haha - Nintendo attacks ZopharD

[Smiff]

http://www.zophar.net/index.phtml


hmmm all I can say is Go N!

[Smiff]

Those bastards have really done it this time!! They've started attacking the heart of Emulation. Put your opinions here.


ROTFLMAO. In NO way is ZD NOR the "Flash Advance Linker" (or GBA emus in general) the "heart of emulation", duh.

[Smiff]

uuuh... we aint doin anything illegal here are we?

[Josep]

hehe o man, thats great, but seriously, thats hardcore stuff to post that type of hardware on a big main streme website like zophar, i'm surprised they posted that, i thought that type of item was "black market" type stuff. That linker crap probably implies illegal copying probably, but definitly does not have anything to do with emulation in my opinion, But i don't think its illegal, but apparantly it is to nintendo, Burning cd images could be put the same way, BUT nintendo i GUESS has rights over anything to do with nintendo related material, I GUESS;) I still think thats hella hardcore though, does it work? anyone know? the flash advance linker i mean, am i interpreting what this thing does correctly too?:)

[gokuss4]

smiff i think you cracked, you're talking to yurself :D lol. but i dont care cause Zophar is sort of good but what is wrong with zophar's domain anyway?

[flow``]

ROFL! All credit to smiff.. i couldn't resist posting about it

Gokuss: in case you aren't away, ZD's is good for:

1) reading "current" news.. only to find out its a week or more old
2) making fun of swampgas
3) making funny ass post on their msg boards
4) did i mention making fun of swampgas?

basically, i think its halfway safe to say most emu64 visitors are "anti-zd".. why?

blatently, he[swampgas] screwed jandaman, is known for being a dick, and.. yea.. we hate him =)

[2fast4u]

lol, i always wondered what all that bad talk about zd is. now i know...

[blizz]

I was thinking it was nearly hunting season :devil: ;)

I don't give a damm about Zophars domain, it's like arcade@home let them burn, burn burn!!!

btw bold text is my new friend :D

[Azimer]

Don't disrespect Zophar's Domain... disrespect its current owner and its current incarnation. Zophar and his creation was great. I miss both and respect what was once a great site.

[2fast4u]

hmm.. plz tell us more azi. i don't completely understand.

[Redah]

Check this link (http://www.zophar.net/wwwthreads/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=talktown&Number=74683&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&part=&vc=1) :)

I wonder how long it will take for me to get banned :D

[2fast4u]

redah u naughty boy u! ;)

[Redah]

Originally posted by 2fast4u
redah u naughty boy u! ;)


:innocent:

[Redah]

*lol*

[Redah]

After this message, I replied "Damn right!" :)

[blizz]

2fast4u: what Azi is mentioning is when Zophar ran ZD, when it was ran properly and updated on time, that's why the EmuFAQ is there (even if it is slightly out of date)

[Azimer]

Not to mention a friendlier (note I didn't say friendly cuz he wasn't to a lot of people) siteop. He also knew how to hire staff and how to keep good staff on board. Since Swampy, the turnover rate is higher then McDonald's.

[RatTrap]

heh.. heh.. i actually was kinda worried for abit last time when i was looking for the flash linker and saw it at ZD hehe.. but then i remembered.. it's ZD :p.. lol.. who cares.. but i never thought they someone would tell on them though.. kinda funny that someone did hehe.. i agree with you guys though.. it used to be a good site.. but now.. it's just a sad example of what could happen to any site if it's not run properly :/..

[Jaz]

*lol* :D

[Smiff]

haha, omg:

http://www.cultchyldren.com

[Smiff]

im not sure whether im pro N or anti ZD but i need to explain a few things so it doesnt look like some personal attack:

- ZD uses emulators (freeware, the hard work of many good people) to attract visitors and then tries to make money out of them via an online shop
- ZD is an emulation site that sells products connected with piracy. This is bad for emulation and people who are involved in the "light side" (fun, innocent) of it such as myself.
- ZD is not running the online shop in a professional manner, just read some threads here http://www.zophar.net/wwwthreads/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=zdstore
- ZD fundamentaly does not seem to care about emulation, rather itself, its status and its money. It is like a parasite that feeds off the work of others (including its own founder) and gives nothing back to the community.

