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Bungie Speaks On Halo 2 Leak
BlueMoon writes "A moderator on the official Halo 2 forums posted some speculations and warnings about the Halo 2 leak. To the question where the leak originated he answered "is almost positively the work of some jerk in the manufacturing plant who pocketed the game". They also send out a warning that posting any kind of information about leak will result in "having your XBox Live account's ability to play Halo 2 crippled as we can and we will ban your gamertags from access to vital parts of Halo 2's online experience"." TalkXbox has a repost of an official statement asking community members to assist in the capture of the folks who leaked the game.
The threat of banning your gamertag is for those who post leak information (where to get it, H2 spoilers, etc.) in the Bungie.net forums. You have the ability to link your gamertag to your Bungie.net account.
-- jchenx
nice troll - now fuck off and die
l
you know no one who watched spiderman 2 three days before it was in theaters - the first "release" was a POS cam version on June 30th - the day the movie came out:
http://www.vcdquality.com/image.php/i-38602.htm
Peddle your bullshit elsewhere
I've just signed legislation that'll outlaw Russia forever. We'll begin bombing in five minutes.
no need to seek the leak if you want a peek
FWIW I am a temp at MS. I have played Halo 2 multiplayer. It's a good game, but I am more of a PC guy and I prefer UT2004.
Actually, it's an MSN account, and you can link it with your gamer tag.
Is it true? Is Halo 2 really leaked?
It seems to be that way, yes. It would seem that the french PAL version of the game has surfaced on the internet.
Did Bungie get hacked or something?
Of course not. This is almost positively the work of some jerk in the manufacturing plant who pocketed the game is it is being printed in mass for world release on the 9th of November.
What can I do about it?
For starters:
STOP POSTING LINKS TO LEAKED INFORMATION WHERE THE PUBLIC HAS EASY ACCESS TO IT.
The rules have not changed from what we said about leaked magazine shots. Clearly, this leak is highly illegal. By posting links to where it can be downloaded, or even by posting links to screens of the leaked game, you're contributing to the problem by spreading the leaked information. Further, you may spoil the game for people who have worked hard to keep their first experience of Halo 2 pure.
As such, expect harsh reprimand for the posting of leaked information. A link or offer to give out a link via private media on the forums will get you banned permanently. The same goes for any kind of leak-related spoiler information. Further, you risk having your XBox Live account's ability to play Halo 2 crippled as we can and will ban gamertags from access to vital parts of Halo 2's online experience. We are NOT kidding around here. There will be no warning, no appeal, you'll just be gone.
If you come across a link to the leaked game, do not reply to it, do not post about it in other forums, do not in any way spread the problem. Message me, SketchFactor, Frankie, or Achronos immediately upon discovering the leak, and then leave it alone. Even telling your friends can result in the spread of the leak, which does us as a company harm.
What is Microsoft going to do about this?
There's no doubt in my mind that Microsoft has people tracking down whoever was responsible for this. I hope whoever it was thought that leaking the game was worth his job, I hear the Microsoft legal team employ some very effective ninja.
What do I do to avoid spoilers now?
I'm not sure what to tell you. This post makes it quite clear that spoilers from the leaked game will get people seriously banned, but we all know that won't stop some idiot from running in here with a screen of some huge spoiler. My suggestion? Avoid Halo 2 forums if you want to make 100% sure that you don't see any major spoilers. If you must visit forums, make sure you're very choosy about which threads you read. Avoiding spoilers is up to you, now.
That covers it. From here on out, any threads related to the piracy of the game will be deleted on sight.
Congratulation, by that single post the size of the leak has been amplified by several orders of magnitudes. That torrent will be burning soon. A post at the front site of thepiratebay.org already says that their ISP's been asked to take the file down and they denied the request.
Good work soldier!
P.S : Don't ask me if I'm sarcastic, I'm not really sure yet.
As is predictable with slashdot, the kneejerkers are out in full force, so I'm going to clear a few things up here:
1.) Banning your xbox live account. Can the stupid bullshit about BWAHAHAHA how are they going to know my xbox live name when i post on slashdot. They are talking about banning you if you post on the bungie forums. That's it. Remember this isn't a press release, it's a FORUM POST.
