Far Cry’s Source Code Has Leaked All Over The Internet

The source code for Ubisoft’s 2004 open-world first-person shooter Far Cry has leaked online. Since source codes for video games seem to leak all the time, tell me, y’all, who could’ve seen this leak coming?

This Modern Warfare 3 Gameplay Feature Spices Up A Weak Campaign

Prominent dataminer Vinícius Medeiros, who’s known for their Duke Nukem mods, tweeted on June 30 that Far Cry’s source code, the skeletal instructions for the game to function, was uploaded to the Internet Archive late last month.

“Out of nowhere, the full source code for Far Cry 1 just dropped on the Internet Archive,” Medeiros said. In a reply to someone, they said the code compiles, which means the written code is translated into machine code so a computer can execute it (if it’s written correctly, of course). And although assets weren’t included, having access to the game’s source code means that folks can make modifications and fixes to things like enemy AI in Far Cry’s engine.

The game’s source code was posted on the Internet Archive on June 24 by a user name Llaetha.ro. The Internet Archive is a digital library that gives you free access to tons of books, movies, music, software, and other cultural artifacts. The upload contains six files, all of which are labeled “Far Cry 1.34 complete,” suggesting this may be the 34th patch for the decades-old sandbox shooter. While Medeiros said it compiles, some commenters on Internet Archive clarified that they ran into some snags when working with the source code.

“From my educated guess, this is some source tree leak for the PC version of the game to add support for the Ubisoft game launcher/DRM,” said user MobCat. “It does contain some .exes, but no Xbox code and no game assets. The code that is there doesn’t compile without 332 errors. (I could have the dev env setup wrong too.) So, I think you could get some debug PC version of this game running if you put in the effort and learned the code base.”

The source code also made its way to the subreddit r/GamingLeaksAndRumors, a popular Reddit forum for gaming gossip. Folks cheered the upload, imagining all the possibilities with the OG Far Cry.

“Someone will probably raytrace it xD,” said redditor epd666.

“Maybe someone can fix the hacking AI lmao,” redditor BaldingThor hoped.

“If possible, someone use this to mod/remake 1-3 in the Far Cry 6 engine, please, and demonstrate to Ubisoft that it would be worthwhile to release a 1-3 remaster/remake and how cool it’d look if done correctly,” begged redditor WutIzThizStuff.

“Can’t wait for someone to port [this] on every console possible like Wii U, PSVita, 3DS or even Zeebo like Doom, Super Mario 64, and OpenLara,” said redditor MoonieSarito.

Kotaku reached out to Medeiros and Ubisoft for comment.

Far Cry isn’t the first game to have its source code pop up online. Mortal Kombat II’s code was available to earlier this year until publisher Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment pulled it offline. League of Legends’ code also leaked this year, with Riot Games refusing to pay the blackmailer who threatened to upload it. There’s also Half-Life 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time’s source codes, both of which leaked years ago. While leaks are a bummer, this is a boon for game preservation, as it gives folks savvy enough to tinker with the code the ability to drag old games into modern times. And that’s cool shit.

 

…

by pbnbigesdi Posted on

Vtuber’s Face Reveal Concert Is Unraveling On The Internet

Dacapo is shown lipsyncing into the camera.

Image: Algorhythm Project

Sometimes, opening up TikTok is like walking into a crime scene and having to piece together what happened. That’s what several users are experiencing right now as they try to sort through how a VTuber concert spawned dozens to hundreds of responses and a new meme format on the platform. If you have been seeing videos of people bopping to the left and right with their eyes covered, then showing their face to roaring applause and are just as confused as I was, here’s a quick explainer of what the hell is going on.

The Year’s Funniest Anime Is Lycoris Recoil Crossed With Yakuza

The VTuber performance took place on July 1 at the Cosplay Arts Festival in Thailand. In a video streamed to attendees, the digital performer known as Dacapo was synced up to Shinunoga’s pop song “E-Wa,” and at the beginning of the video, the character’s hair obscures his eyes. As he moves side to side throughout the song, his eyes are gradually revealed, which led to a spike in cheers from the audience in clips of the show.

Because the internet loves to bully others online, the entire display and the crowd reaction have brought upon a new joke format on TikTok, primarily targeted at the stiff animation and the face reveal that prompted such a loud reaction from attendees. On top of this, there’s been specific ridicule aimed at people for paying to go to the event, with many claiming the show cost $300 USD to attend. However, that was not the case. The concert itself was free to attendees of the Cosplay Arts Festival, which cost 300 Baht to enter and equates to roughly $9 USD.

Honestly, I have no horse in this race beyond noting how quickly the internet loves to latch onto misinformation about things they don’t like. “E-Wa” is a pretty catchy song, though.