That is my opinion and that is why I'd rather ZD weren't around at all.

[blizz]

ROFLOL

god damm

[hotshitu]

Just a couple of thoughts. I don't know what beef you personally have with this guy (due to the severity of your dislike, I must assume you do, despite your comment) but it doesn't matter and I don't care all that much either.

I just thought you're smarter than that. Posting such a picture indicates you are not. I just asked someone if posting it was defensible and they said that while providing the link to or quoting, etc. of satirical (? ? ?) content usually is, posting stuff like that hardly is. But hey, maybe you'd like to share some Smiff footage (not touched up, 1024x768 BMP) so people can make their own picture of you ;) ??

On a related note, all of your points, if true, do not really hold up given the amount of similar sites providing similar "services". I think it would be a different matter if they exclusively sold pirating tools however, which is why your second point strikes me as particularily ludicrous, or should I say hypocritical, (yeah that's how you spell it :P) You're not going to slam eg. ngemu now too for running an online shop per se?

I would have to agree though, most of them ARE despicable parasites, much the same way a certain J-man is, malpractice aside. But then again, so were wishtec, 3dfx at a point, and many other big corps.

As for the "community service" aspect of emu-sites in general, well hmm... your site comes to mind, ad-free and reliable. You see, it doesn't hurt to be fair. Sometimes.

[Smiff]

wtf are you talking about hotshitu, that pic is at the link i posted right above it (i.e. I didn't make it - are you going to get pedantic over linking vs. copying now??), I also clearly say this is not personal, I have had no direct contact with any ZD staff for a long time. If that pic offends anyone who owns/works here theyll just edit it out then won't they.

All the other sites you mention are doing something useful for people in addition to running a business (AND are they not selling dodgy equipment!), hence I have no beef with them, it seems pretty obvious.

http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=hypocritical

Um what else

- I'd be happy if ZD exclusively sold pirating tools, just don't be an "emulation site" aswell (and hopefully get shut down quicker)
- you can hardly compare an Adaptoid with a ROM copier, one's primary use is legit (pluging N64 controllers into a PC) one isn't (copying copyright software). Or am I missing something here too?

[LefterisD]

Instead of attacking an innocent site Nintendo could have gone after the hardware maker itself. I forsee emulation related site hunting in the horizon.

[hotshitu]

Originally posted by Smiff
wtf are you talking about hotshitu, that pic is at the link i posted right above it (i.e. I didn't make it - are you going to get pedantic over linking vs. copying now??),

Of course I know it's not your fabrication. That was not the point.


If that pic offends anyone who owns/works here theyll just edit it out then won't they.

Friendly advice from a by-stander. You could find yer ass in deep shit if someone cared to take it that far (which I doubt).


All the other sites you mention are doing something useful for people in addition to running a business (AND are they not selling dodgy equipment!), hence I have no beef with them, it seems pretty obvious.

http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=hypocritical


By hypocritical (why do I have to explain this?) I mean for example this: nemu.ngemu.com. Note the links on the left. OK, so they don't actually sell the stuff, but see above. I knew you'd be quick to defend them, but lemme tell you, I don't think the owner(s) of ngemu are any more interested in the welfare of this supposed community than everyone else here, or if they were they'd pick their ad providers/contractors more carefully. Emulation64 too is no different apart from being down slightly more often as I hear, can't verify that though. Besides, in this case the proof you have provided for ZD's evil-doing, if I may call it that, is threadbare and does nothing to convince me, the innocent by-stander, of their wickedness as opposed to the goodness of the rest of the emulation world. Take for example emulation64. Their news are useless. (as are ngemu's, btw) Did I mention how utterly useless and embarrassing, I feel, hosting and propagating all this cheat, ini, screenshot and whatnot business is? LOL. But that's a different story entirely and deserves its own thread. Bottom line: the only thing of real importance here is the emulator/emulation. As i see it, most if not all the big emulation sites are business models and therefore supposed to make money. Saying you didn't know that makes you look naive or hypocritical. Your pick. Besides all these sites wouldn't even be around if it weren't for the illegal distribution of certain things.

