r/ChoosingBeggars • u/AshkoreDracson • Mar 22 '23
This person pirated my Unity3D game asset, and is asking for help on how to use it
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u/EggInternational1429 Mar 22 '23
Just tell them the instructions come with the purchase
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u/Bayou_Blue Mar 22 '23
me: Ok, start by drawing a pentagram, then surround it with a circle of salt. Now, in your deepest voice say, "Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn."
him: Ok, got it... hold on, there are mad cultists banging on my front door and tentacles coming out of the walls... oh, and my mom just crawled on the ceiling with red eyes while gibbering in a mad tongue. Still no bunker generation though.
me: Give it a sec.
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u/RakeishSPV Mar 22 '23
I wonder if they'd listen to directions to hold a glass of milk over your computer, then slowly and carefully, adjust it to a 70 degree angle from vertical...
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u/Wind_Yer_Neck_In Mar 22 '23
Every day people drive off the road because the sat nav tells them to. This is bound to work if you keep doing it.
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u/Rub-it Mar 22 '23
Also thank them for letting you know about the pirating loophole so you can close it
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u/Beautiful-Mess7256 Mar 22 '23
Yea that phrase wouldn't cause that.
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u/Johnny_Grubbonic Mar 22 '23
Oh? You've tried it?
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u/TheteanHighCommand Mar 22 '23
Yeah I have. Didn’t work
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u/LupusEv Mar 22 '23
"Ah, you might not have downloaded the right format. You just need to go to an admin command prompt (search for command, run as administrator) then type "format c: fs/NTFS" - ignore the warning, it always shows up. After it's done, everything will be in the right format"
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u/Slow_Environment_782 Mar 22 '23
At least he didn’t say he was a single mom.
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u/Kent556 Mar 22 '23
That usually comes one or two messages in, followed shortly by how you’ve ruined their kid’s Christmas
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u/gothlaw Mar 22 '23
“I stole your car, but I can’t drive a stick. Can you show me how to shift gears?”
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u/ItsJoeMomma Mar 22 '23
You wouldn't download a car...
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u/Highlander198116 Mar 22 '23
I just hacked the bank and transferred 30 peoples bank accounts into my own, but I didn't physically take anything. So fair play bro!
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u/latents Mar 22 '23
Too bad you can’t give him instructions that would delete what he stole
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u/MsMaggieMcGill Mar 22 '23
Tell him you're not sure if you can give him instruction faster than he has a burnout, so it might not be worth your effort.
As a designer I understand not buying assets before you're sure they will go into the final version - I use watermarked photos in drafts, and when clients settle on specific photos, they buy them. Not sure this is the case though. And the nerve to ask for support before purchase! This is too much.
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u/LupusEv Mar 22 '23
I'll be honest, can see myself doing this, but would never have the balls to ask for support afterwards.
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u/eBanta Mar 22 '23
Any creator or developer or really anyone into computers past checking email has probably pirated something at some point...Society (not businesses obviously) used to just accept that Napster and limewire were a thing and that there was a 50/50 shot ending up with weird porn or your song but we all did it lol anyone that hasn't either has the straightest moral compass in the universe or was just privileged enough to not need to.
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u/LupusEv Mar 22 '23
Yeah - man, limewire basically set me up for my day job - I learned how to wipe and reinstall windows, tinker with registry settings, remove simple malware, and well, I ended up as a developer.
But, again, the step too far is the contacting the dev for support. I'd also be trying to make sure I paid for the stuff I used - if it's baked into the game, before launch, if it is more peripheral, possibly after. My general rule is I won't make money off pirating things.
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u/eBanta Mar 22 '23
Oh for sure the audacity of the dude to not only ask but to do so in what looks like a public forum is just 🤯
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u/alexgraef Mar 22 '23
Unity assets often come with the full source code, and little to no copy protection. But they're also very reasonably priced. If anything, asking for support without having paid any money whatsoever is pretty ballsy. And there's also the point of simply having to bear the financial risk of buying an asset without actually knowing whether you are ever going to make money off the project you are using it for. That's part of being an indie developer.
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u/FinnT730 Mar 22 '23
I honestly see why indie people pirate stuff, since some stuff is just a few hundered bucks, which they don t have..
Other side is, epic games releases free stuff every month, just extract that, and use it in unity.
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u/MsMaggieMcGill Mar 22 '23
Some of the pirated stuff isn't a lost income for companies, because the pirate wouldn't have bought their product anyway. But asking for support is off limits, as that would cause expenses on their part.
I used to work for a company that made and sold add-ons for e-commerce, and my boss said it was unreasonable to develop anti-pirating protection. Anyone who would want to break it, would be able to do so anyway. Denying support and updates was enough. It worked well.
