Hidden game media

younes_kh · Post by **younes_kh** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 1:19 pm

Hello
I am working in my first game and

I want to ask if there is way to completely prevent the end user form played or change the game images and textures .

thanks

Brainsaw · Post by **Brainsaw** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 1:35 pm

In simple words: no.

You can make it harder by using a compressed file, but as long as your program can access the data the user also can. I wrote a cheat program for Descent ][ myself long time ago, where the data of the savegames was modified, and this data lies around in a non-documented (at least to the player) binary file, so it took some time to find the right spots in the file. It's the same with all other game media: is someone really wants to modfiy it and has some knowledge he will find a way to do so.

olivehehe_03 · Post by **olivehehe_03** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 3:55 pm

That's true, no matter what you do, someone who really wants to is gonna get to your files. The only thing you can do is try to make it more difficult, or at least make it so the average user can't get to them. Once I get around to it for my own project, I intend to encrypt my files or at least make them a little less legible (at the moment you can see them perfectly in any internet browser) and possibly pack them all up in a .dat or .pak or .pk3 file or something that irrlicht will read

Jookia · Post by **Jookia** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:13 pm

I'd say the biggest problem would be the lack of reading passworded zip files.

DeM0nFiRe · Post by **DeM0nFiRe** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:29 pm

You could always extend Irrlicht to read a better archive format. I am working on having it read a CAB file with a 576-bit Blowfish encryption algorithm.

CuteAlien · Post by **CuteAlien** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:42 pm

It's correct that you can't really prevent it in PC games (you can prevent it if you control the hardware like on consoles - at least until those protections are cracked which usually happens after the first weekend).

Still - I also had to "protect" some files recently due to a stupid license forcing me to do so. I used the new IFileArchive interface for that and basically wrote an own archive which contains a single zip file which is on openFile completely decompressed into a memory read file. That certainly sucks, but as long as I don't need it too much it's a solution that works.

In general I recommend just not protecting game resources. People starting to mod your game is usually about the best thing that can happen to you. So invest that time rather in making it easier for people to mod your game :-)

Sylence · Post by **Sylence** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 4:46 pm

DeM0nFiRe wrote:You could always extend Irrlicht to read a better archive format. I am working on having it read a CAB file with a 576-bit Blowfish encryption algorithm.

Lol what a waste of ressources...

d3jake · Post by **d3jake** » Fri Jun 26, 2009 6:47 pm

Brainsaw wrote: I wrote a cheat program for Descent ][ myself long time ago, where the data of the savegames was modified, and this data lies around in a non-documented (at least to the player) binary file,

A Descent2 player! Yeah! I'm involved in a project to remake a Descent-like game so something like this will have to be faced eventually.... If you're interested in helping out, lemme know.

It would be interesting to be able to hide data, and really handy in some cases.

younes_kh · Post by **younes_kh** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:01 am

Thank you for your answers
placing Zip file in Zip file with two password I test it and it succeed
I thing it good method and hard

vitek · Post by **vitek** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 3:14 pm

It will take someone with a debugger about 5 minutes to figure that out. You have to store tha passwords somewhere, and using and using a debugger, they are likely to have no problem finding them.

Travis

Ulf · Post by **Ulf** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 10:50 am

In general I recommend just not protecting game resources. People starting to mod your game is usually about the best thing that can happen to you. So invest that time rather in making it easier for people to mod your game

So True

Come on people, do you really think your stuff is so great that anyone actually "capable" would steal your game resources and use it in their own game!
If they have to steal resources then I'm pretty sure they will never get further than stealing them and rendering them in their own little bubble!
POP! the bubble burst!