Messages

46

Released Mods / Re: [OXC] XCOM Terrain Pack version 4.0

« on: January 23, 2022, 12:22:01 am »

1st:
The link to the creative commons page is broken. It starts with a "(".

Thank you, fixed.

* Mod authors are free to ask for donations and keep them. If people want to donate to the Terrain Pack they should instead consider donating towards OpenXcom.

Which of those 2 messages was the one you were trying to convey?

That one. I've reworked the text to clear up the two cases.

47

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles resource review

« on: January 22, 2022, 11:56:01 pm »

Ah... I was trying to avoid having to look inside the current version of Piratez but it seems I did well to check the files.

Just going through a glance on its /MAPS folder, I find all of these, which Dioxine was told to remove 3 years ago:
* MADURBAN .MAPs/.RMPs (new city map blocks made by me a part of my MADURBAN UFO2000 terrain) - around 50+ files
* CULTAFARM .MAPs/.RMPs (new farm map blocks made by me as a part of my MODIFIED FARM UFO2000 terrain) - around 50+ files

I've attached ALL of the map blocks I've made for those UFO2000 terrains (including those map blocks that I didn't had time to create the .RMP files)

And POLISURBAN02, 04, 05, and 06 maps (originally a part of my POLIS UFO2000 terrain, which contained several of these large buildings), which Dioxine feels entitled to "claim" as his own original work after doing a simple paint job over the map layout using robin's artwork, despite me being the original creator of the .MAP and .RMP files, and all the work associated in designing the layout and placing the individual map objects, plus the AI nodes required for the aliens to move around.

"Thanks for nothing" indeed, eh?

And Dioxine, do you realize that in order to give a GNU GPL open source license to Piratez, you still need to have copyright or permission over all the original material that you're distributing?

And that the GPL license allows commercial use, but a lot of content you still have on Piratez was likely made by the authors of those mods with a non-commercial (NC) propose, like the authors of UFO2000 terrains like Bagirov or Wiseman that you're using?

Or do you claim it's all 'public domain' as you did wrongly with my mods?

48

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles resource review

« on: January 22, 2022, 10:53:19 pm »

On the subject of CMRCURBAN (Commercial) terrain, I present in the attached picture CITY05.MAP, the first original building I ever designed in 2004 as an addition to the original game (left on the attached picture). Besides the map layout (.MAP) and AI nodes (.RMP) I even personally designed the DINO and X-WARS posters that appear on the cinema's walls. 

Next to it and on the middle of the image, the version I made for UFO2000 (called APARTMNT.05), and which I personally ported to OXC around 2014-15, as part of the Commercial terrain, named CMRCURBAN05. I replaced the front doors and outside walls and added a couple of posters made by Dioxine, but otherwise kept the layout intact and map objects intact.

Finally, the current version of CMRCURBAN05 that is currently being used on mods, with Dioxine singlely credited as the author. With zero mention of me as the original author of City/Apartment, the terrain used for the first published version of Commercial.

And Dioxine, I can go on with dozens more examples of your deliberate non-attribution/crediting and trying to hide the original work over the past two years as a 'recreation'. If you consider this to be proper behavior for modders, I'm glad this is being finally discussed in public.

49

Released Mods / [OXC] XCOM Terrain Pack version 1.0.0 - Released January 28th, 2022.

« on: January 22, 2022, 07:29:23 pm »

Hello!

After a couple years of hiatus due to the crediting and permission issues, and a couple personal issues that I've had to solve during that period, the Terrain Pack will be re-released in the next weeks in a public GitHub repository and with a CC-NC-BY-SA 4.0 open source license that will allow people to irrevocably use, distribute, modify and redistribute version 4.0. of the Terrain Pack if they follow the LICENSE's exact terms to properly credit its AUTHORS (I've attached the draft versions of these files).

To be perfectly clear: you can make and distribute your own version of the XCOM: Terrain Pack, add some of its terrains to the your own map pack or a single, clone the entire terrains for a MegaMod or Total Conversion, etc. With no need to ask for permission, as long as you properly credit and attribute the Terrain Pack or the authors of the terrains. You can also ask for donations when using the Terrain Pack or its individual contents, but non-commercial use (selling) is forbidden.

The new release will be version 4.0 of the Terrain Pack, after the previous version had to be nuked due the permissions and credits abuses. It will also include all the files of versions 1.0 and 2.0 of the Terrain Pack: the first one I made for the UFO2000 multiplayer game, and the other was for the original XCOM using XComUtil and BB's Tools using my original mods made nearly twenty years ago.