And finally, another piece of advice. If you don't like Zophar's and don't like what they are doing right now then that's perfectly fine (with me anywaY). Just don't go lambasting them or anyone in this manner (particularily the pic) when you know, or should know, that other sites aren't any better. It is childish and not befitting you and your position.

BTW as I said I really don't care too much and there is nothing at stake here for me.
It's just _annoying to see_ how you are apparently hell-bent on making an ass of yourself.
But hey, _I_ could choose not to read and reply, could I. Will do- next time.


PS. If _you_ are in any negative way affected by ZDnet's way of conducting business _you_ could and should file a complaint or even sue them. If it's personal quarrels, well...
PPS . Innocent by-stander is a figure of speech, nothing more, sorry for this lengthy rant, won't happen again.

[2fast4u]

I feel, hosting and propagating all this cheat, ini, screenshot and whatnot business is?

business? excuse me, but no one makes a dime of money from either coding that stuff or hosting it.


Their news are useless.

u find it useless that there are sites that inform u about updates on emus? gimme a break, if it wasnt for emulation sites u probably wouldnt even know emus exist (like me btw).


...therefore supposed to make money

frum wot for crying out loud??

[Smiff]

hotshitu i'm flattered my opinion means so much to you, really, but it's just that - an opinion, as I said. This stuff really isnt very important to me, I'll just say what I think and you say what you think but stop being so f**ing AGGRESSIVE all the time.



I'll agree wholeheartedly though (and have been thinking myself):

"only thing of real importance here is the emulator/emulation"

...which is also (nice circle) exactly why ZD isn't nearly as important as it thinks it is.

[Smiff]

a little something else hotshitu - i don't need your approval anymore than anyone else needs mine... swampgas can sell things if he wants (ahem - within the law). I can put an enormous porn banner in the middle of my site, if I want. All i am asking is that people be honest about what they're doing and why. If that makes me naive and idealistic, too f**ing bad frankly... I won't stop saying what I think because suddenly people might listen.

[Smiff]

one last post before i dissapear for a day - jesus has anyone visited slashdot lately?!

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/02/20/1627204

they're shure lubbin it over there :o

[Jabo]

I think copiers are okay, I don't think ZD is wrong for selling copiers, I think they are wrong for selling copiers for a system currently being developed for, on a website that already in theory facilitates the play of illegal rom images for the same system on their website (after all that is what emulation on PC/MAC is 90% of the time, we don't own the games).

So in essence, they make the part of the emulation scene they are catering to (people who buy these) look like pirates, even more blatantly than playing it on your PC, this destroys the image of 'classic gaming community' (and yes i consider Zelda64 classic gaming, the console is dead). Any website selling next-gen rom copiers (older consoles .. who cares, you almost can't buy some of those games) to the mass market of end users is a bad idea, it's not moral in my view. I don't necessarily think there is much you can do about it, if ZD didn't sell it you could always shop somewhere else, but as you guys have said ZD has traffic based on the work of free software ... you also have to keep in mind that they use the money allegedly to pay for bandwidth, which no one can dispute?

I'd also like to say I'm not against copiers, and I'm not against emulator authors or other developers getting copiers to learn about a console. I'm against the piracy of a platform's software by using the platform against itself, which is probably what a large portion of the people who buy copiers do with them -- pirate games.

Also, it's not entirely fair to pick on ZD for this, there are other emulation sites that sell lots of bad things .. look around .. where is Nintendo for them now? (unless they took it down :-P)

Other topic for discussion: selling next-gen copiers is wrong, what about the game boy advance emulators? ... (i think that's the only next-gen console emulated?)

[Ogy]

Originally posted by Jabo
Other topic for discussion: selling next-gen copiers is wrong, what about the game boy advance emulators? ... (i think that's the only next-gen console emulated?)

you are forgetting that without the handheld concept, GBA is nothing more then a NES

[RatTrap]

Ogy.. you be a nutty boy.. NES?.. pffft.. it's even better than the SNES.. it's 32 bit dude :p.. ok it's got some limitations.. it's got no Zapper.. but i mean they could come out with a lil gun for the GBA that could be carried in your belt.. would look so l3333t.. everyone would look like GBA-cowboys :D.. anyways.. i think there was something missing from the letter from the big N to ZD.. it should have ended

PS: ALL YER FLASH LINKERZ ARE BELONG TO US!.. bitch!.. lol :D..