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u/r_renfield Mar 22 '23
Bet he'll be salty when people pirate his games
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u/Highlander198116 Mar 22 '23
Agree with the other person that the risk of that is probably zero. However, also you are 100% correct. Someone pirating software to make software they intend to sell is pretty goddamn ironic.
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u/collectorguy92 Mar 22 '23
The Lion, The Witch, and the Audacity of This Bitch
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Mar 22 '23
This made my day a lil bit brighter thank you
I genuinely hope you have a great rest of the day
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u/rwarimaursus Mar 22 '23
Chill out random task
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Mar 22 '23
Their comment was funny lol haha literally spit out water I was drinking when I read his comment lol
Apparently people didnt find it funny 😆
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u/ChezBe Mar 22 '23
The guys comment is funny though
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Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 22 '23
?🤣 i dont even know what random task is lol whatever I dunno what you guys are being shitty about lol
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u/Complete_Entry Mar 22 '23
"I shoplifted your product. Help me make more product with that product I shoplifted"
"Also give me a class in game design".
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u/SnakeHugger997 Mar 22 '23
"Hey, so I robbed your bank, but realised it was Euros instead of Dollars, can you show me how to convert the stolen money ? Thanks in advance!"
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u/boisteroushams Mar 22 '23
The guy probably wasn't ever going to pay for it in the first place if he pirated it.
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u/curbstyle Mar 22 '23
"Ima pay you real soon, HONESTLY"
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u/cguy1234 Mar 22 '23
“Would you accept $10, cash in hand?”
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u/Highlander198116 Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 22 '23
My favorite phrase in the world in the second hand market.
Like, MFer I'm not VISA I don't do payment plans so "cash in hand" is assumed.
The other is when people are basically asking me for a warranty. I sold a laptop a couple years ago and this dude when he got here (I plugged it in showed him everything works).
He's like, and if anything goes wrong with it I can bring it back for my money right?
No. Not right. I didn't make the thing, It works fine now. It might go tits up tomorrow, I don't know. That is the risk you take buying things second hand. if you want a warranty buy a new laptop.
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u/ItsJoeMomma Mar 22 '23
As soon as the time is close to release, I will definitely pay for your asset, honestly.
Yeeeaaaaaah, suuuuuure.
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u/FistingUrAsshole Mar 22 '23
Lol sounds like his game is nowhere near done
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u/Ghost3603 I will destroy your business Mar 22 '23
Exactly. I'm assuming he's trying to make a minecraft clone, given he's using a plugin random voxel terrain generation. But if you're just getting started on the terrain gen, chances are you're not that far along.
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u/Highlander198116 Mar 22 '23
Dude, game dev is getting too easy. I just watched a youtube tutorial the other day where a dude with zero experience made a simple GTA like game with one mission with free assets with Unreal in a day. 20 years ago it would take months and months for someone with zero experience to do something like that. I like that it's accessible. However, it breeds people just flooding the game market with uninspired cash grabs.
Like when I look at the steam store so much stuff is just trash you would really have to sift through to find the gems.
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u/chronberries Mar 22 '23
Can you send him an email with an attached “set of instructions” that’s actually malware?
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u/PanicInTheHispanic Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 22 '23
just send him instructions behind a paywall that coincidentally costs as much as the asset.
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u/Complete_Entry Mar 22 '23
Not legally. A regular on another site I use was describing how a modded minecraft distro had been patched with malware and distributed in order to datamine users.
Some idiot asked for a copy.
regular user provided the malware infested game.
Regular user was banned.
The idiot then said that the malware infused version "wasn't very good".
They also refused to follow any remediation steps, essentially making themselves that idiot in the zombie movie who is hiding their bite wound.
Regular user should have just called the idiot an idiot. Instead, that's a resource the site has now lost forever.
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u/robhol Mar 22 '23
"My hourly rate is normally $XX, ${cost of asset * 1000} for people who are this fucking dumb."
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u/Extraltodeus Mar 22 '23
get chatGPT to rewrite the wrong bit of your docs with a strong pirate accent.
JARRRRRR!
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u/the_fancy_wookie Mar 22 '23
No one is going to hit on the fact that toward the end the thief tells the original developer (not asks) that he has to build a bunch of crap for his pirated game because the thief doesn't know how to do it? He phrases it in a way that sounds like the original developer is obligated to do so because it is his game asset.
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u/nametakenfuck Mar 22 '23
Tell him you cant help at the moment but ask 'just in case' what his game is called so you can report to whatever or idk, i dont know what you can do really but maybe unity can ban him?
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u/Deestan Mar 22 '23
No one to report to here, just straight sue for copyright infringement if he creates and distributes a game based on it.
But that's purely theoretical. Making even a simple functioning game takes skill far beyond what is on display here.
