Ripping-off Without Shame

[swambast]

How can anyone seriously defend this?  This is clearly as @Menrva called it, "ripping-off without shame."  Of course my works have been stolen and used without my permission as well - disgraceful indeed.  This seems to be more the norm these days, people coming in stealing whatever they want, putting the goods back together in some way and then desperately wanting attention and recognition to lift their egos.  Sad from where we once were, but reality indeed and another warning to stay guarded on what is publicly shared...

[anunk47]

Last night while I'm bored, I randomly googled something with "SF2 DLCs" and these "FB SF2 Falcon-II" page come out top search. 
out of curiosity, I click it. I don't even log-in to my dead FB account let alone following that page.
(some African Prince and S'pore Tycoon hi-jack my account multiple times and I get lazy to restore my FB account).

For "Research and Education" purpose, I, with guilt and shame, click the link and Download them.
And.. WTF! how Robin-Hoody they are! 4 Gigs for all 5 SF2 basic games + patch and 9 Gb for mods!  

Sense of Detective Conan in me investigate those files, Especially Aircraft and Terrains mod.. Dear, all my Favorite NL terrains are there!
and some modern maps too!  also many objects from Gkabs, Wrench's packs, and others.  Those file almost mirroring all the Mods folder I've been compiled here since 2020.
Now I delete them all. I've already got base game long before I'm join C.A and the Mods mostly are from C.A too except YAP mods. it waste of my HD Space I need for playing Honey Select 2. 

Then I remember, I read somewhere and sometimes about this thread, I don't pay much attention back day until I did something above. 
Conclusion is, now 2026, since this Thread created those file are still accessible. and yes, still playable. 

I Know It's mixed feeling about this, I put myself as a modder, how many hours, electric and wifi bills to pay to make a plane fly. 
and then someone rip your works and posted without even thanks or credits. sure, I'm goin' ballistic bout that. 

In other shoes, I have PC, joystick and Internet.  Why should I pay for some for fun? why should I waste time waiting for tomorrow just to download 2 more free mods?  Yyippee ki yay, MotherFather! 

But this is the world we livin' now, Keyboard warriors roaming free, and even corrupt Immoral HeadDick could be a leader everywhere.  
Not gonna lie, I'm a modeler myself, a plastic scale model scratch builder and novice 3D blender enthusiast. 
How I feel enraged when my models I've been crafted are "illegally resin-copied" and how happy I'm to get a bootleg rare resin models.

Just like many member who posted here, I'm 45+ myself, Gen-X-Punk-Boi. I once want to commit "Seppuku" out of shame 
because I accidently post the screenshot in WIP Thread, and Posted Screenshot Mod I've been made. Some member accusing me promoting piracy, looking for attention, and hunting for credits or likes in C.A.
(Anyway, if I had more than 500 likes, can I traded it with 7-Eleven Voucher?  if so then I'll post illegal stuff more often).

but Thankfully, there are some member too who positively messaging me asking this and that and support me, thanks to them.  
these are one of the reason I haven't contribute anything meaningful here but crappy screenshot and nonsense. I don't want to break any rule has been set up here. This is the only online platform I'm currently active since I got message from P-hub telling me to get a life since I've been watch almost all their contents.  

anyway, Sorry Mr. Menrva if Im littering your thread with pointless long rants, and for my Bad-English because I've come from country where have Paypal account is Illegal. (No, It's not North Korea nor PRC). 

[yakarov79]

42 minutes ago, MTFUE11 said:

And I'm not trying to defend the ones that rip off mods from here to post them on ModDB... But I cannot balme them either.

What is your point?

 

45 minutes ago, MTFUE11 said:

Just to make you privileged people understand that... Not everyone is willing to pay a subscription to download a mod to have fun on a game

Then they do not have to play this game.... I was planning to buy a boat this year...but turns out the universe has other plans for my wife and me....I have to change plans. But it does not mean I will go to the marina and jump on a random boat to have "FUN" in a game called fishing. 

