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Ubisoft caught Pirating the Pirates.

Lave IILave II Registered User regular
edited August 2008 in Games and Technology
This is interesting
Update - I wrote a little about this [url= ]here[/url] - but if you don't want to click, here's the text:
Have you ever bought a game, and then not managed to get it working on your machine? Have you ever had to resort to download a no-cd crack to get it to run? I know I have, and I know that the games industry considers me a massive pirate due to buying their software, then running it in a way they don't like.

Which makes this thread over on the Ubisoft forums all the more entertaining. When faced with a version of Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 that wasn't working on lots of machines, ubisoft did exactly what you would have done. They when and got a no-cd crack of the internet and released it as an official patch.

Here's the crackers code in the patch (apparently the name tag gives it away):

I'm not condoning piracy, even when you're pirating the pirates, but what I do like here, is that I'm sure everyone here has "pirated" in the black and white eyes of Ubisoft. But you know that did wasn't wrong. You know you are not a pirate just because you didn't want to put your disk in your machine to get your game to work.

And today, by stealing that code, Ubisoft have acknowledged that piracy, at least when it concerns them, does indeed have shades of grey.

All respect goes to neilthecellist for revealing the story and Oby for bringing it to my attention.

If you feel like it, DIGG THIS HERE

According to the Ubisoft forums. despite condemning no-dvd cracks they've been caught 'thieving' the code from said cracks for their own official updates.

I'm not really making a judgement call on this, two wrongs don't make a right and all that (not that I think no-dvd cracks are wrong), but to both condem and benifit from crackers seems, whats the word, dickish.

Proof (apparently):
r6vegas2.png

Lave II on
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Posts

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    CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    I just saw this. It is fucking hilarious. Ubisoft has taken the crack down.

    Couscous on
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    DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    That is hilarious.

    Somehow I don't think RELOADED minds.

    Daedalus on
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    The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    They should put it back up. fuck reloaded.

    The_Scarab on
  • Options
    DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    They should put it back up. fuck reloaded.

    I'm sure you can still get it from wherever RELOADED put the *snicker snicker* official patch before Ubisoft made it official.

    Daedalus on
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    Lave IILave II Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    They should put it back up. Pay reloaded.

    Fixed that for you.

    Lave II on
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    CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Ubi.Vigil wrote:
    We're looking into this further as this was not the UK Support team that posted this, however if it is an executable that does not need the disc I doubt it has come from an external source. There'd be very little point doing so when we already own the original unprotected executeable.

    As soon as we find out more about this we'll let you know.
    This is from the thread. Haha.

    Couscous on
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    HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Wait what?

    Henroid on
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    DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Henroid wrote: »
    Wait what?

    Apparently, the CD-checks that the PC version of R6Vegas2 used were buggy and caused crashes. Naturally, users of the pirated version were unaffected. So, Ubisoft said "fuck it" and released an official patch consisting of RELOADED's (a piracy group) hacked version of the .exe file.

    I think more game companies should do this; I'm downloading all these patches as soon as I buy a game anyway.

    Daedalus on
  • Options
    Iceman.USAFIceman.USAF Major East CoastRegistered User regular
    edited July 2008
    I feel like I'm on the outside of an inside joke, can someone clarify this for me?

    So, Ubisoft was having issues with disc validation, then went and used a Reloaded! no-cd fix to 'solve' their problem?

    Iceman.USAF on
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    The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Lave II wrote: »
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    They should put it back up. Pay reloaded.

    Fixed that for you.

    Explain.

    Pay them for what.

    The_Scarab on
  • Options
    DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    I feel like I'm on the outside of an inside joke, can someone clarify this for me?

    So, Ubisoft was having issues with disc validation, then went and used a Reloaded! no-cd fix to 'solve' their problem?

    Yes. They called it an official patch, but it's actually the same thing as the hack used by Reloaded in their pirated release, apparently. Right down to Reloaded's tag in the file.

    Daedalus on
  • Options
    squirlysquirly Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    I love drama on the Internet, someone should make a soap opera esque TV show out of it where each 'thing' (Company, game, etc) is represented as a person.

    I'd watch that.

    squirly on
    Diablo2 [US West; Ladder]: *DorianGraph [New/Main] *outsidewhale [Old]
  • Options
    Iceman.USAFIceman.USAF Major East CoastRegistered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Daedalus wrote: »
    I feel like I'm on the outside of an inside joke, can someone clarify this for me?

    So, Ubisoft was having issues with disc validation, then went and used a Reloaded! no-cd fix to 'solve' their problem?

    Yes. They called it an official patch, but it's actually the same thing as the hack used by Reloaded in their pirated release, apparently. Right down to Reloaded's tag in the file.

    I want to be in the office when they track down the programmer who put that together.

    Iceman.USAF on
  • Options
    Lave IILave II Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Henroid wrote: »
    Wait what?

    As far as I can tell.

    Ubi release a version of R6Vegas that's DRM means it fails the DVD check even when you have the DVD in. So they need to release a patch. Rather than write one, they steal one.

    Lave II on
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    TheGreat2ndTheGreat2nd Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    Lave II wrote: »
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    They should put it back up. Pay reloaded.

