Witcher 2 devs claim 100% accurate pirate identifaction -PCGamer

[shingletingle]

Generally that is how I buy games from unknown developers - download the game, check it and if I like I buy.

If it would be impossible to do that check, I would actually buy less games, witcher being one that wouldn't see any money from my part.

If you're not happy with the fact that they don't provide a demo, then simply don't buy the game. Games aren't a necessity. Using "I pirate because I need a demo" as an excuse doesn't really fly.

 

[Borealis7]

i too doubt the "100%" figure

What if i turn off my Router when i play?
what if i got it on DVD from a friend?
how will they find me then?

 

[PrayForDeath]

They refused to explain what the 100% detection method entails because they don't wanna clue pirates on how to remain hidden.

Perhaps they only track people who are actively torrenting the game? (upload or download) and then go to their house and check their PCs for evidence? Wouldn't that work?

i too doubt the "100%" figure

What if i turn off my Router when i play?
what if i got it on DVD from a friend?
how will they find me then?

They're not saying they can find 100% of the pirates. They're claiming the detection method is 100% accurate (as in, they never accuse paying customers)

 

[PrayForDeath]

If you're not happy with the fact that they don't provide a demo, then simply don't buy the game. Games aren't a necessity. Using "I pirate because I need a demo" as an excuse doesn't really fly.

btw, websites like Gaikai will let you try out new games even if they don't have a demo out.

 

[DeathReborn]

If you're not happy with the fact that they don't provide a demo, then simply don't buy the game. Games aren't a necessity. Using "I pirate because I need a demo" as an excuse doesn't really fly.

Generally I view a Demo being available before the games release or a public beta (not invite only) as a sign the developer/publisher are sure the game is good. No demo & closed or no beta shows me they're not sure & are wanting to milk suckers before they're found out.

In the case of Witcher 2, the first one was always buggy & I only got the sequel because I had a voucher left over from my birthday which took £20 off the price. Still haven't even been nothered to finish the game, it was that uninspiring. May try to play it again in a another few patches.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Sorry, your honor, I leave my wireless connection unsecure and it must have been someone else who pirated the game.

/end

do you realize how much time, work, and effort it takes to take a case to trial so you can present that explanation?

 

[Corporate Thug]

How often do car thieves end up paying more than the value of the car, let alone 24 times the value of the car they've stolen? And that's real thievery, not just making a copy.

that's just the thing...you can't make 10 copies of a radiator so damages for lost earning is a lot easier to determine.

 

[3DVagabond]

The only way they can be 100% sure they have the right person is with personal information. Who knows what information they are gathering? They aren't saying. Unless you have nothing on your PC EVER that you don't mind being made public (passwords, logons, etc...), if you have the game on your computer remove it immediately, and hope they haven't stored your CC info, name and DOB... somewhere that it can be hacked.

This is video game pirating we are talking about, not national security. What gives them the right to gather personal info from my computer? Just because I might be using a pirated copy? It's BS. They need to change their business model if they are being robbed. How would you like it if a store was left unlocked and unattended and if it was robbed anyone who ever used a product from that store could have their property searched without a warrant? It's ripe for abuse.

 

[Lonbjerg]

The only way they can be 100% sure they have the right person is with personal information. Who knows what information they are gathering? They aren't saying. Unless you have nothing on your PC EVER that you don't mind being made public (passwords, logons, etc...), if you have the game on your computer remove it immediately, and hope they haven't stored your CC info, name and DOB... somewhere that it can be hacked.

This is video game pirating we are talking about, not national security. What gives them the right to gather personal info from my computer? Just because I might be using a pirated copy? It's BS. They need to change their business model if they are being robbed. How would you like it if a store was left unlocked and unattended and if it was robbed anyone who ever used a product from that store could have their property searched without a warrant? It's ripe for abuse.

Breaking the law and the wanting the law to protect you?

LOL

Silly americans...

 

[Kelvrick]

Breaking the law and the wanting the law to protect you?

LOL

Silly americans...

His location says New Zealand, and if they're gathering personal information as a means of identification, they're probably doing it on every player's machine, including people who didn't torrent it. Are you just a stupid dane?

 

[Lonbjerg]

His location says New Zealand, and if they're gathering personal information as a means of identification, they're probably doing it on every player's machine, including people who didn't torrent it. Are you just a stupid dane?

Nicely done...you avoided the point entirely...that takes som deflection skills :thumbsdown:

 

[GaiaHunter]

If you're not happy with the fact that they don't provide a demo, then simply don't buy the game. Games aren't a necessity. Using "I pirate because I need a demo" as an excuse doesn't really fly.

So are you saying that a developer prefers to not sell a game at all if that means someone downloading an illegal copy first?

Obviously people pirate because they can, since there is no much deterrent to it.
But that doesn't mean that if somehow pirating becomes much harder/riskier, sales increase, which is actually the more important point to developers that any ideal about no piracy.

I was just giving an example on how if piracy went the way of the dodo, that would actually mean less sales. Sure, it is purely anecdotal evidence.

On the other hand, with sales of games for $5-10, piracy is much less attractive, although I wonder if piracy gets suppressed if we would get such good deals.

 

[showb1z]

They need to change their business model if they are being robbed. How would you like it if a store was left unlocked and unattended and if it was robbed anyone who ever used a product from that store could have their property searched without a warrant? It's ripe for abuse.

Do enlighten us, how exactly would you change their business model so piracy is impossible. I think the whole entertainment/software industry would be interested in this also...
As has been said before, this game is DRM free, has great support, sold at a very reasonable price. None of the usual BS excuses pirates usually come up with apply to this game. They completely deserve whatever is coming to them.

