Noodle is hilarious and his pregnant pauses are top-tier.
This video was specifically defending the indie dev, Nelson, that made the post that kicked this stuff off. Sure, other AAA devs responded to him, but it was Nelson that got most of the negative attention and death threats, even though his opinions were VERY measured and reasonable. It was also a criticism of the IGN guy that directed everyone’s attention and pitchforks towards Nelson by cherry-picking his statements and taking them out of context.
The specifics of the length/scope of the game are honestly less important, IMO. The video is just a level-headed look at why this excellent game is so excellent, and why it’s unrealistic to expect every game from now on to be like this. That, and he’s trying to get gamers to chill the fuck out and stop with the death threats.
Yes and no, IIRC the last time I installed a cracked game (disclaimer: it has been a decade) I was required to install the game first with internet OFF, then replace the .exe with a cracked version. But it’s entirely possible that there are a lot of newbies doing this without blocking traffic, and launching the game with their internet on and without the crack. So Unity might not see EVERY pirate, but they will definitely see SOME. How many, I’m not sure.
For broad compatibility and good quality+compression, h265. I use Handbrake’s Nvidia encoder and it works great. I’m not sure about the differences between AAC and AC3.
If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. It’s possible that this site you found is perfectly safe, but it’s also very possible that it’s a honeypot or they’re serving up their cracks with a side of malware. I would recommend known torrent websites and reputable crack builders. Running a custom, unsigned .exe is already a risky activity, don’t make it more dangerous.
Something that people need to realize: If you want a VPN for PRIVACY, Mullvad (edit: also maybe IVPN) is the only good option on this list. They make it very easy for you to maintain complete anonymity, they don’t even WANT your email address, you can use crypto, or you can literally mail them an envelope of cash with a note inside containing your unique ID and they’ll load up your account with that value. It’s ridiculous how seriously they take this stuff. And if you’re really concerned about privacy, you should also be taking extra steps like using a hardened OS and browser, and using disposable virtual machines. But I suspect that most of us here aren’t that concerned with actual privacy.
If you want a VPN for PIRACY, any of these options are probably fine as long as they don’t block or slow torrent traffic. Just use the fastest one here that you can afford. The only thing you’re really doing in this case is blocking your torrent traffic from your ISP. Remember, if you give them a credit card and your email address, then that’s not private! It’s just for piracy. It’s important to look at your priorities and pick a VPN accordingly.