Looking inside your screenshots

[DBRecycler]

Hello DBRecycler



Thank you for your contribution. Can you please post some reference for this? It sounds very interesting.

You are welcome, I hope you understand that I can't use my real nickname here because too many eyes are watching this thread.

Well I simply started my 2.4.3 client and connected to an private TBC server, afterwards I modified the pictures with Irfanview (Set sharpness to max, gamma to 0.01) and see very clearly the saved informations.

Edit: It seems to be saving only the HALF informations as it does on Cata though (Compared screenshots), the data lines are way thinner on TBC. So I guess it got improved with LK/Cata as Warden did to spy more informations about the user.

Then I changed the realm name and couldn't see any changes in the pictures (Apart from minute part of the time).

I'm testing currently the realmlist but for some reason the picture is on each client started different! Also opening 2 WoW clients at once is creating strange results, it might be saving the process name or ID (PID) which would explain the different result.

[Sendatsu]

You are welcome, I hope you understand that I can't use my real nickname here because too many eyes are watching this thread.

Well I simply started my 2.4.3 client and connected to an private TBC server, afterwards I modified the pictures with Irfanview (Set sharpness to max, gamma to 0.01) and see very clearly the saved informations.

Then I changed the realm name and couldn't see any changes in the pictures (Apart from minute part of the time).

I'm testing currently the realmlist but for some reason the picture is on each client started different! Also opening 2 WoW clients at once is creating strange results, it might be saving the process name or ID (PID) which would explain the different result.

Make sure you are using the same graphic settings for both clients because even the smallest difference in resolution or color depth can change the appearance of the entire watermark.

[DBRecycler]

Make sure you are using the same graphic settings for both clients because even the smallest difference in resolution or color depth can change the appearance of the entire watermark.

I did don't worry, I created like 100~ test pictures so far to compare the results properly with same settings / position / view angle etc. Edited my post above about the Cataclysm part.

[Ermiz]

Hah, ok I'm speechless. Good find.

[Sendatsu]

Well I simply started my 2.4.3 client and connected to an private TBC server, afterwards I modified the pictures with Irfanview (Set sharpness to max, gamma to 0.01) and see very clearly the saved informations.

Edit: It seems to be saving only the HALF informations as it does on Cata though (Compared screenshots), the data lines are way thinner on TBC. So I guess it got improved with LK/Cata as Warden did to spy more informations about the user.

Fun fact: Patch 2.4.3 is the first patch Blizzard released after their official acquisition from Activision and the last patch of the Burning Crusade expansion.

This basically means that we're looking at mid-2008, near the end of BC [15/07/2008], so it appears that BC was probably also affected by this.

[filuta]

This is in game since beta 2.1.0 (May 2007), when saving screenshots as jpg has been added.

[Sendatsu]

This is in game since beta 2.1.0 (May 2007), when saving screenshots as jpg has been added.

Can you provide us with a screenshot please? Feel free to blur stuff out as needed

[Ramono]

I can confirm 2.4.3 also has this watermark in its screenshots

[filuta]

unedited 25/5/2007

[Sendatsu]

unedited 25/5/2007

I can't find this specific pattern in there with image filters + naked eye I'm afraid.

Maybe it used to have a different form back then, if this indeed started as early as 2007.

Any filtering ideas? Any JPG screenshot after 22/05/2007 will do (monochromes preferred).

[filuta]

You can see that something is there. Second screenshot is from 15/10/2007.

[Sendatsu]

unedited 25/5/2007

There appears to be something data-like inside the tooltip. I messed with the threshold and got this: https://i.imgur.com/Eic8f.jpg

These steep straight lines and shapes reminded me of when I changed the threshold in my original image and saw this: https://i.imgur.com/cnaHh.jpg

The cloud behind the transparent tooltip though is a bit tricky, it might just be its shadow.

Maybe there's something in there, maybe not. Until we figure out a way to extract watermarks from normal images we can't be sure. I'll see what else I can find. Thanks for sharing.

[sn4rk]

here is screen - sharpen works date September 12 2007 Patch 2.1.3

[Sendatsu]

You can see that something is there. Second screenshot is from 15/10/2007.

here is screen - sharpen works date September 12 2007 Patch 2.1.3

Yes I can see obvious patterns in both of these images with sharpen.

So, this basically means that, the watermarking started before the Activision deal was announced on December 2, 2007.

So, Blizzard decided this on their own, without any external pressure/order.

I guess that could have been what Tom Chilton meant when he said that Activision "at no point have any mandates (or even "suggestions") about the game's design been issued". :P

(It could be slightly related because the OP had asked 6 questions http://www.reddit.com/r/wow/comments...er_ama/c66v1ef, the first one being the watermark, and Tom answered the second one directly, "discretely" skipping the first)

Updated the introductory post to show that this started in 2007!

[DeXoY]

I found a pretty good solution to "check" normal screenshots, for that pattern.
go here: Free Online Image Error Level Analysis using HTML5 - 29a.ch
drag and drop your screenshot in there and play around with the sliders.
This is an example from my screenshot. I just marked the pattern with paint.

https://i.imgur.com/r7DiL.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ojPZ5.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/j7rVr.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/oUKaY.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/vsffK.jpg


Found them again and again and again inside my screenshots. I feel kinda naked now...
I know that there is no sensible Data inside them, but i feel really naked against that company now. I knew every chat-log was saved before, but that's some kind of freaky cause it was secretly hidden all the time right in front of our eyes.

Edit: A big german gaming magazine wrote already about it. http://www.gamestar.de/spiele/world-...2,3004862.html
And also a big german "IT Online Newssite" http://winfuture.de/news,71963.html