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Protecting Halo mods?

What do you think about map protections?   17 members have voted

  1. 1. Are you against the protection of maps? If not, how limited do you want it to be?

    • I am against map protection.
    • Protect it somewhat, so you can't rip from it easily. I don't mind tags being read, though.
    • Protect the map and the tags. Burn in hell, tag rippers!

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71 posts in this topic

Protecting mods does what? Is it beneficial?

A basic protection involves changing all the tag names to be exactly the same. This makes it hard to identify the tags. Eschaton, being the dumbest map editor ever made, also blunders and uses tag names over tag identities sometimes, causing defects to occur if you rip a tag in this state. It cannot be truly reversed, but it can be "fixed" in one of two ways:

  • Rename each tag to a generic tag name, but one that's different for each tag.
  • Use fuzzy matching, comparing each tag to a tag in a map that isn't protected. This usually works, but you need to take into account that each tag could be modified, and that if custom edition tags are used, then it may find the wrong tag.

Z-team protection reclasses object tags under a fake class in addition to the above protection. This can be solved by using palettes to recursively deprotect each object tag. Palettes alone aren't going to do this, as you're going to need to identify the tag based on the 16-bit integer at 0x0 of each object tag (this is the only part Halo cares about with object tags). This protection does not work on Halo Trial very well.

Illusion protection does the above and also takes advantage of the stupidity of map editors and tag editors using the following facts:

  • The index until the end of the map is loaded directly into 0x40440000.
  • Using the above fact, 0x40440028 is not the primary magic. 0x40440028 is just a pointer to where the tag array is in memory. Halo Trial is dead, so stop using the subtract 0x28 method.
  • Using the above fact, you can assume the tag array doesn't have to come directly after the map index.
  • Moving the tag array will fool Eschaton and most map editors into thinking the map magic is something that it's not, causing Eschaton to be incapable of reading maps. Eschaton also assumes that the tag array is directly after the index, so it won't read the tags anyway.
  • The scenario tag does not have to be the first tag. In fact, the tag identity of the scenario tag is in the index.
  • The scenario tag does not have to be an scnr class.
  • Halo only cares about the tag identity in dependencies. The tag class can be garbage.
  • Halo does not care about object tags class name as long as it's not a pre-used class.
  • Only one of the classes in many of the tags have to be the real one. The other two can be fake.
  • Using the above fact, map editors that list tags by class will be useless if the first class is a random nonsensical number.
Takka, NeX and WaeV like this

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Tiddy-bits:

ok

Zero2 went way into the details, but a high level overview:

Map protection is a way of locking a mod. Halo will still run the mod correctly, but it's harder for people to "rip" or steal others' work if the map has been protected. Most of us here are in favor of unlocked maps and open access. Zero2 is a protection breaker, but he's also developing some new protection methods (just as practice so he can better break others' protections).

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Zero2 went way into the details, but a high level overview:

Map protection is a way of locking a mod. Halo will still run the mod correctly, but it's harder for people to "rip" or steal others' work if the map has been protected. Most of us here are in favor of unlocked maps and open access. Zero2 is a protection breaker, but he's also developing some new protection methods (just as practice so he can better break others' protections).

Short and sweet, but is it plagiarism if the rip is others peoples works.

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Short and sweet, but is it plagiarism if the rip is others peoples works.

That's a pretty technical question. I suppose you mean if it's considered stealing? There are a few sides to "modding" and stealing.

One side states that modding in itself is plagiarism.

You're taking a cache file and re-releasing it without crediting Bungie, Microsoft, and a long list of people who designed the maps. Microsoft cracks down on this on Xbox Live, too. Here's the relevant section of the EULA:

Limitations on Reverse Engineering, Decompilation, and Disassembly. You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the SOFTWARE PRODUCT, except and only to the extent that such activity is expressly permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation.

Another side says that if you made it, you own it.

In America, copyright is basically that ^

When is my work protected?

Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.

Do I have to register with your office to be protected?

No. In general, registration is voluntary. Copyright exists from the moment the work is created. You will have to register, however, if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section “Copyright Registration.”

Source: http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html

Another side says it's fair use and if you give credit to the original modders. Lots of different countries have different definitions on what's good and what's not good with fair use.

Most people who rip don't care.

It goes on, basically. Personally, when I see a map protection, I see it as something that must be challenged and defeated. If people protect their maps, I am entitled to take content from it without permission.

WaeV, NeX and Takka like this

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Personally, when I see a map protection, I see it as something that must be challenged and defeated. If people protect their maps, I am entitled to take content from it without permission.

This is basically the "might makes right" argument. Which is always de facto true, if not ethically or whatever.

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I'm not really sure why people have such beef with protection as a concept; I respect that someone creates something and doesn't want every tom, dick, and harry to be able to jack stuff from it. Obviously you can't make it fool proof, but most people don't want to - they just want to keep the 90% of the population that won't figure it out or take the time to rip it from a protected map from getting their grubby paws on it, and releasing some bastardized version. In general, the people who can rip, will rip, and really won't do anything distasteful with it. I'm still toying with whether to release Revolution as open source or just protect it for those whos content I myself ripped without permission. I personally don't care what happens, one it's out, it's out, but even if credit is given, most people wouldn't like the tags they protected to be ripped from an unprotected map that someone else ripped from their original. Now, soft protection is that perfect balance of "I know what you did", and "I'll have to do it myself", but you'll have that template to follow. Obviously even that can be defeated if given enough time, but that's not really what protection goes for. I sort of think of it like Tomb Raider/Indiana Jones. Making your "temple" impenetrable defeats the purpose - but you don't want just anyone walking in and stealing your gilded monkey statue; only someone who can make it past what you set up (in this analogy booby traps = protection).

 

Although I think soft protection is either dead or will never be released at this point.


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There's no such thing as protecting a mapfile. If Halo can open it and run it, there's a way to get what you want out of it.

I'm arguing semantics here, but just because something is protected doesn't mean the protection works.

Like, you can protect your gold by putting it into a safe. Somebody might break into the safe, but you still took measures to protect it.

Except the analogy breaks down, since ripping tags is more like piracy than theft.

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