[Jabo]

Originally posted by Ogy


you are forgetting that without the handheld concept, GBA is nothing more then a NES

I don't think I made any distinction between the GBA and it's hardware capabilities, by the term "next-gen" i only meant that it is a current system ... kind of like Gamecube, PS2, or anything else, while it's true the GBA is hardly a "next-gen" system if you consider them to have elite 3D graphics, or processors with clock speeds in the hundreds. Besides like RatTrap said, the GBA is more like a SNES than anything else, and there is plenty of better features to distinguish the SNES and the GBA apart. The CPU alone should provide enough incentive to consider it a better system than both of these systems and put it over more into the next-gen category than into the classic console one.

[flow``]

./pokes jabo and zilmar.. *cough* saturn emu

the flash linker is sort of like the z64, v64, v64jr, cd64..ect backups for the n64

when the console was alive of course :)

in the end, nintendo can't do much about it [sadly].. its a shame the GBA is almost already perfectly emulated with the current releases, emulation alone already alone took a big chunk of its life span, without the flash linker and other devices..

[sk8bloke22]

nah gba emulation, in my opinion, is less likely a threat to the sales of the console, than say the emulation of the n64/psx as it is handheld, and really is only satisfying to play as a handheld. still i guess the big N need to do their hunting just to make sure the dont lose a precious penny.

[RatTrap]

:).. nope.. that's wrong.. you just don't know how many GBCs N sold i guess.. and the GBA is just like the GBC.. only costs abit more.. not much.. and has for it's size.. a very unique set of hardware inside it.. it's an amazing litle piece of work that is bound to get the big N alot of money.. just like the GBC wich did VERY well.. and is STILL doing incredibly well.. wich is why the last two zelda games have been made to work with the GBC instead of being special new GBA zelda titles..

in some gaming sites there where some news posts back when sega went down the drain.. N was doing bad aswell.. but they where saved by the pokemon hysteria and the GBC.. they made more money off it then they did from n64 games and consoles.. this is what i've read somewhere and i'm sure it's got alot of trueth behind it.. but don't qoute me on that to 100% coz it might be something the poster exagerated about..

anyways.. that is the GBC.. but this is the GBA.. i'm 100% sure they are counting even more on the GBA.. then they ever did on the GBC.. so it's not just a lil pretty penny.. we could be talking about many millions of pennys.. and what makes the diference in the company wanting to ever again make even better handhelds like the GBA :)..

[EdgeBlade]

GBA is kinda cool, but they need some better titles. Lots of the games for it suck simply because they can and they'll still be bought

ADD: It suppost to be an advanced GameBoy, but it's more of a cheap SNES. The great thing with GB is that you don't the latest and greatest graphices so developers have to focous on the game itself for the most part. But with the GBA many developers just pump out good looking junk and eaisly get away with it.

[sk8bloke22]

i wouldnt really call it a cheap snes....its quite an expensive snes for £70 (u can pick up a snes for like a tenner, hehe). also from wat im aware it is better, or at least different, as jabo said, to the snes.i doubt the snes could hav pulled off tony hawks 2 on its original hardware...i could be wrong though.

[Smiff]

eheh SNES is an 8bit CPU w/ 16bit gfx co., GBA is 32bit CPU, yeah id say they're pretty different... apart from everything else... but i would buy a handheld SNES.

[Macca]

hmmm....yeah interesting...

