EVE Online source code stolen, seeded

by Ross Miller { Apr 15th 2008 at 3:30PM }

Space piracy has transformed into actual piracy, as source code for EVE Online has been stolen and unleashed onto the web via torrent. While it may not be the full source code -- one Slashdot commenter said it was just Python source -- developer CCP is expectedly none too happy.

According to Community Manager "CCP Wrangler" on the official forums, "Anyone found distributing or discussing decompiled client code will face an in game ban." As to how they know who's distributing the code, various reports say CCP is seeding the torrent themselves and using the associated IP to ban the related accounts. Now that's just dirty.

[Via Massively]

Tags: ccp, ccp-games, eve, eve-online

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Chrysalid @ Apr 15th 2008 3:39PM

That's pretty rough all around.

McWeen @ Apr 15th 2008 3:39PM

People play EVE?

DemonGSides @ Apr 15th 2008 3:45PM

A lot.

Dr. @ Apr 15th 2008 3:50PM

Generally 30-40k people online at any given time, I believe. It's no WoW by any means.

Ranus Studios @ Apr 15th 2008 3:41PM

I've never played it in my life, nor did I ever know what it was about. Maybe I'll download it just for kicks.

Jeff @ Apr 15th 2008 3:49PM

It's not a game you can play just for kicks. It takes more skill and knowledge than most careers.

Depressingly, it lacks in fun.

Skip @ Apr 15th 2008 3:45PM

Maybe CCP leaked it to generate interest in EVE... makes sense?

Einhanderkiller @ Apr 15th 2008 6:27PM

No. From what I've heard, CCP is banning the IP addresses of people who download the torrents from EVE Online.

Martez @ Apr 15th 2008 3:47PM

EVE Online is an awesome game.

copa @ Apr 15th 2008 3:49PM

If we take CCP Wrangler at his word, and this is "decompiled client code", then nothing is stolen here. Someone just ran a decompiler on the Eve software that they purchased and they legally own.

Sounds like CCP didn't run an obfuscator during their compilation process, or they ran a weak one.

In most countries, it is not legal to re-distribute the source one it is decompiled. But it would be perfectly legal to distribute instructions so that every one who owns a copy of the game can decompile their own source.

Sounds like the horse is out of the barn here, and CCP is going to have to find a more constructive approach than banning their paying customers.

Uy Tran @ Apr 15th 2008 3:51PM

EVE online is a very unique game. Everything is player controlled and you can do things like PvP and mine anzzZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

Martez @ Apr 15th 2008 3:55PM

Good point.

Alzheimers @ Apr 15th 2008 3:55PM

This graph probably describes EVE best:
http://go-dl.eve-files.com/media/0803/LearningCurve.jpg

Martez @ Apr 15th 2008 3:56PM

That's referring to the card game, I think.

Tyler @ Apr 15th 2008 4:11PM

Nah, that's referring to the game, otherwise why compare LOTR Online? There was another EVE long ago, the EVE as we know it now is Second Genesis.

Tyler @ Apr 15th 2008 4:11PM

Oh, and it's fucking hilarious and true.

Noka @ Apr 15th 2008 4:13PM

The x and y axes should be reversed ;)

I never cared for EVE much seeing how it was basically every other muhmorpugur but just in outer space.

m4xn00b @ Apr 17th 2008 5:07AM

time should always be on the x axis...

dbellinger @ Apr 15th 2008 3:57PM

This wouldn't be the first person to get caught live that. My brother was trying to d/l Spiderman 2 shortly after hitting theaters and all he got was the trailer repeated several times and an e-mail from our ISP stating that MGM (or whoever published it) threatening to sue them if they did not terminate our service... Neither of which happened.

Green_Ogre @ Apr 15th 2008 3:58PM

I wonder if Blizzard has to deal with this shit? I mean, fuck, stealing source code, Designers selling secrets, this game sounds just like real life trading. All the insidious plots and underground dealings. Though the seeding trick is quite funny, because they can go on...say, an unprotected wifi hotspot, or even a school computer and it would be worthless to them when they ban that IP. I don't approve of stealing source code like this from businesses, but I'll admit with what else has been going on with this game; it's rather funny.

Deck @ Apr 15th 2008 4:12PM

I played the trial version of EVE. What I found was that to actually make it an enjoyable game, you had to pretty much play it as your job. Its that in-depth.

Maverick Saturn @ Apr 15th 2008 4:45PM

Bored me to death, wait....I'm dead?

j4s0n @ Apr 15th 2008 5:14PM

It wasn't stolen, it was leaked.

Its only the client side source that was leaked, not the server. (although they could reverse engineer the messaging potentially and mock a server after a lot of work and assumptions).

On a side note, this has happened before, and with a much more serious scale (Halflife 2).