[WMCoolmon]

Okay, the idea of a community money pool to buy the Freespace license has come up before. With Derek Smart's recent plan to buy the license and create his own game, this idea has gained a note of urgency, for me at least...

As a community, I think we have enough resources to create a competitive commercial game - although I'd hope that it'd remain open source.

Alternatively, we could decide to ask around and see if any current commercial companies would be interested in making a Freespace 3 - Volition, or possibly even Derek Smart's company.

Finally, having the license would mean that Freespace media, as long as it is not intellectual property of Volition, could be sold. To throw out an example - Inferno. Some of you might've seen the DVD covers posted awhile back for some of the mods hosted here. Having the license could make them a reality. These funds could go back towards anyone who donated for the rights, although that would be up to the mod owners themselves.

To this end, does anyone have any contact information that could be used to start talks with Interplay about the Freespace rights?

[karajorma]

Great minds think alike.

http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,25177.0.html

We've talked about it but no one has ever made a serious attempt at seeing how much people would pay.

EDIT : URL corrected

[WMCoolmon]

Indeed, one right after the other.

I was just wishing I'd put up a poll like that, too.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

It might be intersting to actively seek out any other surviving freespace communities around. That way you'd might be able to, maybe, garner the support of another 1000 fans tops (and that's an optimistic estimate I'm afraid).

Anyway, I think any chances of the community acquiring the rights to FS are moot at best. We don't even know how much the IP rights are worth at this very moment. And you can be damned sure that the moment competition for the rights arrivesat the scene the price will go up. Which means we'd be outbid pretty quickly I believe. After all, we don't have any reserve to fall back on.

And if, by luck, the community does acquire the rights: then what? I'm sure some members would like to recoup some of their expences (with a good plan and contract that might be do-able) but the market for FS-stuff might not be as big as we think.
Space-sims have been in hibernation for years basically and the various space-sim communities are fragmented. However, with the rights we'd potentially be able to co-opt (read: sell to) the Wing Commander bunch over at the CiC (Though they'd probably be miffed at the thought of the FS-community have the actual rights to a game while they have to work with with they have).

Anyway, to end this -before I go in rant-mode- I'm not optimistic at all about Community chances.

But good luck anyway.
CI80

[Kamikaze]

I don't know about anyone else, but I think giving the license to V if they're willing to work on it would be nice. Of course, that's wishful thinking.

Otherwise, I say we just keep others from making FS3 and keep stopped at 2.

[karajorma]

We could give the license to [V] in return for those who donated getting the finished game more cheaply. That way everyone wins

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Originally posted by karajorma
We could give the license to [V] in return for those who donated getting the finished game more cheaply. That way everyone wins

no, HLP soldn't give away those rights should HLP acquire them.

What HLP should/could do is giving [V] a free licence to develop while HLP keeps the rights.

giving the rights away might lead to another situation in which the community could be forced to buy those same rights again. If the community is able to buy them in the first place that is.

I'm sure something could be worked out (after all Dave B and the old timers here know each other in a way of speaking) enabling Volition to develop a FS3 at any time they (and their publisher) want while HLP keeps ultimate control over what it payed for.

(something along the lines off:

HLP has the rights -> V gets the rights to make FS3 -> rights revert back to HLP pending the decision to make an expansion/sequel... It would be beneficial to V since it's unlikely they'd have to pay anything to get the right to use the licence, and it would be benefical to HLP since they wouldn't lose control over what they payed for)

Fans would still have to pay for the game but I doubt that's much of a problem.

[WMCoolmon]

What HLP should/could do is giving [V] a free licence to develop while HLP keeps the rights.

[karajorma]

That is of course what I meant to say. What I meant is that [V] develop the game without paying us a license fee.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Originally posted by karajorma
That is of course what I meant to say. What I meant is that [V] develop the game without paying us a license fee.

ah, okido. Wasn't sure.

[Unknown Target]

I think we should buy it, and if you donate, you get a right to the liscence. That means you can publish your mod work using the FS open stuff. I'd say that sounds pretty fair, right? And if you want to get the liscence, you donate money to a money pool, where we use it to do other items, or you negotiate with another member.
But I'm not sure about V developing the new game, I mean, it'd be great, but that would mean we would have an "official" game, therefore all the fan made projects would go out the window. That's my opinion, at least.



EDIT: As I posted in the other thread, I am willing to donate up to 2 or 3 hundred dollars to the cause. I have 100 ready to go RIGHT now, 100 on standbye, but the last 100 I'm pretty sure I have.

[Cabbie]

So if Smart actually buys the FS franchise what will happen to the FS Open source project?

[Knight Templar]

He'll attempt to stick his his big bad legal penis into the SCP's proverbial behind.

[Unknown Target]

Of course, he can't touch it. FS2 is open source, he has nothing over it. The game is free, and we're making all new models. If anything, he'll spur the development of high-poly models, thereby we will have nothing in common with the original game. Either way, we win on that count

[Cabbie]

Phew, thats good to hear.

[WildWolf]

If you give Derek Smart the license to Freespace I will stab each and every one of you. That man should not be in the game industry. period.

[Ace]

Good to see you around WW

Now if only Plasma were here he'd die of laughter.

[karajorma]

Originally posted by Unknown Target
Of course, he can't touch it. FS2 is open source, he has nothing over it. The game is free, and we're making all new models. If anything, he'll spur the development of high-poly models, thereby we will have nothing in common with the original game. Either way, we win on that count

I wouldn't be too sure of that. The high poly models, high quality textures and the shine and glow maps all constitute what are known as derivative works (i.e they're based on the original game) and therefore he could concievably try to stop them.

Of course by doing so he'd be taking a step that not even Microsoft have ever been stupid enough to contemplate as he'd basically kill any FS3 modding groups before they got started, damaging the credibilty of his own game further.

[Gloriano]

Originally posted by WildWolf
If you give Derek Smart the license to Freespace I will stab each and every one of you. That man should not be in the game industry. period.

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by WildWolf
If you give Derek Smart the license to Freespace I will stab each and every one of you. That man should not be in the game industry. period.

We are forever in your debt, kind sir.