Hi
I'm using the public preview version.
I do not find this option in this GameGuru September update.
this option was announced in September update.
And I didn't find it.

(Fixed EXPORTASSETS flag in SETUP.INI to correctly export unencrypted full entities with standalone )

If you do not find it, why you not simply add it to the setup.ini.

What to add?

exportassets = 1 would be my guess.

Although I'm at a loss as to why you would want to use it.

Perhaps they just didn't need the command after all ?

I need it to improve my project.

Yes, it is called "exportassets", and you can set this to one to copy the unencrypted media to the standalone (good for sharing projects if you are using lots of custom media). You can also find this documented in the new file called "SETUP INI Description.txt" in the Docs folder.

Thanks Lee

Sounds like a dangerous capability if you forget it’s switched on?

Cheers.

If you copy all media over and then release your game it is the same. You can not prevent users from releasing unecrypted media.
This capability is very useful if you want to share media in a team or optimizing your textures only for the specific game.

And I always recommend using an encryption tool for released games:
https://forum.game-guru.com/thread/220726

If I am working on a project with a team and I forget to activate this option, there is no problem, I just have to activate it and re-send the project to my team; but if I forget to disable this option and distribute the game, the solution is more difficult.
If I planned to distribute a game, I would like all the media to be encrypted, as I can be using third-party media/scripts, and of course I must protect it.
So maybe it's a safer way to handle this option. imho.

Just hope you have a trustworthy team ..
It only takes one with the good old " Try this im working on but don't give it to anyone else " to a mate to start the ball rolling..

Clearly you can’t prevent it as a malicious act as the user has the unencrypted source, however it would be really easy to forget to switch this off and build and supply a standalone with unencrypted media as part of the build when intentions were pure.

I guess that is why it is not even listed in the default setup ini.

Thanks for the link.

Cheers.

I would give you and anybody else the advice to check your files before distributing them, regardless if it is for your private social media accounts or a game for distribution. And I mean no in-depth checks, just some basics like:
- Did the encryption work?
- Are there any files which should not be there? Private files like photos and documents
- Does the game run?
- Does it look like it should?
- ....

Yep I have to admit I open every standalone to check pics , models and scripts are properly encrypted before uploading any of my demos.

I do not know legally to what extent a developer is responsible for properly protecting the media and scripts of third parties.

Script encryption is pretty recent I think, Asset encryption has been there quite a while but I think there are early GG games on steam with non at all .. Based on that I would assume no responsibility ?

The game developer knows 2 things:
1- He would be distributing media / scripts from third parties and should protect them properly.
2- The Game Engine he use does not provide the necessary tools to comply with what is specified in point 1, therefore it is their shall to claim / suggest the game engine developer (TGC) and make it part of the need to provide this tool for this purpose, and until then, refrain from distributing the game. imho.

@3com
This is all past tense, The encryption is all there.
But if someone disables encryption manually and forgets that's down to them not TGC.

that's right.

@cybernescence: You make a good point, to err is human for sure! Do you recommend an alternative to the EXPORTASSETS flag in SETUP.INI?

While it is not possible to prevent piracy, there is no need to make it easier.
The fact is that every game made with GG will likely use media created by other artists, let-alone stock media, and for this reason it would be good practice to enforce encryption on Standalone builds.

Honestly I am gobsmacked that there is a setting to override it....

1) Encryption should be enforced by the engine
2) There should be no way to override it
3) If teams need to share files they need to use other methods, it is up to them ensure they are not breaching copyright

OldFlak....

For this reason, when the game developer presses the "generate standalone" button, the system must analyze, among other things, whether the option "EXPORTASSETS flag in SETUP.INI" is off or on, in which case it should generate a prompt to alert the developer before generating the file, something like "attention EXPORTASSETS flag is off, blah, blah, blah"

The fact that the command is not in the Setup.ini by default and you actually have to manually add it is ok and does prevent it accidently being enabled. But I can see that the problem arises when you do add and enable it.

Personally I cant think of any reason I would ever use this function and if I really wanted to create an unencrypted standalone I could easily overwrite the files with unencrypted ones with the same result, but without the fear of actually forgetting to reset any flags.
I don't think it " "EXPORTASSETS " even needs to exist but thats me ?

So, it should entry in a some sort of "team mode" where the team can work in the project, excepting generate standalone file, they will should back to "standalone mode" to be able to generate standalone file.
When user press "save as standalone" the engine should scan "setup.ini" file and prompt user if the option EXPORTASSETS is Off or On, as I pointed above.


I have not plans to use it, anyway always will be some "team" claming for that feature.

AGK doesn't have a (stock) way to encrypt media... So GG is already doing good in that regard.

I think a warning (or better yet a toggle) should pop up if you try to make a standalone with the encryption off.

Enforce encryption....
A great tag line for GG:
'Unlike other engines, game guru helps prevent piracy of assets by enforcing encryption on standalone builds'

Still can't believe an option exists to override encryption.
Normally I am all for giving options to developers, but can't see any reason for making it possible for unencrypted standalone to exist.

If a team needs to share files there are other options....

OldFlak....

I like the idea of a 'warning prompt' just in case the user does not realize they have it accidentally switched on. The reason for this flag is that sometimes levels are created that take assets from all over the library, one here, three there, etc, sometimes amounting to hundreds of assets. If you wanted to send a level and the assets it needs to someone who does not have the assets, you would need to manually pick through each asset folder and copy it to the standalone folder, this can be an impractical solution for large levels, with no guarantees you are placing the copies in the right places for the level to load successfully.

Does anyone here wish to keep this flag in the engine? Probably one of the first times I have been requested to remove a feature, but happy to do so if this one is too scary I guess I'll keep it for myself as I use it quite a lot to share levels being built with a variety of custom media not part of the stock install.

