Author Topic: Non-proprietary resources  (Read 6971 times)

Offline Reinrassig

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Non-proprietary resources
« on: July 21, 2011, 03:32:09 pm »
Hi.
Quote
Q: Is using the original X-Com resources legal?
A: It’s kind of a grey area. I contacted the copyright holders just to be sure but they never replied back, so I’m just playing it safe like every other remake.

The code is completely new and none of the copyrighted files are actually included with the project, players need their own copy of X-Com to get them from, so it should be fine.
Regarding this: why not make completely new resources from scratch in order to make the game completely FOSS without being dependent on proprietary resources? As I understand it's "just" the sound and graphics that are required from the original game. Then perhaps users could choose if they want to use the proprietary resources from the original game or the GPL (whichever license you use) ones bundled with OpenXcom.

If the game would be entirely free software, then it would qualify for inclusion in the repositories of Linux distros such as Debian (DFSG).

I realize that the hardcore X-Com fans probably don't want new or improved graphics (which is why users should be able to use the old graphics if they choose, but you already have support for that), but it would also make it possible to use for example SVG graphics in order to be able to use arbitrary resolution and still look good. I've experimented a little with SVG graphics in Java and it appears to work great (not just due to being scalable but also performance-wise, even when there is loads of stuff to render).

Maybe I'm missing something obvious but I think it would be a huge benefit (SVG or not). Legally, this is essentially what FreeCiv did so I don't think there should be any legal problems (since this would not require the user to own a copy of UFO:EU).

Offline SupSuper

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Re: Non-proprietary resources
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2011, 03:54:06 am »
I have nothing against completely new resources, it's just I'm a programmer, not an artist, and I needed something to work with. So instead of waiting around for someone to whip up a completely new free resource replacement, I just went with the originals. The "hardcore X-Com fan" appeal is just an extra. :P

Once the game is feature-complete I'll look into supporting alternate resources.

Offline Reinrassig

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Re: Non-proprietary resources
« Reply #2 on: July 27, 2011, 08:02:49 pm »
There could be a shortcut. I don't know which license UFO2000 and UFO:TTS use but it seems like they are redoing all graphics (judging by the screenshots, this looks very close to the original: https://ufotts.ninex.info/index.php/screens/). If they release it under a somewhat permissive license...

Offline Daiky

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Re: Non-proprietary resources
« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2011, 11:47:47 pm »
If they release it under a somewhat permissive license...
You just need permission (e-mail will probably do) of the person who created the specific artwork, if you wanted to distribute it. There's 2 or 3 guys that worked on it, so I guess that's not so hard to get something figured out.
The hardest part is probably getting the openxcom engine work with BMP files :)

Offline Reinrassig

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Re: Non-proprietary resources
« Reply #4 on: July 31, 2011, 01:25:57 pm »
The hardest part is probably getting the openxcom engine work with BMP files :)
Can't they be converted to whatever openxcom uses?