50 replies to this topic

[Noah Fentz]

What gives them the right to use any of our work?

Could you please PM me their contact information.

[destruk]

What gives them the right to use any of our work?

Could you please PM me their contact information.

Their contact info is on the prior page of this thread. Feel free to sue them if you like.
Visual Pinball - used/preinstalled with permission from Randy
Visual PinMAME - they will have their customers download it from pinmame.com and install themselves which satisfies that license agreement.
The tables, they aren't preloading them on their cabinet and the tables are downloaded from here as well as their own site to enable the coin slots on their machine.
They sell their pinball hardware just like you sell your pinball hardware - what gives anyone the right to load a visual pinball table on their own computer?
The roms, that's for Williams/Bally to prosecute them for - if the roms are being packaged with their hardware. I don't think they're going to keep shipping roms with their cabinet now, so that avenue of prosecution is gone too.

What more could you ask for?

[powerchisper]

....And they had to be Spanish....please excuse the rest of the Spanish , but there are here " more gipsies than barefoot dogs "

The cabinet is pretty ugly too.

In Spanish forums www.petacos.com/foro.html we have been already talking shit about those guys.

[Noah Fentz]

Yeah, I guess I'm just irritated that they just decided to take what they wanted without even a thought or thanks.

Some people.



On this note ...

They sell their pinball hardware just like you sell your pinball hardware - what gives anyone the right to load a visual pinball table on their own computer?

We sell our cabs for NON COMMERCIAL USE ONLY. It's obvious they have other intentions, and they MOD our tables without permission. I would never dream of doing that.

[EalaDubhSidhe]

The sons of bitches, I IMMEDIATELY recognized JP's ramp and rail work. Normally I'd hope Stern gives them a good rapping for the direct steal of the Spider-Man playfield, but this could also have serious reprecussions for the hobby work that we do here, for free.

[Rawd]

Bi-Fucka ??

[slam23]

I just saw that JP has decided to call it quits for a while because he's upset that they included his Spiderman table without permission. I do hope that a solution can be reached because this is just plain awful! JP has given to much to this community to just stand idly by when some @sshole company tries to benefit from his work. Can't we do something about this?
Slam23

[oooPLAYER1ooo]

I know where JP is coming from, I'm not happy with our lw3 being used and modded.

[lettuce]

Jesus this sucks, what arsehole's!! So have they agreed to NOT include any tables with there cabs now, has a contract been writen up that shows this??

Are all aurthos going to have to add a start up screen to their tables now with their own copyright law on saying its their property and not to be used or modded without authority.....or though can you copyright an already copyrighted product???

Edited by lettuce, 24 May 2011 - 10:10 AM.

[bmiki75]

I'm really sorry about this episode, especially for, i hope temporary, JP exit.
I love JP work , he made masterpice art and pinball, i have learned a lot from his work.

Also the cabinet they are selling is horrible it does not look as a real pinball.
I think that who want a cab can build it and obtain a certain better result.

Mik

[bladexdsl]

the links to this should be removed your advertising for them!

[Liteuser]

I'm very sad to hear about this.

It was wrong to Mod these tables without Permission from the Original table Author and it breaks the VPForums Rules on table mods.

I can understand why table Authors have stopped building tables. It's a sad day for table Authors and VP Fans.

[destruk]

If I could find any way to truly prevent this from happening you know I would. They asked JPSalas to use his tables, he said no, and they used them anyway so that doesn't inspire much trust - but they did say they're sorry and they aren't going to include tables with their product in the future. Of course, the damage is already done, and it doesn't make up for what they did. So I'm out of ideas.

[Killerkop]

http://www.ipdb.org/...ine.cgi?id=5616

We can all rate and comment on it here.

Whether anyone see's it or not, who knows.

[sleepy]

Hate to suggest it, but locking the tables???
A hacker will still be able to crack it though.

What if there were a separate locked segment in the .vpt that checks the system and if it comes back as unauthorized hardware (as bifucka ware), then it will not play?

Or a special Author-enabled lockout that allows adjusting the Objects that are already on the .vpt table, but blocks replacing the Objects and graphics/sounds? If the Author leaves this lock disabled, then the table can still be modded, but not not when the lock is enabled. This lock should also disable the Import/Export functions and Copy/Paste functions in the script, again, based on Author settings only, same the existing locks.

But then Randy has given contractual approval, so that's questionable also.

[destruk]

Who needs a hacker when the software is open source? You can change one line of code and compile your own VP that bypasses any lock code, so what good would table locking do now?

[epthegeek]

I found a bit more on it, on Pinball News....
Pinball News

Did anybody else notice how harsh Pinball News was to VP in that article?

"The game play was rather poor and the table very flat-looking, with the software seemingly programmed by someone unfamiliar with the pinball basics, ..."

"Although the ball physics were a long way from realistic, ..."

I know, I know - the tide of the conversation is "screw these thieves!" but that haterade from PN was a bit rough.

[sleepy]

Who needs a hacker when the software is open source? You can change one line of code and compile your own VP that bypasses any lock code, so what good would table locking do now?

Couldn't the .vpt table file be coded for "No Lock code in the VP.exe (Return = Null or Return <> Value), then abort the .vpt"?

Kinda like a table that uses Startshake and trying to play it in VP8, but the lock command is also encrypted.
But it would need to be executable code on loading the .vpt to the editor.

Aw Hell. Just call it "Free Frustration".

Edited by sleepy, 24 May 2011 - 10:01 PM.

[TheMcD]

Meh. We've had tons of people making money off of CDs with VP and FP on them. Now with cabinet selling coming into style - with Noah selling them as well - it's obvious that we're going to have some of these guys looking for a larger profit with cabinets.

Capitalism is fun. Attempting to rip off somebody else's work and making money off it without getting noticed is an excellent business model. Of course, you can't get caught. I wonder if there's somebody selling pinball music on CDs...

The McD

[Killerkop]

I found a bit more on it, on Pinball News....
Pinball News

Did anybody else notice how harsh Pinball News was to VP in that article?

"The game play was rather poor and the table very flat-looking, with the software seemingly programmed by someone unfamiliar with the pinball basics, ..."

"Although the ball physics were a long way from realistic, ..."

I know, I know - the tide of the conversation is "screw these thieves!" but that haterade from PN was a bit rough.

Isn't it possible they made changes to it that affected the physics, or maybe they are running VP8?