[Zehlendorf]

Hello, I was trying to create a custom wow.exe that is associated with my custom patches, so that I not only need to download the patches (.MPQ) but also the wow.exe custom so that they can enter the game.
So far what I could do is change the build of the wow (12340) for another, and that way you have to use the custom wow.exe to play. But what I want to do is that when they are using my patches (.MPQ) they can not start wow.exe unless it is mine (custom wow.exe).

Any kind of ideas or suggestions are welcome.

[Skarn]

Patch the chunk magics of all DBC files and other small size files and change the string the client is looking for and include all of them in your custom patches to override previous versions. As a result, your WoW.exe won't work without your patch, as well as normal WoW.exe would work with yours. However, it is quite easy for some people to revert this change. In order to make it a bit harder and require some additional software, you might consider changing the names of the tables in WoW.exe, so that your DBC are named in a different way. Anyway there is no ultimate protection. Everything can be reversed back.

[Zehlendorf]

Yeah i was checking how to do it, but not have succes yet. Can you tell me how to "Patch the chunk magics of all DBC files and other small size files and change the string the client is looking for " I think it's the Startup_String.dbc or wowerror_strings.dbc but im not 100% sure.

Thanks for reply :D.

[Skarn]

1 hour ago, Zehlendorf said:

Yeah i was checking how to do it, but not have succes yet. Can you tell me how to "Patch the chunk magics of all DBC files and other small size files and change the string the client is looking for " I think it's the Startup_String.dbc or wowerror_strings.dbc but im not 100% sure.

Thanks for reply :D.

It is done by writing your own software that can manipulate those file's bytes. Swapping magics in the exe can be done with 010 editor or similar software. Patching files can also be done through scripts in there. There is no easier solution.

[wungasaurus]

It is not worth the effort doing this at all.

[Zehlendorf]

It helps, many players are will not able to use emuhacker cause of the custom.exe.

Skarn do yo know where I can see a tutorial about it? 

Thanks.

[Callmephil]

why is so important for people to encrypt their patches ? their no point of it. everyone can retro-port, everyone can retrieve a custom map or a listfile. it's just a waste of time. bli did made it harder at some point but still some people achieve to reverse it and share out so you me and other can learn and mods..

 

PS: there's an easier way if you want to "protect" your dbc files.

[Skarn]

23 hours ago, wungasaurus said:

It is not worth the effort doing this at all.

It is worth it. Noobs who often want to steal pathces usually do not know how to reverse this stuff. People who know something are unlikely to steal your content because they do not care or can create something on their own.

[Skarn]

22 hours ago, Zehlendorf said:

It helps, many players are will not able to use emuhacker cause of the custom.exe.

Skarn do yo know where I can see a tutorial about it? 

Thanks.

There is no tutorial. It kills the point of doing this.

[Zehlendorf]

[wungasaurus]

3 hours ago, Skarn said:

It is worth it. Noobs who often want to steal pathces usually do not know how to reverse this stuff. People who know something are unlikely to steal your content because they do not care or can create something on their own.

Noobs who steal patches are not actual competition though since their shitty server with copied together stuff is not actually worth playing. If someone is able to make stolen content into a worthwhile experience, they will also be able to "decrypt" or reverse your custom exe. After all, that's likely a 10 minute job.

[Skarn]

1 minute ago, wungasaurus said:

Noobs who steal patches are not actual competition though since their shitty server with copied together stuff is not actually worth playing. If someone is able to make stolen content into a worthwhile experience, they will also be able to "decrypt" or reverse your custom exe. After all, that's likely a 10 minute job.

They usually steal stuff like custom item models which appear on their shitty 255 level servers and your own project looses the feeling of uniqueness since people might have seen the same stuff everywhere else.

[Callmephil]

it's disappointing how much some server count on "exlusive" model content. anyway.. my community pack provide a large amount of work already and will be updated as soon as i figure out how to fix all 3D's things. i will also share my tools if i manage to code properly one day..

 

"it's not the models that count it's what you do with them that does"

[Skarn]

2 hours ago, Callmephil said:

it's disappointing how much some server count on "exlusive" model content. anyway.. my community pack provide a large amount of work already and will be updated as soon as i figure out how to fix all 3D's things. i will also share my tools if i manage to code properly one day..

 

"it's not the models that count it's what you do with them that does"

It is just always disappointing for a designer to see your work being stolen and reused in some shitty distasteful environment. If I have a chance to make things harder for such people, I am going to do it, if it does not take insane amount of time. Those patches to .exe/files are not time consuming at all. The more time you spend on creating the concept of the artwork, actually doing it (considering we have rather shitty tools in the community on all fronts for now), the more valueable it becomes to you. Tools are an entirely different thing. The whole purpose why this website exists is to help people mod WoW and tools have exactly the same goal. But using someone else's tools is not the same as using someone else's artwork without permisson.

[Skarn]

5 hours ago, wungasaurus said:

Noobs who steal patches are not actual competition though since their shitty server with copied together stuff is not actually worth playing. If someone is able to make stolen content into a worthwhile experience, they will also be able to "decrypt" or reverse your custom exe. After all, that's likely a 10 minute job.

I'd rather have actual competitors steal my content rather than noobs because that makes your stuff look valuable. And no sane competitor who takes things seriously is going to spoil their reputation by acting this way.

[Callmephil]

7 hours ago, Skarn said:

It is just always disappointing for a designer to see your work being stolen and reused in some shitty distasteful environment. If I have a chance to make things harder for such people, I am going to do it, if it does not take insane amount of time. Those patches to .exe/files are not time consuming at all. The more time you spend on creating the concept of the artwork, actually doing it (considering we have rather shitty tools in the community on all fronts for now), the more valueable it becomes to you. Tools are an entirely different thing. The whole purpose why this website exists is to help people mod WoW and tools have exactly the same goal. But using someone else's tools is not the same as using someone else's artwork without permisson.

I completely agree with you for the art work but it's still a really restricted talent which not a lot of people are capable of, most people are looking for newer expac content and this is completely stupid to lock them.

[Zehlendorf]

4 hours ago, Callmephil said:

I completely agree with you for the art work but it's still a really restricted talent which not a lot of people are capable of, most people are looking for newer expac content and this is completely stupid to lock them.

Yeah alot of "players" wants new maps, mounts, creatures etc etc, but it really suck if some "gm" take all your effort and says that he do it, at least they should thank but I've seen cases that are friendly when they want something, and after they have obtained what they want they simply block you, you never know what kind of people you're going to run into.