Hard Light Productions Forums
Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => FS2 Open Coding - The Source Code Project (SCP) => Topic started by: Johnmike on February 29, 2004, 04:51:44 pm
-
I was thinking today while looking around the internet a bit. I'll make it simple. With the comotion of the FS2 SCP being put up on Gamespy, I thought of it. Why not put it up on Freeware sites? HOTU is an example. Another would be Game Hippo (http://www.gamehippo.com/). Why not? o.O
-
FS2 is on HOTU. When 3.6 is released, I'll probably be sending Underdogs a pack of stuff, the ability to read DivX-encoded movies in particular might prove, um, useful.
-
Originally posted by Stryke 9
FS2 is on HOTU. When 3.6 is released, I'll probably be sending Underdogs a pack of stuff, the ability to read DivX-encoded movies in particular might prove, um, useful.
Actually, HOTU took down their FS2 download after interplay announced their release... check it out... (http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?name=Freespace+2)
Hence why I decided I better take off the FS2 stuff from my server.
-
it would be cool to put up a stand alonte total conversion of the game, essintially a freespace clone, without any of the original data, just the fsopen exe and 100% user created data that could be put up for free to download. would that be legal?
-
Originally posted by Nuke would that be legal? [/B]
well, maybe...
Now go make (edit) 60 or more models and all the textures, sounds, interface;)
-
i only have 16 or so. im sure if every modder donated a ship it could be done though. a stand-alone, free, and kick ass space game would attract people by the masses. the community would grow and we could have alot more expertice to help improve the game. id personally donate my entire fleet.
-
it wouldnt be freespace anymore :p
-
lol true, you'd have to rename it or something.
How ironic that the name is already 'FREEspace 2' hehe. maybe just call it Free? lol
ah well
-Grug
-
How about Free Space? :D
-
Very Freespace :D
-
How about Ferrium, if Kazan and his crack team of coders can pull it off.
Later!
-
Wouldn't it be logical to call the endproduct of this entire project Freespace 2: Ferrium?
-
Hmm did I miss something here?
... Ferrium? what does that mean :s
Excuse my ignorance. :p
-
We could make high poly versions of all the ships to distribute. It would make the game look better to boot.
Not sure if we could though, as it'd still be V's concepts.
-
Originally posted by Grug
Hmm did I miss something here?
... Ferrium? what does that mean :s
Excuse my ignorance. :p
Its a new Freespace engine that Kazan proposed a few months back and has actually started on. Its intended to be a higly versatile and feature-filled game engine made completely from scratch, that could be adapted for multiple needs in addition to Freespace... such as Star Trek, B5, and all the others we've tried to convert for FS2.
Later!
-
Originally posted by Lightspeed
it wouldnt be freespace anymore :p
Not that we have that many options at our disposal. ;)
I personally think, some time down the road, we ought to remake the main campaign. High-poly models, updated weapon effects, high-res planets, skybox nebulae... Main Campaign Plus, or something. :)
-
LS is gonna implement is nebs into the main camp, and the effects and stuff replace :V: ones automaticly.
-
I'm not sure that's the best way to go. A lot of people would complain that "it isn't FS any more"... which happened when we made the thruster plume and specular highlight changes global. To avoid that, we should have an option for playing it and having it look the way it used to - it requires a comparable amount of work, I think, and the benefits in flexibility (and also for comparison's sake) would be great to have on hand.
-
all you need to do to go back to normal is disable the media VP.
-
the point of this idea really is to make something people can download and play, even without their own copy freespace, which is very hard to come by theese days. this makes it very difficult to grow the freespace community. if we replace all the original data with user created data the community would have essintially created a new game. the idea isnt nessisarily to copy every finest detail of the fs2 universe into a new package. i suggest compiling a list of all neccisary replacemend data. then people in the community may submit whatever data is needed to complete the list. someone may submit a ship model, others may submit weapon effects or missions. data would be reviewed to match certain criteria, such as stability, balence, asthetics, and completness. once all data is compiled, it would be edited to be cross compatable, assembled into a stand-alone package and be made avalible for download.
-
thanks Trivial Psychic :)
hmm I do think FS2 can only go so far... perhaps newer engines / resources are a better idea...
but i do like the idea of a FS2 honour release, with upgraded graphics etc... :D
-Grug
-
Originally posted by Nuke
blablablabla
And we'll publish it under your name so you're the one that gets sued.
-
rofl
claws are out... :p
-
Originally posted by Grug
How ironic that the name is already 'FREEspace 2' hehe. maybe just call it Free? lol
an ol' VBB joke of renaming of fs was LibertyCosmos...
-
Originally posted by Nuke
it would be cool to put up a stand alonte total conversion of the game, essintially a freespace clone, without any of the original data, just the fsopen exe and 100% user created data that could be put up for free to download. would that be legal?
[color=66ff00]One of the long term aims of the Freespace Upgrade Project. :)
[/color]
-
OT, "freespace" is the technical term for subspace in the game. FYI.
-
no it's (suposedly) the term for normal space
-
This what we are doing now, converting everything over to a Star Wars theme. It uses the 3.5.5 code as a base with some mods by me and all our own data files. We've got half the interface done and quite a few models. We are removing all the ingame audio and stuff that goes with it (hopefully replacing it with our own). Only files from the original we plan are using will be some table files. We will probably end up fixing them up a bit so we aren't "copying".
