FADE
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| Developer(s) | Codemasters |
|---|---|
| Type | Digital rights management |
FADE (or DEGRADE) is digital rights management software developed by Codemasters. It operates by detecting if a game has been pirated, and initially allows the player to use the game normally. It then gradually degrades certain game features over a time, eventually rendering it unplayable.
How it works
FADE creates fake scratches in specific areas on the disk image. When the disk image is copied, the program used to copy it will notice these scratches and automatically fix them. The game's master program then looks for these scratches, and if they are present then it is an original. If they are not available, then it knows it is a fake. There is no notification or error message that tells the player that a fake disk image has been detected, which makes it very difficult for software crackers to determine if their crack has succeeded in defeating FADE. FADE will introduce many issues in the game, rendering it unplayable, giving the impression that the game is simply "buggy". For example, in the first person shooter Arma 2, FADE will begin by gradually decreasing the accuracy of the player's weapons, making it very difficult to hit a target. FADE might reverse the left/right controls of vehicles, or make them randomly start and stop moving. Eventually it will turn player in to a bird and display a message "Good birds do not fly away from this game, you have only yourself to blame".[1]
Supported applications
Bohemia Interactive has used DEGRADE in all their releases after Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis,[1] in which FADE was used.[2] The software is also present in Overlord.[citation needed]
References
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