#30
Post
by CuddlyZebesian » Mon Mar 04, 2013 1:45 am
I find this silly in its own right.
I mean I can understand plagiarism a wee bit and whatnot, but as I'm reading this thread I hear "copyright" and "illegal infringment."
Look, the copyright issue doesn't exist. First of all, you're coding on an engine that is copyrighted by id, using their player actors as well, edited or not. Claiming copyright on a mod (using that word veeeeery strongly here) is inert, ineffective, blablabla, you just can't do it. Now if it's a "dun take credit for other people's stuff" rule, then that's understandable, but the way it's worded in the thread is like there's a threat of lawsuit, which would get you laughed out of the lawyer's office. Not to mention id would have your ass on a plate with garnishes and a red wine...and light salad....and a dessert.
Anyway, yea, mod probably dug from code from the original WDI, which is the reason why it IS an addon, not to mention the fact that even the WDI creator took from the original doom 2 wad in one way or another. To even consider flipping over someone else wanting to add some stuff that is completely harmless is overexaggerating the issue, and when it comes down to it, unless the mod actually exploits Zandronum or is completely rule breaking (a porn wad for instance) it really is unnecessary to crack down and start swinging the hammer on anything or anyone that wants to add to things.
As for this add-on, I find it a bit of a fun side compared to the dreary miserable tightly anused original WDI that is still pretty active. The extra rae packs are fun and have new fun things in it, the weapons are entertaining, and no one on that server ever complains about anything because they're too busy having fun. Fun, which the original WDI (no offense) didn't have. It was too serious.
Now for anything similar in particular, there's really no harm in adding on stuff or doing as you please with a mod, whether to improve it or to just add fun things to it, as long as you're not screaming "I SO DID THE ORIGINAL IT WAS MEEEEEEEEE". Of course the copyright thing is completely defunct but unless it's malicious or the extra thingy mod creator is a massive douche, then there's really no need to go flipping over who's needing to ask whose permission. You wouldn't go asking permission from id itself to use their code to make a game, would you?
tl;dr: Screaming copyright infringement is hypocritical, anything not malicious or rule breaking should be let go, and as long as you give credit, you shouldn't be having to ask everyone and their mother permission over a damn mod of a game 20 years old.
