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Ubisoft used pirate's code to fix game photo

You have to love the smell of irony in the morning. Ubisoft does not condone PC piracy, much like the rest of the games industry. Despite the stance, it was found that Ubisoft utilized a “no-cd” crack to fix a problem users were experiencing with Rainbox Six Vegas 2 on the Direct2Drive service.

According to gamesindustry.biz, the issue began when Ubisoft created a patch for Rainbow Six Vegas 2 that added new multiplayer modes and fixes for the PC version. The problem with the patch is that like most PC games, it forces the disk drive to confirm that the game disk is being used. This obviously creates a large issue for users of the Direct2Drive service who simply download the game from the website. After noticing the glitch Ubisoft did the rational thing. They converted a pirate groups’ “no-cd” crack into the game to alleviate the problem.

Ubisoft recently commented on the situation.

The file was removed from the site over a week ago now and the matter is being thoroughly investigated bysenior tech support managers here at Ubisoft. Needless to say we do not support or condone copy protection circumvention methods like this and this particular incident is in direct conflict with Ubisoft's policies.

At least they’re willing to admit that the use of the patch was a tad bit unethical. What do you guys think? Should more game companies use pirated code to fix their property, or should they just depend on themselves for quick fixes?

[Thanks, Logan!]


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30 comments | showing # 1 to 30

sluxi's Avatar
sluxi at 07/20/2008 07:43
I don't really see what is so unethical here. They were essentially using the pirates for free labor and I see nothing bad about that as what the pirates are doing isn't exactly legal. Usually pirates only do harm to them, this time Ubisoft benefitted at least a little.
ajaxender's Avatar
ajaxender at 07/20/2008 08:09
This is a good example of how companies are struggling to move with the times. no-cd cracks have been around for years; I use them on games i buy, because its so much more convenient. Cd-checks are ultimately useless (it normally takes good crackers about a day to fix, at most), and inconvenient to the user, and should no longer be used. They should be thanking the pirates for fixing their ridiculous problem, for free.
bipolar beers's Avatar
bipolar beers at 07/20/2008 08:20
lol @ thanking the pirates. if it werent for them these cd checkin practices wouldnt even be utilized.
linuxguy's Avatar
linuxguy at 07/20/2008 08:55
meh
wake me up when someone uses ninja code that would be something!
Neonie's Avatar
Neonie at 07/20/2008 09:01
Theres no reason they should have to rely on pirates. A game company should be able to successfully fix the games it creates with outside (unpaid) help. Using those sources is a very lazy way of doing things, ethics aside, your a game company, you obviously have coders, USE THEM.
Verol's Avatar
Verol at 07/20/2008 09:08
Now we wait for them to be sued for stealing the code.
Y0j1mb0's Avatar
Y0j1mb0 at 07/20/2008 09:16
Ubisoft just needs to hire the pirates..lol.
Ali D's Avatar
Ali D at 07/20/2008 09:28
Y0j1mb0 has a point: the pirates work around copy protection so quickly, so hire some because they're obviously more effective than than the people at Ubisoft.

Now as to whether or now they should use pirates more often? Admitting to using them effectively condones what they do, so I can't see Ubisoft or any publisher/developer admitting to using their work.
Josh Tolentino's Avatar
Josh Tolentino at 07/20/2008 09:31
In an ideal world publishers would start editing out disc-checks entirely, but the likely consequence of THAT would be DRM protection as nasty as what we nearly got with Mass Effect and Spore. And we STILL got a watered-down version when they DID come out, equal to Bioshock's bullshit.

Then again, Stardock's games have zero DRM, AND they don't need the disc to play, either.
Spotlight51's Avatar
Spotlight51 at 07/20/2008 09:55
Ubisoft is becoming the new EA, yes i know i said it, but they are pulling some idiot moves and treating their games as cashcows just like EA.
Arttemis's Avatar
Arttemis at 07/20/2008 10:27
The only thing that I think is unethical is the notion that using a no-cd hack is considered unethical.
DV2FOX's Avatar
DV2FOX at 07/20/2008 10:37
pwned <<
John B's Avatar
John B at 07/20/2008 10:58
They should just stop using on-disc copy protection in the first place! Companies like Stardock and Bethesda have proven that if you make games that are worth playing, people will buy them by the hundreds of thousands!
DaedHead8's Avatar
DaedHead8 at 07/20/2008 11:18
If the code works then who cares where it came from?
king3vbo's Avatar
king3vbo at 07/20/2008 11:20
I'm with John B on this one.
xe-cute's Avatar
xe-cute at 07/20/2008 11:59
I know people in the music production scene who buy there music production software (as they should) but actually use the pirated versions of the software by a well known group in that 'scene'.

