Ouch. It definately sucks to be Lucasarts...

Excalibur Bane · 01-28-06, 11:07 PM

The Star Wars: Empire At War demo has been utterly modded to pieces. Or I suppose you could call it hacked, but then Lucasarts hasn't been very loud about protesting any of them. Virtually all of the game has been unlocked and is now playable.

I can't say I feel sorry for them, it's their own stupidity for including half the game in a demo like that. Very sloppy. One could easily see this coming well before it happened. Five tutorials, one space battle and one land battle? 750+ MB? No, I don't think so. Heh. They must have left most of the game intact in their rush to get a demo out.

Oh, well. I won't complain. It was kinda stingy of them to make such a limited demo anyway. I just finished one of the mods and gonna see what the zealots managed to unlock.

Never underestimate the sheer power of the public's skill and ability get something done even quicker then the developers themselves. Furthermore, NEVER rely on people to be honest. It's not in our nature

Dowly · 01-29-06, 06:19 AM

Awww... that sucks. I know itÂ´s a great thing to get something for free, but in this case, think about the hard work the developers put in to the game. All the hard work for nothing.

joea · 01-29-06, 06:24 AM

This is the kind of stupidity from sofware companies and idiocy from pirates that leads to drastic measures like starforce.

Skybird · 01-29-06, 06:30 AM

They fell victim to their own greed, avoided thinking about that demo's structure to spare some time and get it out faster. My sympathy is limited. Usually the customer is paying for that attitude - in form of paying for buggy or unfinished products. This time it's not us, but them. So be it.

TteFAboB · 01-29-06, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Excalibur Bane

Never underestimate the sheer power of the public's skill and ability get something done even quicker then the developers themselves. Furthermore, NEVER rely on people to be honest. It's not in our nature

Who do you think Lucasarts and the developers are? Not the public? Not the people?

Someone seriously made a BIG mistake here, since the nature of the demo wasn't to be the full game, likewise, how can you be so sure your nature is to be dishonest? Perhaps you are but a Demo of a human being?

Konovalov · 01-29-06, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joea

This is the kind of stupidity from sofware companies and idiocy from pirates that leads to drastic measures like starforce.

Sadly yes.

Godalmighty83 · 01-29-06, 10:01 AM

reminds me of a demo some years ago that i wont name that simply required you to open a .cfg and change some values from -1 to 2 in order to unlock pretty much the full game. thought things have moved on since then.

Mustang · 01-29-06, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Godalmighty83

reminds me of a demo some years ago that i wont name that simply required you to open a .cfg and change some values from -1 to 2 in order to unlock pretty much the full game. thought things have moved on since then.

I remember that! It was DeusEx the preview copy.

I agree, they were probably ordered to get the demo out this quarter and didn't have time to write up new scripts and just added restrictions to the existing one. However they could have done more to encrypt their files but I guess they just didn't think we were smart enough to figure it out.

Godalmighty83 · 01-29-06, 11:57 AM

in fairness though demos have to include (usually anyway)-

game engine
AI
physics
player interface
menu interface
and a selection of levels/videos

thats probably most of the content anyway, i mean if there was a demo for SH3 what could be left out? almost nothing as everything needs to be there fot it too run. (well everything but starforce but thats for a different thread).

CB.. · 01-29-06, 12:03 PM

yeh that's probably the jist of it---spent so much time worrying about copyright protection they forgot to check if they were giving the game away free with the demo---bit of a pattern emerging really--

Wim Libaers · 02-02-06, 05:43 PM

But they didn't really give everything away. As far as I know, all space combat stuff is in there, but land battles are limited (only a few terrains in the demo), and retreat from battle in space doesn't seem to work. Also, saving your progress is disabled, so you have to finish a campaign completely without turning off your computer. It takes time.

Still, it certainly is much more than they intended to give. The unmodded demo was incredibly short.

goldorak · 02-02-06, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wim Libaers

But they didn't really give everything away. As far as I know, all space combat stuff is in there, but land battles are limited (only a few terrains in the demo), and retreat from battle in space doesn't seem to work. Also, saving your progress is disabled, so you have to finish a campaign completely without turning off your computer. It takes time.

Still, it certainly is much more than they intended to give. The unmodded demo was incredibly short.

Yes, maybe they rushed things out a bit, but in the end it will be positive for lucasarts.
They are not giving away the game for free, and anyone who thinks that is just being delusional.
Customers now have a very good idea of the game in its entirety, and the reviews are extremely good.
You can bet this will be of the best sellers this year.

Marhkimov · 02-02-06, 08:45 PM

Is there a real article that someone can link me to?

I'm wondering about the whole story behind this snafu...

kiwi_2005 · 02-03-06, 07:17 AM

Ive been waiting for this game to come here. Can't get enough of Stradgety war games.

kiwi_2005 · 02-04-06, 02:07 AM

I put your info on another gaming site and it got deleted in seconds! then the moderators accused me of being a warez user!!!! LOL. Farout anyone would think i was going to do a cafe run with a bomb.

