Was SoMI: Special Edition really an improvement on the original after all?

[Avistew]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

Avistew, on the subject of books, I have bought the entire book series of Harry Potter (US edition) in hardcover. Since Rowling refuses to release said series in ebook, I downloaded a torrented copy of them in PDF format and used Calibre to convert it for use on my wife's Kindle2. Again, is this piracy? I'm not going to type it out all myself, especially since I don't have a scanner and someone else already did that... and I do own paper copies of the books. So then if it is piracy, I don't care. Rowling should make it available for ebook, and then I would consider not doing it.

Yeah... It's a grey area at best. I mean, while you're torrenting it you're also peering/seeding it, meaning people who might not have bought the books get to have them illegally thanks to you. I'd say as long as your ratio is under one you had a neutral impact since the people could have downloaded it from whoever you downloaded it from instead, therefore you're not making a difference.

But I agree that when you bought the paper version and want to own it as an ebook, it's very annoying when no ebook is available. I'm not sure if the authors realise it encourages piracy. On the other hand, maybe the point is that this way, anyone who owns a Harry Potter ebook got it illegally and therefore can be sued? No clue about that.

Other things aren't clear. For instance I lived in France, had lots of CDs, ripped them into mp3s. Had to move urgently, taking all of my possessions to Canada in a few suitcases. I didn't bring books or CDs, appart from my few favourites. Everything I could, I brought the digital copy instead. Now I technically own the digital copy and not the physical one, that I abandonned behind. Is it legal?
And if it is, then is it legal to buy a CD, get the mp3s out of it, sell the CD on ebay and keep the mp3s?
And how do you prove these things? I'm usually too lazy to rip my own CDs myself, so after I buy a CD I download the mp3s. Is that more illegal than ripping them myself?
And if I then lose, break or sell the CD, and keep the mp3s, is it the same as downloading them without ever purchasing the CD?
What if I buy a CD second hand, then rip it? Since it was second hand, the author and disc company got absolutely no money out of it. Yet it's probably legal, isn't it?

These things are extremely complicated. A lot of the time, it's just details. If someone sees my mp3s and can prove I downloaded them from a website, how do I prove that I did purchase the CDs, but had to leave them in France? Even if I call and it turns out my parents got their hands on my stuff after I left, can I prove it is mine and not theirs? And since they could have used it, is it still legal for me to also use the mp3s?

I'm not sure about all this stuff. But I know that if I had just downloaded the mp3s without buying any CD, it would be more wrong than the way things are now.

Of course nowadays you can download mp3s so that makes things simpler. Plus you can usually track that. Although it brings up the point, if I already own the CD, do I legally have to pay for the mp3 version too? Probably not since I can get it out of my CD. Then can I download it for free? Probably not. If I do download it, I probably need to download the version that costs money.

Sorry, that was a bit long.

Originally Posted by HumpsMcLovin

I don't know how anyone could be upset with the SE, really, considering it had the old one, too. It also brought quite a few new people into the world of MI. Always a good thing.

I'm not upset about it, personally, but I'd say it's not worth buying it for me. Then again, I wasn't the target audience, since I already have the original game. And I agree it's good that it lets new people play the games.
But I would have paid for just the voices and a way to add them to the game I own.

[Uzrname]

Originally Posted by avistew

However, I think the point you're getting at is that it can be hard to prove it's yours. And that's true. However, if the person mails the content to themselves in a sealed envelope prior to posting it, for instance, then they can prove it.

Hum, I think what I was trying to say is that copyright laws of the internet are dubious and easy to counterfeit. IRL if you created something, a signature would suffice, but here, if you put something up and proclaim it yours, you have as much chance as 0% to prove it once it's been lifted for unwanted distribution. Putting a copyright sign or uploading on a mass resource (such as this forum) can increase the chances of protecting your content from "pirate" distribution.

But some companies go about imposing laws such as if you "stole" something, they will track you down, put you to jail, etc etc. that I find absolutely ridiculous. The whole internet affair is so anonymous having this on your hard drive can hardly be proven as portraying your motivation of having stolen it. And same is with computer games that the person did not pay for and *poof* it's on their HD. Where is the chance of really downloading it from the internet versus copying it from a friend's CD (with the internet not being a culprit in that case)?

[Chyron8472]

@uzr

"copyright laws of the internet?" The internet itself doesn't have laws, nor a legal governing body. The laws of data transfer on the net apply to the countries where the data exists.

The way the internet works, if the there is evidence to support that a particular set of illegally distributed/obtained copyrighted data exists somewhere in a particular country, then that particular country's copyright laws apply concerning said data and it's government is the one who then takes legal action to stop you. I don't think you understand how international laws apply, especially when it comes to data on the net.