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u/JoshDunkley Mar 22 '23
So this is not so much a choosing beggar and more of a... um whats the word...
Thief. This is a thief.
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u/Vortex682 Mar 22 '23
The nerve of this guy.
I paid probably more than 100$ for assets I never end up using.
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u/Cherry_Crystals Mar 22 '23
Lol the nerve to ask you how to use it after stealing it. It is like stealing an iPhone from the apple shop and then coming back to ask how to use it
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u/vaparagno Mar 22 '23
Put your game on the pirate site so I can download a copy and help you debug it
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u/link2edition Mar 22 '23
"Help me learn to drive stick on this car I stole from you. I promise I will buy it after"
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u/dhoomz Mar 22 '23
How much does a license cost?
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u/AshkoreDracson Mar 22 '23
5$
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u/dhoomz Mar 22 '23
Are you kidding me? That person it pathetic for pirating something thats worth $5,-
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u/Forbiddentemptations Mar 22 '23
I’d say, $60 and I’ll tell you. Now he would have paid for the game based on this!
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u/Impossible-Nature961 Mar 23 '23
Troll him, then if he does finish the game. Take it as your own on the basis that the assets can not be traced directly back to him since it was yours.
Before people hate on me. Yes I do understand that this is not how it works.
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u/samtrois Mar 22 '23
What kinda asset are we taking? And would purchase normally get the kind of support they are wanting?
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u/caidus55 Mar 22 '23
The nerve! The absolute gall. I hope you did something awesome and mean to him.
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u/sailorangel59 Mar 22 '23
This is what I would write back, "Hi, no worries about using a pirated copy, we all have struggles. :) But before I can help, you should know about my $180 an hour consulting fee. With a minimum of five hour charge, paid up front before I can provide any assistance. As an Indie programmer on a budget myself I'm sure you will understand. :)" And yes, keep the smiley faces in there for effect.
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u/TurboFool Mar 22 '23 edited Mar 22 '23
I know there are plenty of funnier answers, but man, this couldn't be more simple: "Support comes only with paid purchases." This is fundamental to everyone. Hell, plenty of products don't include support at all unless you pay for a support contract.
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u/MegaKBang Mar 23 '23
Now I am curious, what tool are you selling? I'm currently switching over from Gamemaker to unity and from what I've read your Tool could be useful.
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u/Krazie02 Mar 22 '23
I feel like this is just some new lad trying his best. I can see him genuinely paying for it after a while
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u/Monkfich Mar 22 '23
He doesn’t give any indication that he will. If someone steals something, then that person cannot be trusted around that “something”.
He will do this to any and all assets he can find as long as it makes financial sense to him, and it will always make financial sense to steal something. The thing that stops people stealing is integrity - which this guys shows twice a lack of, (1) stealing in the first place, and (2) asking the dev for support whilst advising him he stole his stuff.
Maybe he will pay in the end this time, if the dev can check to see if it he did buy it (i.e. threat of repercussions if he doesn’t buy it), but there is no indication that he will, and for any assets he steals where he doesn’t need dev support, it is even more unlikely he will ever pay.
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u/Krazie02 Mar 22 '23
Fair enough. Perhaps I’m just too positive about people here. To me, the fact he mentioned he got it pirated himself indicates something of a consciousness, at least.
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u/esuil Mar 22 '23
Nah, new lads who are genuine will be taking this to learn how stuff works and figure stuff out themselves. This guy is just shameless is what he is. Source: also am from poor country.
Any genuine new people in here who are forced to pirate something are usually quite ashamed of it, so they will rather spend 3 days figuring it out themselves than contact the original author. Those who do, are usually not genuine, they are shameless and have no interest in the industry, they just want $$$.
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u/spider_irl Mar 22 '23
Please do come to arts supply store and take some painting equipment from them, promise to pay after someone buys a painting. Or perhaps go to the groceries store and take what you want, as you're starting chef they can't possibly charge for groceries, you will pay them after you open your first restaraunt. What about getting rtx4090 and paying it back after you've got your AI startup going?
All of these, and OP, are cases of stealing. If you steal from someone and then pay them back you aren't a good person, you're just slightly better variation of a scum, yet scum none the less. I won't judge you if you steal a $70 videogame with $800 worth of DLCs from a megacorporation that pays $0 in taxes a year. But stealing from just a dude that most definetely isn't super rich, tries to make some money on the side, has no job security or guarantees from this gig, and might be in ever worse environment than you are? Yeah, there's no excuses there.
Fuck, for all we know the dude might die from hunger while you wait for "later" to pay him for his work that you are using right now.
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u/Krazie02 Mar 22 '23
I can respect that, but: Instead of going to an arts supply store and just taking the painting equipment, this is copying it. The original is still in the store.