Furthermore, this bundle will also include nearly all my original material (.MAP/.RMP) that I never released before, as well as all the terrains made by other UFO2000 authors, that become unavailable when my old web page went offline. It will also include all the editors required to make terrains, as well as documentation. The only terrains I've not included at the terrains I specifically created for my Area 51 mod, which will be also released later when that mod is completed and published with the same CC-NC-BY-SA 4.0 license.

With these three versions included, for the original game and its two open source engines, and the extra materials I've included, the pack will be renamed as the XCOM Terrain Pack because of its enlarged scope.

Once the new version is published on the Github public repository in a couple of weeks, I'm not planning to add more terrains to it soon, but I'll continue to maintain it and provide help to terrain modders. This also means that I might be looking for new contributions and new developers for the community to use and enjoy. But more details on that later because there I'm still looking into the conditions and technical criteria.

And regarding the issue of donations, the XCOM Terrain Pack project won't accept them directly but will always direct them instead towards the OpenXCom project. This is a non-commercial community resource that involved several authors and different projects at different stages, and to ensure a fair distribution, any material gifts of appreciation such as donations should instead be given towards those who made this community and modding possible - OpenXcom and the developers who keep hosting, maintaining, updating and expanding it for both players and modders to use.

As for mods that use and have a Terrain Pack license, you're free to ask donations a gift for your work. Just keep in mind that according to the terms of the CC open source license, any mods that use the Terrain Pack are also required to have a CC-NC-BY-SA license.

Finally, now that the Terrain Pack will have an open source license CC-NC-BY-SA, it will be very clear how modders can use it and its contents on their mods, to avoid situations like in the past three years. Follow the license's terms and your use, distribution and modification work of the pack will be always protected and available for others. Ignore the terms and you'll get an initial warning, followed by a take-down notice if necessary and your open source license being revoked for not respecting the terms under which you're allowed to use the Terrain Pack and its assets.

More details will follow later. For now I'm posting the draft versions of the README, LICENSE and AUTHORS file for discussion, corrections and feedback.

50

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles resource review

« on: January 22, 2022, 05:58:46 pm »

I will reiterate my original stance: Terrain Pack, 2014 version (which I was using), and everything related to it, was released as public domain and I was actively encouraged to use it by Hobbes (like was everyone).

You can see the original version of the Terrain Pack for UFO2000 that I published in 2005 and made available for download on my old page attached below. See how none of credits for any of the terrain mentions 'public domain' or 'open source'.

Unless it says specifically 'open domain' or has an open source license, any contents published on the internet belong to their authors, despite what you or others may believe. You can check my old page (http://area51.xcomufo.com on the Internet Wayback Machine) to see if it says anything about public domain or licences.

The .MAP and .RMP files I create are copyrighted because they are original software files created through MapView, that contain no graphics or artwork inside. Those are unique and original assets I created over 20 years for my personal mods and originally published them on my old web page. They are not modifications of the original game's files.

When in december 2019 he suddenly said this is no longer public domain, I had no legal obligation whatsoever to remove it, because I never used this new, non-public domain version.

As I proved, there was never a public domain version. Whatever you're talking, it's your invention, unless you can prove it.

But since I'm getting the record straight...

Around 2012 I was browsing through OXC's forums and I discovered that my site had been raided by OpenXCom modders for resources, without even bothering to ask or credit me first.

Since I had already one Terrain Pack for UFO2000 published (using only my terrains) and was working on another for the original game, I decided to port them to OXC, and to keep an eye on how it would be used, because wanted people to play and modders to use them. And most people followed the rules - non commercial use, attribution, etc. And I was happy to see others to use and modify.

But I never made my material open source because I had experiences in the past that showed me the potential for abuse (I'm a professional writer - plagiarism is always something you need to look for), which unfortunately happened as I became aware in 2019:

* Author obscuration - on Piratez and XCF credits, in 2019 I was listed on the bottom half of the list as something like "Hobbes: some terrains".

* Cloning entire mods and their resources without crediting the original mods - half the .MAP and .RMP files that you were using on their mod packs were mine, without a single mention to my mods Terrain Pack or Area 51, from which you had cloned.

* Non-commercial use - start making money with them. At the beginning your mods didn't ask for donations, and after years without them, you decided to change your policy, without asking or informing the original author(s) that you had changed the conditions under which they were being used.

The first two issues could have been solved back then and will be fixed now. One way to the other, it's your decision. 

As to the third issue, in 2019 when I became aware that you had decided to start asking for donations, when half of your .MAP/.RMP files were my copyright and required permission from me to use, I gave both you and Solarius on Discord the choice of either removing the donations links or remove the permission to use and distribute my copyrighted assets (the .MAP and .RMP files).

