SEIV is being Pirated

Atrocities · #1 August 24th, 2001, 02:21 AM

read this thread from SEIV Forums...

quote:
I was talking to my friends to see if they wanted SE4 (Get them in the one order and split shipping cost) when one friend said he found the game on a warez site when he went searching for a demo. I have the link but I ain't posting but is there anything that can be done?

The downloads are there but I'm not downloading it to see if it works, I will never have Warez on this machine. I hate warez and my mum would kill me.

No requests for that url from anyone thinking I'll give it to them.

I can't stand the fact that some people have to pay(Like anyone who has it and me when I work out this shipping but, or the dollor gets better) and some a$$hole uploads it.

Checking the files there all on homestead. Would an E-Mail to them make them remove it. If so someone else please send it as I can't write letter to well(I'm failing English)

Sorry for the long post but it's just pissing me off.

Good for this guy. These are the people who make buying a game a great thing to do. Now read what COLLEGEPARTY, a real looser, had to say.

quote:
ask me who is the moron , someone who spends money for something that is free or someone who spends money on it , face it your in the SHRINKING minorty of gamers who won't download games , i contacted MANY of the people from your email Boards and fan clubs and i'd say a good 90percent of them were willing to do trade for trades via the net for this game . you say loss of interegity i say BLA trading games over the interent doesnt mean jack @#%$ to me , i could care less really , there's no moral issue here , i'm not stealing , if its for free then its for free. The only reason I'M writing this is someone pushed my @#%$ big red DO NOT PUSH button when they @#%$ me over by somehow getting my hot mail account CLOSED S.O.B ......i HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!!!. i lost all my contacts!!!! i lost all my emails!!! all those girls GONE!!!!!! i will never be able to live this down!!!!! i hate you i hate you i hate you i hate you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LONG LIVE WAREZ!!!!!!!!!!

I think that its important to note that many people are admitted to getting SE IV from Warez sites. I have checked some out, and have not seen SE IV yet, but from what I understand, its out their. This must be stopped! If you have information about warez sites giving away SE IV, please for the love of god, contact Aaron or Richard. Help support the further development of this game.

Here is a game that is not a "big kid" on the block, and it's getting undermind by theifs and pirates.

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"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space and we fall back -- they assimilate entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn here -- this far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" -- Captain Picard STNG
New Age Ship Yards

Atrocities · #2 August 24th, 2001, 02:27 AM

Looks like SEIV Forum has become a meeting place for Pirates and low life theifs. The out right gul that some of these posters have asking for links to download sites. WTF!!!!! Richard, is there anything you or Aaron can do to shut down or at least get the authorities to address this type of piracy?

[This message has been edited by Atrocities (edited 24 August 2001).]

Lerchey · #3 August 24th, 2001, 03:02 AM

GENERAL Atrocities,

Richard and/or Aaron can consult with their attorneys. It's often very difficult to actually catch software pirates, but if they lucky and the bad guys are operating out of someplace reasonable, with decent log files, they may be able to determine the real name.

If they can get that, they can file legal charges against the bastard(s).

IN the meantime, they can also have their attorneys demand that any and all copies of SE IV be removed from their publically accessable site(s).

Computer crimes cyber-suck. Big time.

General John
aka
John K. Lerchey
Computer and Network Security Coordinator
Carnegie Mellon University

PS - if the piracy is found at Carnegie Mellon, tell me. I'll go after 'em hard.

Richard · #4 August 24th, 2001, 03:46 AM

Which forums?

We do follow up every warez report, but unfourtanetly it is next to impossible to handle all of them.

Just this Last week we called the FBI about someone who was selling illegal copies on ebay.

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Sarge is coming...

