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Socoder -> On Topic -> Game preservation |
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| Wed, 13 Apr 2011, 09:22 | |
Afr0
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This isn't so much a topic up for debate as a topic to inform. Recently there's been alot of work on the net from various teams and individuals aimed towards restoring classic games as opensource projects. I think this is awesome. Therefore I will now present a list of such projects. If you have any to add, post them below! Corsix-TH (Theme Hospital) Open RedAlert Need for Speed XNA FreeCnC (Command & Conquer) TSO-R (The Sims Online) -=-=- Afr0 Games Project Dollhouse on Github - Please fork! 
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| Wed, 13 Apr 2011, 10:50 | |
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dna |
Good post but is it legal to resurrect a game, let's say Super Mario Bros. and make it open source? Or even Pong? In fact when does a game become a part of the public domain. In years if applicable. -=-=- DNA |
| Wed, 13 Apr 2011, 12:49 | |
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Afr0
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Obviously it is legal if you write the source. How'd you think they got the sourcecode?
-=-=- Afr0 Games Project Dollhouse on Github - Please fork!
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| Wed, 13 Apr 2011, 12:58 | |
JL235
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It is not legal to re-use the graphics and name of a product which is copyrighted. These companies worked very hard to make the name as well known as it is, and so it's simply not fair to have another team come along and just take it without asking. Implementing your own version however is perfectly legal, and if you go into any games store you'll find lots of games which are clearly remakes of existing games. But this is as long as they have different branding to help display that it is a different game. You can also often get away with using the name of an existing product if you've changed it enough, or leverage slang versions of the official name (such as FreeCiv). |
| Wed, 13 Apr 2011, 13:58 | |
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Afr0
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These teams aren't "taking" the products though, we're not earning anything. We're just making sure that people can actually use the products that they actually paid for (especially in the case of TSO, since the servers were shut down). Sure, there's always DOSBox, but it's just not as fun or as reliable as remaking the sourcecode. -=-=- Afr0 Games Project Dollhouse on Github - Please fork!
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| Wed, 13 Apr 2011, 17:56 | |
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JL235
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Taking and using the branding of a copyrighted product has nothing to do with if you did or didn't make money from the venture. It's to do with using something that is not yours, end of.
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| Thu, 14 Apr 2011, 00:49 | |
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Afr0
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Aren't doing that either, though. We're producing software that *allows* users to use resources from games that they originally bought. End of discussion. -=-=- Afr0 Games Project Dollhouse on Github - Please fork!
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| Thu, 14 Apr 2011, 07:23 | |
HoboBen
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sc2.sourceforge.net/ The Ur-Quan Masters - a remake of ScarControl 2 with the publisher's blessing, if I remember correctly. -=-=- blog | work | code | more code |
| Thu, 14 Apr 2011, 09:14 | |
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JL235
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Afr0  Aren't doing that either, though. I didn't say you (or those games) were, I was answering DNA's question. |
| Thu, 14 Apr 2011, 12:05 | |
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Afr0
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I didn't say you (or those games) were, I was answering DNA's question. Dunno if you noticed, but I am heading up TSO-R. We have 2000 members on our forums and a 5 - 7 strong development team (I keep loosing count). With more developers being added. Like the other projects, we are producing our sourcecode from scratch, with the exception of pre-existing libraries. Noone can legally hinder anyone else from building software and releasing its source. As for using the software with the original datafiles, this might sometimes be prohibited by a particular game's EULA. But adhering to it is down to the user of the software. -=-=- Afr0 Games Project Dollhouse on Github - Please fork!
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