Both of you decided otherwise, to keep donations (which you claimed were minimal) and remove my material. I've included the Discord chats with you on that specific point, in case your memory needs refreshing.

You refused it because you wanted to keep receiving personal donations you called 'minimal' and 'negative profits', which is contradictory, to say the least. It took you six months to remove nearly all my copyrighted material, while you could have kept everything as it was by simply removing a donation link that gave you 'minimal' or 'negative' profits (see the attached Discord chat image). And if Piratez would be to remain non-commercial on the future, why would you need the links then?

In any case, Dioxine's decision to keep the donation link, left me with no other choice to change the authors' permissions for everyone - further distribution and use/modification of this material was forbidden to all modders. While I allowed everyone else to keep the older versions of the Terrain Pack they already had downloaded. But this past policy is going to be changed very soon.

I didn't remove completely everything he ever touched, sure, well I guess he has to deal with it.

Since you've just admitted you're still using and distributing the POLISURBAN .MAP and .RMP files, you're in breach of copyright, so you're the one who still has to deal with it.

Or, if you prefer, let's talk about the COMMERCIAL terrain, how the CMRCURBAN00-09 and CMRCURBAN14-18 map files were the first mod I ever made for the original game, that I allowed those maps to be used in Commercial, and how you keep using those files without creding the original author, me?

And you're 'recreating' them like Solarius was with my original NATIVE map files, as I showed above. I can provide another image comparing both my originals and your attempts to obscure their origin, if that's necessary.

As for Hobbes himself, he is credited according to his contribution, you can check this in XPZ readme:
"Thanks for Nothing".

And now you just admitted about you're using other author's assets and deliberatly not crediting them properly, as it is your responsability with any third party material, regardless of it is copyrighted or open source or public domain, to properly attribute it.

Since 2019, you had two years to remove copyrighted material you're not longer permitted to us or at least properly credit/attribute it, as it is your responsability as a modder with any third party material, open source or now.

Your time is up now. I hope the personal donations that you're collecting by using uncredited work made by other authors were worth it.

TLDR - Modders need to give proper credit/attribution to the original authors and respect permissions. Or else.

51

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles resource review

« on: January 17, 2022, 04:21:33 pm »

So, i assume that now new fixes for x-chronicles will be there not soon because of this drama? 

Fortunately, the drama will not end on a tragedy, because that I'm taking steps for Nord (and others) to keep using the Terrain Pack content on their mods, and that this situation doesn't repeat itself on the future with it.

So, you'll be able to keep enjoying updates for this mod.

52

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles resource review

« on: January 17, 2022, 07:06:17 am »

Yes I'm using some POLISURBAN mapblocks... in different terrains and with different tilesets, and modified RMPs. Like Nord said, how many walls, exactly, have to be changed to satisfy Hobbes?

And I almost forgot about this, since Dioxine didn't bother to answer so far about claiming credit and content for work that originally wasn't his.

Your actions speak louder than your words, compadre.

Bon voyage and good luck, and I'm done with this issue as well.

53

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles resource review

« on: January 16, 2022, 10:19:13 pm »

Okay, I have extensively modified my URBANJUNK terrain (the reported blocks) to remove any remaining similarities with NATIVE, based on your earlier report. If you want, you can find them in my GitHub repo, commit from a couple minutes ago.

I have also credited NKF properly, thanks for letting me know.

OK, first thank you for understanding, you and Dioxine did a good job overall in removing my content from your mods. There might be disagreements but I will insist and check that things get properly credited. I have done the same, as both of you requested and stopped distribution of any your content, and any new mods made by me will not use any of your content, and I invite you both to check in the future and also call me out with the visual proof, since I might have missed a tile or be unaware of the proper author.

There are couple of little things remaining but I trust you can figure them out or ask me, and either remove or credit the mods and their authors. And peaking specifically about Commercial, which was a joint venture based on my original City/Apartment mod, the map blocks taken from Apartment (COMRCURBAN00-09 and 14-18) are yours to use as you want or not. I add City/Apartment to the Terrain pack, using the my original files of my UFO Defense mod, so the decision to either keep or remove the Commercial terrain at this point is yours, since it involves you and Dioxine's work.

Finally, and concerning the Terrain Pack itself, all these discussion made me rethink my position, and I'm currently looking to release it a new version under an entirely different format that will permanently solve the issue of permissions and crediting, as well as making available to everyone all the UFO2000 terrains that were adapted to it.

If you have any additional issues that you'd like to discuss, go ahead, for my part I consider this issue solved.