49 minutes ago, MTFUE11 said:

Creating an account just lets you download 1 file a day with the max size being 1KB.

Creating an account opens many doors.

50 minutes ago, MTFUE11 said:

I just wanted to download a mod and now i'm stuck with this useless account I couldn't even delete

You can still download any mod without paying.  I have been here since 2013. Never paid for any mod. I simply contribute any way I can. 

52 minutes ago, MTFUE11 said:

"Free mods made in our free-time"

uh uh...

53 minutes ago, MTFUE11 said:

Sure you might have made them free but this site blocks them behind a pay-wall. Sounds fair?

as long as mods are safe (in any way..not only protected from ripping off...but also from disappearing forever)

54 minutes ago, MTFUE11 said:

Do even pay you?

Oh, for sad dogs' sake... You do not understand.  Mods are free. The site needs money to keep the server alive...so mods can be stored somewhere. Is that so fucking hard to understand? Nothing is for FREE. IF something is FREE, it means someone else has to pay for it.  

 

Now. How does it sound:

I had this proposition at the time all these changes (subscription plans) were in motion. But I said to myself, hell, keep quiet.

It is only modders who should pay for the site. Those bastards are making fucking huge mods....and they are occupying virtual storage space. So you make the mod...pay for space that the mod can be stored...and all the rest can enjoy it for free.  Does it sound fair?  

 

Now I am pissed off.... I was making a new main landing gear mesh....and suddenly saw this topic pop-up again while sipping coffee...

[Flanker562]

Points taken yakarov79, and I can't disagree. It's just the reflection that when people abuse a system, we had to make the changes to charge for unlimited access to mods. As he pointed out, the modders here do this for free, and my limited experience doing a mod meant me paying nearly 80 dollars for the base 3D model. Thankfully we all got it going and it's available for free. I still pay for unlimited downloads as a means to help the site stay afloat, since I've been here since how long. So yeah, there's a way to get free downloads without being "behind a paywall" and such, and the fact that nobody takes the time to research how it works, does speak volumes though. 

[Muesli]

2 hours ago, MTFUE11 said:

I'm new to this whole "CombatACE" thing... And I'm not trying to defend the ones that rip off mods from here to post them on ModDB... But I cannot balme them either.
"...and screw combat ace They broke there own license and paywalled mods Its time we break there monopoly"
That's a sentence of a mod on moddb. Just to make you privileged people understand that... Not everyone is willing to pay a subscription to download a mod to have fun on a game.
Creating an account just lets you download 1 file a day with the max size being 1KB.
I don't even wanna imagine what the free subscription lets you do. 2 files of what size?

I just wanted to download a mod and now i'm stuck with this useless account I couldn't even delete.
"Free mods made in our free-time"
Sure you might have made them free but this site blocks them behind a pay-wall. Sounds fair?
Do even pay you?
 

Well, don't let the door hit you on the way out and have a nice life. Don't bother declaring your leave, too...
And for everybody else thinking "I want it all for free and it's not fair that it's behind a paywall, so..." I can just think of the worst ice hockey statement that comes to my mind:

Go puck yourself.

[Menrva]

4 hours ago, MTFUE11 said:

I'm new to this whole "CombatACE" thing... And I'm not trying to defend the ones that rip off mods from here to post them on ModDB... But I cannot balme them either.

What I denounced when opening this topic back in 2023 had nothing to do with CombatACE temporarily blocking free downloads (back then they still weren't blocked) which, by the way, have been reinstated months ago by the site's owner after spending his own money to update and keep the servers working.

People stealing the work of modders and republishing it elsewhere as their own work is not excusable in any case. The very least would be to add the names of the modders involved in some credits list, which was not the case of what I denounced back in 2023. The internet has its own set of rules, but folks like you would rather have it running as a jungle, much like world leaders are doing right now with no dignity for human life.

Topic is locked, I've had enough of these posts trying to defend unexcusable behaviors. Enjoy your ban, now the account will be gone for good like you desired and you won't be able to complain over the discovery of water and fire anymore.