    Fixed that for you.

    Explain.

    Pay them for what.
    For writing the crack?

    TheGreat2nd on
    BinghamtonUniversity.png
    I'm Jacob Wilson. | facebook | thegreat2nd | [url="aim:goim?screenname=TheGreatSecond&message=Hello+from+the+Penny+Arcade+Forums!"]aim[/url]
  • Options
    TavTav Irish Minister for DefenceRegistered User regular
    edited July 2008
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    Lave II wrote: »
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    They should put it back up. Pay reloaded.

    Fixed that for you.

    Explain.

    Pay them for what.

    Doing their job for them?

    Tav on
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    Iceman.USAFIceman.USAF Major East CoastRegistered User regular
    edited July 2008
    The only thing that would make this better would be if Reloaded! sued Ubisoft.

    Iceman.USAF on
  • Options
    CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    So is Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 for the PC a shitty port?

    Couscous on
  • Options
    The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    Lave II wrote: »
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    They should put it back up. Pay reloaded.

    Fixed that for you.

    Explain.

    Pay them for what.
    For writing the crack?
    Somehow I dont think they will be.

    The_Scarab on
  • Options
    An AngelAn Angel __BANNED USERS regular
    edited July 2008
    Ubisoft doesn't have to pay shit, especially if the pirates don't even pay shit in the first place.

    Taste of their own medicine.

    An Angel on
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    JJJJ DailyStormer Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Good?

    JJ on
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    HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Daedalus wrote: »
    Henroid wrote: »
    Wait what?

    Apparently, the CD-checks that the PC version of R6Vegas2 used were buggy and caused crashes. Naturally, users of the pirated version were unaffected. So, Ubisoft said "fuck it" and released an official patch consisting of RELOADED's (a piracy group) hacked version of the .exe file.

    I think more game companies should do this; I'm downloading all these patches as soon as I buy a game anyway.

    Okay now it's hilarious.

    Henroid on
  • Options
    DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Daedalus wrote: »
    I feel like I'm on the outside of an inside joke, can someone clarify this for me?

    So, Ubisoft was having issues with disc validation, then went and used a Reloaded! no-cd fix to 'solve' their problem?

    Yes. They called it an official patch, but it's actually the same thing as the hack used by Reloaded in their pirated release, apparently. Right down to Reloaded's tag in the file.

    I want to be in the office when they track down the programmer who put that together.

    Oh, man, I could totally see it.

    "Hey, newguy. We're having serious problems with the copy protection. Corporate said "fuck it", so just write a patch that gets rid of it. As soon as fucking possible. I mean get it out the door by tomorrow."

    "Sure thing, boss."

    hours later

    "Oh, shit, I've been on the Penny Arcade forums all day. Fuck, I need that patch or else they'll fire me. Wait, I know what to do!"

    Daedalus on
  • Options
    CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    An Angel wrote: »
    Ubisoft doesn't have to pay shit, especially if the pirates don't even pay shit in the first place.

    Taste of their own medicine.

    Two wrongs now make a right?

    Ubisoft was fucking lazy and stole from a pirate group. That is just plain sleazy.

    Couscous on
  • Options
    FyreWulffFyreWulff YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2008
    This is kind of like when people discovered all the Microsoft Windows XP tour audio files were made with a pirated program.

    FyreWulff on
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    delrolanddelroland Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    The irony lies with Ubisoft's vehement anti-piracy stance, whereas the 'fix' was created by a pirate for the purpose of pirating the game. And Ubisoft apparently pirated that 'fix' to distribute to legit players in order to fix CD validation issues.

    In other words, "We hate pirates, but not so much that we wouldn't steal code from them."

    delroland on
    EVE: Online - the most fun you will ever have not playing a game.
    "Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
  • Options
    DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    titmouse wrote: »
    An Angel wrote: »
    Ubisoft doesn't have to pay shit, especially if the pirates don't even pay shit in the first place.

    Taste of their own medicine.

    Two wrongs now make a right?

    Ubisoft was fucking lazy and stole from a pirate group. That is just plain sleazy.

    Again, I really don't think RELOADED has a problem with this. In fact, I'll bet you they're laughing and high-fiving more than we are.

    Daedalus on
  • Options
    An AngelAn Angel __BANNED USERS regular
    edited July 2008
    titmouse wrote: »
    An Angel wrote: »
    Ubisoft doesn't have to pay shit, especially if the pirates don't even pay shit in the first place.

    Taste of their own medicine.

    Two wrongs now make a right?

    Ubisoft was fucking lazy and stole from a pirate group. That is just plain sleazy.


    Such is life on the high Cs.

    An Angel on
  • Options
    Iceman.USAFIceman.USAF Major East CoastRegistered User regular
    edited July 2008
    delroland wrote: »
    The irony lies with Ubisoft's vehement anti-piracy stance, whereas the 'fix' was created by a pirate for the purpose of pirating the game. And Ubisoft apparently pirated that 'fix' to distribute to legit players in order to fix CD validation issues.

    In other words, "We hate pirates, but not so much that we wouldn't steal code from them."

    Sounds like good business practice to me.