:|\

01-28-06, 11:07 PM	#1
Excalibur Bane XO Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 429 Downloads: 20 Uploads: 0	Ouch. It definately sucks to be Lucasarts... The Star Wars: Empire At War demo has been utterly modded to pieces. Or I suppose you could call it hacked, but then Lucasarts hasn't been very loud about protesting any of them. Virtually all of the game has been unlocked and is now playable. I can't say I feel sorry for them, it's their own stupidity for including half the game in a demo like that. Very sloppy. One could easily see this coming well before it happened. Five tutorials, one space battle and one land battle? 750+ MB? No, I don't think so. Heh. They must have left most of the game intact in their rush to get a demo out. Oh, well. I won't complain. It was kinda stingy of them to make such a limited demo anyway. I just finished one of the mods and gonna see what the zealots managed to unlock. Never underestimate the sheer power of the public's skill and ability get something done even quicker then the developers themselves. Furthermore, NEVER rely on people to be honest. It's not in our nature __________________ Looking for a list of mods for SH4? Everything you need is here: List Of Modifications for SH4 v1.3 "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing."

01-29-06, 06:30 AM	#4
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,604 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	They fell victim to their own greed, avoided thinking about that demo's structure to spare some time and get it out faster. My sympathy is limited. Usually the customer is paying for that attitude - in form of paying for buggy or unfinished products. This time it's not us, but them. So be it. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

01-29-06, 10:01 AM	#7
Godalmighty83 Sonar Guy Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 398 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	reminds me of a demo some years ago that i wont name that simply required you to open a .cfg and change some values from -1 to 2 in order to unlock pretty much the full game. thought things have moved on since then. __________________ Were there monkeys? Some terrifying space monkeys maybe got loose?

01-29-06, 11:57 AM	#9
Godalmighty83 Sonar Guy Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 398 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	in fairness though demos have to include (usually anyway)- game engine AI physics player interface menu interface and a selection of levels/videos thats probably most of the content anyway, i mean if there was a demo for SH3 what could be left out? almost nothing as everything needs to be there fot it too run. (well everything but starforce but thats for a different thread). __________________ Were there monkeys? Some terrifying space monkeys maybe got loose?

01-29-06, 12:03 PM	#10
CB.. Ace of the Deep Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: UK Posts: 1,278 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	yeh that's probably the jist of it---spent so much time worrying about copyright protection they forgot to check if they were giving the game away free with the demo---bit of a pattern emerging really-- __________________ the world's tinyiest sh3 supermod- and other SH3/SH2 stuff http://www.ebort2.co.uk/ The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. W.B.Yeats

01-29-06, 06:19 AM	#2
Dowly Lucky Jack Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Finland Posts: 25,052 Downloads: 32 Uploads: 0	Awww... that sucks. I know itÂ´s a great thing to get something for free, but in this case, think about the hard work the developers put in to the game. All the hard work for nothing.

01-29-06, 06:24 AM	#3
joea Silent Hunter Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: At periscope depth in Lake Geneva Posts: 3,512 Downloads: 25 Uploads: 0	This is the kind of stupidity from sofware companies and idiocy from pirates that leads to drastic measures like starforce.

02-02-06, 05:43 PM	#11
Wim Libaers Samurai Navy Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Flanders Posts: 569 Downloads: 4 Uploads: 0	But they didn't really give everything away. As far as I know, all space combat stuff is in there, but land battles are limited (only a few terrains in the demo), and retreat from battle in space doesn't seem to work. Also, saving your progress is disabled, so you have to finish a campaign completely without turning off your computer. It takes time. Still, it certainly is much more than they intended to give. The unmodded demo was incredibly short.

02-02-06, 08:45 PM	#13
Marhkimov Admiral Join Date: May 2005 Location: Bay Area, California, USA Posts: 2,377 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Is there a real article that someone can link me to? I'm wondering about the whole story behind this snafu... __________________ It takes two to tango

02-03-06, 07:17 AM	#14
kiwi_2005 Eternal Patrol Join Date: May 2004 Location: Aeoteroa Posts: 7,382 Downloads: 223 Uploads: 1	Ive been waiting for this game to come here. Can't get enough of Stradgety war games. __________________ RIP kiwi_2005 Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others.

02-04-06, 02:07 AM	#15
kiwi_2005 Eternal Patrol Join Date: May 2004 Location: Aeoteroa Posts: 7,382 Downloads: 223 Uploads: 1	I put your info on another gaming site and it got deleted in seconds! then the moderators accused me of being a warez user!!!! LOL. Farout anyone would think i was going to do a cafe run with a bomb. :\|\ __________________ RIP kiwi_2005 Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others.