing it, when I could instead spend a few hours downloading the game and be able to play it without being bothered.