Hard Light Productions Forums
General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: karx11erx on February 19, 2008, 08:21:51 am
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I'd just like to inquire whether Freespace 1+2 are completely in the public domain, and a legal free download is available. If so, where please?
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http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,42854.0.html
It's not public domain though. Only the source code is open sourced.
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The source code has been released for FreeSpace 2, but the game content has not been released for free distribution for either game. Unfortunately, if you are looking for a legal means by which to download either of the games in their entirety, no such method exists.
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That's no problem, just wanted to know whether I need to purchase the game or can have it for free legally. Will purchase then (should have kept it, back in those days ... :doubt:)
It's just the same as with Descent 1+2 ... there's no one around even who could release the game data to the public domain, but you cannot just pass it on. That sucks (I am maintaining a popular open source Descent 2 version and would love to make the complete game available to everybody who's interested in it).
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Its not completely legal to download Freespace 1+2 but on the other hand, are Interplay really going to have the money to pay for lawyer?
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Given the way they're recovering recently, they very well might soon enough.
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I think we'd seen some consequences already if they were interested in preventing people from warezing FS.
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Its not completely legal to download Freespace 1+2 but on the other hand, are Interplay really going to have the money to pay for lawyer?
or they might pay for a lawyer, knowing they'll get a pretty nice return when they win the lawsuit :p
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and on that topic...
if you want a copy of Freespace 2, contact me... send me a PM.
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and on that topic...
if you want a copy of Freespace 2, contact me... send me a PM.
Or try BitTorrent. I got mine from it. :nervous:
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don't promote obtaining it via illegal means plz.
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Why don't we buy out the IP rights ourselves, as a community? That way, we can do whatever the heck we want with FS, and legally. Besides, I heard someone mention that it isn't very expensive.
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The IP would likely be 250000$+.
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Not very expensive compared to other IP's, maybe, but that still makes it very expensive for anyone who isn't a big corporation.
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yeah i think we'd be looking at a bare minimum of $100,000+.
That makes it an awful lot for a (relatively small) community to purchase.
Maybe if we had 400,000 members we could start some sort of collection, but in reality we don't, and even if we did buy the license/IP, what would we do with it? What would it all be worth. you know?
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Well you could make <censored> a reality. *cough*
:nervous:
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It's worth essentially nothing, as making further games in the series would be financial suicide these days for any buyer. We would simply be poorer.
To be honest, I find it a little funny that people are worrying about this so much when we have been distributing it for almost four years now. If Interplay actually cared, we would have gotten a C&D notice long ago. Buying the IP in the current situation is akin to putting titanium armor on your roof because you're scared of incoming meteors. :p
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It's worth essentially nothing, as making further games in the series would be financial suicide these days for any buyer. We would simply be poorer.
To be honest, I find it a little funny that people are worrying about this so much when we have been distributing it for almost four years now. If Interplay actually cared, we would have gotten a C&D notice long ago. Buying the IP in the current situation is akin to putting titanium armor on your roof because you're scared of incoming meteors. :p
Not that those meteors would even get past the earth's atmosphere anyway... :drevil:
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BitTorrent is not illegal. What is illegal is using it to download copyrighted materials.
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yes, but advertising that you can download FS2 from Bittorrent... is, essentially, against the forums rules (since that is illegal...)
trust me. i got banned once for doing the same thing (advocating downloading something illegally)
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We've relaxed the rules for FS2 downloads a little since then though. Given that we've stickied Turey's installer at the top of this forum as long as you aren't actually directly linking to Warez sites (which offer more objectionable stuff than downloads of 9 year old games no one wants to publish) or sticking torrents on the site you'll be okay.
The rules still apply to everything else of course.
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I was under the impression that the material (ie models, voices, etc) were actually legal to download. I cannot remember where I read this from, Wikipedia, maybe GameSpot. But I clearly read that first it went open source and then the resources were made free as well.
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No. Just the source code. A Finnish gaming site did state that FS2 as a whole was freeware which encouraged me to download it,, but, in reality, only the game engine was declared open source.
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A lot of ISPs who like to keep their reputation clean (from adandonware) have been giving it out for free. Plus I discovered the GameSpot thread (by no means reliable :P) where I first got the impression. Why would they make the engine only open source and not allow the rest to be freely distributed?
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Cause Volition can give out the code but I doubt they can give out the rights to stick the models etc on the net as that is right of the publisher not the developer and Interplay don't seem to ever make their back catalogue freeware.
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That has to do with IP ownership right? Damn Interplay, making it very difficult for me to find a legitimate copy of Planescape Torment, and as it turns out FreeSpace as well.
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years ago they had minibox Planescape at Walmarts. targets, Kmarts etc for 9.99... Try Ebay you might get lucky...
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years ago they had minibox Planescape at Walmarts. targets, Kmarts etc for 9.99... Try Ebay you might get lucky...
I got both games + ST for 60$.
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We've relaxed the rules for FS2 downloads a little since then though. Given that we've stickied Turey's installer at the top of this forum as long as you aren't actually directly linking to Warez sites (which offer more objectionable stuff than downloads of 9 year old games no one wants to publish) or sticking torrents on the site you'll be okay.
The rules still apply to everything else of course.
in that case
http://www.f1f3.com/iso/
knock yourselves out...
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Excellent. :yes: Having the individual VPs up will be very useful when someone has one go corrupt when downloading using Turey's installer too.
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One thing I've suggested is to have the alternate language VPs up.
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Excellent. :yes: Having the individual VPs up will be very useful when someone has one go corrupt when downloading using Turey's installer too.
wow, and here i thought i'd get banned for posting that... and yet i get your approval? :D :p
note the .ISOs are up there too
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About the time HotU put FS2 up we moved to a more pro FS2 download stance. We went back to the original stance when Interplay released the 20th anniversary edition and then went back to pro-download when HotU went up again.
Basically we'd just rather avoid getting a cease and desist from anybody but given that Interplay haven't given one out to HotU...... :D
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yeah well i'm not publishing mine either... it's for the community, and the community only.
but if someone wants to download the FS2 game, all three ISOs are there... there won't be any "download line" you have to wait in, and it's running on a 20Mbit fiber connection, so knock yourselves out
just don't abuse it plz ;(