i think it would be more legal to just develop a game that played very very similar to majormud. it could use any database type and reside outside of WG.
That would be what we would do. Hopefully it would be so similar megamud would still function, but it would offer much more variety. For example, a remort system could be added, more ability functions could be added and the exisiting onces could be fixed, the stat system could be tweaked, etc.
It would be a tool. There would be no code from metro used in program, so there isn't anything they can do. And they can't sue for the creation of a third party program.
Calling all programmers..
-
Kai Shadowbane
Re: Calling all programmers..
*looks at the code*
...
'you know, this code reminds me of something...'
*remembers to go clean the litter box*
Nothing against metro, but you could just as easy just use another free source and do all the same thing, and tweak the interface commands, run it through sql, and pow, you have a new mud, looks and plays close, and has a "major" 1 up on MajorMud
(wow, a pun showed up...)
-Kai
...
'you know, this code reminds me of something...'
*remembers to go clean the litter box*
Nothing against metro, but you could just as easy just use another free source and do all the same thing, and tweak the interface commands, run it through sql, and pow, you have a new mud, looks and plays close, and has a "major" 1 up on MajorMud
(wow, a pun showed up...)
-Kai
Re: Calling all programmers..
We would be using a free source or coding everything up from nothing. No code from Majormud would be included. The "look and feel" would be the same, as the same features would be included, but it would boast much much more.
Re: Calling all programmers..
Sven, I suggest you look up intellectual property laws. It doesn't matter if you don't use their source code. You can't model it after Majormud; you can't steal their ideas and implement it in your system without permission. "Borrowing" ideas is a grey area but you're talking about straight copying.
Don't kid yourself. You do this, and they got a case. The only question is whether they will pursue it.
Don't kid yourself. You do this, and they got a case. The only question is whether they will pursue it.
Re: Calling all programmers..
Personally, I think it would be cool but I'd never be a part of any such development. Not only because of the legal aspect, but it's just too much work for little return at best.
If you even complete the project, you would have put in thousands of hours and if you're lucky you might make a few hundred.
Your best bet is to create the engine itself and load config settings that make it "appear" like majormud. If a third party (not associated with you) creates these config settings, then you will be safe. That's your only hope.
You might want to talk to Evan (EvanElias on the forums) if you are serious about doing this but you better be a good programmer because Evan has been programming stuff like this for years and I don't think he wants to waste time teaching you about pointers or memory management ;)
I'd be willing to help with this sort of development. As someone pointed out, there are some mud engines out there already that might be usable.
p.s. I have experience with sockets programming in C... although I'm not a fan of it ;)
If you even complete the project, you would have put in thousands of hours and if you're lucky you might make a few hundred.
Your best bet is to create the engine itself and load config settings that make it "appear" like majormud. If a third party (not associated with you) creates these config settings, then you will be safe. That's your only hope.
You might want to talk to Evan (EvanElias on the forums) if you are serious about doing this but you better be a good programmer because Evan has been programming stuff like this for years and I don't think he wants to waste time teaching you about pointers or memory management ;)
I'd be willing to help with this sort of development. As someone pointed out, there are some mud engines out there already that might be usable.
p.s. I have experience with sockets programming in C... although I'm not a fan of it ;)
Re: Calling all programmers..
Aragon, ideas are not copyrightable. Thats one the fundamentals of patent law.
As it now stands:
-The code would be original
-A new database system would be used
-Nightmare/Megamud (hopefully) would still work with the system
Legal Possibilites: "Look and feel" suit. They may have a case for this, if it plays like majormud, but then "majormud" plays like regular muds in a way. They can't copyright having 5 swings a round in their combat system, or the spell magic missile. The case would be risky at best, since its a very controversal subject. Metro is (supposedly) losing money on majormud, so I don't think they would bother to sue and waste more money.
Also, I have been talking to Evan.
As it now stands:
-The code would be original
-A new database system would be used
-Nightmare/Megamud (hopefully) would still work with the system
Legal Possibilites: "Look and feel" suit. They may have a case for this, if it plays like majormud, but then "majormud" plays like regular muds in a way. They can't copyright having 5 swings a round in their combat system, or the spell magic missile. The case would be risky at best, since its a very controversal subject. Metro is (supposedly) losing money on majormud, so I don't think they would bother to sue and waste more money.
Also, I have been talking to Evan.
Re: Calling all programmers..
Aragon, ideas are not copyrightable. Thats one the fundamentals of patent law.
