Assets Protected?

[wilder]

Is content imported imported to udk such as textures and models secured from extraction from content theft?

[treeform]

Nothing is ever 100% secure.

I would worry about making some thing other people like to play then worry about it being stolen.

[wilder]

For a project that has a commercial UDK license I think I'd rather have my work secured from extraction, wouldn't most of you?


Nothing is ever 100% secure.

I would worry about making some thing other people like to play then worry about it being stolen.

[SpartanDonut]

For a project that has a commercial UDK license I think I'd rather have my work secured from extraction, wouldn't most of you?

In this case, I'd be more worried about my commercial product being pirated than my assets being stolen... but thats just me.

[Quanta]

I'm with treeform. Focus your efforts on making a quality product instead of worrying whether someone might try and steal it. There's no sense in safeguarding something if it's a steaming pile of crap.

[Brexer]

I, for one have purchased some models, wich as is, i cant use in a commercial/distrubuted product until it can be secured inside a encrypted/password protected file system (its not many, but i have them).

Its not that important for me right now, but it will be at a point.

Im not saying encrypt the hole packs, just maybe the header and footer with some passworded encryption.

Maybe some "lock", so when you prepare game for release, the editor does so it cannot load them again, only the client exe can open the file (no password)..

But that would probably be hard anyways, since we dont have access to compile the exe to "protect" the password in any case :P

[Hourences]

When the game is cooked, it merges most of the content into a single file. Also, the packaged game does not come with an editor. The UDK editor cannot open files from packaged/cooked games.

Perhaps that someone does manage to make it work somehow, but on first sight I would say it looks fairly safe.

Try to reach the content from The Ball if you want to try.

[Phopojijo]

For a project that has a commercial UDK license I think I'd rather have my work secured from extraction, wouldn't most of you?No.

The vast majority of people who would rip your content would be your fans... I say let them make derivative works and promote your work... especially since community is about the only thing you, as a small company, would have going for you.

As long as you have some form of non-commercial policy (like Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Sharealike)... you should be shielded from all legal ramifications.

Though like Hourences said, yes, all cooked content cannot be extracted using Unreal's built-in tools... doesn't mean you can't provide the source content under some license anyway... let your fans have an easy way to use your content under a license you agree with. (Drop the uncooked packages on your website or something) I mean, you don't need to... but what's the harm in letting your fans promote your work through their personal creativity? Heck, that's why UnrealED and the UDK exist.

The people who really want to plagiarize your content will just hijack it from the videocard at runtime through DirectX -- http://www.deep-shadows.com/hax/3DRipperDX.htm#Overview is one such example. No sense hurting your fans with restrictions that can just be circumvented by the turds who you actually care about screwing you over.

[Angel_Mapper]

A cooked and packaged UDK mod is relatively safe, but yeah, like Phopojijo said if someone really wanted your assets they could just rip it right out of the video card. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Brexer]

Ah, didnt know cooked packages where protected like that, good to know :)

[LennardF1989]

Or, you could do it the Ubisoft way, import some useless models, destroy them manually with a Hex Editor and voila, editor crash/unreadable file. Most people will give up there, but the intact models are still loadable by using the right commands.

Like: To make a map not open ever again in the editor (but still ingame), all you have to do is get rid of the Red Brush (which is saved into maps), at least, that was fatal in 2.X based games.

[Phopojijo]

... which had just about zero advantage and prevented their fans from making mods.

[LennardF1989]

... which had just about zero advantage and prevented their fans from making mods.

Not at all, Ubisoft is quite anti-modding, so it did its purpose.

[Phopojijo]

Not at all, Ubisoft is quite anti-modding, so it did its purpose.Which has just-about zero advantage :p

[LennardF1989]

Talk to the hand, cause the face ain't listening.

:P