HL2 Source Code Leaked!

and it gets WORSE!

Some a-hole has released a working build of the leaked source + assets.

http://money.cnn.com/2003/10/07/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/index.htm?cnn=yes

I sincerly hope (and I'm keeping my fingers crossed) they get caught, and made into someones bitch in the lockup! And they should be made to pay restitution to Vivendi and Valve!

Incidentally, my 'friend' who downloaded the leaked source+assets, and managed to compile a working build, has apparently made a full report to Valve. He's back on my xmas list now. (a bunch of us threatened to tell his employer unless he did).

I'd like to hear how some of the posters on here thought Valve was supposed to operate more securely?

Valve didn't do anything wrong; you can't lock up your source code on a single computer in a vault or something. Not only do all the developers need a local checkout of the source tree to work on it, but artists and producers will need it to build the latest incremental versions as well.

Obviously any computer you're checking the source code out on will need network access to the repository where the source resides. Valve can hardly be expected to build an isolated network just to hook development boxes to the source control server. (This doesn't even address offsite developers needing access to the source)

Lastly, it's a huge pain to write code (imho) without Internet access. There's a million arcane library functions written by third parties that need looking up; there's updates to SDKs to be obtained; there's hardware details to be referenced.

Valve didn't do anything abnormal as far as security of their source code, in my opinion. From all the information in the open so far, they were the target of a very sophisticated external attack possibly tailored exactly to their systems. Amusingly, Microsoft is really as much at fault as Valve.

Please note my apparent anger in this post is anger at the schmucks that pulled this off, channeled into a post responding to you guys.

ROFL these guys are SO going to get caught.

they are getting to big for themselves.

they have made some anonymous statements on IRC that valve is lying about how much was stolen.


according to them they stole the FULL source code and lots of other stuff.

and to prove it and teach valve a lesson they're going to release a pre gold full version of the game online.

supposedly it will be most of the full game,though buggy,and they will release a few patches to fix issues.

lol when guys like this get cocky they get caught.

and if you consider that this is probably the most public case of game piracy ever if these guys are caught they WILL make an example of them.

also supposedly they didnt get into the system through any real remote means.

they made direct contact with someone on the valve network and i think got the guy into a p2p program or something like that,but whatever happened it allowed them to get in.


no amount of network security can protect against a situation like that really.

Remind me not to confide in you

-AP

Lol AP

To explain myself (even though you put a smiley on your post, I don't want people to get the wrong idea about me)...

Anything else, I probably wouldnt have battered an eyelid... but being in the game-dev business myself, I just couldn't sit by without doing something. Valve were so close to release! Plus I have been really looking forward to HL2!

I've had builds and even source and graphical assets leaked from my company in the past (way way smaller projects than HL2 obviously, but still a lot of love and talent went into it all, not to mention money). It cost our company dearly in lost potential revenue and cancelled contracts, so I really sympathise with Valve.

Whether we would have told my friends employer or not... well, threats don't have to be followed through to be effective. We all just responded to Valves call to the HL community as far as we were concerned. The guy was wrong.

It amazed me that it took us pointing out how upset he would have been if someone leaked HIS latest game (which is kinda his baby, even though he only has so much control) for him to see what he was doing was wrong. I'm glad that worked, because I honestly don't think I COULD have told his boss... he's got a wife and kids to support.

At the end of the day though, when five of your friends all agree you've been an idiot, you should really listen to them. He did, and we're all friends again.

I urge you all - if you have a chance to download the leaked build, or get offered it... DONT! Think about what part you are playing in this fiasco. You might as well go and kick all the programmers and artists in the nuts and shout "we don't want you to write any more games".

^^^exactly half life 2 by what ie seen is going to be a GREAT game and im happy to support the devs with my money and maybe they'll continue to produce great games.


also folks if nothing else,do you really want to spoil te game for ourself by downloading some buggy incomplete mess of a game?

if you do download it you wont enoy it nearly as much as the full game and you wont even have multiplayer,then when the game is released you wont enjoy it nearly as much as you would have.