Taking it is still rude, yes. But its not as direct stealing it, in my eyes.
We have a tendency to hate “half work” more than completely ignored work. This guy could’ve just grabbed the things and left, but he still intends on paying.
Also based on that, I assume its because this guy cant pay for it rn. Maybe this guy is in the worse situation than OP, we do not know either and can only assume. You are filling in context for both people with information we simply just do not have.
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u/LightRainPeaches Mar 22 '23
Op said in another comment it’s $5. If he can’t pay for that then he goes without it.
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u/spider_irl Mar 22 '23
Webster dictionary defines verb "steal" as "to take the property of another wrongfully." This definition, as well as most others, does not list a requirement for other party to lose something. And yes, intellectual property is property.
It's not like I need to explain someone in the current year that a copy of something can have value. We buy and sell copies all the time: games, music, movies, shows. Hell, nowadays we often don't even buy a copy, we pay for a time-limited access to one. "But it's not real" was a shaky argument in early 90s, using it in 2023 is simply pathetic.
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u/Krazie02 Mar 22 '23
I’m not saying that a copy doesnt have value! I absolutely think copies have value!
To me, the worst part of stealing has never been that someone else has something, its that the previous owner doesnt have it anymore. Copying, than stealing it, is still a dick move to me. Its just ranked lower than stealing an original object
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u/spider_irl Mar 22 '23
While I fully respect your right to personal values, I can't really agree with your conclusions. We don't live in a world where physical properties bring in value. When people buy a Tesla or an iPhone, for example, they don't buy them because those are the products containing so much steel, aluminium, glass, plastic or silicon. The cost by most part comes from engineers/mecanics work hours invested into propreitary technology, software, logistics and branding. In the end, all those are applicable to digital goods just as much.
While physical objects do indeed have unique properties, those properties aren't inherintly more (or less) valuable.
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u/MillennialsAre40 Mar 22 '23
It's probably a kid/novice messing around and trying to learn. His 'game' will never see release and it's ultimately probably an educational use. Piracy isn't always evil.
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u/Monkfich Mar 22 '23
He/she should go to their parents if they want to buy the assets. Piracy in this case is evil as it takes money directly away from a 1-man developer, who might only make money this way.
The people that say piracy is ok in this thread don’t have any idea of the impact of piracy, especially on small companies.
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u/MillennialsAre40 Mar 22 '23
That's a lost sale fallacy. It assumes there would be a purchase if not for the piracy.
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u/Monkfich Mar 22 '23
It’s only partially important to discuss whether piracy at an individual level was or wasn’t a lost sale - it’s the market that matters. A product that is more in demand usually is worth more to the entity that produces and sells that item. If it suddenly is in demand by people that can’t afford it, and they pirate it, it reduces that demand and the premium that the seller can put on it. Society needs to make clear that these products are off-limits for anyone not willing to pay for them.
If it’s not off-limits for professional softwares to be pirated, then is it ok for these to be “shared” within friend groups of professionals? Was it still not a lost sale if that person shared it with 10 people, and the market was reduced by 10? What if it’s pirated by 1000 and the market is squeezed by that 1000. Are you saying that all 1000 weren’t going to buy it? Basing an argument on a the impact of an individual pirating is a strawman fallacy, when you need to look at the bigger picture - which that individual also fits into.
If piracy becomes rampant in a market, the market cannot sustain all sellers / players in it, and this pushes small sellers in that market to bankruptcy. Are you ok with small firms going under because of piracy?
Should kids pirate games? No. They are luxury goods and they do not need them. Full stop. I’ve been a kid, I know how Wanting Something works.
Should adults pirate professional software? No. People that do that are thieves. If they want to be professional, go to the bank and get a loan and setup a new company like anyone else does.
Pirates are choosing beggars. They want something specific (choosing) and are willing to pay nothing (beggars) for it, with a potential impact of reducing both market size and the price of the product.
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u/Ghost3603 I will destroy your business Mar 22 '23
All the more reason that helping him for free will yield no results, as he's not going to make any money and isn't going to pay for the product anyway.
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u/MillennialsAre40 Mar 22 '23
Or he'll learn how to use the program and build up the skills he needs to develop a portfolio and pursue his passion. Using assets to learn is completely appropriate
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u/esuil Mar 22 '23
Using assets to learn is completely appropriate
But he is not doing that. He is just taking assets and asks for handouts instead of learning from them.
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u/CardboardChampion Mar 22 '23
Find out their dev/company name, the type of game, and then follow their releases and demand a cut of any profits though a lawyer unless they can prove they used the paid asset before release.
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u/WitchOfWords Mar 22 '23
“I always use piracy to develop my games” is one hell of an opener