Simple Audio Encryption

[Tsukihime]

This script provides very simple audio encryption. It allows you to store audio files inside the rgss3a archive.


The data is decrypted and created outside of the archive when the game wants to play an audio file.


This means that while it is possible to easily copy the file once the game starts playing it,


you can still protect files that they have not managed to unlock during the game.


Get it at Hime Works!

 

[nio kasgami]

your are a genious tsukihime! 

it is pretty usefull~

 

[Misaki]

Useeefulll. Another option to use

 

[Shaz]

After it's been used, does the script remove the files that were created outside of the archive?

 

[ShadowLurk]

It is not removing the created files.

Well, you can do deleting the folder after main process, but to ensure it you need to somehow disable alt+f4 to make sure the code runs.

Or make some codes that delete it run upon program exiting....

 

[Tsukihime]

If the files need to be cleaned up I would write a launcher app that will run RM, and then perform clean up when RM process closes.

 

[Mouser]

To be really useful, the game engine should create the audio on playing, and then delete the file immediately upon switching to new background music. I'm saying background music as an assumption that that's where most of the 'custom audio' that people want encrypted is going to go. That would make it a little harder to grab the file since it would be 'in use'.

I don't know how much of a performance hit that would take, but I'm assuming most of us aren't worried about ALL the sounds and music played during the game, though I could be wrong about that.

The only time I've really come across this issue was when I was thinking of doing a 3D game. Daz makes great 3D models - after an email exchange they confirmed the models could be used in a game, so long as they were encrypted and the end user could not extract them as a model (ie: they couldn't get Victoria 4.0 for "free" by playing your game).

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

If the files need to be cleaned up I would write a launcher app that will run RM, and then perform clean up when RM process closes.

Well, IMHO, for this to be really useful, it needs to clean the files afterwards.

 

[Shaz]

A file being 'in use' does not stop it from being copied. It merely stops it from being changed/saved/renamed/moved/deleted.

 

[Tsukihime]

I've added an option to delete all unpacked audio files when a new audio file is loaded.


This means that when they close the game via alt+F4, there will be one file lying around.


But I don't understand why the script would only be useful if it cleans up the files.


The purpose of the script isn't to prevent people from taking your audio.

 

[Shaz]

This means that while it is possible to easily copy the file once the game starts playing it,


you can still protect files that they have not managed to unlock during the game.

I thought that WAS the purpose of the script?

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

I thought the whole purpose of this is so that players cannot easily copy the audio files...

 

[Mouser]

I thought the whole purpose of this is so that players cannot easily copy the audio files...

That was my thought - this sort of goes along with the 'How do I protect my copyright?" thread.

For people who have custom audio files created for their games, protecting them is a big deal.

For people who have licensed music for their games, protecting the files may be a requirement.

Yes, there will always be the 'analog hole' with music (or video), but you can show you've taken precautions to protect the work, which CYA in some settings. It also makes copying the files illegal under the DMCA through the circumvention clause.

 

[Halrawk]

My understanding was the purpose of the script was to stop people from "spoilers" with the audio. So you can't just open the audio folder and listen to all the music, you have to first experience it in game.

 

[Tsukihime]

For people who have custom audio files created for their games, protecting them is a big deal.


For people who have licensed music for their games, protecting the files may be a requirement.


Yes, there will always be the 'analog hole' with music (or video), but you can show you've taken precautions to protect the work, which CYA in some settings. It also makes copying the files illegal under the DMCA through the circumvention clause.

Being able to pack up your files in a secured archive where the files are only created when you actually play them provides a lot of protection over simply leaving it out in the open.


It also provides much more security than other schemes that simply dump all of the audio in a hidden folder in your system.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Why not do the unpacking on a different folder too? that way it won't be too obvious that you're just unpacking the files when played.


Unpacking only when played + doing that into a hidden folder + deleting the old unpacked files after usage

I've added an option to delete all unpacked audio files when a new audio file is loaded.

What happens if I'm playing a BGM then loads a new file (SE for example), or play a 2nd SE while one is still not finished?

 

[Tsukihime]

Why not do the unpacking on a different folder too? that way it won't be too obvious that you're just unpacking the files when played.

No, I will not do anything like that. It is the same as what malware do when they install junk in hidden places.

What happens if I'm playing a BGM then loads a new file (SE for example), or play a 2nd SE while one is still not finished?

I've made it so that it doesn't crash when you try to do this.


Now another common problem people might run into is losing ALL OF YOUR MUSIC.


This is because all audio files get deleted if you choose to enable auto-deletion, which I discourage.


To address this issue, the files I generate have an arbitrary ".tmp" extension added, and only those will be deleted automatically.

 

[Mouser]

I wouldn't go with a hidden folder (I agree with you on that), but a normal folder in the game's directory should be good - it just doesn't have to be called "audio files here". That should also help with prevent any accidental deletions since only files in that folder would be eligible to be deleted - so all the games normal background sounds and anything else you don't encrypt would be safe.

Btw - to people thinking of using this: it's better to _not_ encrypt everything.

If you don't, most people will assume the audio they see is all there is.

If you try to hide everything, they start looking...

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

you could always put a little extra audio files here and there

 

[Shaz]

Making a new file in the game's folder, and extracting the audio to there (in fact, even extracting the audio to where the script currently does) could cause problems if the player has installed the game into something like Program Files. Every time it went to play a new piece, they'd get a popup asking if they want Windows to allow it. Wouldn't they?