Errrm ... the built that was leaked was not a built made for testing. It doesn't look like it was one of their testers who has leaked it. It looks more like somebody forgot that E3 presentation built on some harddrive or forgot to delete a mirror backup ghost. Maybe even during E3
Tetris, the build was being tested, as with any alpha and beta. My point was, that even if none of the testers released the pre-alpha, they are suspects. Testers get treated badly (generally speaking), the last thing they need is the stress of being suspected of stealing.
*NOTE: Below is a rant. I use the pronoun "You" alot. This is not directed at any particular person. Instead, it's used in the plural sense*
I don't hate or dislike anyone who downloaded the stolen product. On a personal level, this is more about your morals and beliefs.
On a moral level, Legend doesn't have to prove they were damaged by the mass distribution of the stolen product. The fact remains, they entrusted someone with access to the pre-alpha and it was released to the public. A day after the release, people knew it was a stolen product, yet continued to download the pre-alpha.
No matter how anyone tries to justify it, they contributed to a thief's subconcious desire to receive "Cool Points". As a by-product, Legend's, nay, every developer's opinion about the fans deminished. Yes, they will still make games, but this time...strictly for profit.
Gamers are constantly crying about CD Keys, bad copy protection schemes and so on and so on. Well, it's this exact situation that forces developers to use such protection. Everyone biatchs and moans when they do use it, but turn around and download pirated copies or stolen alphas. Don't even try to say "We download pirated copies because games cost so much" or "we wouldn't have to download pirated copies if the copy protection was stable", because that is sooo weak. You receive demos at the proper time. Save your money if you really like the game. Game companies have to raise prices or use funky protection because somewhere in the past, people ripped them off.
Now, we have Epic, Digital Extremes, ID, Legend and many more who actually communicate with their fans and even release "No-CD patches". How does the loving and grateful fans repay them? By participating in the distrubution of stolen property. Yes, even if you only downloaded it for personal pleasure, you contributed. Check the law. If you knowingly purchase or accept stolen property, you are just as guilty.
Legally, Legend can sue the people involved with the illegal distribution of the pre-alpha. Hell, if they really wanted to push the envelope, they can sue everyone who downloaded the stolen alpha (not that they will, but they legally can and would win).
Legend doesn't have to prove monetary loss. All they have to do is prove their intellectual property was stolen and illegally distributed. LeonTheProfi, you fail to realize that winning a lawsuit does not revolve around "How much money was lost". Any present or future damages received by this illegal distribution of the pre-alpha can be used in court to prove their case.
Here is something for you "Fans" to think about. One day after the official release of Unreal Tournament, a crack was made. Now, pirates have the Unreal 2 code and are cracking away. If you see cheats, new aimbots, cracks, or other malicious activities, you can thank those who stolen the pre-alpha. Don't be surprised if Unreal 2's current release date is scrapped.
Again, I'm not upset at anyone here. Instead, some of us are "extremely" pissed at the moralization of this situation. There isn't one person here, who has any honor, that wouldn't be upset if someone took their hard work and released it prematurely.
If any of you map, mod, code, draw, or make any product (full or partial) then you would be just as upset. If you wrote a story and gave it to me to proof-read and I released it to the public, you would be pissed. If you made a mod or map, showed it to me and I took it and released it, you would be pissed. Yet, because this pre-alpha was not any of your hard work, you think it's ok. If you actually think it's ok, then you never made anything worth having.
We are upset about the hypocrisy and selfish attitudes in the Unreal community. The short sightedness of some people ruin the future for the rest of us. So you downloaded and played the game, fine. But don't come in here and expect us to understand your heartfelt desire to see the game. The plain and simple truth of the matter is, you wanted to play the game. You didn't care about the circumstances involved. You cover your eyes to the fact pirates and hackers will rip that code apart. It really doesn't matter if YOU aren't distributing the pre-alpha, ripping the code, or creating malicious logic, you participated in the crime of stealing someone's personal property.
I'm not trying to make anyone feel guilty. All I'm saying is that we need to respect other people's work. If you don't want people stealing your stuff, then don't steal from them. Stealing is stealing. The object of desire may be look or function differently, but if it's not yours, by purchase or bonifide release, then you have no right to have it.
