my idea to smash out those warez dl'ers

[Marauder]

Seems everyone here has thrown in their 2 cents, accumulating to a couple million dollars, but here goes mine. The damage has been done. There is next to nothing that can be done.

But what if there was a way to get the dl'ers money AND screw them over? :cheers: How about have a system checker before installation of HL2 begins that scans registry and stuff for the illegal warez of HL2. If it detects that you had it, it won't let you install :cheese:



Hehehe, so many people would get pissed off, and valve would have their revenge and money!

 

[mouse]

why would valve cut off people who were going to buy the game?

 

[hunteraz]

people who dl it arent nearly as bad as the people who contribute to letting people be ABLE to download it in the first place.

free the downloaders, own the uploaders.

 

[SLH]

I wouldn't be supprised if they can't legaly do that, customer privicy and all that. Someone with knowledge of this sort of thing, care to contribute?

 

[Alyx]

Surely then you would just delete the beta registry keys that were created so it wouldn't detect any? :dozey:

Not that it does create any... (so im told )

 

[Marauder]

Originally posted by SLH
I wouldn't be supprised if they can't legaly do that, customer privicy and all that. Someone with knowledge of this sort of thing, care to contribute?

Oh, they CAN legally do it. It is within their power if they put taht info in the EULA


muaahaha


And the downloaders are jerks as well. Screw them all. They broke the law, they should pay. Don't try to defend them.

 

[James Isaac]

I think that all the uploaders should be punished, but the people who downloaded it should just be told to delete it.

I am trying to find as many sites with it as I can, and replort them.

 

[Alyx]

As far as I'm aware, unless they have been given permission by you, in any EULA or agreement that you accepted, they cannot do anything to your computer, whether it be tracking things on your PC and so on.

Especially if you have bought the product, denying you of use of the full game even for downloading the beta wouldn't be legal.

 

[azz0r]

Originally posted by James Isaac
I think that all the uploaders should be punished, but the people who downloaded it should just be told to delete it.

I am trying to find as many sites with it as I can, and replort them.

Fighting a losing battle.

 

[Wilson502]

i deleted it bout 30 mins after i d/led it because 1 i wanted to see how it ran, and 2 it was the right thing to do, all i wanted it for was to benchmark my system performance

 

[ulukai]

the law the law the law.

If i buy HL2, and then i copy hl2, did i'm a pirate for make a copy of it ???

 

[ulukai]

yours responses guys

 

[James Isaac]

Originally posted by azz0r
Fighting a losing battle.

Better than doing nothing - and think of all the effort that Valve put into it - they deserve it.

 

[SirPike]

Originally posted by Marauder
Hehehe, so many people would get pissed off, and valve would have their revenge and money!

Until they took it back to the shop. Really, no-one in their right mind would do this, as Valve is a business, not a law enforcement agency with its own agenda.

Let the police handle the hackers (I know I know...) and Valve handle the remainder of the game, and ALL sales. It makes bad business sense to refuse to let their product work on some machines, after all, thats £40 a copy

 

[rec]

I'm no lawyer, but as far as I know ulukai, if you're making a second copy for private use (backup for example), it's not illegal.

 

[James Isaac]

Is it illegal to bring games round to friends' houses and install it on their PC (just wondering)?

 

[jabberwock95]

I don't think that not letting the game run for people who dled the beta is a good idea. For one thing, when you pay for a game, your money doesn't go to valve, it goes to the shop you bought it from, who bought their copies from valve. If shops heard that this would happen, they would not buy as many copies, making valve less money.
Secondly, I think almost anyone can remove registry keys or files from a computer, and if all else fails, format the hard drive. Good idea in theory, but probably wouldn't work.

 

[Alyx]

Lets be honest now, how many people actually do burn images of their retail cd(s) and keep copies of them?

I've never had a retail game cd break in two or get scratched beyond being readable and I use them a lot, even for drink mats so I think that law is very bendable, (unlike the cds).

 

[ulukai]

Originally posted by rec
I'm no lawyer, but as far as I know ulukai, if you're making a second copy for private use (backup for example), it's not illegal.

That was the response, i have law in school it's boring with a psycho like teacher.

Only to see the response of the others if they knowed that was not illegal to make a saved copy

 

[ulukai]

I don t copy my hl game to my friends but i install the game in they pc when i make lan.

That's cool with hl you install the game you patch it and no need of crack because he don t tell you to put a cd and we can play lan with the same key but the keygen are there for that so they don t have my key.
And allways at the end of the lan they delete hl in they pc.
Now the game is cheap they bough it in the store.

