Locking Your Map From Modifications

[Cole Train #83]

I am looking forward to using the Unreal3Editor that ships with Gears of War, but I have a question. Is there some way to lock down your map so when you distribute it, others can't modify it without a password or something? I don't want to make all these maps and then have a bunch of kids get it and say it's theirs or add a bunch of shotguns and sniper rifles to the map and say they totally created a new map. At the same time, I will want to distribute my maps to get them out there and also to get some quality testing.

Anybody with the game have any insight on this? An official Epic response would be lovely, but not expected. :)

[MozI]

Don't know about that, but in most cases people are respectful of others work, at least that is the experience I got from working on Unreal maps.

No one has ever taken a level I made and released it under their name... there are a few clowns out there that have done this though and they get shot down fast...

[Arson]

Having worked in 3d and graphics for quite some time there are a few things you can do to protect your work.
One is to watermark certain assetts.
A watermark can be put into a texture so that only you will know its there.
http://www.ewatermark.com/dd_ot_abou****er.html

I have had some 3d models copied and claimed as original before but there are things you can do there as well.
Most model file formats have a text component. Its easy to add your own copyright/owner info into the files. Most people who copy others work don't have the skills to even know where to look.

keep incremental saves of your work.
Much harder for someone else to claim its theres if you have saves showing progress along the way.

[flip5577]

Maybe when you publish your level, it becomes a self contained file that is recognized by the GoW game. This way you can give your map file to anyone and when they double click it, the GoW game will load up and start them inside of your level...

I don't know but I assume thats what would happen. Maybe one of the mods will come to our topic and answer you 8 ).

[Cole Train #83]

I'd rather not have to jump through hoops backwards to protect my butt to make sure I can prove that it's my work when somebody tries to steal it. It'd be so much simple if Epic had built in some kind of protection scheme for authors, whether it's a password, a "compiled" map that they can't edit without the source, or something.

Anybody with experience with the map editor, or especially Epic, have any insight on this?

[Kronos]

I wouldnt worry about someone modifying certain things of your map, this usually doesnt happen to a drastic level to often in most games. Besides it also shouldnt be to bad just as long as everyone knows whom the original author is.

It would be awesome if this were possible but I've never heard of anyone being able to lock a map down from UnrealED.

[Cthalupa]

I'd rather not have to jump through hoops backwards to protect my butt to make sure I can prove that it's my work when somebody tries to steal it. It'd be so much simple if Epic had built in some kind of protection scheme for authors, whether it's a password, a "compiled" map that they can't edit without the source, or something.

Anybody with experience with the map editor, or especially Epic, have any insight on this?

Unless this is a new feature (And publicly undocumented) in the newest version of UnrealEd, no, you cannot.

[Cole Train #83]

This is a bummer. It seems like a basic feature that would be required. Too many l33t haxx0rs online trying to be "kewl" and would hijack your hard work and take it for themselves. Or, worst case scenario, you make an awesome map (let's call it Hunters for reference :p) and a script kiddie would take your map, be like "ZOMG this map would liek be so kewl wit shotty snipers!", basically ruins the map, and everybody is like "omg xxxmasterchiefxxx is so awesome he made a kewl map xD"

I have been online long enough to know that 99% of the Internet community is...less than savory, let's say. So this seems like a major oversight for budding level designers on Epic's part. :(

Oh, and anybody who played Starcraft should get the Hunters reference. :D


I wouldnt worry about someone modifying certain things of your map, this usually doesnt happen to a drastic level to often in most games. Besides it also shouldnt be to bad just as long as everyone knows whom the original author is.

It would be awesome if this were possible but I've never heard of anyone being able to lock a map down from UnrealED.

[Kronos]

This did indeed happen in UT, but only to Epic maps, which people already know whom the authors are. I've rarely seen custom maps being alterd by someone else, it happens almost never at the least.

[Cole Train #83]

I have played Halo 3 and World of Warcraft. I have no faith in the online community...

:rolleyes:


This did indeed happen in UT, but only to Epic maps, which people already know whom the authors are. I've rarely seen custom maps being alterd by someone else, it happens almost never at the least.

[Kronos]

I dont know about Warcraft but Halo 3 you could not build maps, people just alter the already made maps that came with the game using the gametype Forge.

[MozI]

If your that concerned make a texture that has your signature on it..and hide some where in the world. Noticed that Gears does not use zone portals but in some of my unreal work, I had a texture with my name on it and used that on all of the zone portals so my signature was all over the place inside the editor!

Edit: Yeah forge was not a real level editor, it was more of a user friendly tool to allow people to tweak maps, some people out there really don't have a sense of design and flooded maps with tanks rockets etc making them not fun... With the Gears editor well it's a full fledged editor... to make changes takes time and effort unlike forge.. also as others said when you release the map add documentation like a read me file with all the information stating the map design is yours as well as any custom content not provided by Epic.

[Cole Train #83]

Now that is a creative idea. :)

What I'm most concerned about is building a nice level with the editor. I'm not so much going to be making my own assets, just designing new levels with what is in Gears.

I could put a special texture below each spawn point. :p


If your that concerned make a texture that has your signature on it..and hide some where in the world. Noticed that Gears does not use zone portals but in some of my unreal work, I had a texture with my name on it and used that on all of the zone portals so my signature was all over the place inside the editor!

[Cole Train #83]

I'm just saying, there are lots of...less than decent and honorable folks online. Halo 3 and WoW are prime examples of this. :)


I dont know about Warcraft but Halo 3 you could not build maps, people just alter the already made maps that came with the game using the gametype Forge.

[alto]

You could make a message (attached to a timed trigger) repeat a message saying "Made by xx" every minute or so. Most noobs don't know how to get rid of this. Even better, hide it in a special event trigger, and at the same time, make that special event trigger some other important artifact in the level like a door or a train or whatever, something important, so that if someone deletes your special event, they screw your level up, and give up.

Epic need to add more protection.

[Cole Train #83]

That is all very clever, but your last sentence nailed it. Epic needs to add a simple password protection scheme for opening the file up in the editor.


You could make a message (attached to a timed trigger) repeat a message saying "Made by xx" every minute or so. Most noobs don't know how to get rid of this. Even better, hide it in a special event trigger, and at the same time, make that special event trigger some other important artifact in the level like a door or a train or whatever, something important, so that if someone deletes your special event, they screw your level up, and give up.

Epic need to add more protection.