LucasArts Embraces Game Mod Community 183
An anonymous reader writes "LucasArts has taken a great step in promoting the modification of their titles and supporting the communities that love them! According to this press release, LucasArts has teamed up with LFNetwork to open LucasFiles.com. The site is dedicated to all files that fall in the LucasArts realm." Given competing games like Neverwinter Nights, which have a phenomenal amount of user-created add-ons, this is a very smart move for LucasArts.
Re:MMORPG (Score:4, Informative)
You may remember SoE/VI from the craptacular service they give on Everquest. You'd think that on a company that's pulling $2million+/month profits they'd be able to afford a better support staff.....
But yeah. SWG isn't LucasArts.... For LucasArts... somebody tell me where I can get a nudie mod for Jedi Knight II? Oh yeah... I wanna shoot at naked clones of Jengo Fett....
So what does this imply for ScummVM? (Score:5, Informative)
(For anyone who doesn't know, ScummVM [slashdot.org] is a replacement .exe for old games like Day of the Tentacle and Monkey Island; it uses antialiased graphics and hardware MIDI to dramatically improve the picture and sound, and runs on any platform SDL does - unlike the old .exe's that come with the games, which struggle to run on modern machines. LucasArts seem to have mistaken ScummVM with an abandonware site...)
Re:NWN is not the answer. (Score:5, Informative)
There are plenty of user made mods that free the camera, along with tons of other mods that expand and extend the game. The _usermade_ Pool of Radiance mod is better than the recent standalone game!
This is exactly the kind of thing that makes NWN great, and probably why LucasArts is so interested.
Great but, (Score:5, Informative)
Look at the submission terms (Score:5, Informative)
You hereby grant to LF Network the royalty-free, non-exclusive, transferable right and license to use and exploit all rights in copyright in and to Your Posted Material throughout the universe in all forms of media, whether now known or later developed or created. Accordingly, among other rights, LF Network may reproduce, modify, publish, translate, distribute, sell, perform, and display Your Posted Material alone or as part of other works in any form, media or technology.
Furthermore, the terms of submission incorporate by reference Attachment A [lucasfiles.com], which reads:
Fatal error: Call to undefined function: latest() in
shameless plug (Score:2, Informative)
They've done it before, see (Score:1, Informative)
Re:So what does this imply for ScummVM? (Score:3, Informative)
The real site is here [sf.net] and this time I'm using Preview.
Re:Great but, have you seen the submission release (Score:5, Informative)
If this Officially Sanctioned site follows Lucas Arts policy in any way it will be up for grabs once you post. If they borrow from your idea, you won't get anything for it. Sure you might get bragging rights, but that's about it.
Take a look at the Submission Release [lucasarts.com] (.DOC) that you must submit when applying for an Art Position ( FX ARTIST 2 [lucasarts.com] ) with the company.
For those without Word or Open Office:
2. I understand and acknowledge that because of LEC's position (i) it receives numerous submissions of artwork and music from third parties, and (ii) it is constantly developing in-house ideas, formats, stories, concepts, artwork, music, and the like, and that many such submissions and/or developments heretofore or hereafter received and/or developed by LEC may be similar to or identical to those contained in my Submission. I understand and agree that LEC's use of material containing elements similar to or identical with protectible property contained in the Material shall not obligate LEC to me in any manner if LEC shall have developed or obtained such material either heretofore or hereafter independently or exclusively from sources other than from me.
maybe.... (Score:5, Informative)
This could be a cool thing just so long as the lucas guys started to release bonus packs kinda like the Unreal guys, that and if it hasn't already happend a new big fluffy pack(aka bfp3) for jedi knight 2 if there isn't already one......
Re:Preemptive PR? (Score:1, Informative)
The following is taken from the June 25th news posting (yes, almost 6 months ago):
"Their message requesting the removal of the site is based on the presumption that we are distributing LucasArts own engine on this site. Of course, ScummVM is a fully original work based equally on reverse engineering and original decoding work by many different people in the community, so this request doesn't really affect us."
Later, in their October 17th, State of the Scumm address:
The main issue at the moment is their requirement for a 'non-profit' clause. We need to push this clause to prevent any -direct- profit from being made by selling ScummVM itself (seriously, who would want to anyway? geez
"Hopefully I can knock some sense into them, and convince them that there's nothing wrong with this, otherwise this whole negotiation period - and it's being going on for months - will be pretty pointless. Basically, we need to have their permission to use an Artistic-license style clause."