 

[thewurm]

So we're going to deny the people that regained their conscience, went out and bought the game, the chance to play the final release. I'm not advocating downloading of illegal software or anything, I'm just saying that it sounds like a bad idea to punish the people that finally decide to support Valve and what they are doing. Do we want to piss off everyone that buys the game so they don't ever want to buy a Valve release, and just download it?

 

[Hallucinogen]

Originally posted by Marauder
Seems everyone here has thrown in their 2 cents, accumulating to a couple million dollars, but here goes mine. The damage has been done. There is next to nothing that can be done.

But what if there was a way to get the dl'ers money AND screw them over? :cheers: How about have a system checker before installation of HL2 begins that scans registry and stuff for the illegal warez of HL2. If it detects that you had it, it won't let you install :cheese:



Hehehe, so many people would get pissed off, and valve would have their revenge and money!

Not only that is the dumbest idea ever and wont work, you also arent the brightest ones out there are ya.

 

[mallet]

Refusing to install on a PC that had previously had the "Beta" installed on it would be bad for business.
It would mean that the only way the user could play HL2 would be to get hold of a cracked version - costing Valve money.

 

[qckbeam]

It's not like people downloaded the full game. It's an incomplete pre-E3 beta build. Why do people automatically assume that those downloading the beta are no longer going to buy the game and rip off Valve? I assure you that those who played this beta will buy the full game ASAP, simply because they actually got to experience the game first hand and,although it's not anywhere near complete, we see that HL2 will be a great game (the videos only begin to hint at some of the cool stuff in the beta). I don't condone warez of full products without payment. But the beta is the equivalent of a small demo. I really don't see why everyone gets so bent out of shape about it. It's not going to dissuade customers from bying the retail product, if anything it will bring in more sales!

 

[RblDiver]

Originally posted by rec
I'm no lawyer, but as far as I know ulukai, if you're making a second copy for private use (backup for example), it's not illegal.

I'm no lawyer either, but I think it varies from program to program. I've read some of those EULA's that hardly anyone ever reads (not many, but some). Some do say that you can create a backup copy for archiving purposes only, some say that you can't do this, so it really depends. And as to the person who asked if you can put it on multiple computers (taking it to a friends house), on most programs yes that would be illegal UNLESS you had uninstalled it on your own computer first (most programs say that it can be installed on one computer at a time, some say it can be on multiple, but usually you need extra licenses for that, like a network license for all programs you have on a school's network, say).

All this stuff is kind of interesting. I wonder how many people realize that you don't "buy" games and software, you're just licensing them out...

 

[BlackMesaDude]

it would never work that way.

 

[nw909]

Uhh, how does checking the registry see if you downloaded warez?

 

[Hyped]

Originally posted by Marauder

Hehehe, so many people would get pissed off, and valve would have their revenge and money!

Where do they breed morons like you?

 

[Skammich]

Originally posted by Alyx
Lets be honest now, how many people actually do burn images of their retail cd(s) and keep copies of them?

I've never had a retail game cd break in two or get scratched beyond being readable and I use them a lot, even for drink mats so I think that law is very bendable, (unlike the cds).

you must not have a high speed cd-rom drive.

I had a command and conquer cd in my drive about a year ago, my little brother was playing the game, and then it froze for no reason.

suddenly i heard a pop from teh tower. i opened the cd-rom only to find about a hundred pieces of a cd in the tray.

also, at UVALAN 3 (tribes 2 lan) my friend was playing my copy of diablo 2, same thing happened to him. both times it was a 52x cdrom that had been running for several hours.

 

[A2597]

I actually have NO problem with Warez provided you buy the product if you life it. (And no waiting until its 5$....)

 

[hunteraz]

Originally posted by nw909
Uhh, how does checking the registry see if you downloaded warez?

there could be a hidden key like, "Beta Install" = "1" in the registry, and the retail version could check the spot where that key was located and if it was present, it would refuse to install.

 

[Marauder]

I still like my idea, glad to see some other people thought about it.

 

[jabberwock95]

Originally posted by qckbeam
I assure you that those who played this beta will buy the full game ASAP, simply because they actually got to experience the game first hand and,although it's not anywhere near complete, we see that HL2 will be a great game (the videos only begin to hint at some of the cool stuff in the beta). I don't condone warez of full products without payment. But the beta is the equivalent of a small demo. I really don't see why everyone gets so bent out of shape about it. It's not going to dissuade customers from bying the retail product, if anything it will bring in more sales!

