*Quality* of PC fixed exe's

[infovs]

I'm a casual player but I have bought and have originals of ALL my
games, using fixed exes only because my kid has nasty habit of
lifting DVDs from the floor by dragging it around..anyway...

Now I know that we get these fixed executables published on GCW for
free but...after a recent ugly experience wile playing one game I
came to conclusion that quality of fixed executables from some
cracking groups are gone down the drain. I mean, those fixed
exes from RELOADED are just pure cr**.
Why there is no rule in the scene that protection must be removed completely
and not just dump 50MB exe that is somehow bypassing DVD check and call that a crack?!
Now some will say "but it works, I don't care how it is cracked"..
That is exactly a reason why I'm posting this... half of those dumped-
SecuROM-wrapped executables in fact works bad and it's better to use
original because you are facing corrupted save games halfway though
the game, crashes on last bosses etc...Not to mention you have no idea
what kind of crap is crawling through your memory from that 40MB+
dump...

To sum it up - from my experience, most of these SecuROM-dumps cracks
have some kind of problem during a game that is not
apparent using original disc and exe. But you have to play long and
hard through the game to be able to notice it (and no, I'm not talking
about protection that some developers are putting at some stage in the
game, I'm talking about apparent problem with rebuilded exe..)

The point is - if you do not know how to crack properly - DON'T DO IT AT ALL!
I'll rather use original disc than download that SecuROM workaround-dump...

Yes, I know rebuilding and removing SecuROM from exe completely
is very hard, but it can be done and some groups should LEARN how to
do it before releasing it to the public. For example - yes, Vitality
also had some bad cracks, but at least they know what they are
doing...JMHOOC.

Regards

[nando2002]

There's no perfect game, there's no perfect crack, there's no perfect life!
If your kid has the nasty habit of lifting DVDs from the floor by dragging it around then it's your fault as a father not teaching him to avoid doing that.
That way you'll never have problems with securom or any other kind of protection games.
Although, many games are released now with online-activation. That should makes you happy (unless your kid learn a new bad habit )
Anyway... you can try to create images from you original DVDs instead of cracks.

[infovs]

@nando2002
You're missing the point completely. And do not offend me by giving me advice how to be a parent as this is a subject you obviously do not know nothing about...I was simply trying to elaborate why fixed exe can sometimes be useful. Everybody has their own reason..

Anyway, you're totally wrong. There ARE perfect cracks...cracks that are done properly and do not crash till the end of the game, simple as that. (I'm not talking about crashing because there are bugs in game, that is to be expected..)

The point is - some cracks from certain cracking groups are done bad and the problem is that problems are not apparent straight away. They should learn to defeat protection and then release exe rather than misleading people to believe they could play the game without NOCD when, infact - they can't...because game will crash somewhere during the play.

[nando2002]

No intention to offend but sometimes we think it's better let them go that hearing crying or worst and with time we loose the "control".

Cracks aren't meant to general public. They get (as everything on the internet) leaked and reach this portion of the internet: the public sites, forums, etc.

Even if you complaint about the cracks or the methodology, they won't hear you because they do it for a restricted group and for their suppliers. The "propers" you get are created by another groups just to show skills to the previous one. It's a war between them. If you checkout the Red Alert 3 crack, a messages appears from Reloaded complaining about the use of their cracks by the leechers.

[Joe Forster/STA]

@infovs: You are missing the point completely, although this particular point is not obvious at all. Crackers do their stuff for kind of showing off; the fact that you, the "end user", actually get access to them is only a side effect. But, however talented these crackers are, they also make mistakes and, because of the war/race nando2002 mentioned, they have little time to finish their work. It has always been like that only, with the advent of sophisticated and tricky copy protections a few years ago, it became more apparent.

Also, there's a saying that, interestingly, exists in Hungarian as well as English: Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

[infovs]

I understand all that...But let me make this more clear then:
In my opinion releasing this SecuROM workaround dump is like somebody gifted you with the car, polished and attractive outside, but with engine that looks like cr** and that is certain to blow up at the end of first trip! **I do not want such a gift!!***...
IMO it would be better for us to have fewer cracks and slower releases but with quality...than "2 minutes after game is been published" fixed EXE that is 50MB big and almost sure to ruin up your game experience if you use it. We should all rather use our original discs in this last case... (Of course, thankfully there are fixed IMAGES so we can play without disc and expecting only usual game bugs...)
To sum it up...there are so many "rules" in "the scene"...why they can't put out one rule that says - "no 30MB+ SecuROM emulation dump for fixed exe"?..it's free but that do not mean that we "end users" can't comment about their work...(yes, I know it's pointless 'cause they do not visit these forums, but anyway...)

[Muyfa666]

You are still looking the gifted horse in the mouth.

The cracks are not made for the end user, therefor, you are not really entitled to complain. Sure you can, since it's mostly a free world, but nobody in the scene asks for, or care about the end users oppinion.

If you can't do it better yourself, but still have demands about how it should be, you are just making up wishes, and if you are making up wishes, you might as well wish that copy protection never existed at all. It still doesn't make it so.

If you want to take it one step further, wish for world peach, no more hunger, etc etc...