-
Wait a minute...
This is just a question, don't kill me:
If a group/person removed all the old data files, all the stuff made by volition, and made something based on a completely different universe, using the SCP as our exe, could it be released as a full commercial game?
I mean, the source code would HAVE to be public (under the GPL liscence), but could someone do that?
Or is something like that prohibited by [V]'s release terms?
It would be an interesting prospect for TC makers :)
-
you might be able to come to some agreement with V alowwing it, assumeing you made totaly new stuff.
and gave me a generous royaly
-
How much would that be? :D :p
-
half :)
well hows this sound V gets 50% profits, we get 25% and you get the remaining 25% -expenses
-
V getting 50% No, I think it should be split more evenly. about 33.3 for each.
I'm saying that because, althouh [V] programmed the engine, it's not their game, so they shouldn't get most of the profit, the producer of the game should. Same thing with the SCP project, if the game maker chooses to use the SCP enhancements (duh they will :D). Or 30, 35, 35, respectively.
And that's a good deal for all parties, considering. For instance, you can go and get Torque for 100 dollars (per programmer), and not have to pay ANY royalty fees, unless your game makes over 500,000 in profit, where then you have to buy a full corporate liscence of Torque (a relatively low $100,000)
-
I just sent this to the webmaster at [V].
Hello, I'm ____ _____. I'm a mod maker for one of your most acclaimed games, Freespace 2.
I am inquiring about licensing that graphics engine, in order to facilitate releasing my mod as a full game. I would like information regarding the cost of the engine (for a single programmer and for a full commercial license).
I would also like to know if there are any royalties that would have to be paid? Such as a certain percentage to Volition, based on how much the game makes?
Lastly, would it be possible (or allowable) to include the Source Code Project enhancements (www.3dap.com/hlp) for use in the full version, as long as they are also paid a certain sum?
Thank you for your time,
_____ ______
-
10 bucks says they don't respond
-
You're probably right. Does anyone have a more direct line (other than a phone #) that bypasses the webmaster?
-
Originally posted by Bobboau
no it's (suposedly) the term for normal space
nope, he's right. subspace = freespace.
-
'tis in the ref bible;
When scientists discovered what used to be called “FreeSpace” (now referred to as “subspace”), an alternate plane of existence allowing ships to traverse great distances of space in little time, our minds reeled with the possibilities. When humans first discovered they were not alone in the universe, there was dancing in the streets.
(I know, I know - i'm being pedantic. But anything's better than the reality of work.....)
-
The terms of the license expressly forbid commercial exploitation of the engine. If you want to make a commercial game, and are willing to put that much time into it, use an engine that allows for commercial distribution.
Also, I think any emails to webmaster@v get sent to dev/null :)
The PXO people can be a bit too persistent ;)
-
Originally posted by Inquisitor
The terms of the license expressly forbid commercial exploitation of the engine. If you want to make a commercial game, and are willing to put that much time into it, use an engine that allows for commercial distribution.
Ferrium?
-
Depends on if Ferrium is a derived work ;)
And, no matter how gifted the development team, expect a new engine to take at least a year, and the actual game to take at least a year.
We licensed an engine for our first game, and it took us exactly one year to get something that people seem to agree with and is relatively bug free, and that was WITH a well tested, well understood engine.
Non-trivial proposition, making a game, gotta be into it hard core to succeed.
-
Absolutely. :yes: I'm hoping everyone will be in it for the long haul - I am.
-
Well, if a team is interested in making a real game, not derived from fs2, I have some good publishing contacts always interested in Indie games :)
MGT is probably doing a space game next anyway, that or a racing game, and if we can build the team up, both.
But that, perhaps, is for another thread ;)
-
I want to make a game, it's just I'd like to use the FS engine, because it's the one I am most familiar with (both capability-wise and file format-wise). :)
But I'm interested in making a game! :)
-
Then here's a solution.
Release it as GPL or freeware and just ask for donations. Or do what the linux guys do, just charge for game guides, the CD's the game comes on, just your work.
Eh, it might work.
-
But the Linux guys OWN the software, so they can do that :)
Anyway, I still haven't gotten a reply from [V].
The thing is, I want to keep the same easy modability that goes with FS (the easy table files and model replacement, as well as the mission editor).
-
I see what you mean.
Yeah, it seems allot of games never take into account modders. The way V did it makes it so easy to make mods.
For instance in Halo (IIRC) everything for a level is in one file. So if you want to change the AR you must do it in every file. Also IIFC the values aren't even file interchangable.
-
im supprised video card manufacturers havent created standardized model formats for games. one thing that all games have in common is they all use proprietary model formats. i think i understand why, but its still a pain it the butt. every time you start modding in a new game, the hardest thing to do is learn the model format.
-
There is a standard direct X Model format called simply .x
Some freeware games use it, but that's about it :(
-
Macross VO is the only commercial game I know that used it.
And that was a bad Japanese game :D
-
I'd love to make a spacesim game and actually I'd have a (in my opinion) very nice idea, both for story and gameplay, but, hell, the amount of artwork a game require is simply....uh can't find the exact word:)
-
Overwhelming ;)
-
yes..something like that:)
-
o.o