Serious Questions

[Andy80586]

As some of us have noted here (Steve-M in particular) the main executable file for SA is encrypted by Securom 7. This makes hardmodding (modding the .exe file directly - the Limit Adjuster is an example of this) impossible without the use of no-cd hacks.

 

I had to go back to using a no-cd hack for VC (I posted a link to a patched file but removed it at admin's request way back like several months ago) because changing any of the addresses directly caused weird things to happen (the stats disappeared and the traffic lights stopped working when it was raining). The hacks are all over the place at Megagames.com's game fixes section. Megagames wrote a message about their legality and claims to comply with all copyright laws in the US (source: http://www.megagames.com/read.htm; note that I hate posting links to sites that are against the rules but the rules of their site forbid me to copy their policy and paste it here). The only problem was that the particular hack I found was simply a zipped version of a cracked gta_sa.exe and not an actual patch (which would contain the copyright information of the original .exe and would therefore be questionable). I think that if we ever decide to allow these hacks to be discussed here, we should convert them to versions that consisted of a patch (requiring an original file and a random file only on the game CD to patch the game). There must be a way to allow these hacks while at the same time distancing ourselves from idiot piraters who are out to screw everyone.

 

I think the US has the strictest rules on copyright laws, so if these hacks are legal here, then they are probably legal anywhere. If they weren't legal, the Limit Adjuster itself might not be because it works in a similar way?

 

I just think we should give the whole ban on no-cd hacks a second thought... only if we can implement them in a way that is legal and okay with the admins on this network. Any thoughts as to what we should do about this?

[Opius]

Our policy is a 'Don't ask, don't tell' sort of thing. If people are going to add support for a cracked EXE in the interests of compatibility, that's fine. However, you cannot post links to where people can get them, and you cannot distribute the games EXE, modified or not, yourself.

[steve-m]

It's not as bad as I first imagined. Most exe mods are still possible, since the code is stored in memory unencrypted. So basically, all hardmods could be turned into softmods, either using a plugin (with Hammer's DX hook) or a loader. And some kinds of hardmods are even still possible, like my MenuEditor (the menu data is stored in the unencrypted part). The only problem is that you need the cracked exe for a disassembly.