decompile protection

Hi.

How do i secure my maps from decompileing? i mean so its not possible!

just like TDM_[hometown]

I really wanna know. thanks, in advance

I'm not sure this is possible, why are you worried about it anyways?

you would have to encode the .bsp itself so that any decompilers out there cant read it.

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Bullet Control: $5000 for a bullet.
"I would blow your f**king head off! ...if I could afford it. I'm gonna get another job, start saving some money... then you a dead man!"

French Toast - stealers, and code pads
rival - Well, HOW do you do it ?

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Anders

Anders said:
French Toast - stealers, and code pads
rival - Well, HOW do you do it ?

(sorry i meant encrypt not encode) and sorry again but im no coder! i just know WHAT to do.

that brings up a question, what would you use to access the code (not the content) of a .bsp? C++?

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Bullet Control: $5000 for a bullet.
"I would blow your f**king head off! ...if I could afford it. I'm gonna get another job, start saving some money... then you a dead man!"

I have an idea: don't worry about it.

No one will get an accurate decompilation.

C/C++ is for CREATING code. You can't decompile with C/C++ ... that just doesn't make sense (unless you use the language to write a program that translates, in which case the C++ portion would be limited).

But all executables and overall any "compiled" file is readable, which isn't decompiled, since it isn't formed back into whatever it was before compilation.
You just have to know how to read it. How do you think people crack game executables so they no longer need the cd? They read the file in an 'binary to assembly' program/translater of some sort (like PE explorer, if you've ever heard of it) and look through the commands for a cd check. The point is: it's very readable, if it wasn't you'd risk the file not being able to be read by whatever it's interfacing with, be it your OS, hardware, a game engine, whatever.

So, to make it so that isn't possible (which is a waste of your time in any case or format) you need to know how the most common program used to decompile works and guard against it while still allowing the engine to read the map without any problems.

Not sure what to do there, but, I really think it's is just a waste of your time.

Also, if your map is so good that people will want to steal it, wouldn't that mean the map, and you, are already popular enough that people will recognize the fake?

Not to mention, if someone does decompile it and steal it, then it'll run like garbage. I can explain that a little more if you like.

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Blame it on Microsoft, God does.

One of the popular HL2 decompilers, Vmex, includes includes a means for level authors to prevent their bsp being decompiled.

(Copy and pasted info)

Q. I'm a map author. How do I stop someone decompiling my map with VMEX?

A. There are several ways:

• Add a property key "no_decomp" with value "1" to any entity. (You will need to turn off smart edit to do this).
• Use a texture called "tools/locked" on any non-culled face in the map. (This is not a real texture, so you will have to make a custom one.) You may hide the texture in a sealed room, but it can't be on any culled face on the map (facing towards the void).
• Use this small prefab: protector.zip. Add it anywhere in the map, but don't rotate or scale it. If you retexture it, make sure all faces and all brushes have the same texture. Don't use the texture "tools/toolsinvisible", but "tools/toolsnodraw" is fine.

If VMEX detects any or all of these present in a map, it will refuse to decompile it. Note that a sufficiently wiley user can fairly easily alter your .bsp file to remove the first two methods (and thus allow the map to be decompiled), but they would need extensive knowledge of the .bsp format to remove the third, so this is the most secure.

More info here...

http://www.geocities.com/cofrdrbob/vmex.html

Dont relase it to the public.

If you release your map, or anything for that matter, it will and can be "stolen".

I doubt your map (no offence) will have anything that anyone will
steal, and even if they do it will be someone just checking out how you
managed an effect. If you really dont want people checking out
how you do stuff in your map then your an ass (again no offence) and
anyone can use simple console commands to find out entity info.

I agree with doctor, either:

A) You're well enough known that people will recognize your work being stolen by someone else, and call them on it.

or

B) Nobody cares about your work and you have nothing to protect.

Not to mention, it's always easier to claim credit than to decompile modify and steal.

I was wondering the same thing Anders. But now this new info will really help.

To everyone on the topic of decompiling maps: I dont think its as
simple as being an ass when it comes to sharing your work (I'm all for
that!). But its the thought of someone taking the work I made - then
adding in some stupid custom crap to the bsp is what pisses me off
(like adding server adds/addons to the bsp) its that crap like that
that strips map's real purpose (I guess I dont want to have my work
considered a sell - out). So its not that I want to be an "ass" for not
sharing my work (If someone emailed me asking for the vmf that would be
fine) - is that I dont want someone putting server adds/addons to the
map that makes it s***ty.

/my 2 cents

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Posting And You

Immitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I guess stealing isn't the same, but you could take it as a compliment...

You have a point slayer. But most MODs that add crap to your level are server side, not the map.