And to people who say this is impossible, how do you think they track internet child pornography, etc.

 

[nleibert]

I believe in the US the cost is 3 times the cost of the stolen item plus legal fees. In this case, it would likely be about $1200.

I truly have no sympathy for the pirate that has to pay $1200 for illegally downloading a game. In fact, I would rather they spent some time in jail than pay a fine. Something like 30 days. It is their damn fault I have to deal with crappy DRM on the games I want to buy. They need to have real consequences for their actions, and this action is the first step in providing consequences.

lol, I would rather spend 30 days in jail then pay $1,200 if I were them...jail is like a vacation to play Spades all day long while watching tv.

 

[3DVagabond]

His location says New Zealand, and if they're gathering personal information as a means of identification, they're probably doing it on every player's machine, including people who didn't torrent it. Are you just a stupid dane?

Londberg is on my ignore list. I wouldn't have seen his post if you didn't respond to it. :shrug: Responses that completely miss the point and are intended only to inflame are typical. Seeing as you got the point of my post though, I'll assume it made sense.

Actions like the topic are slippery slopes. Why should it be OK for a corporation to invade an individuals privacy just to see if they are doing something illegal? What else are we going to allow? Some people take their freedom for granted and don't even notice when it's gone.

 

[Lonbjerg]

Londberg is on my ignore list. I wouldn't have seen his post if you didn't respond to it. :shrug: Responses that completely miss the point and are intended only to inflame are typical. Seeing as you got the point of my post though, I'll assume it made sense.

Actions like the topic are slippery slopes. Why should it be OK for a corporation to invade an individuals privacy just to see if they are doing something illegal? What else are we going to allow? Some people take their freedom for granted and don't even notice when it's gone.

Why do you try and hide behind the law while breaking the law?

Three things that cause piracy:
1. Selfish, self-entitled immaturity.
2. No fear of punishment.
3. Cheap broadband.

 

[KeithTalent]

Please keep the discussion civil and refrain from personal attacks, otherwise infractions will be handed out.

Thank you.

Anandtech Moderator
KeithTalent

 

[PrayForDeath]

Here's a lengthy 'interview' between RPS and CDP on the matter.

 

[WelshBloke]

Why do you try and hide behind the law while breaking the law?

Three things that cause piracy:
1. Selfish, self-entitled immaturity.
2. No fear of punishment.
3. Cheap broadband.

A little while back you could have added convenience to that list, but now most games are on Steam (or similar) its not too relevant.

 

[Martimus]

I definitely lost respect for rps after reading that editorial. That writer comes off as a whiny moron.

 

[exar333]

$1200 sounds fair to me, honestly. If they charged $150 (3x the approx cost) what deterrant would that be? In MN, the minimum speeding ticket on an interstate is $300, $1000 isn't rediculous.

This is a lot more fair than the RIAA suing a single mother for $1.6M for sharing a few hundred songs.

Don't pirate if you don't want to pay the penalty.

 

[PingSpike]

This thread is ridiculous. You've got people advocating the punishment for pirating a game and getting caught should be having to say "My bad" out loud three times and others saying their hands should be cut off for downloading a computer game.

$1200 seems a little high to me but its probably about as low as they can actually get it without losing money on lawyer fees.

 

[McWatt]

I wonder what the magnitude of the penalty is for shoplifting the same game.

 

[Mandres]

People, this is not a government deciding whether or not $1200 is an appropriate punishment/fine for piracy. We can debate that all day long, but it's not what is happening here. This has nothing to do with criminal law, or "crime" in any way.

This is a private company threatening to sue people if they don't pay their demands. It's simple extortion, and it's bad business as evidenced by the RIAA debacle.

From http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100713/17400810200.shtml :

"As for how successful the lawsuits have been for those big record labels? So successful that EMI threatened to leave both the RIAA and IFPI if it didn't back away from these lawsuits. So successful that Sony execs referred to the lawsuits as a "money pit" that have cost the industry millions without bringing back anything near that much in settlement fees.

The fact that lots of people paid up to settle extortion-like fees didn't stop people from using file sharing networks to access unauthorized materials. It didn't get more people to buy. It didn't help the bottom line. It hasn't helped the record labels sell more product. It certainly hasn't helped the big labels stay in business. Hell, it hasn't even helped the RIAA. Towards the end of the legal campaign, the RIAA ended up having massive layoffs of its own staff. And, let's not even get into discussing what the average music fan thinks of the RIAA and the big labels these days... "


It's also important to note that only a very few of the RIAA lawsuits ever made their way to court, and the precedent that those cases set is based on completely different technology (kazaa-style file sharing vs. bitTorrent) so there is no guarantee that they will win if they do decide to sue. One thing is for sure, even if they do it will cost them a lot more to see the case through to completion and handle the inevitable counter suits for privacy and extortion violations than they could ever hope to recover. Again, look at the RIAA ...

If I ever get a letter like this I'll write a very simple response along the lines of "I did not pirate your game" and blow it off. I hope everyone else does too.

 

[PhatoseAlpha]

I wonder what the magnitude of the penalty is for shoplifting the same game.

Varies by state. In PA, assuming it's a first offense, then it's a summary offense that can have a fine no more then $300 - but also up to 3 Months in the country jail. That's just assuming it's a first offense though. If it's the third offense, then you're a felon and can go to jail for 7 years.

In most cases, the fine itself would be less then the $1200, but you'll also being doing at least some community service - so it's a question of what your time is worth.