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| Developer(s) | Codemasters |
|---|---|
| Type | Digital restrictions management |
FADE (or DEGRADE) is digital rights management software developed by Codemasters. FADE operates by checking whether a game has been pirated; if it has, it initially allows the game to run normally, but deliberately alters gameplay mechanics over time to make the game difficult, if not outright unplayable.
FADE introduces deliberate errors in some of the sectors of the disc, which resemble the errors typically seen on scratched CDs and DVDs. When the disc is copied, the error-correction mechanism (both CDs and DVDs employ error-correction techniques) will notice the errors and automatically correct them.
When the game is launched, the game's executable looks for the errors. If the errors are present, FADE will determine that the disc is a legal copy of the game. If they errors are not present, FADE will determine that the disc is a copy and that the game has been pirated. There is no notification or error message that tells the player that a fake disc image has been detected, which makes it very difficult for software crackers to determine if their crack has succeeded in defeating FADE.
Upon detecting a pirated copy, FADE gradually alters gameplay mechanics and core features to render the game extremely difficult, if not outright impossible, to play normally. The issues introduced by FADE are often designed to resemble glitches, or otherwise frustrate or surprise unsuspecting pirates, giving the impression that the game is simply bugged without revealing the true nature of the issue. Occasionally, the intention of FADE's implementation may also be to "out" pirates by tricking them into detailing their "game-breaking bug" on support forums, often resulting in the pirate being banned from the forum or, if possible, even the game itself. [1] [2]
The effects of FADE vary depending on the game it is implemented in. For example, in Arma 2 , FADE gradually decreases the accuracy of the player's weapons, making it very difficult to hit a target, even at close range. FADE can also reverse the controls of vehicles, or make them randomly start and stop moving. Eventually, FADE will turn the player into a bird and display a message that reads "Good birds do not fly away from this game, you have only yourself to blame". [1] However, not all FADE applications produce results this extreme; Take On Helicopters , which uses DEGRADE, simply blurs and warps the player's screen upon detecting a pirated game, making it extremely difficult to see clearly. [2]
Bohemia Interactive used FADE in all of their releases until Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis , [1] after which DEGRADE was used instead. [3]
Serious Sam 3: BFE uses FADE by introducing overpowered or indestructible enemies in the zone.
Beatmatching or pitch cue is a disc jockey technique of pitch shifting or timestretching an upcoming track to match its tempo to that of the currently playing track, and to adjust them such that the beats are synchronized—e.g. the kicks and snares in two house records hit at the same time when both records are played simultaneously. Beatmatching is a component of beatmixing which employs beatmatching combined with equalization, attention to phrasing and track selection in an attempt to make a single mix that flows together and has a good structure.
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SafeDisc is a copy protection program for Microsoft Windows applications and games distributed on optical disc. Created by Macrovision Corporation, it was aimed to hinder unauthorized disc duplication. The program was first introduced in 1998 and was discontinued on March 31, 2009.
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Music piracy is the copying and distributing of recordings of a piece of music for which the rights owners did not give consent. In the contemporary legal environment, it is a form of copyright infringement, which may be either a civil wrong or a crime depending on jurisdiction. The late 20th and early 21st centuries saw much controversy over the ethics of redistributing media content, how much production and distribution companies in the media were losing, and the very scope of what ought to be considered piracy – and cases involving the piracy of music were among the most frequently discussed in the debate.
Video game piracy is the unauthorized copying and distributing of video game software, and is a form of copyright infringement. It is often cited as a major problem that video game publishers face when distributing their products, due to the ease of being able to distribute games for free, via torrenting or websites offering direct download links. Right holders generally attempt to counter piracy of their products by enforcing the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, though this has never been totally successful. Digital distribution of pirated games has historically occurred on bulletin board systems (BBS), and more recently via decentralized peer-to-peer torrenting. In terms of physical distribution, Taiwan, China and Malaysia are known for major manufacturing and distribution centers for pirated game copies, while Hong Kong and Singapore are major importers.
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