I will never use it personally but I do have one query.
Wouldn't this mean that users that have not purchased certain models on the store or DLC's would then have them ?
Or am I just over thinking it ?
But either way I cant accidently enable it so im good with whatever the outcome

Or someone with bad intentions can distribute media and then claim that he accidentally switched on?

I had no idea this feature existed (after encryption was added). Personally, for me its helpful as I can do quick modifications while in my standalone build. Extremely helpful when im editing title lua scripts and graphics to see a quick result without constantly going through the build process.

back in the FPSC days i was able to fine-tune my game more efficiently and with team support due to the files being un-encrypted.

With Game Guru I found myself building standalones as much as 6 times a day. Then started using copying scripts and replacing them with the encrypted ones hoping to see the updated results. Honestly though being able to have all my media including models be update-able without doing a build process would save me incredible amounts of time. Sometimes i make quick changes to FPE, LUA, DDS and etc. So this feature does indeed hlep me personally.

I think
It is better if this is made as a customizable option in the standalone panel.
Of course this is an idea...


I don't want to delete it
Because I need it
With this option it can be built and shared like project unity
Or sell it in the store.
Of course with your own unique assets.

You can do that anyway … just copy over the top to test and you can even edit them after that.
At least you know the final standalone you create would be encrypted and you hadn't forgotten to disable it .. That's the main point I think. Its a tough one for sure but I can see both sides of the Advantages vs Disadvantages

How about a standalone unencrypted showing a small message at the top right of the screen " Warning Unencrypted "
I wonder how many would test their final standalone see the message and think " Oh hell I forgot that "

@Teabone
Just replace the scripts you are working on in the standalone build with unencrypted versions.
You can tweak them till the cows come home, and when happy with all your tinkering, put your updated scripts in the engine folders and create a standalone again.

The issue here is that the assets are open for piracy if the game gets published.

I guess you could employ several safeguards:
1) not on by default - keep the current process of having to enable it in setup.ini
When enabled:
2) watermark the game - this will be an obvious deterrent to publishing it while unencrypted
3) toggle switch - on the build screen that has to be enabled every time to create unencrypted standalone

I think it would work great for those who need it, and those who are worried about it, if these 3 safeguards were in place.

OldFlak....

Or what's about some sort of "pre-standalone" to be tested/modified, and when you are done, then you generate standalone, of course with the "Warning prompt"

This would be a massive request, but I've always wanted a project system rather than just the current "map" system. Basically when you open GG you can of course jump right in and start map building, however you could create "New Project" as an option, which would create a folder (similar to standalone build process). You would then be able to tie all the maps you want to that project. Also all entities, audio, textures, scripts and etc that are used within that project would go to that created project folder. Basically Saving your Project would be like updating it. Which essentially is what the standalone process already does if your building to the same location to overwrite.

I would request the word "Test Game" button be changed to "Test Map". Since you are not actually testing your game you are only testing your map (level). Currently when you hit Test Game icon.

Test Project (be better if called Test Game though), would act as a way to test your standalone... with the titles and game over stuff and all. This means you'd be testing instead of exporting (though technically still exporting). Testing would be unencrypted though its referencing a created project (game) folder within GG.

So changing "Test Game" button to read as "Test Map", and Create a new button beside it for "Test Game" which would open you project standalone for testing - which would not be the same as export standalone which would be an option in your "File" drop down. As that allows you to choose the location and it builds with encryption ALWAYS.

If you absolutely needed unencryption youd copy your "project" folder that is created within GG, as it would be by default unencrypted.

This all similar to what 3com has purposed with pre-standalone for testing. Which should be inside the GG folder under something like projectbank instead of the mapbank.

This purposeful would also open the doors for a user-friendly non-coding way to link levels as well. Possibly for the future if this project based system was implemented. Always it would mean standalone builds would always be encrypted (just not the testing ones which are located inside the GG steam folder). Makes everyone happy. No one would accidentally export without encryption and nobody would be able to simply exploit this. (Unless they dug into GG folder and shared from there, however that can already be done.)

For Teams you could jump into the GG folder in the projectbank folder and copy your project folder and share that with your Team. So they will have access to ALL the required assets. As lee mentioned it would be a heavy task to do this by manually going to the entitybank, scriptbank etc and copying the fpm and finding the possibly 100+ assets to copy over. This would solve it all with a self contained folder within GG steam folder.

@ Teabone
I could not have said it better.
+1

@Teabone
It will be very good and we will be able to manage our own projects.

Good luck...

@Teabone

I asked for something like this a while ago (around this time last year if i remember correct), and Lee responded that it would be a good idea and that he had been thinking of doing something on that basis.

Then as per usual a year later we've heard nothing more.

This made me think a little and although we don't have this ( which would be great ) I tried the " exportassets=1 " which works well.

Now im going to have to back track a little here.
In theory this meant I could just install a fresh GG on another machine and replace the files folder with my decrypted one ( or even rename my current files folder to files2 ) giving me my own standalone project and it kind of works

Despite my doubts I have to say for this purpose alone its a pretty good feature.
So im going to have to admit I was wrong about this one
Im all in for keeping it now ..

How about just an " Export Project " as well as a " Create Standalone " that way we get both and its less chance getting it messed up ?

Keep the feature please.
It is very useful.

The warning when saving standalone builds would be a great idea or the check box like SHAHIN3D has shown.

Yep my problem was thinking about team projects and how they could get spread to be honest.
Having used it to create my own project folder though is a different story
Definitly all for keeping it now

Being able to create an unencrypted development standalone is nice particularly when tweaking things textures, scripts, menus extra.
What is missing is a way to turn that development standalone directly into the encrypted release product.