[Potato Uno]

Except for trade servers and whatever they do, I don't see the point in protecting a map. Do you not want players to play your creation as much as possible?

I can go to TF2Maps, look at the mvm section, and see so many maps that are searching for servers to live in. (And most of them don't get played frequently, if at all.)

[Dr. Api]

Originally Posted by Potato Uno Decompiling a map that doesn't have the entity tables doesn't give you the entity table that the server uses on the map.

This is something else never saw a map or real mappers do that.
Go on gamebana download the best map of month or something use bspsource and you will get everything.
Map are made to be share not to be protect. If you want protect your map go and play with bots in LAN...

[XefolyN]

Originally Posted by Dr. Api This is something else never saw a map or real mappers do that. Go on gamebana download the best map of month or something use bspsource and you will get everything. Map are made to be share not to be protect. If you want protect your map go and play with bots in LAN...

Don't be one of those "Everything's source must be available for everyone" people...

Private content should remain private, while if you decide to share YOUR content, go ahead.
In australia I'm one of the only decent mappers here, most community servers are running my maps.

But a lot of servers have stolen my maps, edited them and claimed ownership and original creation of them. by removing my name and placing theirs.

This is why I want to protect my maps.
Kapeesh?

[Dr. Api]

Originally Posted by XefolyN Don't be one of those "Everything's source must be available for everyone" people... Private content should remain private, while if you decide to share YOUR content, go ahead. In australia I'm one of the only decent mappers here, most community servers are running my maps. But a lot of servers have stolen my maps, edited them and claimed ownership and original creation of them. by removing my name and placing theirs. This is why I want to protect my maps. Kapeesh?

If you don't want to share be smart when you are mapping... use plugins to make spawn, buy, teleport.... entities, make a timer who kill the worldspawn it will crash their server.
Look at the THC map(minigame server) this is smart mapper you cannot stole his map, no way to do...

[Potato Uno]

We'll see if removing the entity tables still works when source 2 comes out.

But yes, server owners claiming your work as theirs is the lowest scumbag move anyone with any morals would refuse to do. Do what friagram said to prevent map theft.

I also read on the developer's wiki that you can encrypt the map's contents or something such that decompilers will only write gibberish data. (Or maybe I'm thinking of something else.)

[XefolyN]

Originally Posted by Dr. Api If you don't want to share be smart when you are mapping... use plugins to make spawn, buy, teleport.... entities, make a timer who kill the worldspawn it will crash their server. Look at the THC map(minigame server) this is smart mapper you cannot stole his map, no way to do...

And this is why this thread is still going, discussing ways to protect your maps, etc etc.