Earlier, we posted about a potential keylogger found in the Alpha release of Sonic 2 HD. As the day’s gone on, we’ve got a couple updates to the situation, courtesy of Sonic Retro’s forums.
Firstly, it appears the “keylogger” could still be a false alarm, triggered by a shoddily implemented input system that, if you bring up another window while playing, the game still reads keystrokes as gameplay inputs. Retro community member Guess Who explains it as such:
This is literally all that happens: Open Sonic 2 HD. Start the game. Switch to another window. Press the jump key while the other window is in focus. Sonic jumps. And this only happens if you use DirectInput (with raw keyboard input enabled, the game does not respond when out of focus), leading me to believe it’s just a bug with how DirectInput is implemented. Extrapolating this behavior into “LOst is spying on us!” is a massive stretch.
Regarding registry edits made by the program, it’s apparently a way to store configuration and unlock settings pertaining to the game, as nothing too shady was found looking into the entries, although using the registry is shadier than simply creating a simple .ini file for settings.
Still, while the situation doesn’t seem as bad as originally reported, it’s best to err on the side of caution and delete everything regarding the game you have until more solid information is released.
As far as the S2HD team’s reaction to all this goes? S2HD Project Manager Canned Karma had this to say:
All of us had the exact same reaction everyone here did, and we’re actively looking into it to the best of our abilities. That said, we’ve heard just as much from LOst as anyone here has lately, so I’m not sure what, if anything, we’ll be able to find that corroborated or refutes what’s been brought to light. I will say this though. LOst is no longer a part of S2HD. I’ll have a more in depth response soon. We’re just as pissed off about this as the community is.
So there you have it. Apparently the project will be moving forward with a new programmer and engine, from the looks of things. Great to hear, as the artwork and music are too good to be held back by such things.
[Source: Sonic Retro]
There was a really good editorial article written by a Sonic Retro member on the Sonic Retro site not long after I originally posted the news that the demo had been released. The article details the controversial history of the project and the controversy surrounding it now. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in this whole fiasco.