That Tobias f--k went after Xak III and SO II as pressed CD-ROM releases!

[Joe Redifer]

A model one Sega CD with a tray that opens and out slides an SD card slot would be pretty rad, though.

[Emerald Rocker]

But do any of you and I mean ANY OF YOU go up to the countless dealers selling repros at game conventions and give them any sort of shit at all about selling stuff that doesn't belong to them? Do you ask them if they procured permission to use the particular English patch they're using?

Actually yes.  I've only been to one "game" convention -- never seen repros being sold by the videogame dealers at anime conventions -- and I saw a dude selling some NES ROMs.  The way they were presented was as though the dealer was responsible for creating the repro's*, so I got belligerent right to his face.

He thought I was an ass and he was clearly upset.  That pleased me.

* If someone just happens to be selling a repro that they bought from someone else, I wouldn't give them a hard time.  But when someone appears to be taking responsibility for the product existing, they had damn well better be responsible for the product existing.

EDIT: Also, I can personally vouch for the effectiveness of the upfront disclaimers.  I once bought an anime bootleg in my youth from the local comic shop, saw the disclaimer, and that opened my eyes to what was really going on.  Whether or not it's removable is irrelevant -- it's an easy inclusion that harms no one except the profiteer.

[Emerald Rocker]

* accidental double post *

[Necromancer]

Secondly, it's easy to spew hatred for this kind of thing in the safety of an online forum. But do any of you and I mean ANY OF YOU go up to the countless dealers selling repros at game conventions and give them any sort of shit at all about selling stuff that doesn't belong to them? Do you ask them if they procured permission to use the particular English patch they're using? Why not?

That's two very different things.  I wouldn't seek out confrontation with sellers, but I'd say they suck in discussions with other convention goers; similarly, I'll say Tobias sucks in a discussion forum, but I'm not sending him daily emails, calling him on the phone, or driving over to Germany to kick him in the lederhosen.


For you guys arguing that warnings work, you're citing examples that are mostly irrelevant.  Some guy buying stuff at a anime con or in a record store probably didn't know any better, but nobody is stumbling upon Tobias's shit unawares; to find and order this crap, you have to know what you're looking for.  Such warnings might help a handful of people have a change of heart, but most buyers won't care.

[DragonmasterDan]

But do any of you and I mean ANY OF YOU go up to the countless dealers selling repros at game conventions and give them any sort of shit at all about selling stuff that doesn't belong to them? Do you ask them if they procured permission to use the particular English patch they're using?

Actually yes.  I've only been to one "game" convention -- never seen repros being sold by the videogame dealers at anime conventions -- and I saw a dude selling some NES ROMs.  The way they were presented was as though the dealer was responsible for creating the repro's*, so I got belligerent right to his face.

He thought I was an ass and he was clearly upset.  That pleased me.

* If someone just happens to be selling a repro that they bought from someone else, I wouldn't give them a hard time.  But when someone appears to be taking responsibility for the product existing, they had damn well better be responsible for the product existing.

EDIT: Also, I can personally vouch for the effectiveness of the upfront disclaimers.  I once bought an anime bootleg in my youth from the local comic shop, saw the disclaimer, and that opened my eyes to what was really going on.  Whether or not it's removable is irrelevant -- it's an easy inclusion that harms no one except the profiteer.

I know the Midwest Gaming Classic for example apparently passed a rule in recent years banning the sale of repros. But a few years back there were 3 or 4 vendors selling mostly or primarily repro carts. A lot of them had the same common popular cartridges quite a few of which were fan translations and hacks of existing games.

As Joe mentioned, I doubt these vendors or the original makers of these carts are asking NeoDemiforce and what not for permission to repro old Square or Enix games with their translations.

[SkyeWelse]

I really, really, like what SamIAm suggested. It does remind me of the Earthbound situation as well as with a game called "Game Dev Tycoon" which had a pretty hilarious anti-piracy measure.

Hell, if you guys are skilled enough to insert a check for disclaimer that gets removed, that sounds like a great idea! Also the same could apply to the disclaimer if say the disc actually was released as a pressed disc through a production house that was authorized to do business with the developer/romhacker where the message could say something like:

"This translation was created by INSERT NAME and distributed through INSERT NAME only. If you have purchased this disc from anyone other than INSERT NAME, you have been been ripped off and quite possibly the this version will break at some point during play."

Also, I just had a friend explain to me how pressed discs work versus CD-Rs and how pressed discs tend to be easier on the laser to read the data, so I guess you can throw out my suggestion for an operation of selling only the nice looking CD/Case/Manual that requires the game to be written to it like a CD-R. I guess in my mind I originally thought that these pressed discs were just fancier Lightscribed CD-Rs, but apparently I had no idea what I was talking about. I'll just chalk that up as a learned lesson in recordable media technology.

-Thomas

[SignOfZeta]

I think the time bomb code is only a good idea if there was some way to get the game working again later, like a decade later. I'd hate to think of a great game being pressed onto real CDs permanently self destructing. Quite a waste.

[esadajr]

I think the time bomb code is only a good idea if there was some way to get the game working again later, like a decade later. I'd hate to think of a great game being pressed onto real CDs permanently self destructing. Quite a waste.

No because that would only happen to unauthorized copies.

[elmer]

I think the time bomb code is only a good idea if there was some way to get the game working again later, like a decade later. I'd hate to think of a great game being pressed onto real CDs permanently self destructing. Quite a waste.

No because that would only happen to unauthorized copies.

Please, please, please tell me that you guys are joking around here! 

[esteban]

I think the time bomb code is only a good idea if there was some way to get the game working again later, like a decade later. I'd hate to think of a great game being pressed onto real CDs permanently self destructing. Quite a waste.

No because that would only happen to unauthorized copies.

Please, please, please tell me that you guys are joking around here! 

There is no time bomb.

If Tobias hired someone to remove/alter the disclaimer on title screen, this douchebaggery would be repaid with an amusing consequence (take your pick).

The game would work fine unless someone tried to remove the disclaimer.

[Punch]

It doesn't matter if the disc has a anti modification measure or not since most of the buyers won't bother opening the actual box with the game...

[elmer]

There is no time bomb.

And you missed my point! 

[esteban]

There is no time bomb.

And you missed my point! 

Hahaahhahahahahahahaha. My comments are directed at the folks who needed help.

Elmer, forgive me.

[SamIAm]

It doesn't matter if the disc has a anti modification measure or not since most of the buyers won't bother opening the actual box with the game...

Like I said, all that's necessary is for the word to get out. Even if it's a trophy, nobody wants a broken game.

[elmer]

Elmer, forgive me.

Of course!

You know that those first-generation CD lasers were so powerful that developers often flipped the wrong bit in code and melted the entire console ... very expensive!