Anti-piracy systems...

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5MinuteRetro
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Anti-piracy systems...

Post by 5MinuteRetro »

I happened upon this logo earlier:

Image

...and my brain instantly conjured up this:

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...which is of course the Jet Set Willy code chart that was included with the original cassette (and that I laboriously copied from a friend's original, using felt tips).

That got me thinking: what other in-box anti-piracy systems can we all recall from the Spectrum heyday. There's the infamous Lenslok, obviously, but there must've been many more besides. Right now, my mind's drawing a blank...
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by AndyC »

TMHT had a hideous black-on-dark-red code sheet in the middle of the manual, that was hard to read even if you had a legit copy. And various titles, like F16 Combat Pilot, made you type in a word from a specific page in the manual.
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by Seven.FFF »

AndyC wrote: Tue Jun 26, 2018 11:01 pm TMHT had a hideous black-on-dark-red code sheet in the middle of the manual.
A bit like a classic MrPixel LISTing!
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

Dinamic released the System SD1 interface that came with Camelot Warriors. It had to be inserted in the Spectrum slot before loading the game. When the game loaded, it checked if the interface was inserted and the game run ok. Without it the game couldn't be played. It has the size of a die, easy to market with the game.

The problem was so easy concept was also easy to copy so similar rudimentary gadgets were distributed in 'pirate' markets, so this SD1 interface was the first and last Dinamic attempt to develop an anti-piracy hardware solution.

In later versions of the game, Dinamic marketed the game in the usual way.
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by PeteProdge »

When Durell hit their stride, they issued their games as blue plastic cassettes. The leader (the transparent plastic part of the tape that you'd have at the very beginning/end) had a tiny Durell logo repeatedly printed on it.

You'd face this message when the game loaded...

Image

...an interview with the chaps from Durell in Retro Gamer magazine revealed that nothing ever came of this.

What was also amusing was that this message was never expunged from re-releases on the Encore label (Elite's take on The Hit Squad/Kixx/Ricochet), where the cassettes were ordinary black ones and nothing was on the leader bits.
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by Pegaz »

I remember it well, I think I first saw this Durrel message in Criticall Mass. :)
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

That message was an icon for every Durell game.

Whenever that sound started, I always said 'phew, the copy from my friend works!' :mrgreen:
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by Pegaz »

Exactly. ;)
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

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PeteProdge wrote: Wed Jun 27, 2018 9:24 am When Durell hit their stride, they issued their games as blue plastic cassettes. The leader (the transparent plastic part of the tape that you'd have at the very beginning/end) had a tiny Durell logo repeatedly printed on it.
Ah yes, interesting one -- though it didn't really prevent any barrier to copying/used a copied version.

On a similar theme last night I found myself reading an ancient post on crazy old Bruce Everiss's blog, at https://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/25 ... -megagames. There, he suggests that Imagine went to fifth-colour process for the inlay cards, to scupper industrial counterfeiting. Still no good for preventing playground piracy, though.
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by 5MinuteRetro »

Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Wed Jun 27, 2018 6:39 am Dinamic released the System SD1 interface that came with Camelot Warriors. It had to be inserted in the Spectrum slot before loading the game. When the game loaded, it checked if the interface was inserted and the game run ok. Without it the game couldn't be played. It has the size of a die, easy to market with the game.

The problem was so easy concept was also easy to copy so similar rudimentary gadgets were distributed in 'pirate' markets, so this SD1 interface was the first and last Dinamic attempt to develop an anti-piracy hardware solution.

In later versions of the game, Dinamic marketed the game in the usual way.
I'd never heard of this one. I guess it was just some kind of pin loop or something?
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

5MinuteRetro wrote: Thu Jun 28, 2018 11:43 am
Juan F. Ramirez wrote: Wed Jun 27, 2018 6:39 am Dinamic released the System SD1 interface that came with Camelot Warriors. It had to be inserted in the Spectrum slot before loading the game. When the game loaded, it checked if the interface was inserted and the game run ok. Without it the game couldn't be played. It has the size of a die, easy to market with the game.

The problem was so easy concept was also easy to copy so similar rudimentary gadgets were distributed in 'pirate' markets, so this SD1 interface was the first and last Dinamic attempt to develop an anti-piracy hardware solution.

In later versions of the game, Dinamic marketed the game in the usual way.
I'd never heard of this one. I guess it was just some kind of pin loop or something?
Here you have technical info about that gadget (in spanish):

http://www.robertp.net/SD1.htm

It was only two weeks for the pirates to get a replica (wooden!) and people who understood a bit of hardware/electronics could do something similar. After a short time, when versions of the game were sold in the pirate market without the interface, Dinamic decided to release a new version of it without that interface.

Game with SD 1 inlay: (spanish first release)

Image

SD1-free game inlays:

Image

Image

and others.

The SD1 interface was only released in Spain. UK releases didn't include it.
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by Vampyre »

I suppose that add-on that came with Mikro-Gen's Shadow of the Unicorn could be considered an anti-piracy device. I guess the game wouldn't run without it?
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by druellan »

Never forget Lenslock, never...

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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by Ralf »

I suppose that add-on that came with Mikro-Gen's Shadow of the Unicorn could be considered an anti-piracy device. I guess the game wouldn't run without it?
Yes and no ;)

In Case of Shadow of the Unicorn the cartridge simply contains game data and replaces Spectrum ROM memory so the game can use full 64 kB and not only 48 kB.

Other mentioned gagdets acted just as a protection, their only goal was to prevent running the game without them.
Here is't just an alternate game storage media, there aren't any passwords and checks.