54

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles resource review

« on: January 16, 2022, 06:40:45 pm »

The main websites about  ufo2000 are closed
Hobbes collect terrain/maps from other owners and develop new original terrain and maps that he publish on this site https://area51.xcomufo.com/ (closed)
NativeUrban is one of them
You can found something here but the site is very old
http://www.xcomufo.com/forums/index.php?s=616dcb762b1298a307d2926a70f8fade&showforum=345

Just a clarification: the original NATIVE terrain mod for UFO:Defense original game and UFO200 are both entirely my creation. And NativeUrban for OXC was also adapted by me.

And if you check the xcomufo forums whose link Davide posted, you can check the posts for yourselves, made by me.

55

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles resource review

« on: January 16, 2022, 02:15:06 am »

How much would you sell the rights to your maps for?
If it's not too much, I'll pay them and close this drama.
In case, I would offer them to add them to the community map pack

I never received anything material out of being an XCom fan, and it's not my intention to start now, but thank you for the offer, davide.

And as for anyone who ever played and/or used my work and would like to donate anything, I'd ask you all instead them to donate instead towards OXC and the developers, because they are the ones who deserve to be rewarded for all their work and commitment, otherwise all of this would never had happened in the first place.

56

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles resource review

« on: January 15, 2022, 09:07:28 pm »

I did recreate part of it, yes. Since it's a new terrain, maps and RMPs, I didn't expect it to be an issue.
If these changes are not satisfactory, then no problem, I will make further modifications. It's only a matter of a few hours.

That's some sort of a progress since first you said it was entirely made by you.

But now you're saying that you just recreated the map layout and AI node points of the majority of the 90 .MAP/.RMP files of NATIVE nearly exactly as they were, involving thousands of AI nodes and individual tile positions? At least that reveals a lack of imagination and I guess that could be a compliment, but it's still an uncredited copy of my work, as you just admitted, even if it's partial.

But you must declare how many pixels must be changed for you to finally make you satisfied.

As you just admitted on your reply when you mentioned maps and .RMP, this was never a matter of pixels or artwork, so stop trying to distract people from the issue at hand.

I am tired of this game of moving goal posts. I just want to leave this behind me, it's costed me enough stress and effort already.

You were warned two years ago to stop using all my .MAP/RMP files, and I still have your message reply somewhere where you chose to ignore me regarding this terrain. The terrain ruleset of XCF even keeps using NATIVE's original name on its line 1502 in conjunction with the .MAP/.RMP files:

name: URBANNATIVE

If you didn't reach the goal post on their first place, don't claim I'm moving them now.

And if you're tired and stressed, complain to Dioxine, not me.

He's the one who decided to jump in when I was having a discussion with Nord, without anyone asking for his opinion. But since he got in because he still thinks he has a score to settle with me, well let's settle it then. I had already noticed this issue for quite some time but I chose to be quiet, Dioxine is the one who literally brought you into this discussion, not me.

PS - And STORMMOUNTAIN was an original UFO2000 terrain with the same exact name. I don't even see the original author credited on XCF. Or did you just recreate the original files as well?

I've attached STORMMOUNTAIN's original UFO2000 files and the author was Wiseman. I'm guessing you also recreated the non-existant .RMP files on the .zip file, that I had to create from zero when I converted that terrain to OXC, but that's OK.

PPS - Or, since you mentioned pixels, what about the Mudranger APC?

It's an active mod made for the original game by NKF that is being hosted at Strategycore.co.uk. XCF includes three maps called NKF_APC.MAP and derivatives. But instead, you have on the credits:

Hobbes: Mudranger map

Which I assume you took from the Terrain Pack/Area51 but you aren't giving credit to the proper author, NKF. Considering that I was the one who originally started using his work, and properly credited on those mods, I do feel the responsability that he deserves proper credit since it would be wrong for me to claim his original work.

57

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles resource review

« on: January 15, 2022, 06:47:28 pm »

I don't know about POLISURBAN, but URBANJUNK was made by entirely by me over the course of many weeks. Yes, it's inspired by NATIVE, but most definitely it's not NATIVE. These terrains shouldn't share even a single AI node, nor a single wall. The overall concept is also quite different.

You were warned about this two years ago with this specific terrain.

You have at least 13 examples on the attached image comparing the different levels NATIVEURBAN original terrain with your URBANJUNK, with the original NATIVEURBAN on the left and URBANJUNK on the right.

The screenshots were taken using MapView to compare the general appearance on the main window, the .RMP file nodes appear on top right box the and .MAP layout files on the bottom right box). Check how the positions of the nodes (top right) and the general layout (bottom right) is in many cases still the same.

