Hi! I think this is a missunderstanding.
First: what do you mean by anti free? The fact that you may not be able to run an antivirus program during installation and/or the game? Okay listen: in order to enhance the game without having the source code, I must use functions that manipulate the game memory, for example that override the (hard coded) resolution values to dynamical ones. Malware (although the cheap ones) often use the same methods to manipulate other processes as well, therefore, an anti virus tool will most likely produce a false positive. This is not a problem of just NeoEE but of all small software producers. If we had any money inside the project, we could buy a digital certificate and sign it - then you can use your anti-virus again.
Second: what do you mean by "hacks my PC"? Do you mean the new start-up overlay during multiplayer game initialization? As you may know (or not), Empire Earth is a topmost window. During my hooked code, the window additionally freezes. I have to find very aggressive ways to still generate a window on top of the unresponsive EE. This is not meant as a hack and you can turn if off in NeoEE.cfg if you like (ShowGui: false).
does suspicious stuff in the background
Like? Please don't be so vague and right out tell what you have in suspicion. NeoEE is no spyware. The fact you cannot install a CDKey without the internet connection? Yeah, the keys come from a licensing server. The fact you cannot install on a VM? Yeah, we don't want to people to spoof their hardware s.t. they can get infinite CDKeys.
makes me lose control of my hardware
Again: like? What do you mean by losing control of your hardware? How is software even supposed to do so? Lock up your CDROM drive? I don't know. But I can assure you: if it happens, you either suspect NeoEE wrongously or you have a very weird side effect (which I cannot imagine). Manipulating hardware requires you to write Level-0 hardware drivers and those must be usually especially signed on Windows. There is no such thing in NeoEE.
hides itself deep in the registry
Please don't make yourself ridicolous. How is adding an entry to registry not to be interpreted by you as "hiding"? When you know what the path means? It may use directories like SYSWow64 (which is a necessety on Windows x64 in order to run x86 applications), but this has nothing to do with hiding. Furthermore, the installaware installer will write some GUID into the registry in order to recognize your current installation the next time you run it. If you have a specific question, please tell me the registry entry you have suspicion about.
tries to connect to the internet even when I'm playing single player
It did so before the latest update as well, you just haven't seen it because there was no overlay back then. It was extremely difficult for me to find the correct code locations that I can hijack in order to enable game hosting without port forwarding. Unfortunately, EE will trigger this codes also when loading a single player game or the scenario editor. I have no idea why and I cannot really change this behaviour. During the game, there is no internet traffic (in single player) caused by the NeoEE patch.
and does a lot of other weird stuff
Please elaborate a bit on the lot. Shouldn't be too hard if there was so much stuff you don't like. I can assure you that all your points of critique have a good explanation.
I thought in the time of big data and spying on everyone and hacking into PCs people would feel a bit more concious about it, but that is apprently not the case.
Big data. Not quite. NeoEE doesn't even have ads. It's mainly funded by Omega and Ghost, donations are very rare.
I know you want to 'protect your creation' and keep cheaters away, but that isn't really a problem in this 15 year old game.
You make this statement based on what evidence? Having CDKeys also is important for smurf detection - especially during tournaments or when we want to implement a rating system.
You could open it up to more people, make it more accessible and yet you spend your time adding stuff like CD key and connecting to the internet whlie playing in single player mode and probably lots of more shady stuff in the background.
There is no "lots of other stuff". I am just one person, devoting his free time in developing and maintaining this. I cannot write complex DRM systems in my free time. Sorry, this is paranoia.
And there is no way to opt out of it? This also implies that the games are sort of recorded/saved. Yay for more big data.
You don't have to play rated games. That's the way to opt out of it. What you mean by "big data" is totally ridicolous, sorry.
P.S.: Please, if you have any criticism, please write it to me personally instead of in public. I am getting quite angry because I can interpret the fact that you did so as an act of defarmation of NeoEE. I am fine with criticism. But what I totally hate is people claiming stuff in public without being certain. If you like EE, please don't do that.