^^agreed

Though I just wanted to add that even if the skins are easily available from the skins_x folder it doesn't mean that anyone is "allowed" to use/edit the skins. I've seen few times my own public skins used online and almost always it has been modified and my "tag" has been removed. It bothers me a bit because I release my public skins with only one "condition". Do not remove the tag. But what's one skin has to do with anything when people are used to copy all their programs, games and music/movies from internets without paying anything...

There are lots of good skins available here in the skins section and most of the authors will give you permission to edit if you do it properly. The most important thing is to ask permission.

Quote from PaulC2K :

Thats all good and well if its just some random skin you created, but as the thread was talking about stolen TEAM skins then exactly how can 'compliment' that away?

Its identity theift to a (pathetic) degree, Its a skin/file intended for the use of 1 individual or all users of a SET group, not an open 'feel free' group of people. So im going to assume your not for a second suggesting its quite alright for anyone to just randomly drive round in any teams colours - tag or no tag, because thats just not how things go.
Team skins are off-limits unless your in that team, and IMO so are personal skins that you want to be the unique wearer of that skin. Posting it and then saying 'hands off' is asking for trouble, but doesnt make it any more acceptable to go against someones request.

Ultimately, if someone says hands off, thats how it should be and the same should go for Team skins without even having to say their private.
As i say, going to assume your just talking about individual random designs, though i dont entirely agree with your thinking.

100% agree.

Serious players and racers of LFS should treat this game seriously. It is against copyright to use other skins without permission, especially a team-skin. Team skin is always unique, they should be respected.

What really hacks me off is that some dumb twat keeps zipping up their skins_x folder and calling it a skin pack.

then someone else downloads it, and because of person A's dumb ass action, person B ends up wearing Team C's Livery.

there realyl should be a way to key filenames at least so someone cant just copy without renaming and run the skin without being on the team's list of drivers

I dunno, I always thought of team skins as like... uniforms..(yuck!)
but really though, ppl shouldn't steal team's skins. and if caught they should be penalized. I mean if a person steals a skin and starts a bunch a crap on a server where no one really knows that team, it will reflect badly on the team the skin was stolen from. it's almost as bad as hijacking an account. it ain't right.


Muhahahah! OK Paul, if I don't have one zillion dollars deposited in my paypal account by friday, I'm gonna steal a mercury skin and go online and drive really REALLY slow! (wait... i'm already slow... OK then SLOWER)

Seriously though, if there isn't something in place to deal with "skin rustling", then there ought to be.

On the other hand, it really bugs me when someone uploads the skin, has a nice screenshot and then says private all over it.. If it's that damn private, then I wish they'd just put it up on LFS world and not bother the rest of us with it. That is almost as wasteful as a spam post IMHO.

The best way to prevent such problems is a license-system for skins with skin-watermarks. If somebody steal a licensed and watermarked skin, it is easy to find it out. Then is it possible to punish the robber.

Quote from Jakg :

Go for it, just think off all the insults you can think off and chuck em on a skin.

Thinking about it, i should of done a "man love rules - apply here" one

So, where's the insult?

trouble with this idea is that anyone who already has your skin in their skins x folder wont see you new "im a thief" skin

The easiest way would be an additional file type where all the team skins are in and which is coded. The team leader can great with a programm the file by putting alle the skins in it and give a pw. Then he loads it up somewhere with the pw and LFS can use it. LFS can check out if the player is in the team over LFSWorls and when yes LFS will check that team-skin-file for the right user skin. All players would have that coded file in skins_x which they can't open.

I have an idea. When uploading a skin, what about a setting in LFS world allowing us to upload skins as private or public.

Quote from tinvek :

trouble with this idea is that anyone who already has your skin in their skins x folder wont see you new "im a thief" skin

I think LFS uses someting date&time related option here. So when uploading a new skin you can just upload it without changing the name and it gets updated on every PC that need that skin. I guess LFS just checks the date on that skin and compares to LFSworld and downloads a new one if the old isn't up to date. Need to check this though...