[Muji-FightR]

If you don't 'trust' RLD's cracks, don't use them. As simple as that.
It might work for others, maybe the crack only crashes on some weird OSs (especially x64)...
No need to forbid anyone to release something just because it doesn't work for you. Some people prefer an old rusty car over none at all ;D

Besides, if groups knew their cracks don't work, they wouldn't release them.
It's not like they're going "This crack doesn't work at all...but my tools suck...and I wanna be first...Fuck it, I'll just release it anyway"

[Joe Forster/STA]

Originally Posted by Muyfa666

If you want to take it one step further, wish for world peach, no more hunger, etc etc...

In one word: communism. I've been preaching that for years...

[infovs]

Funny...why is it every time someone comment about poor quality cracking skills there is always someone that comment "do it better or don't complain"? Jeez...I only commented on ONE way ONE particular group doing their cracks that I think it should be considered as "nuked" always... If I see a football player plays badly, I will comment about it, no matter I do not play nearly good as him and no matter he don't really asks or care about my opinion. But that does not mean I can't say he sucked, right!? Same here...
[email protected], you're right...I see now that some people really prefer an old rusty car over none at all.

[TippeX]

Originally Posted by Muji-FightR

Besides, if groups knew their cracks don't work, they wouldn't release them.
It's not like they're going "This crack doesn't work at all...but my tools suck...and I wanna be first...Fuck it, I'll just release it anyway"

while in general thats true, there are quite a few exceptions to it, a prime example being bioshock crack by fairlight

and it is also true about poor quality cracks, in quite a few cases, especially ones where the vm is 'compromised' instead of being rebuilt strange things happened, especially on machines that were not the same chipset as the one the crack was made from (dump memory / vm code, patch up vm etc.. it was overlooked in some cases that the actual vm code was encrypted against things like the cpuid, processid and various other things).

some crashes are also 'external' - caused by bad installations of direct x, missing c runtimes (the sxs mess), no installation of .net runtimes, old / outdated video drivers... generally, most of the cracks work and are tried and tested, but some are not tested fully, due to the racing the warez teams do on releases

[Joe Forster/STA]

Originally Posted by infovs

Funny...why is it every time someone comment about poor quality cracking skills there is always someone that comment "do it better or don't complain"?

You're right and you're wrong. The point is that you got all this for free so it's a bit funny that you complain about it. (See Linux. You have problems with it? Download the source, fix it yourself and enjoy!) I mean, yeah, sure, you can complain about it but always mention that you're grateful for the stuff that works - and the majority of it does - and then it won't be considered childish whining - that some knowledgeable people tend to jump on right away - anymore. Criticism is okay but only along with due respect. (Besides, the people whom you criticise don't read this forum anyway and, even if they did, they wouldn't give a fuck about your opinion, be it positive or negative. )

[infovs]

Who said I'm not grateful? Of course I am! And I respect all the work that scene groups do...it's just funny that it's considered whining if I'm not worshiping them in every sentence. Because like you said, they don't give a fuck about my opinion so why should I praise them if they do not read this forum anyway?
Yes, knowledge exactly is a problem, most people do not know how cracks are made and they do not see the difference between 50MB (when it's not UPX packed) and 5MB fixed exe just as long they can start the game And *that* is the reason I'm "complaining"...because yes, there is a big difference. Maybe then we will see less "Is crack for <nameofthegame> out yet?->banned" posts on this forum...because people will notice *quality* takes time and they should prefer that instead of pure releasing speed. Anyway...TippeX's post was right completely...

[Muyfa666]

That's one thing we don't have in common then. If I see a sportsman doing something poorly, I DON'T complain, because I know I wouldn't do it better.

If it bothers you that much with the crappy made cracks, stop playing PC. Buy a console and you won't have to bother with cracks at all, good or bad.

[Morglum007]

Well, not used to reply this kind of topics, but it is funny how some users fucks off others "work".

1.- As some users stated above, cracks are not intended to general public. To a cracker, there is nothing but a crap, that many cracks reaches final public. It is not intended to, but internet is so big, so, there is always "someone" that "leaks" release. There was and there is a "scene" tip: "From scene members to scene members", or another way to understand: Only to ppl who deserves it.

2.- About "quality", just a thing: Ja!, and it is already known i do not like some RlD guys (from a long time now). In fact, Yates, the SecuROMs author (in the past a very good scene cracker) knows so much how he is doing, and how most actual crackers work, so he tries to avoid it. Ah, forgot to mention the direct "dialog" between Yates and scene, compressing poesy (real poesy) in crypted VM. It is somehow a race, and a dialog between. There are many ways a file can be compressed, and also protected, and SecuROM is right now (as solidshield), the most effective.
Most times fixes are just a dump, but i asure u many little ppl out there know how to really crack fully a securom executable. Dumping is the easiest.

3.- Cracks usually are tested by many ppl and in different machines till "release" is done, usually by "third" ppl.

4.- Sometimes i see ppl here requesting for a crack. Consider this, most times that requested file is already done and cracked, but does not leaves the scene influence, because authors doesnt want to do so, to avoid:
a) Other ppl to take merits they dont deserves
b)Dont want publisher/prot author to know how file was unprotected
c)File is buggy or in study progress (mostly solidshield)
d) Examples: Aggression: reign over europe (Solidshield), Dimensity (Solidshield), Mysims (Securom; this last finally "released" by me with permission of TrV)

5.- So, if u get a RlD file and got dissapointed, well, dont use RlD files anymore. RlD have got tons of critics for most of this Christmas cracks launching messages, but it did because something (because was "forced to").

I think it is enough for now, hope wont need to reply here more, and sorry for english, not my strong... ^^

Enjoy, CdS