Don't order those goods from Lik-Sang just yet.

[FLEABttn]

Quote: from Quadriflax on 8:30 pm on Feb. 21, 2002

"I still want to know why nobody seems to go after the release groups, as that seems to be the best target for 'damage control'"

I never understood that either. Seems to me it would be much easier this way. I find it hard to believe they can't be found.

Oh, they can be found. And it's not that hard to find them. That FBI operation that occured a month or two back shows it. A few major groups got shut down. But it doesn't make a real difference because the government doesn't continue the stuff. They make a group bust or two every 5 to 10 years and expect that to convince the rest of the groups to quit or they're next.

Do you know what the effect was of their bust? Nothing. Well, that's not totally true. The release groups were dead for like a week, but then they were back like nothing happened.

If they want to lower piracy rates, then they need to get the groups, plain and simple.

 

[IceDigger]

Quote: from Hatecrime69 on 9:28 pm on Feb. 21, 2002

Gm sells cars, not computers i hardly see how that is a valid angle to it. What i meant was nintendo will persue legal action and they will have good ground to do so

My angle to this is based on your previous comments:

"game compines view people who buy their systems is that you olny have the right to use their system with software and hardware that has been licenced by them for use on it"

If this were the case, then I would in GM's eyes only be able to legally use only GM licensed computer chips, repair parts, floormats, etc... on my corvette without breaking the law! This doesn't hold water, I can put whatever I want on my car as far as parts..even homemade performance parts

"yes you own that system that's sitting near your tv, but you do NOT own the rights to delvop for their system (that is reserved for the compines who buy the delvelopment packages)"

If I want to tinker around with my corvette and the software embedded in the #### chip I have the right to do so, I own the vehicle!

"These are not computers at all, there closed systems (try releaseing a gameboy advance that you made yourself and see how fast nintendo will sue your ass into obilion)"

The computer on my corvette is a closed system! There are companies/shops that sell/design performance enhanced corvettes that aren't close to the GM version of the corvette and aren't licensed by GM and GM isn't sueing them into oblivion..

"Nintendo doesn't care if your makeing your own games then putting them onto an empty cart from the flash advance, the flash advance is not licenced by nintendo and is consiered Illegal hardware to them (and any means of writeing the software) nintendo sees any and all use of these types of things as illegal (even homebrew software) because you are not useing the offical hardware/software."

Reworded from above: GM doesn't care if your makeing your own performance code then putting them onto an empty chip, the chip burner is not licenced by GM and is consiered Illegal hardware to them (and any means of writeing the software) GM sees any and all use of these types of things as illegal (even homebrew software) because you are not useing the offical hardware/software."

So is the performance chip considered illegal because it is not licenced by GM? No!

See my point... if we had to use only officially GM licenced software/hardware/etc.. in our car's, then we would all be in violation everytime we put an aftermarket performance part/computer on one of our vehicles.

Fair use, I can put whatever I want on my vehicle, plain and simple.

I can put whatever I want on my game system, plain and simple

 

[ExCyber]

"This sounds like one of those too-good-to-be-true things. Kinda like the whole TV ratings thing from earlier. Sure, we have better ways, but change is bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. And people are sheep."

Something something fuel cells something something solar power something something why the #### are we still using IA-32 something something.

"Yeah, it's quite sad. Usually the people who actually do the grunt work get screwed in the end no matter what."

That's how it seems to be. I think Dynamix and Looking Glass ex-employees would agree, at least.

"It's just too #### easy these days to massively distribute things. Back in the day it was slightly more difficult. I dare say it's somewhat quicker and deeper damaging when these kinds of things happen today as opposed to 20 years ago."

And I dare say that pushing law after law to get the various facets of distribution declared illegal isn't going to make distribution any more difficult.

And if the SSSCA actually manages to pass in anything resembling its current form, I'll most likely have no faith remaining in our government. Just to get a general idea of how nasty this bill is:

"It is unlawful to manufacture, import, offer to the public, provide or otherwise traffic in any interactive digital device that does not include and utilize certified security technologies that adhere to the security systems standards adopted under section 104."

To be fair, that part doesn't apply to pre-SSSCA equipment. Still, it appears that someone grew some pretty big balls when DMCA passed so easily...

 

[SkankinMonkey]

Quote: from ExCyber on 1:00 am on Feb. 22, 2002

"This sounds like one of those too-good-to-be-true things. Kinda like the whole TV ratings thing from earlier. Sure, we have better ways, but change is bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad. And people are sheep."

