UG site closed

For info see this
http://www.rllmukforum.com/index.php...nd-gamer-gone/

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1. What happened? TL;DR: We have legal problems. For details, see #9
2. Is this the same thing as with BG? BG's shutdown was pre-emptive. Trust me if I say that this one wasn't planned at all.
3. Does this mean UG is gone? No, we are not gone.
4. Is this related to you closing invites recently? This is what closing invites was supposed to prevent from happening.
5. How/when will we get to know more? irc://underground-gamer.com/#chat , we will release new information as it becomes available.
6. Is the user data safe? AFAIK no user data went anywhere. At least, no unencrypted data.
7. How are you sure it's safe? Scorched earth. Everything that COULD be wiped, was. Everything that could NOT be wiped was thoroughly encrypted.
8. Will UG be back? See #3. We can rebuild it. We have backups. We have the technology.
9. Further details? This is what is officially known:
[2013-05-31 10:53:40] <RetroJaro> Maybe it's just "get rid of GOG games." or something.
[2013-05-31 10:55:03] <lenk> Well, it's about games alright. But big publisher games. Like FIFA 98 and a few other well known ones virtually no one downloads.
[2013-05-31 10:56:15] <lenk> That's what you get when you have organizations whose sole purpose is scoring points by taking down sites. They don't care about what they take down. They just do what they are paid for.
[2013-05-31 10:57:49] <lenk> EA was just an example guys. Watchdogs represent much more than that.
[2013-05-31 11:03:49] <lenk> Companies don't care about UG. Copyright watchdogs make it their job though.

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Such a darn shame it got 404'd.

what does ug mean?

what does ug mean? underground gamer. It was the best place for out of date games. In many scenes not something we talk about here. Though its now gone, so I guess as long as we dont link to it, its fair game? The site was not targeted at giving away illegal games but more so about the community.


some news...

Underground Gamer (UG), a private BitTorrent tracker specialized in pre-2004 game releases, has shut down citing legal problems.

According to information from the site’s IRC chat the all non-essential data was wiped out and what remains was encrypted.

The drastic decision was presumably taken to protect the site’s users and staff.

UG’s Lenk explained in the site’s IRC channel that complaints were made by a copyright watchdog about some of the games that were distributed through UG, including FIFA 98.

According to Lenk the “threats” did not come from any of the game publishers directly.

“Companies don’t care about UG. Copyright watchdogs make it their job though,” Lenk writes.

Underground Gamer specializes in old and rare games across a wide range of platforms. As long as the game or platform is from before 2004 there is a very good chance you’ll find it available on the tracker

TorrentFreak talked to UG member Graham who praised the tracker for its extensive collection of old and rare games, and describes the UG community as the go-to place for retro gamers.

“The forums at UG are well used and a gold mine of information on just about anything to do with retro gaming,” he says.

We tried to get in contact with UG staff but so far without luck. It’s clear that the site has shut down for now, but it’s not the end.

“No, we are not gone,” UG notes.

I never came across underground gamer, but its a shame another site is downed.

at least emulator zone isn't down.

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Originally Posted by GamerSam

at least emulator zone isn't down.

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Why would it be? We don't post anything illegal, and we intend to do so in the future.

more from ug

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Via IRC topic pastebin: http://pastebin.com/3Ttj3GMF

What happened? TL;DR: We have legal problems, courtesy of one of the “copyright protection” groups. That’s what you get when you have organizations whose sole purpose is scoring points by taking down sites. They don’t care about what they take down. They just do what they are paid for.
Is this the same thing as with BG? BG’s shutdown was pre-emptive. This one wasn’t planned at all.
Does this mean UG is gone? Unfortunately, yes. As of now, consider it gone forever.
Is there any way to get in touch with the rest of the community? irc://irc.esper.net/#UG .
Is the user data safe? We went scorched earth on the server – everything that COULD be wiped, was. Everything that could NOT be wiped was thoroughly encrypted and is useless without the encryption keys.

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Originally Posted by testmachine

Why would it be? We don't post anything illegal, and we intend to do so in the future.

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All we need is a law that mentions "aiding in copyright infringement though not providing actual copyrighted files"....... ok, I'll stop giving them ideas.

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Originally Posted by testmachine

Why would it be? We don't post anything illegal, and we intend to do so in the future.

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exactly.

this just in...

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A successor/replacement for UG is currently in the works, I cannot reveal many details yet (I don't know how long it'll take) but stay tuned. My request thus far in not to bother the UG staff about it as they are not the ones spearheading this.

All is not lost, for sure. Stay tuned!

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Originally Posted by ulaoulao

this just in...

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I don't really care personally, there are hundreds of sites to bootleg games.

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I don't really care personally, there are hundreds of sites to bootleg games.

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If you dont care why comment? UG is not a bootleg site, it much more.

FYI UG will soon be reopened to all that follow the legacy. There will be no open registrations so the only way to get back on the site will be via invites. Invites will not be as easy to get so your best chances are to find the refugee board and become a member and make a few posts. The good thing is no stats will be grandfathered. So every one is a newbie...

Good to hear! :D

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Originally Posted by ulaoulao

FYI UG will soon be reopened to all that follow the legacy. There will be no open registrations so the only way to get back on the site will be via invites. Invites will not be as easy to get so your best chances are to find the refugee board and become a member and make a few posts. The good thing is no stats will be grandfathered. So every one is a newbie...

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Fantastic news. I was an active member of that site and heartbroken when it closed.

Absolute great news, I was a donating member for years over there...great helpful site...its been garbage trying to find a trustworthy site that did what they did over there....loads of effort and hard work...cant wait

Such a darn shame