Important info on ROMs

[SparroHawc]

Good ol'? It's getting less and less good ol' as the days go by, it seems... Did you ever hear about what -else- is in the DMCA?

[the_importer]

My answer to the music archives question is simply "F*ck them". I don't really give a crap about them. If those disappeared I wouldn't even notice. They are to me the same as commercial roms.

Oh, and since when is a person not be able to have a little bit of nostalgia? Not that I'm living in the past, but I'm sticking to my ideals.

And yet, you would want to get rid of the music archives? How can you be pro for nostalgia and not be pro for the music archives? That's also are part of the Zophar history. That's 2 contradictions so far, let's not go for 3

In the defense of the music archives, there really isn't any marketability for old 8-bit/16-bit tunes. Sure, it's copyrighted material, but so is a photograph of the Mona Lisa. That doesn't mean someone's going to come after you for making a photocopy of the photograph. It has no real value to the creator.

And Nintendo wouldn't go after Zophar for hosting old school ROMs for the same reason that they never went after the site for hosting Nintendo music. Like I said before:

-Copyright is copyright, but there are different levels

-Again, Planetemu.net has been hosting ROMs for the past 7 years and no big video game companies as EVER asked them to remove ROMs. I say big because some smaller ones such as the Bitmap Brothers did ask them to remove their old games once and Planetemu complied.

[Xeon3D]

Originally Posted by the_importer

And yet, you would want to get rid of the music archives? How can you be pro for nostalgia and not be pro for the music archives? That's also are part of the Zophar history. That's 2 contradictions so far, let's not go for 3

I'm pro for nostalgia. My kind of nostalgia didn't involve piracy. I miss the times when I was a staffer. The ambient, the spirit that was here. Then, and now, I could care fucking less about the music archives.

You're not supposed to have music of a game you never bought. So?

Originally Posted by the_importer

And Nintendo wouldn't go after Zophar for hosting old school ROMs for the same reason that they never went after the site for hosting Nintendo music. Like I said before:

-Copyright is copyright, but there are different levels

-Again, Planetemu.net has been hosting ROMs for the past 7 years and no big video game companies as EVER asked them to remove ROMs. I say big because some smaller ones such as the Bitmap Brothers did ask them to remove their old games once and Planetemu complied.

Then go post / work in Planetemu... sheesh.

Edman should make a poll on the front page to see if people wanted commercial roms added or not...

If I was in charge (which I'm not and really don't want to be) we wouldn't have music archives. we wouldn't have commercial roms. If you want the archive, get the rom and extract the sounds from it. We supply the tools already. You should get to do the illegal part not us. But since I'm not in charge we'll have to wait for Edman's decision on this. If this gets ahead and ZD ever gets a warning notice, I'll be the first one to say "I told you so".

Mind it we already supply commercial ROMS... WTF. Didn't even notice it.

There you go http://roms.zophar.net for all your ******* pleasure.

I'm done discussing this. I already made my point. You made yours. Do what you want to do. As if I fuckin care. ROM Kiddiez will always be ROM Kiddiez.

[Rattlehead]

Originally Posted by Xeon3D

No. That may not be piracy. But that's what all flash cart owners do right? Just for their own games. Please do note that what I'm going to say afterwards may not apply to you. I'm not saying that you do pirate, but there's a word in my language ("cínico" which roughly translates to "one who says one thing and makes the point that that's only what he does while he does completely the opposite", I don't know the translation to english).
Most people, as soon as this topic goes into debate say that that's all they use their flashcards \ exploits \ modchips for. That and homebrew of course.
I don't really understand why there are so many ROM sites and why commercial ROMs are so requested.



Thank you. I reckon it's quite good, but there's another level that I plan to achieve.



So basically, what you're saying is that it's illegal to host commercial ROMs. That's all I've been telling these guys.



True. Will the thread opener please add a poll to the topic? I'd love to see the results.



Spirit maybe? I totally agree with the rest.



