Looks like we dont need to wait any longer for the patch to disable V-Mate’s online checking.
I found a(working??)patch on 2 seperate sites today. The rest of the games will surely follow soon now when they now how to do it.
how annoying…
who would bother wasting his time breaking the security on these games? anyone who’s that decent a programmer ought to be out in the real world getting paid for an honest computer job
it would seem to indicate teenagers, smart enough, but too young to actually buy the games or understand the economics of the situation
which means im not going to get too bothered, since theyre out of the market anyway…
Two months and some weeks uncracked is not so bad. Many games before were cracked in just a matter of hours of the release date.
One question: This patch works with any illegal copy of the game or need the original CD to run? If works just with the original game, V-Mate was not defeated yet.
Maybe you can send an e-mail to G-Collections staff telling them about this patch. Maybe that way they decide to release a legal patch really fast.
Looks like you need the original game, it just dissables the online checking so it works like the patch G-Collection said they would realese.
[This message has been edited by Thomas (edited 01-13-2005).]
quote:
Originally posted by Velspie:
Based on what I know the patch works on any copy as it also removes the CD-check...[This message has been edited by Velspie (edited 01-13-2005).]
I am sure that the virtual-mate game Hitomi
My stepsister which I own doesn`t have any CD-check at all. I don`t know about the other virtual-mate games.
I start the Hitomi game and then I am prompted to input my username and password. Once I have done this, the game starts. I can do this process without the game disc in my cd drive, so there is no CD-check at all.
True. I forgot the game-CD is not necessary to run the game, just to install the game (i keep the mine inside the CD-Rom drive just in case ^^).
If this patch really works (and is not a virus or spyware created to fool everyone) then many off-line bgame players can smile happily… except of course the VM-haters, because they still will need to register on-line in order to install the game and run the first time.
Yes, you have.
Quoting myself: “…still will need to register on-line in order to install the game and run the first time.”
In other words, this patch and that one G-Collections are promising to release someday is just to disable V-Mate’s online checking just every time you start the game, nothing more.
The whole patch/crack question seems to be causing more confusion and consternation than is warranted. I think we need to define terms and conditions. Here are the categories, as I see them.
- workaround - Dark_shiki’s V-Mate Bypass is a good example. Once a game is legally acquired and registered, you just have to order the sequence of steps to play offline without connecting to the V-Mate server. Perfectly legal, requires no download, may provide help for offline play. As I understand it there may be some time limitations or other restrictions. It hasn’t been fully tested.
- V-Mate patch - This is the download alluded to by several posters. If it is used with a legally purchased game, I don’t see any ethical issues. It’s unclear whether such a patch applies to individual games or all V-Mate releases. Information has been sketchy, at best.
- V-Mate game crack - This would be a typical pirate download file, iow warez. Completely illegal, but also playable like other pirated games. It could conceivably be distributed separately from a V-Mate patch, but this is not the usual method, nor would it make much sense from the pirates’ point of view. Its existence is also unsubstantiated at this time.
Some people seem insistent that patches and cracks are already available. This is certainly possible. My goal is to establish the truth of such claims. When I read phrases like Based on what I know, I heard from a friend, i dont know if this is true, i can test it because i dont have any game with VM on it, etc., I’m not convinced.
Such assertions carry little weight. That’s not to deny they are true; they may well be. However, I’m not prepared to believe that any claim made by any member should be accepted at face value. Like it or not, there’s the matter of track record and confidence in the source. If Lamuness were to say that a game has been cracked - I know PP has been actively testing - I’d know for sure. Likewise, if some of our longtime members verified it. With new members, more proof is required. One person posted the name of a purported download site, but it turned out to be a porn board which required registration to read. I declined to investigate that further.
I’ll continue to monitor the pirate boards and download sites to find outside confirmation. If a true crack exists, it’s only a matter of time before it reaches the most popular channels. Is that a fair statement? In the meantime, I find simple assertions unpersuasive.
If Minna de Nyan Nyan’s been cracked, that means that Hitomi’s not far behind… ^^
And if the same method works on all V-mate games, then that means that I won’t have to worry about Shiawase no Katachi at all. XD
Now I can both buy it without any lingering doubts in my mind, or having Benoit call me a liar! ^^
I just saw my first pirated release of the English version of Let’s Meow Meow. Apparently it was uploaded on January 20. Since the game’s V-mate protection was cracked, it was only a matter of time, I suppose.
[This message has been edited by Dark_Shiki (edited 01-30-2005).]
Yeah i have seen that one too.
Seems like Hitomi is just around the corner to if i can interpret the “talk” right
Glad this patch is out because Let’s Meow Meow crashed everytime I play the game. Sometimes I have to restart the game every 5 min. So far with the patch, the game hasn’t crashed at all. G-Collections has to work out all the bugs in the V-Mate system if they want people to play the games normally.
