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I was chatting to some guy the other day, about pirate software and the like. What I found out was quite interesting...
Pirated software. I always imagined some twentysomething bloke goes out to the stores, buys a game, and then spends a few hours cracking it. When he's done, he'll maybe up it to an FTP site, and staryt telling people about it.
But no. It turns out it far, far more organised than that.
There exist two *major* pirate groups, as far as I can fathom. Each has things planned out perfectly to get the game uploaded as fast as they can. It's a race. This is not done for a laugh, it's a serious competition.
8:58 am, day of release. A man waits outside the store of the local games shop, just before opening.
9:00 am, shop opens. The man enters, buys a copy of the game, and leaves. No messing around. He returns to the car, parked right outside the shop, where an accompalice is waiting. On the way home, the game is already being cracked on the laptop. Within a few miniutes, it's done. Hundreds or thousands spend on security, but it's no good. They've researched how it's protected, and they've known exactly how they were going to get round it for days or weeks before the launch.
They arrive home, the game fully cracked. Immediately they begin to upload it on an ultra high speed connection, and in miniutes it's done.
Well under half an hour from release to being available on the net. Incidentally, the different in how long it takes each of the major groups to upload it is a matter on miniutes.
Pirated software. I always imagined some twentysomething bloke goes out to the stores, buys a game, and then spends a few hours cracking it. When he's done, he'll maybe up it to an FTP site, and staryt telling people about it.
But no. It turns out it far, far more organised than that.
There exist two *major* pirate groups, as far as I can fathom. Each has things planned out perfectly to get the game uploaded as fast as they can. It's a race. This is not done for a laugh, it's a serious competition.
8:58 am, day of release. A man waits outside the store of the local games shop, just before opening.
9:00 am, shop opens. The man enters, buys a copy of the game, and leaves. No messing around. He returns to the car, parked right outside the shop, where an accompalice is waiting. On the way home, the game is already being cracked on the laptop. Within a few miniutes, it's done. Hundreds or thousands spend on security, but it's no good. They've researched how it's protected, and they've known exactly how they were going to get round it for days or weeks before the launch.
They arrive home, the game fully cracked. Immediately they begin to upload it on an ultra high speed connection, and in miniutes it's done.
Well under half an hour from release to being available on the net. Incidentally, the different in how long it takes each of the major groups to upload it is a matter on miniutes.
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Still interesting.......
Hercules! wrote:
> eh?
> So they buy like a PS2 game and crack it so that you dont need the
> disk to play it on the Playstation2 or what?
> A PC game?
> What?
For PC games, they'll do something like that. For console games, as SonicRav said, they'll suss out the protection, and figure out exactly what needs to be done to override it. They can then distribute CD image files (.cue & .bin, or .iso) which can be burnt directly to CD. I'm not sure what they do for ROM's, but I *think* that the .bin (binary) files are read by emulators.
> eh?
> So they buy like a PS2 game and crack it so that you dont need the
> disk to play it on the Playstation2 or what?
> A PC game?
> What?
For PC games, they'll do something like that. For console games, as SonicRav said, they'll suss out the protection, and figure out exactly what needs to be done to override it. They can then distribute CD image files (.cue & .bin, or .iso) which can be burnt directly to CD. I'm not sure what they do for ROM's, but I *think* that the .bin (binary) files are read by emulators.
===SONICRAV---> wrote:
> Hercules! wrote:
> eh?
> So they buy like a PS2 game and crack it so that you dont need the
> disk to play it on the Playstation2 or what?
> A PC game?
> What?
>
> They find the security codes on the disk that allows the console to
> play it, and then find a way to make a copied CD of the game activate
> the same security algorithms...
yeah, and with PC games, its increadibly easy, as most of them codes are on the internet, so you can do it yourself if your abit dodgy
> Hercules! wrote:
> eh?
> So they buy like a PS2 game and crack it so that you dont need the
> disk to play it on the Playstation2 or what?
> A PC game?
> What?
>
> They find the security codes on the disk that allows the console to
> play it, and then find a way to make a copied CD of the game activate
> the same security algorithms...
yeah, and with PC games, its increadibly easy, as most of them codes are on the internet, so you can do it yourself if your abit dodgy
Interesting.........
Hercules! wrote:
> eh?
> So they buy like a PS2 game and crack it so that you dont need the
> disk to play it on the Playstation2 or what?
> A PC game?
> What?
They find the security codes on the disk that allows the console to play it, and then find a way to make a copied CD of the game activate the same security algorithms...
> eh?
> So they buy like a PS2 game and crack it so that you dont need the
> disk to play it on the Playstation2 or what?
> A PC game?
> What?
They find the security codes on the disk that allows the console to play it, and then find a way to make a copied CD of the game activate the same security algorithms...
Crakcers tend to be some of the cleverest computer guys around. Let me give you an example...
The DC had PERFECT security. Literally. The games were stored on GDs that couldn't be bought blank. Only GDs would run as games on the console. So, do you know how crackers overcame this problem? They reverse engeneered a DC by taking it apart and recording all the intructions sent too and from the CPU to find out what they need to do to make the console boot a game disc. They then create a CD that, when the console sees it's a CD and puts the CD player on, sends signals to the CPU telling the console that it is a real game disc, and resets the console into booting a game.
Costly for Sega perhaps, but certainly one of the greatest pieces of reverse engineering ever.
Oddly enough, Cambridge Uni Comp Science course has a final year option on doing stuff JUST like this. They get Sky Digital Box cards, and then find out exactly what signals are sent to and from the card that allows you to watch TV channels... they can then immitate the card to make free copies! Oh, and that was just the stuff they showed at the open day!
Sonic
The DC had PERFECT security. Literally. The games were stored on GDs that couldn't be bought blank. Only GDs would run as games on the console. So, do you know how crackers overcame this problem? They reverse engeneered a DC by taking it apart and recording all the intructions sent too and from the CPU to find out what they need to do to make the console boot a game disc. They then create a CD that, when the console sees it's a CD and puts the CD player on, sends signals to the CPU telling the console that it is a real game disc, and resets the console into booting a game.
Costly for Sega perhaps, but certainly one of the greatest pieces of reverse engineering ever.
Oddly enough, Cambridge Uni Comp Science course has a final year option on doing stuff JUST like this. They get Sky Digital Box cards, and then find out exactly what signals are sent to and from the card that allows you to watch TV channels... they can then immitate the card to make free copies! Oh, and that was just the stuff they showed at the open day!
Sonic
Well big V, all I can say is mmmmmmm
thats it, mmmmmmmm.
thats it, mmmmmmmm.
eh?
So they buy like a PS2 game and crack it so that you dont need the disk to play it on the Playstation2 or what?
A PC game?
What?
So they buy like a PS2 game and crack it so that you dont need the disk to play it on the Playstation2 or what?
A PC game?
What?
No. They crack it so in can be played without the CD, normally.
What they do, and the file format they use will depend on whether they're doing a RIP or an ISO. Give me a shout if you want to know more. I'm not exactly sure it's the sort of thing we should discuss on these forums
What they do, and the file format they use will depend on whether they're doing a RIP or an ISO. Give me a shout if you want to know more. I'm not exactly sure it's the sort of thing we should discuss on these forums
eerrr
I dont understand what you are saying here....
Do you meen they buy the game and crack it or whatever to make it into a Rom to play on an Emulator?
I dont understand what you are saying here....
Do you meen they buy the game and crack it or whatever to make it into a Rom to play on an Emulator?
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