To my knowledge there aren't that many "homemade ROM copier" how-to, schematics or diagrams. Your best bet could be buying a used one from eBay / CG. Other option would be finding a respected scene member that owns a copier and send the carts to him. People used (and maybe still do) to use that scheme with arcade boards for the MAME project. And, yes, I don't think those would be illegal to have since you own a physical copy of the "work" so the copy you made can indeed be called a Backup which is allowed by your Law.

Also, I don't think we're here to help stop piracy. We're just not promoting (?) it. Note that this is a topic about ZD. I don't think we should give a crap about what other websites do, and I don't really know of an Emulation Website that does indeed distribute commercial ROMs (note that I'm speaking about Emulation websites and not those ROM sites that also distribute the emulators as well.).

To finish, I'd like to thank you all for your opinions on this, even if I think that this discussion shouldn't be here on the first place. It is Zophar's Domain afterall.

Originally Posted by Paladyn

The English word is hypocrite.



They're requested because people are cheap bastards. That will always be the case, but I don't see why legitimate uses should be curtailed because of people who are causing the real problem. Go after the ROM sites, not the modchips.



Yes. I agree. Therefore, I posted.

1. Yes, I'll post a poll...as soon as I figure out how.

2. I am not a cheap bastard! I know my dad, unfortunately.

3. I don't give a damn about the issue anymore. Zophar doesn't host commercial ROMs...so what!?

4. I probably won't ever give a damn again. There's just too much shit that I have to deal with in my life right now.

5. I'm the one who should be thanking everyone for their opinions, damn it!

[packardmelan]

Okay... this thread's going along, but it seems to be getting a little heated. I'd like to give a little bit more of my opinion on things, if it's okay.

I am a member of "Generation Y". And I'm a pirate. This appears to be a culture that is quickly becoming mainstream, especially in America. You can get anything from the media in some bootleg way. Movies on DVD while they're in theater. Non-DRM MP3s from torrent files. Chiptunes. Video games ROMs. ISOs.

And it's a moral dilemma. I 'support' movies and video game companies and the like as I can afford to. I'll see a movie in theaters if possible, but even if I can't, I'll download a rip and watch the thing -- if I like it, I buy the DVD upon release. Often "the special edition", which costs more. But sometimes... I just keep the pirated copy until I lose interest. Then it doesn't matter.

I download MP3s... mostly Japanese stuff that isn't offered in American stores. But I've pirated whole CDs, too. Sometimes to replace CDs from my collection that were scratched or stolen in the past - sometimes because I just want to get a song or two.

I've also bought off Amazon and iTunes, though.

I've listened to Chip Tunes like NSFs, but honestly? I'd rather listen to tracks off OCRemix. I'm honestly not sure what the legality of those are - but they seem more interesting and less outright piracy.

I download ROMs. I bought an R4 so I could pirate NDS games. Yet I still go out and buy games. It's not always a "try before you buy" mentality - sometimes I just don't feel a game is worth the price being asked. So I'll buy used... but also pirate games.

I'm a result of modern culture. I feel "entitled" to these downloads, but I also have a moral obligation to support these companies and to buy their products. I have more Wii games than I ever bought GC games, for instance... but instead of buying Rock Band, I'm using Frets on Fire and downloaded a torrent of ripped Rock Band tracks.

It's shady. I'm actually doing better now, buying games and music and movies -- but I'm not completely "legit" either. There's an ambiguity there, and a confusion. Nothing's quite defined. I firmly believe in BUYING. CONSUMING. But I pirate like anyone else does.

That said, Zophar.net was about the community. It was about the culture. But it was also 'clean' in the sense that we were here to talk to one another -- yes, about emulation and games -- but also about our lives. It wasn't a center for trading roms or conducting questionable activities. (Other than, you know, Diaries posts about underaged drinking and crap.)

It was really a turn -- for the worst, in my opinion -- when "Zophar's ROMS Domain" opened up.

[Umiliphus]

I never knew there were serious roms here. How about that.

Regardless of whether both are illegal, it has been my observation that game roms are a bigger liability to a website than game music files, though there are better sites for both of those (this one still favors the GYM format over vgz, for meep's sake), so neither need be a priority (disregard the fact that after all these years I have most of the stuff I want). Also, it is worth mentioning that the mentioned "planetemu" site is in French. It doesn't seem like that would make a difference, but it often appears to me that English sites are easier or more obvious targets. Emu-russia also still works.

