Unable to decompile bsp
I heard Omnicoder made a Map Ofusciator, but since mAL is down I can't download or find it.
So is it possible to make a map undecompileable?
Check out:
http://www.tophattwaffle.com/?p=2355
Anyway, Omnicoder is so kind, I'm sure he will send you a link for his tool if you look for him in steam or write a PM to him here in the forum...
Obfuscator is also here:
http://forum.interlopers.net/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33567&sid=92a85b2c96d2d1c797bec92004bc628d
Also, I've not tried it or know if it still works, but in the paragraph at the end of this article there is a section about making it harder to decompile files.
https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Decompiling_Maps
But in the end, you can always manage to decompile 'something', if you're clever enough 
Rob.
** Crap pressed the wrong button... now the 'double post' police will have me 
josepezdj wrote:
Well.... man... it happens that some time ago I found the BIBLE about that!Check out:
http://www.tophattwaffle.com/?p=2355Anyway, Omnicoder is so kind, I'm sure he will send you a link for his tool if you look for him in steam or write a PM to him here in the forum...
Wow, thats really useful! I had no idea you could stop people from decompiling. Thanks!
Spam Nugget wrote:
Wow, thats really useful! I had no idea you could stop people from decompiling. Thanks!
It doesnt really 'stop' people... it just makes it harder
Using the latest version of BSPSource (1.3.1) ALL those methods dont work.
BSPSoruce just reports that they were detected, but it continues to decompile them:
[warning] BspDecompiler: hidden contains anti-decompiling flags or is obfuscated!
[warning] BspDecompiler: Detected methods:
[warning] BspDecompiler: VMEX entity flag (no_decomp)
[warning] BspDecompiler: VMEX texture flag (tools/locked)
[warning] BspDecompiler: VMEX protector brush flag
I couldnt get the Obfuscator for VMF to work, it just kept crashing on me (Release 4, on Win7 64bit), and the BSP one for textures didnt seem to do anything.
However, even if the obfuscator did work, its only going to change the names of your entities to random characters, I guess, and although it will make it more difficult to understand it hardly 'stops' people from taking you ideas and how you did them and recreating them.
I'm not condoning copying peoples maps or ideas without permission, but basically, there isnt really any way to protect your maps, only make it a bit harder, and it seems that even then, these methods arnt working.
I just want to make it clear for people that dont know or look into it, that these methods either dont work or only make it harder for people to decompile, its not going to stop them decompiling them.
If I'm wrong then fair enough, please show me, but I cant see an effective way to do it.
HTHs,
Rob
See this site for details on how decompilers can get around protection and see their way to make it impossible.
Also I believe there is a way to make an invalid brush outside the physical map bounds (stops decompiling), however I have no idea what effect this has when you actually launch the map.
No matter what you try, how you try, there will always ways around it.
I think you should consider this before releasing a map.
Of course it's not cool if someone steals your ideas and uses them in another map without giving you any credit. That's why I think that it's better if you don't try to frustrate decompiling, but try to encourage using your included vmf. Just add a readme, and the vmf. People will give you credit for the stuff they've "stolen".
And decompiling isn't always used just to "steal" stuff, it can also be very useful for learning stuff! And more people with more knowledge = more high quality maps 