Can you think of ways to stop app thieves with GLBasic code?

[Moru]

And what if the user does not have a dataplan and so no internet except at home with wifi? I would hate you if I bought your game and I'm not able to play on the bus to school... :-)

[MrTAToad]

Another idea would be to convert sprites to DATA and load your graphics like that.

[fuzzy70]

Graphics without any form of encryption are ripped/changed very easy, obviously ones in a separate folder for the world to see are the easiest, ones that are included in the program via data statements are not much more difficult either unless they are encrypted or stored in such a way that makes them not so obvious. A simple screengrab with a byte check or disassemble gets around those most of the time & even a noob hacker can track them down, not including graphics rip tools that are available.

I hack graphics myself purely for my own use. For example the way I like to code some of my games is to code 1st then deal with the graphics afterwards. If I have not wrote a similar style of game before then I tend to rip graphics from some other game of that style & append the word "Rip" to the start of the filename. Once the coding is complete or close to being done then I create my own graphics replacing the ripped ones. Having a nice set of graphics to work with while coding helps with the visualisation & aids with the making the project at hand.

Sometimes I have ideas for graphics before a project, In that case I create them 1st before coding begins, same goes for audio/sounds as well.

None of what I rip gets left in the final project no matter what problems I have in creating my own versions, hence the rip part to the filename so I do not forget the source of the item.

The thing is what ever you code someone somewhere can "un-code" it & you will never be able to stop that, the aim is to limit the amount of people that can "un-code" it. Some basic encryption is a good way to stop the casual hacker wannabes along with some hash or crc check to your files at runtime to see if they are altered in anyway & stop the program at the start if things don't add up.

Lee

[MrTAToad]

Embed each copy of the software with a unique code that the software is aware of, but the user is not. Using this as a salt value when processing a serial number can be pretty effective at stopping people from simply sharing serial numbers.

[Wampus]

I think there are some restrictions placed on using encryption in iOS apps because of some US paranoia dating back to the second world war. Special exceptions have to applied for. On the other hand basic encoding is fine and can be relatively quick. Some types of checksum can be very quick too. For example, if you use LOADSPRITEMEM, then decode your encoded sprite, then run a checksum, it can all be done without an objectionable delay.

Personally I'm not interested in trying to stop piracy. I think its impossible and that people who can afford to pay for games will do so on the whole. Anti-piracy measures have never worked and have always ended up hurting paying customers. I remember losing Amiga games because the original game disk would fail and the copy protection would've prevented me from making back-ups for personal use anyway. Things have only gotten worse since then.

I just want to make things a little more difficult for app thieves wanting to pass off someone else's work as their own to make a profit. Actually, scratch that. I want to punch them on the nose. Failing that, making them do a bit more work in compensation for all the work of others they rip off is the least I can do.

[Ian Price]

Piracy can actually be a very good thing. A recent BBC tv programme, Panorama, clearly stated that those people that pirated media also tend to be the people that spend the most money on media - giving proven facts and figures to back up their argument. Pirates will also purchase original titles that they've pirated if they like them and back catalogues of those artists etc.

Most of the time pirates wouldn't purchase or use the media they are pirating anyway - and most of it just ends up stashed on a CD/DVD/HD never to be used.

Piracy also promotes good media - word soon gets around if a product is good or bad. The good stuff will get pirated, but it will also sell more copies - potentially more than it would without piracy promotion.

[Sixth Sense]

What about an online worldwide copyright for $20 registration and $10 a year to renew?

At least you would give you proof enough to send a 'cease-and-desist-or-else' threat to any infringer.

http://www.worldwideocr.com/tes.asp

[Kitty Hello]

What about checking for an IAP that's impossible to buy from the App? Or one that does not exist?
If you get positive feedback theres a cracker proxy. Log the ip, and device number and sue.

[Crivens]

If you sell a ton of copies, some hacked ones will do no harm (Infinity Blade case)

That's the one I stick with. If anybody is making a living with GLB created apps (anyone?) then perhaps you want to be concerned, but until then I would be seriously happy if I was hacked. At that point it's likely I had at least covered the hardware costs let alone the software costs

Cheers

[ampos]

If you sell a ton of copies, some hacked ones will do no harm (Infinity Blade case)

That's the one I stick with. If anybody is making a living with GLB created apps (anyone?) then perhaps you want to be concerned, but until then I would be seriously happy if I was hacked. At that point it's likely I had at least covered the hardware costs let alone the software costs

Cheers

You are true. Im sad because none of my apps has been pirated  And no, it is not irony.

[matchy]

Matchy's InApp wrapper for GLB fails miserably. Any GLB InApp purchase can be bought for free.

Whoa.  That was our project and I delivered code that you asked for that worked at that stage.

[ampos]

Sorry Matchy if i explain myself bad. I mean that your code is one of yhe in-app system that can be pirated. Nothing wrong about you.

[Omadan]

So then its not wise to use IAP now? Damn i needed it real bad for my next project. 

[Slydog]

I think IAP are fine, so long as you do what Kitty suggested:

What about checking for an IAP that's impossible to buy from the App? Or one that does not exist?

To see if they have IAP 'hacked', just initiate a purchase from your app for a fictitious add-on.
If it returns 'success' (a valid IAP should fail) then you know IAP is hacked.
Then you can have fun!  Change all your characters to 'pirates' or something! 

[Edit]
And/or make it look like the IAP succeeded and start messing with them with random glitches, etc. (or ads?)
Or display a jiberish error such as 'Invalid flux capacitor detected' and when they post the error to a forum then all the readers know they hacked their IAP and can make fun of them! 

[ampos]

In the end, you will spent more time protecting your game than making it.

Just do the game, and if it is pirated and the effort is worth, "upgrade" it to the full-protection-mode.