I didn't bother to add all the compared files other than those 13 since to display them all would require close to a hundred screenshots. And since I made the original map layouts and AI nodes from zero, I know them like the back of my hand and recognize them immediately. And since I'm the original author of the .MAP/.RMP files, I'm the copyright owner of those since NATIVE was never a part of UFO2000 but my separate work.

NATIVE and its .MAP files were originally published around 2005 on my personal Geocities website, which can be accessed through the Wayback Machine here https://web.archive.org/web/20140820064635/http://area51.xcomufo.com/, and I still have the website files available in my hard drive, which I have also attached to this post. I later adapted it to OXC by adding the .RMP files, so any claims that those files belong to the original game are delusional and an attempt to distract from the issue at hand.

You evidently added a couple new .MAP/.RMP files, have renamed the files, changed a few things and replaced some of the textures, but to claim that of these are all coincidence and URBANJUNK is all your original work is simply impossible.

And you don't ever credit the original terrain or me as author.

If people don't understand why I'm upset about this issue, check out the image and zipped file for yourselves and make your own conclusions.

PS - I've also attached the original POLIS terrain, also completely my original work, which Dioxine is also using after being told to remove it, and without even crediting me.

And Dioxine, since you mentioned this, I challenge you to go through my current BattleTech mod and point me a single piece of content there that is your original work. Better yet, report it to the site and have my mod taken down since it's unauthorized content and Nexusmods is pretty heavy handed with those kind of infractions regarding permissions.

Unless you're claiming that adding pirates to a mod is a original idea of yours that no one has done before, and that ideas can be copyrighted, which then proves that you have no idea of what copyright is and how it works.

58

Work In Progress / [WIP][OXCE] XCOM: The Unknown Menace

« on: January 15, 2022, 06:54:55 am »

Hello all,

2022 will be a special year for me because it marks the 20th anniversary of my first major fan project related to a videogame, the fanfic novel XCOM: The Unknown Menace, which tells the story of the First Alien War in a whooping 692 pages.

And that year also kinda marks the beginning of my XCOM modding with the first map mod I ever made as a replacement for the original game's Terror Site terrain, originally called 'City' and later adapted to OpenXCom as 'Commercial'. My map modding then extended to making part of the UFO2000 project, a multiplayer clone of the original game, where I created several terrains that eventually I later adapted to the Terrain Pack and Area 51 OXC mods, which included even more new terrains I made, and that have been unavailable for the past years due to a number of issues and the lack of time to solve them, which caused me to make a pause from XCOM/OXC modding, after a really long time involved. 

But my personal love for XCOM modding has never disappeared, and over the past years I received requests and feedback to make my mods available once again, for the OXC community to play and enjoy. It is then my pleasure to announce that I'm currently actively working on a new OXC mod, called the XCOM: The Unknown Menace in homage and inspired by my original fanfic (which also inspired Area 51, thus the circle becomes complete).

I won't provide more details at his point, other that it will be an expansion to the original game built upon my previous work and new original material, and it will include selected features from other mods that I'm currently in the process of contacting the authors to obtain their permissions, in order to add them. It won't be a mod pack though since I'm done for good with that kind of projects, so those contributions are going to be on a needed basis and I won't take requests to add additional features.

ETA is currently unknown but stay tuned: there's a fast mover on its way.

PS (January 18th, 2022) - Things have changed after I posted this, because of my decision to make Terrain Pack to go open source. So the stated above will not be exactly like it turns out.

59

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles resource review

« on: January 15, 2022, 05:17:50 am »

I'm done with this conversation because I'm not here to spam Nord's mod thread with a pointless discussion.

Nord, please feel free to delete my posts after you remove the unauthorized content. And sorry for the spam because I should messaged you directly.

60

Released Mods / Re: X-Chronicles resource review

« on: January 15, 2022, 03:01:47 am »

In any case, Hobbes' claims of him owning TFTD and UFO2000 textures nonwithstanding, I'd recommend replacing them with CMP's and Bulletdesigner's maps because they're less buggy, better looking and better designed.

Btw, the POLISURBAN .MAP/.RMP files that you still have on Piratez, they're mine since I created them for UFO2000 and I adapted them to OXC by me adding the .RMP files, which you apparently don't know that are required for the AI.

And the same for the URBANJUNK00-45 .MAP/.RMP, since they were originally taken from my NATIVE terrain -  you may be using different tilesets, but the layout of the .MAP files and the AI nodes on the .RMP files necessary for the map to work, they're all my work.

Feel free to create your own maps with your own layout and the routes used by the AI, though.