Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!samsung!munnari.oz.au!comp.vuw.ac.nz!actrix!kennels!sbeagle
From: sbeagle@kennels.actrix.gen.nz (Sleeping Beagle)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: Pirating CD-ROMs - A Little Reality Please
Message-ID: <9Baeu1w163w@kennels.actrix.gen.nz>
Date: 19 Dec 90 09:46:31 GMT
References: <910@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz>
Organization: Orb Systems Unlimited, NZ
Lines: 57

ifarqhar@sunc.mqcc.mq.oz.au (Ian Farquhar) writes:

[stuff deleted]

> Several people also suggested high-quality audio.  Sure, this is
> possible, but then you need to compose, arrange, and (most expensive)
> mix such a soundtrack, at anm average cost of several hundred dollars
> per hour of studio time.  There are tracks you could use for free, but I
> haven't heard much lift muzak I would want in a game with my name on it! :-)

This one's easy. People already make up soundtracks using such stuff as
Soundtracker/NoiseTracker/etc. Basically, with a CD-ROM you could make up
these and then TAPE them! (Just to annoy the pirates, no other benefit).

Alternativewly, you could have one person using a computer for MIDI
output which would then be taped. Both of these solutions are
exactly as easy as current methods of developing music - and because
the music would take up lots of ROM space - they would hard to pirate.
                                                                      
> So what could you put onto the disk?  Well, digitized pictures have been
> suggested, though again there is a cost involved here.  This cost may be
> slight if these pictures are bought from copyright-free stock, or it may
> be expensive if sets and studioes must be constructed or hired (of
> course the Amiga, with a Toaster or something similar does reduce
> post-production costs on video substantially!)  Also, someone suggested
> verification codes (not a bad idea but reading them will make the game
> slow, and is eaily hacked), or "type-a-word" protection scheme (which
> will *really* irritate the users.

More to the point, there are a LOT of "game of the film" types out there.
Don't you think that ten minutes of action sequences from Robocop (for
example) would greatly enhance the game? And of course it would be
VERY hard to copy. (THe film makers would like it too - it would
work as a sort of trailer/preview to encourage film sales.)

These of course would be digitised and take up a very large amount
of space...

The same applies to digitised sounds. It's not too hard to make up
long sound samples (which still sound better than Speak on the
Amiga) which could also add to the game.

I think CD-Rom could definitely slow down piracy. Of course, this is
assuming that there aren't people in the world with the capability
to copy CD's to other CD's... However this is not home piracy but
commercial piracy of course.

Again, one of the best anti-pirate devices I saw was on Shadow of the
Unicorn for the Spectrum. It was a dongle with additional RAM and a
joystick port. Basically you had to have the dongle before you COULD play
the game! (It's a pity that the game was a flop... :-)

--
**      Official Signature for Sleeping Beagle (aka Thomas Farmer)!
** Mail : sbeagle@kennels.actrix.gen.nz   Thomas.Farmer@bbs.actrix.gen.nz
**
**       Disclaimers are for sick societies with too many lawyers.