This is because the pirate versions of the software such as CUBASE work much more smoothly than the genuine copies (this has even been benchmarked).

The reason for this is the very over the top protection which hogs tons of CPU and also makes really bad latency (delay) on live recording.

The pirate verions run much quicker and cleaner eleviating all of the problems of the genuine copies.

Even the group that pirates the releases admit they clean up a lot of sloppy code aside from simply cracking the protection.


P.S. I run a music production website (www.serious-sounds.net) and this is well known in the industry, but rarely if ever admitted in public.
Volomon's Avatar
Volomon at 07/20/2008 12:01
Its just another example of Ubisoft's laziness when it comes to game content and development. Its the main reason I no longer support their games. Not that I did much in the first place.

Some people might be satisfied with below quality gaming, I am not.
The-Excel's Avatar
The-Excel at 07/20/2008 12:09
I heard a long time ago a company (I think it was Jaleco) released an old NES game of theirs on Game Boy Advance and that they used an open source NES emulator for the GBA to port it. Technically it was illegal since the emulator was GPL, but I never heard if they took legal action.
B-Radicate's Avatar
B-Radicate at 07/20/2008 12:52
Yeah, what John B said.
teach4food's Avatar
teach4food at 07/20/2008 12:58
Hopefully the guys who created the hack have or get some decent industry jobs out of this. Heck, make them VPs of something at Ubisoft, might solve other issues just as easily
MasterXell's Avatar
MasterXell at 07/20/2008 13:06
I personally don't think that using pirated code is all that unethical. They were simply using it to make a fix for their own game. It's better then waiting for them to come up with a fix and release it. Sometimes this can take a long while, and people now a day's simply are less likely to wait then we used to. A fix is a fix, no matter if it's pirated or not. If someone else came up with the solution to your problem, you should be thankful and thank them, and use it. It help's out all the people who spent actual money on the game.
linuxguy's Avatar
linuxguy at 07/20/2008 13:26
@The excel:No it's not illegal provided they give the source code of any modification they did on the emulator(not the game itself)
Jetsetlemming's Avatar
Jetsetlemming at 07/20/2008 13:51
"What do you guys think? Should more game companies use pirated code to fix their property, or should they just depend on themselves for quick fixes?"
Are you braindead? What the fuck kind of question is that?

Just... jesus. :psyduck: That's not even the issue.
supremeFronk's Avatar
supremeFronk at 07/20/2008 14:47
AAAAAAAAAAARRRRGH!
Misanthrope's Avatar
Misanthrope at 07/20/2008 14:54
Its not unethical its just stupid: By using the patch Ubisoft its directly admitting that copy protections hurts nobody but honest users and that it causes actual issues for their paying customers.

If you need to remove the protection to make the game, in any shape or form, work as designed, it means they INTENTIONALLY CRIPPLED THEIR OWN GAME.
Holyetheline's Avatar
Holyetheline at 07/20/2008 16:37
I say they should just do what it takes to keep stuff working properly. Pirated hax or not... if it fixes the problem then just go for it.
Jiffylube's Avatar
Jiffylube at 07/20/2008 17:49
You're off on your interpretation of the problem. Rainbow 6 users were reporting on Ubisoft forums that they were unable to utilize the patch because they no longer had the physical media, locking them out of multiplayer. A Moderator posted the crack. The moderator, although he fixed the problem, was probably reprimanded. requiring a CD to patch the game, but not play the game, is IMO a step in the right direction.

The crack was posted specifically to allow people who did not have the cd to patch.
Yashoki's Avatar
Yashoki at 07/20/2008 18:50
Games shouldn't be DRMed anyway. All you need is serial keys to lock pirates out of online play. If i want to play Sins of A Solar Empire online, i'll pay for it.
The-Excel's Avatar
The-Excel at 07/20/2008 19:47
@linuxguy:
I don't mean to question your specialty, but I was under the impression that anything that uses GPL code has to be released under GPL itself.
LarkOhiya's Avatar
LarkOhiya at 07/20/2008 23:36
I was reading this in the forums a few days ago. while I don't feel "bad" about anyone using pirate code for a product they developed. I do find it odd that ubisoft used it to when they have their own in house "no-cd" code themselves!

Any pirates that use another companies code to create a crack or modification has NO legal hold on their work. they can complain all they want but ubisoft can use this code all they want.
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