…

by pbnbigesdi Posted on

Grand Theft Auto 5 AI NPC Mod Nuked From The Internet

In case you thought Rockstar Games’ acquisition of Grand Theft Auto V creator group Cfx.re meant a brave new era for open modding in the hit open-world game, don’t worry, publisher Take-Two is still going after fan projects it doesn’t like. Case in point is its recent sacking of a mod called Sentient Streets, which used AI technology to generate NPC conversation dialogue on the fly. Take-Two had the mod scoured from both YouTube and NexusMods, leaving its creator confused and discouraged.

How Alan Wake 2 Builds Upon The ‘Remedy-Verse’

The Sentient Streets mod, which was previously covered by a number of sites like IGN and Eurogamer, had a story that revolved around an AI-worshiping death cult and NPCs whose dialogue was randomly generated by a tool called the Inworld Character Engine. YouTube user Bloc, who created the GTA V mod, said a video showing it off had over 100,000 views before it was removed, while the mod itself had apparently been downloaded over 3,000 times before NexusMods, where it was hosted, took it down.

“Perhaps this occurred automatically, but the evidence suggests a deliberate manual DMCA takedown request from them,” Bloc wrote in a post on YouTube. “I also didn’t get any response back [from Take-Two]. It looks like they are just attacking [the] mod from all fronts.”

Rockstar’s parent company has a long history of going after fan projects, mods, and other unsanctioned creations, from sending DMCA takedowns to filing lawsuits and even reportedly sending private investigators to players’ houses. At the same time, vast role-play communities and the third-party mods and servers that sustain them are a massive part of GTA V’s enduring significance and popularity.

It was both surprising but understandable then when Rockstar recently announced it would formerly partner with Cfx.re, the development team behind the FiveM and RedM mod communities for GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2, respectively. “As a way to further support those efforts, we recently expanded our policy on mods to officially include those made by the roleplay creative community,” the studio wrote in its announcement.

It’s not clear why Take-Two appears to have singled out Bloc’s mod for termination, but it could have something to do with its integration of the third-party Inworld Character Engine, made by Inworld AI, and voices by ElevenLabs. The latter ompany, which has a $100 million valuation, creates AI-generated voices through a combination of random sampling and contracted performances, it told IGN. It’s not hard to see that raising all kinds of potential red flags that don’t apply to standard mods that simply add or change in-game assets and gameplay mechanics.

Take-Two and Bloc did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

“Knowing that large corporations can issue strikes based on arbitrary reasons, which can cause your work to go in vain in moments, is also discouraging to say the least,” Bloc wrote in their post.

Correction 8/17/2023 9:00 p.m. ET: Inworld Character Engine was made by Inworld AI not ElevenLabs.

…
by pbnbigesdi Posted on

New PS5 Slim Requires Internet Connection To Setup Disc Drive

Sony’s forthcoming smaller PlayStation 5 will make the disc drive swappable, allowing owners to remove or connect it as they wish. However, a new leak of the upcoming slim redesign points to an internet connection being required for the Blu-Ray player’s initial setup, igniting fears it will one day become an obsolete solution for playing old PS5 discs.

Thank You, PS Plus, For Making My Backlog Even Bigger

The surprise requirement was discovered through a new leak of the PS5 slim’s box as retailers begin stocking the console for its November launch. Shared with Call of Duty news account CharlieIntel, the images show a disclaimer on the box that reads, “Internet connection required to pair Disc Drive and PS5 console upon setup.”

As the requirement began circulating online, it struck some as unusual and pernicious. “Uhhhh…if this is the case, that is highly concerning and very strange,” tweeted Digital Foundry’s John Linneman. “Hardware connectivity shouldn’t be determined by a server that may not always be available.”

It’s not immediately clear if the internet connection requirement will truly be a one-time thing needed only the first time the console and disc drive are paired, or if it might be necessary every time the drive is taken off and reattached. One concern is that the requirement could make new PS5s unable to read discs at some point far in the future, if the servers utilized by Sony for the pairing are eventually taken offline. If so, it would be another big blow to video game preservation as the medium goes all-digital.

Read More: PS5 Slim Is A Lot Smaller Than We Thought

It’s possible that the requirement is just the company complying with an archaic bit of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act intended to prevent piracy. As pointed out by Lost in Cult CEO Jon Doyle and others, Section 1201 of the law makes it illegal to “circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a copyrighted work.”

That includes optical drive firmware, and it’s long been a thorn in the side of right to repair advocates. As Wired reported back in 2020, the language has led a lot of older consoles to end up in landfills rather than get resold or re-gifted. Section 1201 was re-examined by the U.S. Copyright office in 2021. While some protections for repair were expanded, it stopped short of adding a full exemption.

According to Dealabs’ billbil-kun, the slimmer PS5 will officially release on November 8. While the standard model with the disc drive will be $500, the all-digital one will cost $450 with the stand-alone disc drive priced at $80. Sony has confirmed that once all current stock of launch PS5 consoles sells out, the slim models will be the only ones available.

Sony did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

              

…

by pbnbigesdi Posted on
Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Looks Blog by Crimson Themes.