Richard Arnesen
Director of Covert Ops
Shrapnel Games
http://www.shrapnelgames.com

PurpleRhino · #5 August 24th, 2001, 04:07 AM

Damn that sucks! I hope you pin their asses to the wall! I still can't believe that some ppl think that they can pirate games, and not hurt the companies making them... Are they truely THAT stupid? Somebody should wake these people up to the fact that if everybody pirated, NO company would both making games... and then they would have NO games to pirate OR play! Now I will admit that I am not guilt free... I have played some pirated games. But I will buy them if they are worth playing. But I have been stung WAY too many times to buy a game without playing it. I think I have probably over 300 (if not more) games that I have boughten over the years... which if you assume at least $40 per game... is $12000!!! Dang, now that I look at it... maybe I'll start pirating more... J/K!!! But seriously, I REALLY do hope you get those guys.

Deathstalker · #6 August 24th, 2001, 04:14 AM

One of the problems with pirating is that it is 'cool', and the 'in thing' to do these days....I mean, heck, look at Napster, everyone was cheering them on and not understanding what Groups like Metallica were saying....the main argument was summed up best by Kid Rock: 'Heck, I'm making millions, what do I care?'(or something to that effect)...people pirate and think they are 'sticking it to the Evil Empire/Corporate Giant'....it's just not true...I havn't pirated since my Commadore 64 days and won't, it is just not fun...It's also too easy to do, most computers come with burner installed and almost any 14 year old 'geek' can crack the protection on any game....ugh!, this is (if you can tell) one of my pet peeves...

This is NOT a hackers movie or some such thing, this is real life, and stealing (in any form) is wrong, some people just NEED to grow up...

------------------
"And what the hell would you know about sanity?" demanded Beatrice. "There are depressed lemmings on the edge of cliffs who've got a better grasp on reality than you have. And more common sense."--Simon R. Green 'Deathstalker Rebellion'.

"We are all...the sum of our scars"....(paraphrased) Matt. R. Stover-'Blade of Tyshalle'.

"Memory," the old man said softly, "is tricky. I have learned two things from it. One: That without meaningful memories, there is no life. Two: that we are desperate for our lives to make sense, to have meaning,--and at a great enough remove , all memory is malleable." -Michelle West 'Sea of Sorrows', SunSword book IV.

Atrocities · #7 August 24th, 2001, 04:17 AM

SE IV forums (EzBoards) {Link from Malfadors links page or from my links page.}was were the topic was posted, but it has since been locked. Perhaps the Admins of that site agree that discussion on how to pirate material, especially the game that they founded their site to support, is sick and wrong.

At least it appears that way.

------------------
"We've made too many compromises already, too many retreats! They invade our space and we fall back -- they assimilate entire worlds and we fall back! Not again! The line must be drawn here -- this far, no further! And I will make them pay for what they've done!" -- Captain Picard STNG
New Age Ship Yards

BeeDee10 · #8 August 24th, 2001, 11:19 AM

One moderating factor to keep in mind is that not every warezed copy of SEIV is a "lost sale" for Shrapnel/Malfador; the vast majority of the people who download these things still wouldn't buy a legitimate copy if they _couldn't_ get it for free. There's an idiot I know who keeps pestering me to give him a copy of the full game since I recommended it to him. I keep on refusing, but he hasn't gone out and bought a legitimate copy as a result. He hasn't even bothered to expend the effort to find a warezed copy elsewhere.

I'm not condoning the practice, of course, but one shouldn't panic when one reads things like "10,000 copies of Program X that normally cost $50 each were pirated, therefore Company Y 'lost' $500,000." The actual reduction of potential income is probably much less.

Dravis · #9 August 24th, 2001, 12:32 PM

Yes, but I still think those Pirators SHOULD GO TO !*#@ !!!

Saxon · #10 August 24th, 2001, 03:09 PM

Couple of issues that I would be interested in hearing people�s thoughts about:

1. I, as a teenager and university student, was a regular pirate. Then I got a job, and realized what it meant to earn your money. I stopped pirating and started paying, as I would expect the same from others. Are most of the pirates �kids� or is this a big thing across all ages?
2. Where I used to live, there was a used bookstore, that also bought old games. They would then sell the games at a lower than retail price. Some people bought, burned copies, then sold it back. Others would play the game till they were tired of it, then sell it back. Where do these two activities fall in the eyes of the law and of people on the forum? Is it different than buying and selling used books?

I am interested to see what you all think.