Finally, in their December 7th update:
"To date, LucasArts has not been able to give us any firm complaints regarding ScummVM, besides some vague claims that if they didn't enforce these conditions on us, it would effectively give up their rights to their own Intellectual Property. We do not believe this, there certainly have not been any documented cases of the GPL leading to such a challenge in the past..."
At least pretend like you're writing a balanced reply.
Re:Preemptive PR? (Score:5, Informative)
- Ender
Leader Type Person,
ScummVM
Re:So what does this imply for ScummVM? (Score:5, Informative)
Seriously, I can probably talk about this now the site has been announced. The original 'proposal' from LucasArts to deal with our 'problem', was (this was suggested to us about 7 months ago) to be hosted by 'their upcoming mod site' - what is now known as LucasFiles..
This would apparantly have solved the legal issues they have with us (which they have never really explained or clarified except in vauge terms).
But basically, all LucasFiles is supposed to be is a host for FPS mods. Big whoop. The LucasFiles people didn't want us (I gather), and the whole idea was completely torpedoed when I pointed out that moving from SourceForge would require work on their part - eg, we'd need equivilant services like CVS ecetra.
Anyway. It was suggested, it never worked.
As for sharing technical details, the last time I asked their response was "We're not intrested in doing so at this time, maybe we can discuss it MUCH (their verbal emphisis) later."
- Ender
Head Monkey Wrangler,
ScummVM
Re:Seriously though... (Score:0, Informative)
Buying Maniac Mansion, etc... FOR ScummVM (Score:5, Informative)
I bought (just a few months ago) both Indiana Jones games, Day of the Tentacle, Sam & Max, a Monkey Island or two, Loom, and I don't remember what all else. But the point is I bought them BECAUSE of ScummVM, and I wish LucasArts would just GET IT and leave the ScummVM folks alone. They're not stealing IP. They're not hurting profits. They're actually contributing to sales of older games. Why are they still being hounded?
Ah, well-- enough ranting. Glad to see the ScummVM folks are sick of waiting for LucasArts to make up its mind, and have gone ahead with the latest release of ScummVM without their permission. Good work, guys!!
Re:So what does this imply for ScummVM? (Score:3, Informative)
Just because LucasArts PR is pushing the game mods aspect of LucasFiles... well that means nothing. Yes, there are mods hosted there... k. There's also a Fan Games section and a Classic LucasArts section. You know that I'd love to put ScummVM up there too... I'm tempted to but I fear the nasty letter of doom. Bah. LucasFiles isnt perfect but its silly of you to fall for marketing.
Jake
jake@mixnmojo.com
designer, lucasfiles.com
channel toadie, #scummvm
WTF LucasFiles? (Score:4, Informative)
Yes, we have been talking to them along the way, and bits of the site was made in a way that would suit the notorious Lucas Legal (most importantly the disclaimers you agree to when uploading and downloading a file). That "little bit" aside, it's our site.
That doesn't mean they can't decide how they're going to promote it. Their press release and the small blurb on the main page of LucasArts.com says that it's "home to mods of LucasArts games," but that's not the limit of the scope of LucasFiles.
In addition to mods, we can also host full-on fangames that don't require, say, Jedi Outcast, to run. Odds are we could host fan games that aren't even related to Star Wars (probably not fan games of the sequel-knockoff variety, I'm talking original stuff)... And, we're also working to reach into the depths of our hard drives and long abandonned file download areas to find some classic stuff that was formerly hard to get your hands on (for instance, old promos and demos relating to Sam & Max hit the road, Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango, the Monkey Island series etc etc etc as well as some Lucas titles that are "classics" for entirely different reasons... like Force Commander and Yoda Stories ).
Anyway, by limiting LucasFiles to "another Mod site" or claiming it is LucasArts's own site, made in an attempt to woo you into not noticing some other evil, for one you're wrong, and for two you're really pigeonholeing something the fan community's been after for quite some time. Its amazing to see LucasArts as excited about it as we are (and they are).
Jake
designer, lfnetwork.com
webmaster, mixnmojo.com
Re:NWN is not the answer. (Score:3, Informative)