New Horizon on 1/11/2007 at 14:28
Quote Posted by clearing
Wow! :wot:
Don't get too excited, it's simply a screen shot with some assets strewn about with the default capabilities of the engine. You can do that with pretty much any engine. We were able to pull of shots like that in Dark Mod at the beginning too....but the real meat, AI and all the other good stuff, was years away. ;)
Volca on 1/11/2007 at 14:40
Well, I only posted the link as an example. I tested the download, and it looks nice, but as New Horizon says, the real work has to be done behind the scenes.
It looks there is next to no custom code yet, as this is what the Crystal Entity Layer is supposed to do itself (if I'm right). We'll see.
Digital Nightfall on 1/11/2007 at 20:50
The way I see it, this project's strength and importance would have to;
1, Stem from FM author's ability to take their dark engine work and skills into an environment where the limitations of the engine no longer were issues.
2, Produce something that FM players could install and play just as easily as the current system does.
If those two goals are paramount to its design, and are fulfilled, then I think that this project will be a success.
sNeaksieGarrett on 2/11/2007 at 03:00
Correct me if I'm wrong but, isn't this illegal?
I mean, I know that thief isn't being sold in stores anymore and that eidos doesn't have all the rights to the series anymore (is that right?) but its still illegal.
jtr7 on 2/11/2007 at 03:08
This has been talked to death, sNeaksieGarrett. The concerns, as well as the disdain, for projects like this have been spoken innumerable times and are well-noted. Attempts to correct misperceptions on both sides have also been innumerable. You're not the first, nor will you be the last, to bring up this tired, albeit legitimate, concern.
Actually, many of us only WISH it had been talked "to death." Apparently it's undead.
Digital Nightfall on 2/11/2007 at 03:08
Thief is still being sold.
Eidos still does have the rights.
Why is this illegal?
Vertelemming on 2/11/2007 at 03:52
Short answer: It's not illegal.
Long answer: This project would be illegal if it included original game data or code. Those are copyrighted. However, the ability to read and interpret that data isn't. (This is ignoring the sticky issue of software patents, which I'm pretty sure doesn't apply here.)
Breaking the argument down a great deal, what it amounts to is that it's illegal to copy a program, or game data. However, it's not illegal to replicate the idea of a program, or to make a compatible program, even if the entire point of your new program is 100% compatibility with the old program data, so long as none of the original data is included, and certain clean-room measures are taken for any reverse engineering done.
As to everything, there are exceptions. However, in this case, I can't think of any known exceptions to this general rule applying.
And now cue the waves of Internet Lawyers telling me I'm wrong. Let the argument begin.
Haplo on 2/11/2007 at 05:29
Hmmmm...there is one issue I'm not sure about. The original Thief executables had copy protection (SafeDisc?) in them. This prevented people to simply make a copy of the CD and run the game.
But with OPDE, even the copied CDs could be used to run the game. In other words, OPDE will circumvent the Thief copy protection scheme. This, might be illegal.
Digital Nightfall on 2/11/2007 at 05:46
No, using OPDE to circumvent the copyright is the illegal part.
Am I going to have to make a thread and move the legal/copyright discussion to it, just like I did for the darkmod thread?
Haplo on 2/11/2007 at 06:48
Quote Posted by Digital Nightfall
No, using OPDE to circumvent the copyright is the illegal part.
Based on this logic, creating 'nocd' cracks is legal, but using them is illegal.
Quote:
Am I going to have to make a thread and move the legal/copyright discussion to it, just like I did for the darkmod thread?
If the forum guidelines say so, why not?