Very True. I have already preordered Hl2, but i would probably get the beta if I had the opportunity. That isn't 'harming valve', as I have already paid! In my opinion, it's more like taking a sneak preview, or watching the trailer for a good movie. Besides, if HL2 is anywhere near as large as valve says it is, the beta must hardly scratch the surface. People who dl the game and have no intention of buying it though, that really is damaging to valve, and I hope that it's a small minority.

 

[Alyx]

Originally posted by Skammich
you must not have a high speed cd-rom drive.

Its a 52x LG and I don't have the problems.

 

[Wilson502]

The problem with warez in my opinion is that ppl who download warez of a game and never actually decide to go buy it. Like in my situation, i only wanted the beta to benchmark my system just to see how it ran, after about 30 mins of going throguh bout 2 or 3 levels, i deleted it. I fully intend to buy the game when it comes out for sure.

 

[lumpyhed]

I have lost my Diablo II & Quake 3 originalss to the most hungreh Media God..

So yes backup cds are quite valid!

Oh and just to add, after playing the 'beta' it makes me want to buy the full game even more. The physics engine and the freedom of exporation on some of those maps is most impressive.

 

[GhostValkyrie]

Originally posted by Marauder
Oh, they CAN legally do it. It is within their power if they put taht info in the EULA


muaahaha


And the downloaders are jerks as well. Screw them all. They broke the law, they should pay. Don't try to defend them.

I totally agree. And it really made me mad when the Hl Radio host tried to justify that punk-kid who had d/led the game. "He just couldn't wait." What a load of crap, if it was me he'd be saying, "Why are you downloading this? It's illegal, blah blah blah." What made eve angrier about that whole thing was when the kid started talking, because well,...I had no idea it was a kid. He sounded like we was still in the 10th grade, or less. A lot of these High School students just don't get it, they think rebelling is going to get them somewhere...yeah, it'll get you somewhere, somewhere called jail. Trust me, you won't like it, experience says more than speculation. Though I'm sure they won't get in trouble for this, it's only a matter of time before some learn their lesson, losing sleep on a cold, rancid floor. What's even worse is the exposure, it's not something a lot of you won't be proud of. The kids deserve to be punished, but probably won't,...and they probably shouldn't be punished to this extent. What I just talked about is less than what the hacker deserves. He's taken away VALVe's feeling of security, has internationally embarassed them, and has exposed secret material.
Yet he cowardly hides, like a scared child behind his mother. He didn't kill anybody, Hacker is nice word for Internet Terrorist.

-Ghost.

For those of you who think this great, let me ask you a question. If a man broke into your house, stole erotic pics of your wife/girl-friend, and posted them on the web, how would you feel? Not to mention the fact that you may never catch them.

 

[Unnamed_Player]

Nice thought with a lot of flaws:

1) Valve wouldn't get money just a lot of angry people returning shit to the store.

2) Alienating potential customers like that would just make them lose out on more dollars later because no one who was screwed by them once would ever buy their products again.

3) The beta does not install anything to the registry. It's an unzip and run deal.

4) Even if they did something like that hackers would have it defeated within hours of HL2 being publicly available.

5) The cracked copy will be on warez sites and will run whether you had the beta or not.

There simpy is no way for this to work effectively.

 

[SirPike]

Originally posted by Unnamed_Player
Nice thought with a lot of flaws:

1) Valve wouldn't get money just a lot of angry people returning shit to the store.

2) Alienating potential customers like that would just make them lose out on more dollars later because no one who was screwed by them once would ever buy their products again.

3) The beta does not install anything to the registry. It's an unzip and run deal.

4) Even if they did something like that hackers would have it defeated within hours of HL2 being publicly available.

5) The cracked copy will be on warez sites and will run whether you had the beta or not.

There simpy is no way for this to work effectively.

Hurrah for a little sanity

If they really want to hurt the hackers, they need to get the username/passwords and the IP logs of the WaReZ forums. A lot of forums now keep the IP addresses logged, and if its a crime then they can be gathered as evidence, and traced through the ISP.

As for mIrc, I don't use it that often, but I imagine the same deal applies. Just trace it back (even though any self-respecting hacker would be using a proxy, but still it can be traced...)

 

[Quotidian---]

yeah thats dumb. plus warezing is badass, the only people who think it isn't are the ones without the bandwith or knowledge to do it, i'ma return to whatching a few movies i just got. later.