EDIT: can't check it, LFSworld not loading. Probably something on my end, I'll try laters if I remember

Quote from tinvek :

trouble with this idea is that anyone who already has your skin in their skins x folder wont see you new "im a thief" skin

yes they will - LFS checks the time stamp and realises the new skin is newer


Its a rather cunning system

IMHO we need a way of LFS ONLY letting a "private" skin work for the LFS account its uploaded from

Just my 2 cents:

About 99.9% of all skins use non licensed textures, logos etc. itself, you want to license them? And who's gonna pay the lawsuits from the big companies then?

The moment, you upload the skin, you give it free to everyone to use, and should be proud, if people use them. It's one of the coolest way to show that you like something, if you use it.

Quote from al heeley :

+1 it's a compliment to a good design.
I get irritated by people posting up their skins then announcing it's private and no-one can use it. If you don't want people to use it, and you're posting it to enjoy some feedback why not post up a render, cmx or in-game screenshot?

Jakg has pointed it out several times that posting the optimum resolution skinfile and stating that nobody can use it means they can put them in their skins_x folder to enjoy higher quality skins on other cars. Makes sense to me although I wouldn't bother with this.
The problem here isn't about getting irritated about minor things such as this, it's the lack of respect among a lot of racers.

i personally dont do that anymore - but i find the average forum user to be MUCH less likely to nick a skin with "PRIVATE" written on it, rather than the LFS'ing public

I think I've seen your MG racing skin several times in game despite it has your name on it.

How about a password for your own skins.

if your skin is stolen that's the proof of your skin's skills.U should be happy

I've been creating skins that advertise my web site www.gentlefoot.com. So I would be chuffed to bits if someone knicked my skin lol.

I'll put them on the site for download sometime soon. There's not much on there yet (apart from the forum and gallery to buy and sell cars, bikes and parts). Feel free to register

Soon I will create an LFS area where people can download my setups and there will be circuit guides and guides for using the telemetary tools. Should happen sometime in the next month.

I've seen a few people use my skins, which is quite flattering because I thought they were a bit crap.

Quote from DTrott :

I think I've seen your MG racing skin several times in game despite it has your name on it.

ive seen it used by the bloke i did that thingy on (using the no. 4 skin), and ive seen a hungarian use an edited one (but he happily changed it when he found out).

Seeing as im not even on the team anymore, and the teams collapsed i really should release it, but it just get pissed off that people (unfortuantely usually the less... desirable drivers) drive around using a skin that people could identify to me - who knows how many peoples judgements of me have been changed because of the way "i" drove on public server x

Quote from Jakg :

ive seen it used by the bloke i did that thingy on (using the no. 4 skin), and ive seen a hungarian use an edited one (but he happily changed it when he found out).

Seeing as im not even on the team anymore, and the teams collapsed i really should release it, but it just get pissed off that people (unfortuantely usually the less... desirable drivers) drive around using a skin that people could identify to me - who knows how many peoples judgements of me have been changed because of the way "i" drove on public server x

Yeah - some people might think you're actually any good now

Right - I'm off lol

Quote from Jakg :

nope, only way is to follow them an have a go at them - and to make sure your skins have private written on them.

What i did when someone who refused to talk to me about nicking my skins was rather cunning - re-upload a new skin to LFSW, they will see the skin on their PC (as LFS will not download if a version exists in Skins), while everyone else see's the new one - here is the new skin

haha, i've got to try that =P

The best skin protection is to make ugly skin like this one:

http://otolikos.free.fr/lfs/ugly.JPG

Duplicate detection on LFSW would be nice too, to you dont end up with 30 duplicate skins in your skins x folder just because people like to pretend to drive ferraris

Quote from Gentlefoot :

Yeah - some people might think you're actually any good now

to start off with i was sh*t, but since the STCC started i think i've actually become pretty good (well, quick-ish, my race craft needs a LOT of work), without "blowing my own trumpet"