Legal Possibilites: "Look and feel" suit. They may have a case for this, if it plays like majormud, but then "majormud" plays like regular muds in a way.
That's what i'm saying. You can't copy their format. You were talking about straight using their files even.
You can't have a silveremere, dragonteeth hills, darkwood forest, etc. - Ideas are intellectual property and they are protected by laws.
Example: Say you sent your "ideas" on the Spiderman sequel last year to the writers, even though they didn't ask for it. If they replied to you saying "no thanks", yet you found one of your ideas used, you have a case. Whether they did get the idea from you or not, you can sue and claim they stole the "idea" and you deserve royalties. That's why writers usually aren't allowed to read user submission of ideas if a sequel is to follow - either that or you agree to waive your rights and all "ideas" now belong to them.
It's not as simple as " ideas are not copyrightable." That just means you can't apply for a patent or something of that sort for an idea.
Legal Possibilites: "Look and feel" suit. They may have a case for this, if it plays like majormud, but then "majormud" plays like regular muds in a way.
That's what i'm saying. You can't copy their format. You were talking about straight using their files even.
You can't have a silveremere, dragonteeth hills, darkwood forest, etc. - Ideas are intellectual property and they are protected by laws.
Example: Say you sent your "ideas" on the Spiderman sequel last year to the writers, even though they didn't ask for it. If they replied to you saying "no thanks", yet you found one of your ideas used, you have a case. Whether they did get the idea from you or not, you can sue and claim they stole the "idea" and you deserve royalties. That's why writers usually aren't allowed to read user submission of ideas if a sequel is to follow - either that or you agree to waive your rights and all "ideas" now belong to them.
It's not as simple as " ideas are not copyrightable." That just means you can't apply for a patent or something of that sort for an idea.
Re: Calling all programmers..
hmmm. They wouldn't get royalties though, since its free. A new database format would be used in SQL. So, that wouldn't be a problem now. Everything would be custom. But it would "play" like majormud and it there would be a way to put the majormud files into the game to remake the majormud world, but it wouldn't come with the program, nor would it be the focus.
Would that work?
Also, in reference to silvermere, etc. The actual code that made all those areas is copyrighted, not the idea of silvermere itself, from what I understand about law.
Would that work?
Also, in reference to silvermere, etc. The actual code that made all those areas is copyrighted, not the idea of silvermere itself, from what I understand about law.
Re: Calling all programmers..
~~ discussion continued on aim for those following along ~~ :wordup:
Re: Calling all programmers..
You might want to talk to Evan (EvanElias on the forums) if you are serious about doing this but you better be a good programmer because Evan has been programming stuff like this for years and I don't think he wants to waste time teaching you about pointers or memory management ;)
Yeppers, Sven and I have been talkin on PM's. Basically, the DoorMUD v1.xx engine (which is about 10% done now, its a start i guess) would support something like this. The only hard-coded stuff is the lowest-level data management and game engine code. Everything else will be open source JavaScript code, written with a customized MUD object model (ex, instead of browser functions like GetElementById, you have mud functions like GetMonsterById and so forth... embedded JS engine, same approach Synchronet uses).
So much of the actual game will be coded in open source JavaScript, including the effects of commands, player stat formulas, some combat mechanics, etc. So someone could effectively modify all the JS code to get the look and game mechanics of MajorMud. The tedious part would be converting all of MajorMud's data into my SQLite database's table formats.
However, I wouldn't bundle or distribute such a mod myself... and definitely not something that'd be in the core doormud distribution... I'd be too concerned about the legal aspects. A third-party would be fully able to distribute it, though.
Yeppers, Sven and I have been talkin on PM's. Basically, the DoorMUD v1.xx engine (which is about 10% done now, its a start i guess) would support something like this. The only hard-coded stuff is the lowest-level data management and game engine code. Everything else will be open source JavaScript code, written with a customized MUD object model (ex, instead of browser functions like GetElementById, you have mud functions like GetMonsterById and so forth... embedded JS engine, same approach Synchronet uses).
So much of the actual game will be coded in open source JavaScript, including the effects of commands, player stat formulas, some combat mechanics, etc. So someone could effectively modify all the JS code to get the look and game mechanics of MajorMud. The tedious part would be converting all of MajorMud's data into my SQLite database's table formats.
However, I wouldn't bundle or distribute such a mod myself... and definitely not something that'd be in the core doormud distribution... I'd be too concerned about the legal aspects. A third-party would be fully able to distribute it, though.