Its like stealing the formula to Coke...

[zonn44]

The reason this is so bad for Valve and especially for Havoc is as follows.
The process of writing software is as follows .

Write Source Code(millions in this case of lines of computer language.

Put this source code through some software called a compiler which spews out a third piece of Software which is The Game.

Compiling is a one way process ie. you can't reverse compile The Game to give you the Source Code.

THIS MEANS

The innovations , the features the tweaking the "genius" involved in producing the Features of the game can't be copied by having a copy of only The Game .

FOR EXAMPLE lets take the HL2 Feature of the Realistic Eyeball.

Valve had to :

think this idea up

figure out how to do it

spend months?years to get it right.

OK

So I play the game and say The Eyeball Feature is great I want to copy it .
With only a copy of the game I can't just copy it because I don't have the written Source Code to see how they coded this feature.

BUT with the Source Code I could include this feature (which took Valve time,money and talent to do) and copy it into my own game so that my game has exactly the same feature.

IT GETS WORSE

Because I would not release my Source Code how can Valve prove that I stole it from them to put in my game. As the stolen source code is not part of the Game Software I could claim to have developed it myself.

Thats why this situation sux and I hope the prick responsible gets f***d over.

 

[Stryyder]

If valve has any suspicions that a developer is using their source code i.e. Doom3 miraculously now has lip synching they can go to court and have the ID source code supeoned and reviewed by a third party auditor.

If enough evidence exists they go to court and ID would get slapped with an injuction to stop selling the software in question.

Note I am just using ID in this example I am NOT suggesting they would ever do such a thing.

 

[Raziaar]

Yeah... but I don't care for Valves career unfortunately... If other game companies steal their ideas, then that just means more games are of higher quality.

If you look at things just from that perspective(which is really narrow)... then its good for the community game as a whole if thats all that happened... game developers stealing valves unique ideas. Bad for valve though, real bad.

 

[Ares]

Good post zonn, this should help some people out there who aren't into programming understand what exactly this means. If any true damage can be done is yet to be seen and still subject to debate, however.

 

[Ares]

Yeah, it really freakin sucks for Valve. These people don't code games entirely because they wish to make us happy - they have families to feed and bills to pay. I wouldn't wish this on any software company.

Now that I think about it, HL2 is STILL going to sell like crazy. It's impossible to play the actual game using what code was released. Problems will definently arise out of this; how bad is yet to be seen.

 

[[[LuCkY]]]

Just a FYI, the formula for Coke has been leaked, a long time ago.

 

[Raziaar]

Coke was developed from a leak... a leak of information from a company named Pepsi. That's why coke sucks, its a cheap knockoff.

That's right folks, Pepsi was invented a helluva long time ago!

 

[Ares]

I thought Coke was first?
Bah, doesn't matter. They're both great.

 

[Nuclear_Gerber]

The great thing is, zonn44, just like with the coca-cola formula(I'm 100% sure there are already people outside of coca-cola knowing the formula...fired employees, companies trying tastes..), if someone does use it, he will get his ass sued so bad. But so bad.

 

[Raziaar]

Originally posted by Ares
I thought Coke was first?
Bah, doesn't matter. They're both great.

LOL, coke was first... I was kidding, man.

 

[Ares]

hehe, I dunno the history of the soft drink I just gulp it down

 

[wowyouareacow]

Good post zonn44. I think some people need too understand just how much trouble this leaked code can make.

off topic: pepsis no good

 

[RhapSidious]

Originally posted by Raziaar
Coke was developed from a leak... a leak of information from a company named Pepsi. That's why coke sucks, its a cheap knockoff.

That's right folks, Pepsi was invented a helluva long time ago!

Why is Pepsi the 'choice of the new generation' then?

Sorry but Coca Cola came out first, and had cocaine in it too. I think Dr. Pepper is pretty old though (was originally conceived as a health supplement.)

Back on topic:

Yeah this really sucks for Valve. They stand to make a lot of money licensing the engine (much like ID did with Q3), and this will most definately hamper that.

They will still make tons of cash off of sales of the actual game though, and the following add-ons. Most companies will still pay for the license and not steal it.

This better not delay the game any more than it has. Valve can surely implement safeguards (like verifiying filesizes and dates via Steam to make sure they are *most current* and that they are untampered.)

 

[Raziaar]

J.O.K.E.




P.S. That's your opinion... Pepsi tastes good, especially when you drink it while eating slices of Tomacco.

 

[Ares]

Originally posted by RhapSidious
Why is Pepsi the 'choice of the new generation' then?

Sorry but Coca Cola came out first, and had cocaine in it too. I think Dr. Pepper is pretty old though (was originally conceived as a health supplement.)

scroll down, he said he was kidding.

 

[Ares]

Tomacco.. tomacco.. why does that sound familiar? Simpsons?

 

[shiv]

Originally posted by RhapSidious
Why is Pepsi the 'choice of the new generation' then?

Sorry but Coca Cola came out first, and had cocaine in it too. I think Dr. Pepper is pretty old though (was originally conceived as a health supplement.)

Its too bad they took out the cocaine, gaming would be a lot more intense. Course you would have kids oding at lans.

 

[Nuclear_Gerber]

Well coca-cola used to put cocaine in the coke, at ~1900, until it was declared illegal.

 

[RhapSidious]

Originally posted by shiv
Its too bad they took out the cocaine, gaming would be a lot more intense. Course you would have kids oding at lans.

Lol.

 

[lhauert]

Here you go:

http://www.sodamuseum.bigstep.com/generic.jhtml?pid=1


But that's not exactly accurate. In fact it was Dr. Mariani (a French man) who invented the Coca Vine, then Pemberton took this idea and made a soft drink, knowed as Coca Cola now.

Then again, maybe they ought to call it Freedom Cola, right...

 

[KaneRobot]

Originally posted by Raziaar
Pepsi tastes good, especially when you drink it while eating slices of Tomacco.

RRARRRGAHHHHHHHHHH!!! TOMACCO!!!

 

[-JeZ-]

Good thread. :thumbs: I just hope that the fallout over this isn't too bad.

 

[Reaper]

Originally posted by RhapSidious
Why is Pepsi the 'choice of the new generation' then?


Yeah this really sucks for Valve. They stand to make a lot of money licensing the engine (much like ID did with Q3), and this will most definately hamper that.

They will still make tons of cash off of sales of the actual game though, and the following add-ons. Most companies will still pay for the license and not steal it.
[/QUOTE






Are they licensing the Engine? As far i know they have their own engine Named "Source" isn't it? K they must licensing the Havok engine but i think that is one think they must license ......not the whole engine.

 

[MrD]

Originally posted by Reaper
Are they licensing the Engine? As far i know they have their own engine Named "Source" isn't it? K they must licensing the Havok engine but i think that is one think they must license ......not the whole engine.

I think he was meaning that they can license their OWN engine (ie. Source) outwards to other folks for making games. I agree that companies will most likely still license it legit.

The source code is more of a worry for cheats and keygens.

Probably.