But it had a killer efficiency as anti-pirate measure;) I believe nobody released pirated version of Shadow of The Unicorn for 48 KB Spectrum ever.

If only the game was worth pirating... ;)
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by 5MinuteRetro »

5MinuteRetro wrote: Thu Jun 28, 2018 11:42 am
PeteProdge wrote: Wed Jun 27, 2018 9:24 am When Durell hit their stride, they issued their games as blue plastic cassettes. The leader (the transparent plastic part of the tape that you'd have at the very beginning/end) had a tiny Durell logo repeatedly printed on it.
Ah yes, interesting one -- though it didn't really present any barrier to copying/used a copied version.

On a similar theme last night I found myself reading an ancient post on crazy old Bruce Everiss's blog, at https://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/25 ... -megagames. There, he suggests that Imagine went to fifth-colour process for the inlay cards, to scupper industrial counterfeiting. Still no good for preventing playground piracy, though.
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by PeteProdge »

5MinuteRetro wrote: Thu Jun 28, 2018 11:42 am On a similar theme last night I found myself reading an ancient post on crazy old Bruce Everiss's blog, at https://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/25 ... -megagames. There, he suggests that Imagine went to fifth-colour process for the inlay cards, to scupper industrial counterfeiting. Still no good for preventing playground piracy, though.
Ah, practically everything Bruce claimed, got demolished by YS writer Stuart Campbell. He really went to down on the 'piracy' rubbish. It's an absolute jaw dropper, very entertaining to read.
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by 5MinuteRetro »

PeteProdge wrote: Fri Jun 29, 2018 8:15 am
5MinuteRetro wrote: Thu Jun 28, 2018 11:42 am On a similar theme last night I found myself reading an ancient post on crazy old Bruce Everiss's blog, at https://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/25 ... -megagames. There, he suggests that Imagine went to fifth-colour process for the inlay cards, to scupper industrial counterfeiting. Still no good for preventing playground piracy, though.
Ah, practically everything Bruce claimed, got demolished by YS writer Stuart Campbell. He really went to down on the 'piracy' rubbish. It's an absolute jaw dropper, very entertaining to read.
Still, IIRC, on matters of software piracy Mr Campbell could hard be considered a paragon of probity. I imagine he's gladdened that a lot of the early internet is tricky to dig up. ;)
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by Juan F. Ramirez »

The best anti-piracy system turned out to be the strong price reduction of games in Spain in 1987.

Up to that year, sales units were very low (Dinamic sold about 2,000 units of each early games). At the same time, the piracy market was higher and higher. Then, in that year, the main games distributor, Erbe, took the risk and set the price of games from 2,000 ptas (12 euros) to 875 ptas (5,25 euros). This step forced other companies to do the same and the result was an incredibly increase of sales, thousands of units.

Obviously the inlay size of games and instructions were reduced so that the product could be marketed at that price but the result was a surge of the videogames industry.
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by druellan »

5MinuteRetro wrote: Thu Jun 28, 2018 11:42 am On a similar theme last night I found myself reading an ancient post on crazy old Bruce Everiss's blog, at https://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/25 ... -megagames. There, he suggests that Imagine went to fifth-colour process for the inlay cards, to scupper industrial counterfeiting. Still no good for preventing playground piracy, though.
Very interesting read, specially the comments :D
Also, the idea of a Z80 math processor, it is the first time I read something like that being considered back in the day.
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by Rorthron »

I recall Avalon and Dragontorc had cyan-on-white code sheets that were supposed to be photocopy-proof. White Lightning tried the same trick with the user manual, which was black on dark green. Unfortunately this meant the White Lightning manual was illegible even to those who (like me) paid for their copy.

Being crap was also a good anti-piracy technique. I doubt Sqij was ever copied much!

And one more thought... did games with devices like Lenslok sell fewer copies than they would have without such protection? A game that couldn't be "swapped" for another was surely worth less to a playground pirate than one that could.
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by AndyC »

PeteProdge wrote: Fri Jun 29, 2018 8:15 am
5MinuteRetro wrote: Thu Jun 28, 2018 11:42 am On a similar theme last night I found myself reading an ancient post on crazy old Bruce Everiss's blog, at https://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/25 ... -megagames. There, he suggests that Imagine went to fifth-colour process for the inlay cards, to scupper industrial counterfeiting. Still no good for preventing playground piracy, though.
Ah, practically everything Bruce claimed, got demolished by YS writer Stuart Campbell. He really went to down on the 'piracy' rubbish. It's an absolute jaw dropper, very entertaining to read.
It's all a bit six of one, half a dozen of the other. It is as disingenuous for Bruce to argue the failure of Imagine was entirely the result of piracy, as it is for Stuart to suggest that piracy has zero impact on software companies. The truth, as usual, is somewhere in the middle. Imagine had a lot of issues and no real clear strategy but many of the issues of piracy such as high return rates of "faulty" tapes were certainly real (although that was not entirely piracy either, a lot was increasingly savvy customers finding a way to exchange crap games)
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

Post by stupidget »

I remember the first tape-2-tape my dad bought didn't have detachable speakers so you had to play the tape you were 'backing up' at full volume :shock: :shock: . Understandably this annoyed the hell out of my mother :lol: and was more than enough to stop me copying games.
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Re: Anti-piracy systems...

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stupidget wrote: Mon Jul 02, 2018 9:45 am I remember the first tape-2-tape my dad bought didn't have detachable speakers so you had to play the tape you were 'backing up' at full volume :shock: :shock: . Understandably this annoyed the hell out of my mother :lol: and was more than enough to stop me copying games.
So, the anti-piracy system every 1980s software house needed: your mum!
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