[Discussion] How do you protect your game from theft?

[Pharetra]

The title says it all, really.

How do you protect your game from theft? There are various encryptors to do this, of which the RPG Maker XP Built-in Encryptor is probably the most used one. This isn't safe at all, since there are various decryptors to be found on the web. How do you protect your game? What encryptor do you use?

Discuss!

 

[xdanx]

Even when it's an interesting topic to discuss, I have to say it sounds more like a "I need you to tell me how to protect my game" thread.

Anyway, I checked this for a long time, and eventually, I came to the decision that trying to protect the game is a waste of time. Time that can be used improving the game, and making it so good, that any dumb copy people makes, will be useless, 'cause people will know your game so well, that they will see them and think "bah, that's just a copy of X game".

If they want to break a protection, they will find the way, there is no way to stop them from eventually doing it.

 

[lx_theo]

I'm going to presume this is your response to the stolen text box in that 'Orange Version' that was locked recently.

Overall, I'd have to agree with xdanx. Protection is always temporary. Unless you keep some sort of dedicated support for updating your protection over time, people always find a way.

One of the best ways to make this more of a nonfactor is in fact how recognizable and attachable to your game the stuff is. It helps a lot if most people who'd be involved with the game can recognize the theft when they see it. It discredits those try to show off projects with the stolen stuff.

The only real other way to help protect is one of two. The first is to make the files you release as absolutely bare bones as you can. Only essential files for the game are kept in it. It lowers the amount of files that can be stolen. Of course, that only helps so much. The other option is the opposite. You stuff the game so full with unnecessary files that it discourages people from trying to steal.

But in the end, you're fighting a losing battle.

 

[Awkward Squirtle]

I agree - if you make your resources distinctive enough, people will recognise them if they're stolen. You can't protect against theft even with encryption - a determined thief can just screenshot your game and rip the resources from a screenshot.

I still think that theft should be punished with a ban rather than merely a thread lock. Neither of these help outside of PC though...

 

[Joshawott]

I only play video games at home, or at a friend's home. Problem solved. :D

 

[KingCharizard]

Theft is inevitable it most likely and will always happen. Someone will find a way to pirate your hard work.

 

[Crazyninjaguy]

I use my own method!
A little script which will 'encrypt' my files, so that people can't open them.
Eventually, someone will have the idea on how to crack it, but hopefully, after all the protection i'll have thrown at it, they'll just give up!

I also plan to keep this encryption method private, so that people don't know how to reverse it by looking at the code.

 

[Awkward Squirtle]

I use my own method!
A little script which will 'encrypt' my files, so that people can't open them.
Eventually, someone will have the idea on how to crack it, but hopefully, after all the protection i'll have thrown at it, they'll just give up!

I also plan to keep this encryption method private, so that people don't know how to reverse it by looking at the code.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED

But seriously, I'm quite curious about this. Mind sending me a project that uses it?

 

[Skitty1]

This is kind of ironic considering that a part of the forum is dedicated to helping people play pirated roms (most of the time any way) on unauthorized emulators - don't get me wrong I love emulators but still.

@Crazyninjaguy good luck with that :D - seeing as games like Portal 2 (not a good comparison but still) are cracked within almost 24 hours of the release and out for download I think that if a group tried hard enough hey could do it.

 

[DarkDoom3000]

Hmm...I guess one way would be to make everything "open source"
if anyone can use anything, provided they give credit, then theoretically people would be less likely to steal.

 

[rainbowism]

I use my own method!
A little script which will 'encrypt' my files, so that people can't open them.
Eventually, someone will have the idea on how to crack it, but hopefully, after all the protection i'll have thrown at it, they'll just give up!

I also plan to keep this encryption method private, so that people don't know how to reverse it by looking at the code.

Well that's the problem, it doesn't matter how good your encryption is, someone will find a way through it. In a matter of days, Blizzard's MPQ format was decrypted and had an archive explorer. It also depends on the scale of the community who comes in contact with the encryption though.

 

[Ss4gogeta0]

I'm going to presume this is your response to the stolen text box in that 'Orange Version' that was locked recently.

Overall, I'd have to agree with xdanx. Protection is always temporary. Unless you keep some sort of dedicated support for updating your protection over time, people always find a way.

One of the best ways to make this more of a nonfactor is in fact how recognizable and attachable to your game the stuff is. It helps a lot if most people who'd be involved with the game can recognize the theft when they see it. It discredits those try to show off projects with the stolen stuff.

The only real other way to help protect is one of two. The first is to make the files you release as absolutely bare bones as you can. Only essential files for the game are kept in it. It lowers the amount of files that can be stolen. Of course, that only helps so much. The other option is the opposite. You stuff the game so full with unnecessary files that it discourages people from trying to steal.

But in the end, you're fighting a losing battle.

for me... the coding of my "Own" games are so random that anyone who tries to steal it would be confused and eventually just give up.... which is why... through 7 years, I have not had a single game stolen....

 

[Firestorm.]

I've never tried it, but instead of using RMXP to compress the game data, compress the vital folders (not the game.exe) and password lock it. Then they'll download it and be able to play the game but not crack open the archive.

PS. Don't know if it works because I've never tried it. But if it does work then that's great.

 

[Pharetra]

I've never tried it, but instead of using RMXP to compress the game data, compress the vital folders (not the game.exe) and password lock it. Then they'll download it and be able to play the game but not crack open the archive.

PS. Don't know if it works because I've never tried it. But if it does work then that's great.

They won't be able to play the games as the files won't be accesible anymore.

 

[mineox100]

Maybe you could use hide the folders and file? It's easy to crack it, but at least some people won't be able to find out... I think.