[the_importer]

Originally Posted by Xeon3D

I'm pro for nostalgia. My kind of nostalgia didn't involve piracy. I miss the times when I was a staffer. The ambient, the spirit that was here. Then, and now, I could care fucking less about the music archives.

You're not supposed to have music of a game you never bought. So?

Just stating a contradiction, that's all.

Originally Posted by Xeon3D

Then go post / work in Planetemu... sheesh.

Edman should make a poll on the front page to see if people wanted commercial roms added or not...

If I was in charge (which I'm not and really don't want to be) we wouldn't have music archives. we wouldn't have commercial roms. If you want the archive, get the rom and extract the sounds from it. We supply the tools already. You should get to do the illegal part not us. But since I'm not in charge we'll have to wait for Edman's decision on this. If this gets ahead and ZD ever gets a warning notice, I'll be the first one to say "I told you so".


Mind it we already supply commercial ROMS... WTF. Didn't even notice it.

There you go http://roms.zophar.net for all your ******* pleasure.

If any companies that matter (Nintendo, SEGA, SNK, Hudson, Capcom, Konami, etc..) ever ask for Zophar to remove ROMs, you have full bragging rights (providing that there is proof of a request for removal)

Originally Posted by Xeon3D

I'm done discussing this. I already made my point. You made yours. Do what you want to do. As if I fuckin care. ROM Kiddiez will always be ROM Kiddiez.

ROM Kiddiez !!! I haven't heard that one in years. Unfortunately, I didn't work 10 years ago because I was already an adult when I got into emulation and it sure as hell doesn't work now

Also, Rule 45 dude !!!

[the_importer]

packardmelan, nice to see someone else with the balls to admit you you admited. I myself have tons of Anime and MP3s and I copy some DVD movies I rent (don't like to waste my time downloading them when it's faster to rent and support my local video store at the same time).

As for softwares, well I'm pro Freewares (yay SourceForge) and I got like 5 license of XP given to me by clients who didn't want them anymore because they went Vista (suckers ).

For games, well I don't play PC games but I do still play consoles games and I have like 12 Wii games, 12 GameCube games and 11 NDS games, all legally purchased.

And of course, I have my ROMs and PSX ISOs

Originally Posted by Umiliphus

I never knew there were serious roms here. How about that.

Regardless of whether both are illegal, it has been my observation that game roms are a bigger liability to a website than game music files, though there are better sites for both of those (this one still favors the GYM format over vgz, for meep's sake), so neither need be a priority (disregard the fact that after all these years I have most of the stuff I want). Also, it is worth mentioning that the mentioned "planetemu" site is in French. It doesn't seem like that would make a difference, but it often appears to me that English sites are easier or more obvious targets. Emu-russia also still works.

Actually, PlanetEmu is European French and if there's one place that's even more of a bitch than America when it comes to piracy, it's Western Europe. So if they can get away with it, anyone can.


Off-topic: I won't apologize for double posting since I can't edit my own posts >_>

[Soushkin]

Originally Posted by the_importer

Actually, PlanetEmu is European French and if there's one place that's even more of a bitch than America when it comes to piracy, it's Western Europe. So if they can get away with it, anyone can.
>_>

I wonder where you got that from. I'm from Holland and we can download movies and music as much as we desire. And it's actually legal too because we pay a fee on blank media.

One movie can get you 250k fine in the USA, same for music. Or three years in jail. No way we have such stupid sentences here to serve them dumbass companies.

France and England can be pretty harsh on downloading music and movies. They don't care much about them old games though, their police got better things to do than busting some ROMsites.

Originally Posted by the_importer

Off-topic: I won't apologize for double posting since I can't edit my own posts >_>

I can edit my posts to my hearts content so I'm wondering why you can't.

[packardmelan]

Originally Posted by Soushkin

I can edit my posts to my hearts content so I'm wondering why you can't.

A little thing called "user permissions". You're a "content manager" -- so you have edit rights. We peons (new and old) don't. It'll take an admin to fix that.