AntiPiracy - Protect your maps against map piracy

[Mutant117]

Hello people,
it has taken a long time for me to realize this module and I know it's a bit late to put some effort in creating something like that for UT2004. But better now than never.

Short Description:
AntiPiracy gives the mapper a simple opportunity to save the map's original name and original author value.
The protection will disable online(/lan) play on a map, if someone else changes the mapname totally, so that the original mapname string cannot be found anymore. This gives clans the ability to add tags behind, or before the mapname, as long as the original mapname won't be touched.
Moreover if the author value has been changed, the supervision also disables online(/lan) play. So this value mustn't be touched, even tags or further author names aren't allowed either.
Offline play won't be supervised, so for offline usage only, everything can be changed as usual.
Look the readme up for more information, and to get to know how to set up protection.

Finally, I want to thank Wormbo for multiple helps on that project.

Download:
Here

[Crusha K. Rool]

Ok, then MDK can download it directly from here. :>

[Làámßø]

wow...I really like this as that is one of my UT pet peeves.....clans and other admins taking my name out of the map name and / or removing parts of the name to suite there needs!

...also...is there a way to protect the music in the map as well.....I use the Music Fix Mutator (XxxXMusicFix06BETA) in all my Arena maps! ... and when you design a theme map that goes with a certain song....then, to find it ripped all the hell and the song ripped out and replaced with some funky grunge/rap **** it tends to **** me off!!!! lol sorry, venting there!

Thank you for this, downloading now!

[Làámßø]

well, no download link available atm

...I guess I'll come back later and dowload as soon as a good link is available!

[unrealloco]

that link did work laambo i had to refresh it for it to start
heres a mirror on my site
http://wickedhq.com/index.php?option...tid=22&cid=293

[Mutant117]

well, no download link available atm

...I guess I'll come back later and dowload as soon as a good link is available!

I added a new dl-link to Gamefront (former Filefront).
I don't know how long the file will stay there, the same is for Megaupload...
So feel free to add further mirrors.

EDIT: Thanks unrealloco for your link.

[Eliot]

So what's avoiding the pirates from just removing the whole package from the map? :P

[Crusha K. Rool]

So what's avoiding the pirates from just removing the whole package from the map? :P

Did you read the readme already or is that even after your read?

[Leo(T.C.K.)]

I'm sorry but this is BS. Sometimes server admins will have to alter the mapname, in case mismatches or stupid errors like map having a space in its name, I have seen that happen. With this it will allow noobs to abuse this. But seriously, why should you care. If the yrename the map the author field stays the same and you are being credited, unless they are smartasses such as Kaal who steal others work, but in that case they could T3D export it and get rid of the package, like he used to do. So really, this makes no sense to me personally. But I also in my own maps allow others to reuse my work, as long as they credit me. I didn't have many map releases but in the ones I had I did exactly that.

[unrealloco]

oh well.....

I'm sorry but this is BS. Sometimes server admins will have to alter the mapname, in case mismatches or stupid errors like map having a space in its name, I have seen that happen. With this it will allow noobs to abuse this. But seriously, why should you care. If the yrename the map the author field stays the same and you are being credited, unless they are smartasses such as Kaal who steal others work, but in that case they could T3D export it and get rid of the package, like he used to do. So really, this makes no sense to me personally. But I also in my own maps allow others to reuse my work, as long as they credit me. I didn't have many map releases but in the ones I had I did exactly that.

[Crusha K. Rool]

I'm sorry but this is BS. Sometimes server admins will have to alter the mapname, in case mismatches or stupid errors like map having a space in its name, I have seen that happen. With this it will allow noobs to abuse this. But seriously, why should you care. If the yrename the map the author field stays the same and you are being credited, unless they are smartasses such as Kaal who steal others work, but in that case they could T3D export it and get rid of the package, like he used to do. So really, this makes no sense to me personally. But I also in my own maps allow others to reuse my work, as long as they credit me. I didn't have many map releases but in the ones I had I did exactly that.

If a mapper makes the mistake to name the map wrong, then it's his problem if the map isn't played online. But instead of just renaming the stuff yourself would the appropriate way to contact the mapper (the protection comes with a field where the mapper can specifiy his contact details which will be written to the log if the protection becomes active) and inform him about his mistake so he can publish a clean version that works. Just renaming the map is BS. Besides that this thing still allows the map to be renamed to avoid version mismatches, the protection just makes sure that the original map name stays part of the file name. So if the map is released as ONS-MySuperMap, you could still rename it to ONS-MySuperMap-XYZClan without having any issues.


And there are more than enough smartasses that remove your name from the author field and put their name there (the amount of ripped maps on Ballistic Weapons servers is just unbelievable) and exactly because of those guys was this protection actually started. And if you try to contact those guys as author of the map and ask them to change that, they will just tell you to get off.
According to Mutant did he include some kind of protection that should prevent simple copy-pasting of the map contents into another map, so no idea about that point.

If others want to reuse my work, they should at least contact me first and that's what this encourages as well. If they ask kindly and provide credit and seem like nice guys, there is no problem with giving them a clean version of the map without that protection.

[Eliot]

Did you read the readme already or is that even after your read?

Yes, I have and I even read the Source code and don't see what's avoiding anyone from just getting rid of the embedded dependencies. Besides there is a far better method to protect maps(like they do in Warcraft 3 World Craft editor which just crashes the map from being opened in UnrealEd :P), something which my UE Explorer program does for UT2004(not released for exploitable reasons xD)

[Crusha K. Rool]

Well, if someone wants to be even more sure, they can simply delete all other Brushes from the release map after rebuilding, so at least nobody can apply changes to the BSP.

[Leo(T.C.K.)]

But who cares about these idiots? As long as they don't make money off it or not publish it in major sites (where you could prove its your work instead of his) and have it at his server only it's fine. Don't turn this into DRM inside a game for free mods ****, seriously. But okay, it's your choice, but if someone did this to Unreal or UT, I would definitely disagree.

[Sly.]

But who cares about these idiots?

There are people who edit maps, delete the original author and put their names in the original author's place, completely rename the map and put some clan tags on walls and use it on a public server without even asking the mapper which is imo pure impudence! MDK was just one "victim" of such people and there are more.

This tool is a neat idea and it's optional anyways.