Originally posted by Leon Retro
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General Emulation Discussions
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It is interesting, as others have pointed out, how much the attitude has changed in the microcosm of this forum, and, I think, more widely in game playing communities of the internet. Twelve or thirteen years ago people were generally dead against it, I dimly remember arguing about it and asking what the point was in paying for SNES games on Ebay versus downloading the ROMs.
Interestingly there are now far more opportunities to pay legally for old games than there were then. You've got GoG, we did have the VC for quite a while, you've got ACA and so on and so forth. Back in the PS2 days you got a compilation disc made up mostly of games you didn't want, and that's if you were lucky!
I just take a common sense approach. If there is a legit way to get a game via a boxed rerelease, download service or contemporary compilation - I don't count Ebay here - I will do that. If there isn't, I will get it via another route.
Obviously pirating new games is totally verboten. I've been guilty of it in my younger days but would never do it now. I love games and I want to support the industry, but I'm pretty sure that's most of us here.Last edited by wakka; 21-08-2018, 21:18.
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Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post“if the game was doing well at the time, would it have been okay to maybe pirate it back in the day?”
Of course, we could go on and on about this subject, but I will always stand by my belief that playing old games on emulators shouldn't worry anyone - even Nintendo.
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Originally posted by dvdx2 View PostIt’s a theft of intellectual property Leon; you wouldn’t steal a car, would you?
I'm pretty sure that if you spoke to game publishers, even big name companies like EA, they would say that piracy is all about people copying new games that are in demand. If people could easily copy FIFA 19 for the PS4 and play it online, many would. That would have a serious impact on EA. But someone playing a copy of FIFA '98 on the N64 is an irrelevance. So, my whole point is that someone playing an old game on an emulator shouldn't worry/bother anyone.
Anyway, if I could magically download a Ferrari for free, I certainly would. Vroom Vroom!
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I don't see how playing a bygone game from a defunct system via emulation can even be considered an issue at this point. Take one of my all time favourite games, Soldier Blade on the PCE, is it likely to be made officially available to me again? No. And let's be honest, if it was released again it would probably be in a new graphical art style that made it unrecognisable from the game I love. (**** your HD reimagining bull**** publishers, we don't want it!)
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Originally posted by Leon Retro View PostI made a point to answer this sort of question. If someone took Rainbow Islands and put it on iOS and Android for say £5, without buying the license from Taito, it would obviously be a crime.
I'm pretty sure that if you spoke to game publishers, even big name companies like EA, they would say that piracy is all about people copying new games that are in demand. If people could easily copy FIFA 19 for the PS4 and play it online, many would. That would have a serious impact on EA. But someone playing a copy of FIFA '98 on the N64 is an irrelevance. So, my whole point is that someone playing an old game on an emulator shouldn't worry/bother anyone.
Anyway, if I could magically download a Ferrari for free, I certainly would. Vroom Vroom!
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Here’s a related thing: a legal (almost, maybe, untested as yet) lending library of ROMs - https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/...problem/?amp=1
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Originally posted by Colin View PostI don't see how playing a bygone game from a defunct system via emulation can even be considered an issue at this point. Take one of my all time favourite games, Soldier Blade on the PCE, is it likely to be made officially available to me again?
If Konami decided to sell perfect repros of Axelay for the Super Famicom, I'd buy one, despite having the game on all sorts of emu systems. It would be better than my old battered copy. I think it would be the same for enthusiasts of any given retro game. It's a niche market though, so banning roms wouldn't suddenly make people want to buy repros.
Games like Soldier Blade had their time in the sun, and aren't really commercially viable these days. People who would buy a digital copy on Steam or the PS4, would do so despite knowing they can emulate it. So ultimately, there isn't a huge market for even the best retro games, simply because most gamers are focused on new games.
Of course, some people have a negative view of emulation and roms, so they will unfairly equate it to piracy. I think that's an extreme view though. I don't think anyone should have a problem with people playing old games on an emulator. Even sellers of second hand retro games might be surprised by how many people play a rom and then want to buy a physical copy. So as much as emulation is harmless, it can also create interest in any particular game someone is emulating. So emulation a positive thing in more ways than one.Last edited by Leon Retro; 22-08-2018, 07:35.
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Originally posted by _SD_ View PostIt’s quite sad that some games could be lost forever due to ridiculous IP licensing issues... Alien vs Predator
Unless you meant the arcade game by Capcom, in which case no, we will probs never ever see it again.
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Originally posted by _SD_ View PostIt’s quite sad that some games could be lost forever due to ridiculous IP licensing issues
Beyond that, if we're making a distinction between emulation of old games and piracy of modern games (and we absolutely should), it's also important to distinguish game history preservation (crucial) from "I should get to access it because I want it".
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Honestly, knowing Nintendo it was probably as simple as them clamping down due to the upcoming NES games on the Switch online service.
I also thought as well, even the stealing a car analogy doesn't apply
Copying a new release game would be the equivalent of stealing a Ferrari from a dealership. That's the clear cut argument against it however ROMS/ISOs of older games don't apply to that description because they aren't made available via the original company and you aren't stealing them from the private owner.
Given Roms/Isos of the older games most people download are taken from sites, torrents etc that are publicly releasing them for use then downloading a ROM doesn't hurt the original games maker in the same way stealing the Ferrari from Derek at number 43 doesn't harm Ferrari as a company. The company already made its money and has no association with that direct specific item once the private owner purchases it in terms of money making.
Now, given the nature of how ROMS/ISOs of older games are publically accessed and distributed its more along the lines of if Derek has bought a Ferrari and then offered it to people to have for free, would you take it? Damned straight you would. Does it mean someone benefitting from that is less likely to buy a Ferrari themselves, possibly, probably not (given we're talking Ferrari's )
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Originally posted by Superman Falls View PostHonestly, knowing Nintendo it was probably as simple as them clamping down due to the upcoming NES games on the Switch online service.
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Yep, it's just a shame that potentially a ton of other and mostly un-Nintendo related titles would be lost by their actions. It's not so much a huge deal as it's the internet and the site in question was just one source but it shows how little regard their is to the wider world of preservation etc as soon as the protection of profits for a few NES games that possibly even most subscribers don't care about comes up.
Ironically they moved harder on that than they did on anywhere providing WiiU titles when the system was still alive
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