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diff --git a/pipermail/nel/2001-February/000243.html b/pipermail/nel/2001-February/000243.html new file mode 100644 index 00000000..06ff9c18 --- /dev/null +++ b/pipermail/nel/2001-February/000243.html @@ -0,0 +1,135 @@ +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN"> +<HTML> + <HEAD> + <TITLE> [Nel] Something I don't understand about the license agreement.</TITLE> + <LINK REL="Index" HREF="index.html" > + <LINK REL="made" HREF="mailto:archer%40nevrax.com"> + <LINK REL="Previous" HREF="000239.html"> + <LINK REL="Next" HREF="000244.html"> + </HEAD> + <BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff"> + <H1>[Nel] Something I don't understand about the license agreement.</H1> + <B>Vincent Archer</B> + <A HREF="mailto:archer%40nevrax.com" + TITLE="[Nel] Something I don't understand about the license agreement.">archer@nevrax.com</A><BR> + <I>Wed, 21 Feb 2001 18:26:14 +0100</I> + <P><UL> + <LI> Previous message: <A HREF="000239.html">[Nel] Something I don't understand about the license agreement.</A></li> + <LI> Next message: <A HREF="000244.html">[Nel] System specs</A></li> + <LI> <B>Messages sorted by:</B> + <a href="date.html#243">[ date ]</a> + <a href="thread.html#243">[ thread ]</a> + <a href="subject.html#243">[ subject ]</a> + <a href="author.html#243">[ author ]</a> + </LI> + </UL> + <HR> +<!--beginarticle--> +<PRE>EagleEye wrote: +><i> This basically answers my question. You see, I realize that people can copy +</I>><i> my ideas, but I'll be damned if they're gonna copy the work that I put into +</I>><i> it to accomplish what I (will have) accomplished. If they want to copy my +</I>><i> idea, they'll have to implement it themselves, not grab all of my WORK +</I>><i> (because it's open source) and just "compile and run" my entire world. I +</I>... +><i> own game... that stuff I have to do myself. I don't care if people copy my +</I>><i> ideas, but I want to release them first, and I want them to have to put in +</I>><i> some of their own effort to make their "copy of my ideas" a reality. +</I> +One important thing to know is, until you have released something, you are +under no obligation to put any source available. The GPL doesn't prevent +you from doing anything privately. It just says, "once other people run it, +you have to share the source". So do not worry about not being the first. + +There's also a fact that, even if you release your server code, without +the data it holds, it's worthless. You speak of plot, of situations, +of recipes for game dynamics. All this (reread my message) isn't code. +It's data. You might have a few specific bits here and there of code, +but it's chiefly scripts that say how mobs react, items, events and code +tables, and all that. + +To take another analogy: You are now mandated to release your network +MP3 player source. You are not mandated to release any of the MP3 you +composed. + +That ties into another typical false belief about modern game design. +Code isn't what makes your game. Data is. A typical game development +team often features twice, or three times as many artists, level +designers, and game designers as pure coders. All that data production +isn't in the GPL. Apart from the level proper (i.e. art), none of it +never ever needs to appear on any site. And that's what makes the game. + +According to Dave Turner: +><i> If someone is going to implement the same ideas, why should they waste +</I>><i> their time implementing them from scratch if your code is already +</I> +Hmm, that's not reassuring the guy who's just said he did NOT want +somebody doing that :) + +><i> so you won't get the benefit of their code. Also, they could well end +</I>><i> up being less inventive, because they have to spend time just catching +</I>><i> up, rather than really innovating. +</I> +That's the real clincher, of course. If all they are doing is taking +your game, and running it under their name, then: + +1) They're going to be second on the market +2) They're going to be late in coming, because they WILL have to spend a + lot of time redoing your internal game data + +If this is a commercial endeavour, the only way they can expect to +attract customers is if they do it a lot cheaper than you do. + +That's where the real fun begins. People have to realise the difference +in paradigm between making, say, a Starcraft, and making a Shadowbane. +Running an on-line game isn't a software industry, it's a SERVICE +industry. The main costs isn't creating the game, it's dwarfed by +the cost of running it. A classic game costs $40 to buy. An on-line +game typically costs $150 if you play it for a year. Do you think +this means you've made $100 profits on the game? No. What this means +is that you've invested $100 in the game, the distributor got paid $20, +and got $30 profit, instead of investing $10, giving $20 in distribution +cost and getting $10 profit. + +Those $100 invested are about $25 in game dev (heavier than classic games) +and $75 in infrastructure (server, bandwidth, customer service). + +(that's simplistic, but it's relatively representative of what's behind + an online game) + +Your competitor will reduce its investment, but the infrastructure costs +remain not only identical, but the MAIN factor in costs. Forcing your +competitor to maintain its price close to yours. + +In other words, stealing your game to run a competiting business isn't +a major problem. And if it becomes one, you have legal recourse against +them. After all, they copied your copyrighted works (the game data). +Why go to the investment of making a massive world, if you open yourself +to lawsuit. + +And anyway, if you want to make an immense effort designing everything +by yourself, your counterfactor will still gain a lot of time, because +*he* will use NeL to catch up on code quickly :) + +-- +Vincent Archer Email: <A HREF="mailto:archer@nevrax.com">archer@nevrax.com</A> + +Nevrax France. Off on the yellow brick road we go! + +</pre> + + +<!--endarticle--> + <HR> + <P><UL> + <!--threads--> + <LI> Previous message: <A HREF="000239.html">[Nel] Something I don't understand about the license agreement.</A></li> + <LI> Next message: <A HREF="000244.html">[Nel] System specs</A></li> + <LI> <B>Messages sorted by:</B> + <a href="date.html#243">[ date ]</a> + <a href="thread.html#243">[ thread ]</a> + <a href="subject.html#243">[ subject ]</a> + <a href="author.html#243">[ author ]</a> + </LI> + </UL> +</body></html> |