map copyright Created 20 years ago2003-12-17 19:40:35 UTC by Neo-TheOne

u have a map and u dont want any1 to convert that .bsp into .map and edit it and say they made it. How do u put say a kind of password or block so no one can copy it or edit it but just play it?

... Damn!. That?s a HARD one. I don?t think you can make it, I mean, I think the HL engine needs to read your map (not to write) and so needs the decompiler. You could make your file non readable but you wouldn?t be able to play.
But I would not worry about that. If you publish your map here it has its own date of publication so it will be ALWAYS earlier that any copy. Besides, I don?t think people go around decompiling stuff, changing two things and then compiling again (by the way, decompiling causes loads of architecture bugs that are hard to solve, does not pay to decompile at the end).
So my personal opinion is "Don?t worry, let?s enjoy it". I mean, people tend to be jealous of their maps but decompiling is a fact as also it is name changing and lots of thing that can be done to your map but it will ALWAYS remain yours, it?s YOUR work, no one else?s.
You can always put text entities to let everybody know who are you but they can always change them. You could make a mod and change almost every bitmap and they will be able to change it. Don?t worry, make a web about your maps and mods if you want to have a more authentic feeling, but I think noone who has self esteem will copy it.

you can't just straight decompile a map, there'll be major brush errors and the decompilee will have to put a lot of effort in to even get the map playable.

There isn't a hard and fast way to stop people from doing it, either respect your fellow mappers enough to not steal your work (I've never seen a case of it in 6 years of mapping), make the map so damn complex the decompiler just crashes (this ususally happens concerning my maps or try compiling a few wads in, winbsp doesnt like this very much.

Other than that there isn't much you can do, sorry!

Let's see it this way.

Those who just want to steal are by certain not really mappers. A true mapper would decompile it and look how it's done (If he actually went to such lenghts to decompile it). Then try to do the same in his map. And will probably credit you too for it. That's how the community works.
And with all the brush errors ,they're usually experienced if they get it back to normal again. And if they're experienced then they most likely know these "decompiling rules" I just mentioned.

You can add a few brushes to create a signature in a uttermost corner of the mapping grid. Not many would notice it and you could then have proof against them if they ever copied it. That's what we did in Duke3d.

Hmm.. sometimes, wadincluding textures makes WinBspc crash on decompile... but this does not happen all the time

I'm seeing a pattern here,

READ.
POSTS.
BEFORE.
POSTING!
(specifically mine :P)

kol

wow, jobabob - you've posted summat non-sarcastic (not this thread)! Good going

Heh,

I get scared by long posts, especially when my computers teacher is breething down my neck..

I just don't read them, sry

thanks for the help u lot have a proper crimbo BO SELECTA

Yu too.

lol monkey thats a cool avater its a purple monkey with white hair and its saying I WISH HALF LIFE WOULD CREATE A NON COPY MAP SCHEME THING BLING DING DING

your avatar its a gibbon isn't it?, seventh

any way i don't think its a good idea to code encrypt any thing other than simple everyday text docs. and stuff like spreadsheets..etc
it just causes to many problems, and you can't totally get rid of password encryption without damageing the thing its self, ie corrupting it.

Um, no one is going to write encription things for .bsp's

its worthless

the only smart thing to do it not to steal stuff your self, that way, if everyone does this, then there will be no problems...

And please refrain from starting a long discussion of decompiling here... go to the stuff forum(again...)

someone should create a program that modifies the map in order for it to not work with winbsp, I bet it'd only be a simple change to the .bsp