Need advice on protecting a Mac Game

[Cartman]

I'm looking to release a demo or time restricted version of my game on Apple.com and wanted to know what would be the best approach.

Should a file be created in a secret place and checked to see if the game has expired? I'm not familiar with the registry equivalent on a Mac and would appreciate any advice.

Some people have suggested to me that I should have two versions and just have them download the full version. But I wanted to know all my options first.

I'm not trying for anything that will stop a determined hacker, just a basic preventative measure.

Thanks in advance.

[Musenik]

Hey Cartman,

On Mac, you can add files to several locations in the User directory tree. There is no registry per se, but I suspect some developers know some secret places to stash such info.

If you have a decent installer, you can place a time-stamped file in the system area, such as /Library/Application Support/blah/blah/blah... but that requires the user to type in their admin password.

I just use the 'home' equivalent: ~/Library/Application Support/blah/blah/blah. You can make a file invisible two ways. There is a file info bit, and any file that starts with a period is kept invisible by the OS.

Not great for copy protection, but should serve the unsophisticated majority.

[GolfHacker]

In the case of Dirk Dashing, the trial version just includes the first 5 levels and 1 secret level. You can play those levels as much as you want without limitation. The separate full version contains all 30 levels.

As for Fashion Cents Deluxe, which I'm releasing this coming Friday, it does exactly what Musenik described. As you said, you're not going to stop anyone from hacking it, if that's what they want to do - just keep honest people honest.

But even a hacker (basic or otherwise) would have to keep finding and hacking the trial file every time the trial expired. Some users might be happy with this initially, but later decide that spending the money would be worth it to save them some time and frustration.

Also, in my case, the trial version of FCD is limited in several other ways. Besides being limited to five free games, the trial version only has a very limited set of clothing items, limited music, and limited audio. Finding and hacking the trial file to extend the life of the trial version won't help much, because it will quickly become old with the limited game content. But the full version (which will be distributed as a separate download) has an Auto Update button built into it to automatically download new add-on clothes for the game, including items that help you go further in the game. And the full version has a full 22-minute soundtrack and a wide variety of voiceovers to keep the audio fresh for a long time. So there are numerous benefits to registering besides just getting unlimited gameplay.

[Grey Alien]

Hmm interesting. So how do you safety distribute a separate download only to people that have paid?

How about putting games on apple.com, do they mind if it's just a limited demo?

So I presume you have your own "upsell" page in your Mac games leading to your shopping site (whatever Vendor you use).

[Red Marble Games]

Apple doesn't host anything, they just list your game description and link to your homepage and demo. So you don't need to worry about your DRM approach in listing at Apple.

[GolfHacker]

The download is only acquired through my e-commerce system after payment is received. Beyond that, I regularly scan the internet for illegal postings of the full game (which so far has only happened once in a year), and then utilize the services of StampOutPiracy.com to remove any unauthorized links.

Maybe I'm naive, but this system is simple and effective. Painless for genuine customers, and very little stress for me. Much less stressful than dealing with registration codes (which I did for my first two games). Besides, casual folks who might scan the internet for cracks are more hesitant to download a file (which might be hacked full of spyware and trojans) than to try a registration code that someone has posted on some site somewhere.

[Grey Alien]

Apple doesn't host anything, they just list your game description and link to your homepage and demo. So you don't need to worry about your DRM approach in listing at Apple.That's a relief! thanks.

Hmm so some people prefer to deliver the full version via special link. I guess that's nice and easy but I was "nervous" of having the full unprotected game out there.

[jankoM]

I was "nervous" of having the full unprotected game out there.

you can stream any download through the php script. The script can log every download and all his info.. you can also send them link with a "key" embeded in and program it in a way so that every key can be used only 3 times and that it timeouts. Without the proper key (which is created at purchase) noone can download anything. I made something like this for someone (not games related).

with mod_rewrite on apache link can look just like normal file for example .. www.yoursite.com/download/gamename_key.exe or whatever