GMFetch

Chicken, the owner of Eclipse Productions has recently started to sell his GM6 game files on his forum using a fake currency called “Munny” that is earned by posting messages and topics. Interestingly he only recently had his game decompiled by tankman and hardcoregamer (although hardcoregamer denies it) which leaves me a little confused since he made a big fuss about it, asking that I write about it in a magazine.

 EDIT: Yeah, I know Sandy is a guy. Let me explain. I was in a rush to put this up as I has it in my PM box for a week or so, and when you hear of Sandy sometimes it gets confusing. Thanks to Game Maker Blog and you guys here for pointing it out, before I made an arse of myself even more.

Sandy in bold

Interviewer in italic

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“There has been a lot of fuss about the decompiler. What actions are Yoyo taking?”

“I think there’s maybe been a little bit too much fuss about this decompiler. There will always be a few idiots who will try to upload a game they didn’t create, but the mods can handle most of that if it happens on the YYG website. The biggest problem with the decompiler is for people who want to make money from their games. “
Mark (Overmars) has identified several ways in which we can make games considerably more secure in future. We’ve almost finished rewriting the runner in C++ and we will use this as the basis for introducing new ways of preventing games from being decompiled.

“A local GMC user claims that his game was decompiled by another GMC user. Whats your response to this?”

“He should raise this issue with the moderators. If a game that has been copied gets uploaded to the YYG website we have ways of telling who originally created the game. If we find this, then it will likely end in a total ban from both the GMC and YoYo Games. We will also try to make sure that other sites such as 64digits are aware of who these people are and encourage them to take action.”

“Do you have a message for readers that use the decompiler?”

“Firstly , I’d say “don’t get used to it” it’s lifespan will be confined to existing versions of GM.
Secondly, There’s a difference between “use” and “exploit”. If anyone tries to “exploit” the tool by copying games and uploading them as their own, then this is theft. I know it bothers the GMC sometimes…but YoYo Games is a BUSINESS and we will use the law if we have to to protect our business if we feel it’s being threatened. We have investor’s money at risk and they will expect this.”
Finally, we’re working on a lot of very interesting new features for both the site and for Game Maker that will render this decompiler as useless….

“Whats your view on the decompiler. Do you think its amazing they cracked GM’s exporting system, or pathetic and a big waste of time.”

“I think it’s overrated, an annoying distraction and it will become pretty useless in only a few months.”

Thanks for answering the questions.

GMFetch downloaded the decompiler via a simple Google search to see how it worked, and what it was like.

The download was fast - it was provided in .jar file and opened with Java, with no viruses. Once I had installed Java (I had only recently installed XP) I finally was greeted with a pleasent intereface. So easy, anyone who knows how to load files on a computer could decompile any unprotected game.I decided to load a file I had made previously called ‘test.exe’ to see how the decompier would react.

I loaded the file into the decompiler. It automatically arranged the settings, understanding it was an .exe made in GM6. I then clicked the ‘process’ button.

I waited. Then waited….and continued to wait. Nothing happened, it just froze my computer. I quit and restarted a virus scan, but my computer was clean. I attempted this twice, and had no luck. Just a huge freezing of my computer. I even waited up to 10 minutes and ‘test.exe’ (a very small game with 1 script, 2 sprites and a room) didn’t get effected.

I don’t know if its because of my computer, or because the decompiler is a hoax.

According to Chicken, his game Realm of Monsters III was decompiled by Hardcoregamer, who said it was tankman, who denied it. A rumour, something serious, or just a noob? (as we should expect)