Just because the nature of data transfer makes it hard to determine where it first came from, that doesn't mean people can't be held liable for distribution of unauthorized data. That's how Napster got shut down back in the day... because the file storage system was centralized and therefore easy to target. (Note: I know that from reading about it. I don't fileshare music, I use Lala.com)

EDIT: I think basically what I'm saying is that, whether you're a software pirate or not, the way you argue in favor of it is dubious at best since it makes no sense. The internet is a medium, of course it has no laws since it has no government. The laws are upheld by the countries where the data is.

[Hayden]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

@uzr

"copyright laws of the internet?" The internet itself doesn't have laws, nor a legal governing body.

It's almost going that way in Australia, with the Rudd government trying to censor the internet. I mean, most of the stuff they're censoring isn't stuff I would ever look at, but internet censorship is just not a power that anyone should have.

[Uzrname]

Originally Posted by Chyron8472

I think basically what I'm saying is [...]

Please read some of my posts on the previous page. I don't want to step on the same rake twice.

What makes you think that I'm "in favor" of software piracy? Just where exactly did I pinpoint such interest? I was simply saying that some games are as worth paying for as getting for free. Effort should always be rewarded, however.

And another thing, if people argue about piracy is that because they know how it works. And if they know how it works, they all have pirated software from the internet at least once in their lifetime. So they're not more sinless than I am, for the record.

[Olaus Petrus]

Originally Posted by Uzrname

And another thing, if people argue about piracy is that because they know how it works. And if they know how it works, they all have pirated software from the internet at least once in their lifetime. So they're not more sinless than I am, for the record.

What makes you to make such conclusion? People can have extended knowledge about various topics without necessary requirement that they themselves break the law. Like I mentioned earlier my own pirate activities happened before the Internet became popular method of distributing pirated games. Still despite the fact that knowing how to copy Amiga floppies doesn't help with modern topic of modern software piracy, I would say that I know something about it.

I have read many articles about the software piracy from computer magazines, so I would say that I have at least some idea how it works without being pirate myself. I also know how P2P works and how you can make disc image, because there's also legal ways to use those things.

[TookiGuy]

Well...

Plus - It's easier to get your hands on, now(legally, at least)!
Minus - To me, and, it seems to a lot of fans, it just didn't feel the same. Believe me, I was downright excited about the SE. I didn't really see any screenshots, but I was still pretty eager to get my hands on it.
But it just didn't feel right.
It felt as if Mozart was being covered by your local indie rock band. To me, at least, the game didn't feel like it was built to be voiced, or in HD. Just like the cello won't really be appealing when replaced by a distorted electric guitar.
I think I'm the only one who feels this way, but by the time I got to Monkey Island, I was honestly slightly nauseated. The artwork, while appealing to most, was(in my view) hideously unprofessional at spots(the map seller being the most memorable example).
This will probably spark the "Graphics vs. Gameplay" debate once again, but I'm not talking about the gameplay at all. The gameplay was bound to be the same. I'll set aside my inconveniences related to the new interface.

So, was it an improvement? Not in my opinion. And the only reason I don't want another remake is not because I feel like "It's my game, and no one should dare disturb it", but it's more along the lines of - "Y'know, the original was pretty awesome, and I feel it works better. Why not just re-release it? It'll encourage new players to play an old game, which still doesn't feel dated unless you have a phobia for 256 colors. Which, personally, I don't think many people have.

[Uzrname]

Originally Posted by Olaus Petrus

I have read many articles about the software piracy from computer magazines, so I would say that I have at least some idea how it works without being pirate myself. I also know how P2P works and how you can make disc image, because there's also legal ways to use those things.

It's a general deduction. Not saying that everybody pirates stuff, but those who are violently arguing about how they never visited a pirate website in their lifetime are usually the culprits.

To close the debate, I just want to add my own opinion: piracy is kinda like mafia: you can never eliminate it completely, yet it doesn't really affect regular sales that much (for all the aforementioned reasons). And I do believe that there are games still worth a buy, but I don't believe that MISE is one of them.

[Olaus Petrus]

Originally Posted by Uzrname

It's a general deduction. Not saying that everybody pirates stuff, but those who are violently arguing about how they never visited a pirate website in their lifetime are usually the culprits.

To close the debate, I just want to add my own opinion: piracy is kinda like mafia: you can never eliminate it completely, yet it doesn't really affect regular sales that much (for all the aforementioned reasons). And I do believe that there are games still worth a buy, but I don't believe that MISE is one of them.

No Mafia here. What Mafia, please? We're Mafia free.