[Nel] Something I don't understand about the license agreement.

Tue, 20 Feb 2001 13:23:47 -0500

EagleEye wrote:
+> 
+> > Nope. But be aware that the basic principles of your game design are
+> > automatically open, regardless of whether you use NeL or develop your
+> > own from scratch. What is proprietary to you is the 1000-rows database
+> > that describes your items, the recipes your artisans use to make items,
+> > the names and settings of the world, the artwork used to decorate the
+> > flag flying at the top of the keep.
+> >
+> > But not the "there are three realms that are mortal ennemies of each
+> > other" part. That, anyone can copy. Even if you were developping a
+> > game for a big company under death-before-you-speak agreements.
+> 
+> This basically answers my question.  You see, I realize that people can copy
+> my ideas, but I'll be damned if they're gonna copy the work that I put into
+> it to accomplish what I (will have) accomplished.  If they want to copy my
+> idea, they'll have to implement it themselves, not grab all of my WORK
+> (because it's open source) and just "compile and run" my entire world.  I
+> don't care about the technology stuff, like those special gloves, or 3D
+> goggle implementation... I just want it so that if someone wants to copy
+> that skill tree of mine, they have to copy it from the ground up.  Not just
+> grab my source and say "Okay, it's mine now."  I'm not talking about
+> copyrights...
+> 
+> Look at it this way... I am copying some of the concepts from any number of
+> other MUDs, MMOLRPGs, and such... the concept of player housing is in Ultima
+> Online... I'm copying that, and making it better... What I'm not doing is
+> taking their source code for how they implemented it, and using it for my
+> own game... that stuff I have to do myself.  I don't care if people copy my
+> ideas, but I want to release them first, and I want them to have to put in
+> some of their own effort to make their "copy of my ideas" a reality.
+> 
+> > > *scratches head*
+> >
+> > /em massages Jared's shoulders.
+> 
+> Hehe, thanks. :)
+
+
+If someone is going to implement the same ideas, why should they waste
+their time implementing them from scratch if your code is already
+there?  Remember that any improvements they make will go back to you
+(excluding the ASP loophole, but we're ignoring that).  Also, they will
+have to give you credit (you have the copyright on your parts).  So, why
+make them repeat the work?  Isn't that just a waste of their time? 
+Also, if they have to redo it, they won't have to release their stuff,
+so you won't get the benefit of their code.  Also, they could well end
+up being less inventive, because they have to spend time just catching
+up, rather than really innovating.  
+
+I understand that you want your world to be unique - one way you can do
+this is by having a less free license on media.  This is what Nevrax is
+doing.  Another way is to not release your plots - after all, plot is
+what makes a game (or ought to).  Remember, nobody will play a game that
+is just like yours, but without your creativity.  
+
+You can make money on free software, even sticking with the GPL.  RMS
+did it for years, RedHat does it, Cygnus did it (now, RH owns them).  I
+suggest that you seriously consider the benefits of free software from a
+totally open mind - trying to think of it from a different point of view
+- not "How can I lock world up?", but "How can I make my players
+happier?"
+
+I think you'll find that even among proprietary games, the most open
+games had the best results - look at how customizable the Quake series
+is.
+
+Just my 2 cents.
+
+--
+-Dave Turner                                 Stalk me:  (215)-545-2859  
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
+"It is said that it is the curse of the neophobe to always see the 
+symptoms as the disease, and to always make half measures" - Pug
+
+