/me scratches his chn

hmmm....



actually i'm not in the mood for reading a long topic, maybe later. For now i'll just pretend i read it. :p

[RatTrap]

tell me the GB had that many good games when it first came out? heh.. no it didn't i bought one the very same day it came out.. and i did buy a few games the first year but i could'nt find that many good games untill a year after.. so i think it's just a matter of time.. like with any console.. there's a slightly relative time periods schedule they go thru..

first games are usually the best coz it's what has to come out with the machine.. no good games the first days means nobody buys it..

some time after.. all the "purdy" games come out.. not very good but they sell bcoz their eather sweet looking or use something that the hardware can do that nobody has used b4.. this period of time can be long sometimes though.. i look for example at the sega consoles (i know i'm begging for a flame here but).. not that many good games.. but they tried to make pretty games with the few colors they had available for the genesis.. and forgot gameplay..

the close to death time.. this is a time of rejoice (not sure i spelld that right) :D.. this period can sometimes take a very long time.. years.. just look at the NES.. but it's usually controlled by the release of a next console from the same company.. as soon as the same company leeks info on a new console then the current one they have out.. this period of time starts to fade.. usually alot of the very best games come out at this time though.. for example.. n64.. MM PD CBFD and all the other pretty decent mario games and etc that came out..

then it's the end of days time.. it's like.. the end :).. sometimes the best games come out at this time.. Mario Party 3 or 2 or whatever was probably one of the last games to come out for the n64.. usually the end games are aimd at the audience where the console is most successfull.. and the one that comes to mind for the n64 is kids.. and i'm guessing in this stage of the console.. it's the last chances they have to make a few last bucks out of the console..

i think were still in the second fase of the GBAs history.. it has some good games.. they've started to show up.. and i've seen the list of upcoming games wich seem really good.. so i think that soon we'll be experiencing the next fase of the GBA :).. and then we shall all rejoice :D..

[Zero]

Poor Zophar's Domain :plain:
but they must have something very bad :devil: to get a warning from the Big N

[EdgeBlade]

Originally posted by RatTrap
and then we shall all rejoice :D..

Yay! The way you explain it makes sence, I never really got into GB untill a litte before GBC. My first GB that was actually mine was a GBC! :D

Right now I have a GameCube and I'm still waiting for the REALY good games, like Zelda, Mario, etc.. I have XG3 though, too bad I suc at it though, but it's still fun.

But to stay a little on topic, read this:
2/20/02
This is interesting...I submitted a story to Slashdot about this...didn't think they'd post it (I have 1 story accepted out of 10 submitted). It did. A lot of excellent feedback, too. People suggested the EFF take on the case, so I've emailed them about it.

And in product news, we're sold out of Flash Advance stuff...everyone bought it REAL quick. Now the decision is...should I restock it, despite US Customs and Nintendo?

Well, a shipment restocking a few other items is currently on the way. Let's see if I'm on Customs blacklist :)

That's from ZD's store news. And for some odd reason the "Flash Advance Linker 256M Kit" is backordered...

At least they wont need to hand over their stock I guess.

[blizz]

maybe he now has the funds to pay Jandaman back....

[blizz]

Originally posted by Smiff
one last post before i dissapear for a day - jesus has anyone visited slashdot lately?!

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/02/20/1627204

they're shure lubbin it over there :o

I've had enough of Slashdot, they just whine all the time.

[hotshitu]

Originally posted by Smiff
All i am asking is that people be honest about what they're doing and why. If that makes me naive and idealistic, too f**ing bad frankly...

OK, let's _all_ be honest now, shall we? ;)
Seriously, I do not question your idealism - it becomes rather visible at times. As does a slight propensity towards selective perception or tunnel vision, though. And that is my own personal opinion based on my own observations.


I won't stop saying what I think because suddenly people might listen.

I'm sure you won't :) and that's a good thing and maybe people will start to listen. Here's hoping...

[cochinillo]

As for people that go to the Zophar message boards just to bug them, that's kinda childish. Don't ya think?

[RatTrap]

honestly.. i think it's sad that everyone confuses what they've donne to swampass with saying that it is something they did to ZD.. he has used ZD to sell the stuff.. but ZD could have existed without any trouble and without the hassles and crap swampy has put it thru.. just fine.. just simply taking out the FLA would keep the site at least "cleaner".. and i'm sure he could put some respect back into that site if he actually wanted to do something else than get a few bucks out of the store.. i myself have gonne there and said a bunch of stupid crap back at those whom i've known from long ago and still act like morrons who will flame at first glance of being not the type to agree with them.. but i've also posted longer posts with more mature content to the ppl that i know would read with a more open mind and don't just flame me back bcoz i have an opinion :p..