Something something fuel cells something something solar power something something why the #### are we still using IA-32 something something.

"Yeah, it's quite sad. Usually the people who actually do the grunt work get screwed in the end no matter what."

That's how it seems to be. I think Dynamix and Looking Glass ex-employees would agree, at least.

"It's just too #### easy these days to massively distribute things. Back in the day it was slightly more difficult. I dare say it's somewhat quicker and deeper damaging when these kinds of things happen today as opposed to 20 years ago."

And I dare say that pushing law after law to get the various facets of distribution declared illegal isn't going to make distribution any more difficult.

And if the SSSCA actually manages to pass in anything resembling its current form, I'll most likely have no faith remaining in our government. Just to get a general idea of how nasty this bill is:

"It is unlawful to manufacture, import, offer to the public, provide or otherwise traffic in any interactive digital device that does not include and utilize certified security technologies that adhere to the security systems standards adopted under section 104."

To be fair, that part doesn't apply to pre-SSSCA equipment. Still, it appears that someone grew some pretty big balls when DMCA passed so easily...

Dynamix released tribes 2 in alpha form, they deserve punishment. Looking Glass although is very underappreciated. Thief and Thief 2 were great games, and at the moment I'm a beta tester for a thief mod for UT which is shaping up to be great thief-style multiplayer gaming

 

[ExCyber]

After cooling off from the DMCA/SSSCA rantings a bit, it's occurred to me that I never responded to Trenton and Cecilia. That being the case:

"As long as you know what you want, and you don't ask questions."

"Anyone can usualy find something good, but definaty if your caucasion, don't ask questions."

That's good to hear. I expected that a white guy walking in wanting to see the goods would probably raise a certain amount of suspicion, I just didn't really know how much. Thanks for enlightening me.

Now, if you don't mind me asking (I'm not exactly down the street from a major city): How much of the interesting stuff (not necessarily "pirate" stuff, but stuff not readily available elsewhere) is actually kept out in the open? Also, would you say that it's necessary to know a Chinese spoken language, and if so which one(s) would be best?

 

[ExCyber]

Dynamix released tribes 2 in alpha form, they deserve punishment.

From what I've heard about the game business, a premature release is pretty much never the developer's idea...

 

[SkankinMonkey]

Quote: from ExCyber on 1:51 am on Feb. 22, 2002

Dynamix released tribes 2 in alpha form, they deserve punishment.

From what I've heard about the game business, a premature release is pretty much never the developer's idea...

I think they set a release date early on and stuck to it to keep the hype up.

 

[Quadriflax]

Quote: from SkankinMonkey on 1:43 am on Feb. 22, 2002

Dynamix released tribes 2 in alpha form, they deserve punishment. Looking Glass although is very underappreciated. Thief and Thief 2 were great games, and at the moment I'm a beta tester for a thief mod for UT which is shaping up to be great thief-style multiplayer gaming

I was in a Quake 2 clan with a guy from Looking Glass that worked on Thief. There was even a small coded message to us in one of the demo files. Defective Gummi Bears forever! Woo!

 

[Trenton net]

Hi ExCyber,

If your looking for pirate stuff I think its more difficult. They usualy keep binder catalogs and goods behind in the stock rooms, and you need to ask for it. Some places usualy have store fronts just for show. Of course this is when speaking chinese comes in.

The showrooms usualy just have japanese original imports at really high prices just to fool most police/regulators/Caucasion customers. Most of the time if you keep your eye open, you'l note alot of chinese customers reading store binders ect? Its because they have covers of HK games ect, and they are making a list of disks they want so when they go to pay the guy can get it for them.

So, I guess, if you want normal, but just imported goods, just walk in and go. For pirate stuff, you should at minimum know what you want, and if they have it, and of course its best to ask them in Chinese.

If you don't know what you want, stick out like a sore thumb, ask questions like "So where are the games?" ect you'l ether get pointed to the regular imports which is a rip off, or they will just say they don't carry anything (At least for you)

Oh, and if cacasions come in and don't know the prices for things because you can't read chinese, they will most likely jack the price up just for you, even for HK stuff. A good example is this caucasion guy who wanted FF7 before it came out. They charged him $25 per disk which is like 100$ for some HK pirates. The real regular price is dirt cheap LOL