2.) Banning your xbox live account - part 2. They aren't banning accounts for talking about it - they are banning for people who link to info on how to get it, whats in it, spoilers obtained from the leak, etcetera. Basically they're trying to keep the bungie forums a safe place to enjoy discussing the game, for those who want to retain the surprise at the storyline when the game is legally released, and of course cut down on at least a few people finding out where to get the game.
3.) "Microsoft piracy hotline is so ridiculous, this is just a game" nonsense. While it's true that the microsoft approach to software piracy in general is sometimes pretty outlandish, it's nothing new. The piracy website has been around a long time. Microsoft has been asking people to squeal on their buddies for a long time. Hell, I've seen advertisements telling you to turn in people who pirate M$ software. This is nothing new, and pretty much standard Microsoft fare, so don't act like it's so ridiculous that they are doing it for a game - It is the de facto corporate response to any piracy.
In order to play the Halo 2 release, you'd need a mod chip. If you go on Xbox Live using any game with a mod chip enabled, you're automatically banned anyway. So you'd have to be doubly stupid in order to do it with a game you're not even supposed to have.
no you are wrong.
nabbing a CD off the assembly line is actual real theft.
downloading it is copyright violation.
there is a BIG difference.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
You can opt to link your Passport with your gamertag. You can do it at www.xbox.com and probably other MS sites as well. This basically enables you to see who's online from a web site, and possible a few other features.
-- jchenx
If you don't own an XBox, in what way are you Bungie's customer?
Look, piracy is a pain in the ass for everyone. Do you think I want some jackass to spoil the story for me because they have no respect for the effort Bungie put forth to create the game? Of course not. I would rather see them hanging from a lamppost.
At least the Valve code leak was 1) not playable, and 2) did an (arguable) public service by revealing that the game was nowhere near completion. This leak is just some asshole.
Bungie is Microsoft, but they are as independent as well. Microsoft doesn't really interfere with what they do, and Bungie doesn't really get involved with anything outside of what they do. At least, that was the situation around the release of the first HALO.
Comment of the year
They have denied that request, since the file in question is not illegal in sweden. The file only contains information on how HALO2 can be obtained - not HALO2 in itself - therefore the file in question is not at all illegal, according to swedish law (and The Piratebays lawyers views on the matter).
Also, according to previous court rulings - the owner / maintainer of The Piratebay cannot be held liable for how its users uses the service offered.
However, in the end, the seeders / downloaders that upload data, can be held liable - if microsoft can track them down AND get the court to force the ISPs to reviel who they are.
"If you don't own an XBox, in what way are you Bungie's customer?"
No, but I bought the PC version and I wish I could get my money back. I played the xbox version in stores and wish I could get my time back. I also bought Myth and the Marathon games in the past. Before Bungie sold out and became one trick ponies.
"Do you think I want some jackass to spoil the story for me because they have no respect for the effort Bungie put forth to create the game?"
Why is it the jackasses fault for spoiling the story when you are the one to read the thread about the story in the first place. Did someone FORCE you to read a thread about the halo 2 story? Did they tie you down and pin open your eyelids forcing you to watch what it going on before the game hits the stores?
You don't need Live to play Xbox games online
I present to you XBConnect
I've been playing Halo 1 online before Halo PC was released.
No sig for you!!
They have no way to monitor all P2P traffic, obviously.
What they did was simple. They knew some common search term for child porn, and they searched the FastTrack network for hits. They then downloaded files, and registered the IP addresses of the people they had received kiddie porn from. They may also have checked the user's file list to see if he was sharing anything else.
It's that simple. There is nothing baffling about this. You can do it yourself! Fire up Kazaa (beware of spyware), and search for kiddie porn (use your imagination). Now you can download it and check the IP address of the person you downloaded from.
Actually, they used a customized FastTrack client which made all this easier.
But that kind of begs the question: Can Sharman Networks now sue OKOKRIM for this? They probably used an unauthorized client, after all.
Clever signature text goes here.
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