[This message has been edited by Sousuke (edited 01-30-2005).]
Oh? Now that would be interesting. But even if it was that easy to shut sites down, distribution of cracks would just be shifted to decentralized networks, like IRC or Kazaa. Basically, you have to outlaw P2P sharing if you want to totally stop crack distribution. And even then, there will always be groups who will find loopholes in either the law itself or its execution.
Are cracks even illegal? Using them for piracy is illegal, sure, but what about the crack itself? It’s just a modification of the program. Plenty of companies even encourage fan mods in general.
quote:
Originally posted by Dark_Shiki:
Are cracks even illegal? Using them for piracy is illegal, sure, but what about the crack itself? It's just a modification of the program. Plenty of companies even encourage fan mods in general.
a mod is something that changes gameplay etc. so forth (i.e. All the mods available for Freelancer is a good example with new ships, gameplay features, etc.)
a crack is a program that allows you play something illegally.... in effect you violate the end-user liscencing agreement by using it. (even if you have a legitamite copy of the game)
at least that's my opinion....
quote:If you develope the crack on your for yourself own and you have a legitimate copy, then, no its not illeagal at all. The company of course doesn't have to help you with any problems that occur. This is the case in most countries so long as you don't distribute the crack.
Originally posted by Doug:
a mod is something that changes gameplay etc. so forth (i.e. All the mods available for Freelancer is a good example with new ships, gameplay features, etc.)a crack is a program that allows you play something illegally.... in effect you violate the end-user liscencing agreement by using it. (even if you have a legitamite copy of the game)
at least that's my opinion....
When you get a crack off the internet or whereever but own a legitimate copy, that isn't so clear cut and i'm not sure. In any case, the company again doesn't have to help you out with any problems that occur. It depends upon where you are for this much more so.
[Deleted]
[This message has been edited by Unicorn (edited 01-31-2005).]
quote:
Originally posted by Jinnai:If you develope the crack on your for yourself own and you have a legitimate copy, then, no its not illeagal at all. The company of course doesn’t have to help you with any problems that occur. This is the case in most countries so long as you don’t distribute the crack.
When you get a crack off the internet or whereever but own a legitimate copy, that isn’t so clear cut and i’m not sure. In any case, the company again doesn’t have to help you out with any problems that occur. It depends upon where you are for this much more so.
Fair enough, but really anyone who created a crack and not be egotistical enough to NOT distribute it? Let’s be realistic shall we? lol
[This message has been edited by Doug (edited 01-31-2005).]
I think most cracks will fall afoul of the DMCA. Cracking copy protection tends to fall afoul of that. And since not even legal owners of a product who happen to be computer scientists that specialize in digital security can “crack” products they own without breaking the DMCA law, then no. It is not legal in the USA to crack a product you own.
There is a reason for that. If you buy a copy of LMMW, you don’t own the rights to the program. You bought a 1 user license to play the game. The game itself is still owned by the publisher/developer. It’s a complex concept, I know. In essence, is that you own the plastic of the CD. The company owns all the information on that CD, and grant you the legal right to limited use of it.
To play LMMW without frequent crashes, just kill VMate after you start the game. That’s what I had to do to stop it. Worked fine for me.
As to why would anyone crack VMate… because it aggravates them. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was professionals who did it.
quote:
Originally posted by Darkstar:
To play LMMW without frequent crashes, just kill VMate after you start the game. That's what I had to do to stop it. Worked fine for me.
Heh, looks like I'm not the only one who figured out how to get around V-mate. [img]http://princess.cybrmall.net/ubb/wink.gif[/img] Of course, it's not quite that simple in practice, as you'd find if you tried doing it a little differently.
quote:I know what you're trying to say, however, the Surpreme court has also ruled that for private use, if you don't plan to distribute your findings to the public in any manner, you can do whatever you damn well please. Hwowver, doing so voids any protections you do have. This is based on law that predates the DMCA. This is just in the US though.
Originally posted by Darkstar:
I think most cracks will fall afoul of the DMCA. Cracking copy protection tends to fall afoul of that. And since not even legal owners of a product who happen to be computer scientists that specialize in digital security can "crack" products they own without breaking the DMCA law, then no. It is not legal in the USA to crack a product you own.There is a reason for that. If you buy a copy of LMMW, you don't own the rights to the program. You bought a 1 user license to play the game. The game itself is still owned by the publisher/developer. It's a complex concept, I know. In essence, is that you own the plastic of the CD. The company owns all the information on that CD, and grant you the legal right to limited use of it.
To play LMMW without frequent crashes, just kill VMate after you start the game. That's what I had to do to stop it. Worked fine for me.
As to why would anyone crack VMate... because it aggravates them. I wouldn't be surprised if it was professionals who did it.