    Iceman.USAF on
  • Options
    Lave IILave II Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    Lave II wrote: »
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    They should put it back up. Pay reloaded.

    Fixed that for you.

    Explain.

    Pay them for what.

    It was a joke.

    The evil no-dvd crackers made their software work for them, and they tell me that taking code without paying is stealing, so hopefully they'll be paying for it.

    I don't mean it, I just find it amusing that they condemn a group of people who actually manage to make their products work when they themselves can't.

    Lave II on
  • Options
    CadeCade Eppur si muove.Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    Pirates, the cause and solution to all of lifes problems confirmed.

    Cade on
  • Options
    CouscousCouscous Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    An Angel wrote: »
    titmouse wrote: »
    An Angel wrote: »
    Ubisoft doesn't have to pay shit, especially if the pirates don't even pay shit in the first place.

    Taste of their own medicine.

    Two wrongs now make a right?

    Ubisoft was fucking lazy and stole from a pirate group. That is just plain sleazy.


    Such is life on the high Cs.

    This shows incompetence on the part of Ubisoft. What if it contained malware? Do I want to trust a company that is too fucking lazy to write a simple program?

    Couscous on
  • Options
    Lave IILave II Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    It's a beautiful example of why pissing of the people who buy your game doesn't help you sell content.

    Especially if your pissing of your actual paying audience to such an extent that you have to get the pirates to bail you out.

    Lave II on
  • Options
    An AngelAn Angel __BANNED USERS regular
    edited July 2008
    titmouse wrote: »
    An Angel wrote: »
    titmouse wrote: »
    An Angel wrote: »
    Ubisoft doesn't have to pay shit, especially if the pirates don't even pay shit in the first place.

    Taste of their own medicine.

    Two wrongs now make a right?

    Ubisoft was fucking lazy and stole from a pirate group. That is just plain sleazy.


    Such is life on the high Cs.

    This shows incompetence on the part of Ubisoft. What if it contained malware? Do I want to trust a company that is too fucking lazy to write a simple program?

    If it contained malware they wouldn't have used it.

    An Angel on
  • Options
    delrolanddelroland Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    I'm just waiting for the pirate hat and eyepatch photoshops of Sam Fischer.

    delroland on
    EVE: Online - the most fun you will ever have not playing a game.
    "Go up, thou bald head." -2 Kings 2:23
  • Options
    DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    titmouse wrote: »
    An Angel wrote: »
    titmouse wrote: »
    An Angel wrote: »
    Ubisoft doesn't have to pay shit, especially if the pirates don't even pay shit in the first place.

    Taste of their own medicine.

    Two wrongs now make a right?

    Ubisoft was fucking lazy and stole from a pirate group. That is just plain sleazy.


    Such is life on the high Cs.

    This shows incompetence on the part of Ubisoft. What if it contained malware? Do I want to trust a company that is too fucking lazy to write a simple program?

    If it had malware in it, the release would have been nuked and RELOADED would have been completely discredited in the scene. Really, it's fine on that front.

    Daedalus on
  • Options
    -SPI--SPI- Osaka, JapanRegistered User regular
    edited July 2008
    They weren't stealing the pirates code, they were reverse engineering it.

    -SPI- on
  • Options
    Wraith260Wraith260 Happiest Goomba! Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    An Angel wrote: »
    titmouse wrote: »
    An Angel wrote: »
    Ubisoft doesn't have to pay shit, especially if the pirates don't even pay shit in the first place.

    Taste of their own medicine.

    Two wrongs now make a right?

    Ubisoft was fucking lazy and stole from a pirate group. That is just plain sleazy.


    Such is life on the high Cs.

    Wraith260 on
  • Options
    ScrabbleDudeScrabbleDude Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    An Angel wrote: »
    titmouse wrote: »
    An Angel wrote: »
    titmouse wrote: »
    An Angel wrote: »
    Ubisoft doesn't have to pay shit, especially if the pirates don't even pay shit in the first place.

    Taste of their own medicine.

    Two wrongs now make a right?

    Ubisoft was fucking lazy and stole from a pirate group. That is just plain sleazy.


    Such is life on the high Cs.

    This shows incompetence on the part of Ubisoft. What if it contained malware? Do I want to trust a company that is too fucking lazy to write a simple program?

    If it contained malware they wouldn't have used it.
    Do you really think they bothered to check the code?

    ScrabbleDude on
  • Options
    DaedalusDaedalus Registered User regular
    edited July 2008
    An Angel wrote: »
    titmouse wrote: »
    An Angel wrote: »
    titmouse wrote: »
    An Angel wrote: »
    Ubisoft doesn't have to pay shit, especially if the pirates don't even pay shit in the first place.

    Taste of their own medicine.

    Two wrongs now make a right?

    Ubisoft was fucking lazy and stole from a pirate group. That is just plain sleazy.


    Such is life on the high Cs.

    This shows incompetence on the part of Ubisoft. What if it contained malware? Do I want to trust a company that is too fucking lazy to write a simple program?

    If it contained malware they wouldn't have used it.
    Do you really think they bothered to check the code?

    Everybody who pirated the game checked it for them.

    Daedalus on
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