SA-MP Map Stealers

[Mave]

I just found out (yesterday) that "map stealers" exist allowing random players to steal your entire maps. After working on some new maps the past week (+8 hours in total) this discovery wasn't a happy one. Especially since there's literally nothing you can do to guard your server against this.

Man this is frustrating. People are even compiling the objects of servers together in rar files and sharing them across the web..
I stumbled upon one of the map stealer's forum and some script kiddo had compiled objects of xSF (xTreme Stunt Freeroam), PartyServer, GamerX,...

I also asked on the SA-MP forums if there is anything you can do to prevent this from happening, but sadly the answer was no.

 

[Mauri]

Jesus Christ that must be so frustating for mappers.

Especially since there's literally nothing you can do to guard your server against this.

This is also very unfortunate. Wish devs could do something about that. D:

 

[Mave]

Jesus Christ that must be so frustating for mappers.

This is also very unfortunate. Wish devs could do something about that. D:

Same but I sadly doubt that Kalcor would implement something like this.
I'm just hoping we'll find a way to combat this somehow.

 

[Panki]

Hm I guess the basic problem lies within the fact that the client needs to download the map from the server and store it somewhere on the filesystem.
Can't really think of a good way around this tbh. Aside from maybe some clever encryption? But then every client would need to know the key in order to decrypt them...
EDIT: Wait scripts run server side only right? So, would it be possible to make the bare map "unplayable", and only the script makes it work?

 

[Mave]

Hm I guess the basic problem lies within the fact that the client needs to download the map from the server and store it somewhere on the filesystem.
Can't really think of a good way around this tbh. Aside from maybe some clever encryption? But then every client would need to know the key in order to decrypt them...
EDIT: Wait scripts run server side only right? So, would it be possible to make the bare map "unplayable", and only the script makes it work?

Problem is that the objects are always being streamed to the player, the "hack" records that.
Also not sure how to make the map unplayable, the stealer just airbreaks around, loading pieces of the map and saving the objects and locations.

 

[luggi]

That has been around for ages. Sadly.