From a42122d5c8851b00f2a5d0d15d24d8f6dfb562ce Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Joseph Carter Date: Thu, 18 May 2000 19:42:28 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] new SotC --- sotc/2000/0518 | 107 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 107 insertions(+) create mode 100644 sotc/2000/0518 diff --git a/sotc/2000/0518 b/sotc/2000/0518 new file mode 100644 index 0000000..db40d1c --- /dev/null +++ b/sotc/2000/0518 @@ -0,0 +1,107 @@ +

"Standards are great ... uh, we don't have to follow them do we?"

+

I must say I am a bit peeved. Some of the mod projects out there + are doing a number of things to the engine source, which they intend + to be completely incompatible with anything anyone else is doing + with the engines. So far as I understand, these projects are + planning to SELL their mods, which is their + justification. + +

If you're one of these people and you're reading this, let me be + quite frank with you: +

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  1. NOBODY is going to buy a Quake1 engine + today. If you can produce a solid game for the engine, one + which does not use Id Software's original game data or + trademarks in any way (which some of you are not bothering + to do), then maybe you might possibly have a chance. But + making your own engine which completely violates standards + just so it's different and other people have to use yours is + frankly stupid of you. +
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  2. Without exception, every single project doing this is + targetting win32 (ONLY!) with Linux a mere afterthough, if + even that. This is no big deal if your engine follows + established standards. Since the standards group is open to + anyone working on an engine to contribute ideas and working + code, you have no excuse to not even try to be involved with + them. There are a lot of people out there using a lot of + other operating systems. We won't be playing your game if + it doesn't run on our OS. And we'll be telling people who + run win32 exactly why we can't and they shouldn't either. +
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  3. Some of you have even been talking about finding ways to + keep from releasing your source code in order to keep other + engines from being able to play your mod. If you release an + engine which has no source code and turn down requests for + that source, you are violating Id Software's license on + Quake - the GNU General Public License - and they + WILL sue you to defend their Copyright. +
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  4. When John Carmack released the Quake source code, he + asked primarily for one thing: Keep compatibility and share + your work (on the engine at least) for the benefit of all. + Far too many of you have said you are looking for ways to + "get around" those limits so you can more easilym have + somerhing you can make a profit on. If you have to try and + circumvent Id's license or John's requests so you can turn + around and sell it, then you don't deserve a profit. Talk + about biting the hand that feeds you. Those of you doing + this just suck, period. +
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I realize the above does not apply to a lot of engines out there, + and if it doesn't that's good! The above comments are not directed + at you anyway. I also am perfectly aware that the mods doing some + of the above things are not doing all of them. If you're doing any + of them though, it's a bad thing and you really should stop and + think about what you're doing real hard. + +

Am I against selling stuff based on the Quake source? Not at + all, I think it's cool if someone produces a game worth selling. + Half Life, after all, is based on the Quake1 engine and look at it + today. It has a few features that are BETTER THAN + features found in Quake3, and people are still buying it today. + +

But what I do have a problem with is trying to keep secrets in + the engine. As I said, a lot of you are targetting Win32 (why not, + it's a big market after all..) That is FINE as long as you're not + trying to keep other engines from being able to play your mod under + Linux or a Mac or who knows what else. There's nothing you can add + to the engine that someone else couldn't add to another engine. + Trying to keep it all a secret and ignoring the standards groups is + just a good way to make things incompatible. The problem is some of + you believe that will lead you to more profits. You're wrong. Dead + wrong. + +

Most players do not want to have 5-6 Quake engines laying around + on their drives, even if they do play 5-6 Quake games. Speaking + from my own engine's perspective, this is one of the biggest reasons + why QuakeForge uses "base" now by default for its game directory + rather than "id1". All you will have to do is pass on the command + line a simple +set fs_gamebase id1 and you'll be able to + play the original game. Simple right? + +

Well no, the problem is that it's not so simple and I know it. + That's why you want your own engine. But I can write a win32 batch + file to do that in QuakeForge real fast. I could put Nehahra's + files in "nehahra" right next to id1 and pretty easily write a + script or batch file that would start up that mod for me, no problem + at all. You're not giving us that opportunity. And you want us to + pay for the privelege of helping you do exactly what John Carmack + asked engine developers not to do? + +

If this message has managed to convince some of you that what + you're doing is a bad idea, please contact me and I'll try to help + get you in contact with the QSG people. Suggest your ideas and + engine enhancements to the QSG list and we can talk about how best + to make it work. Not just for our engines, but for your engine as + well. A few really good ideas have become even better as a result + of the group hashing over them and finding the best way to make it + happen. The standards group isn't about limits, it's about + enhancing the engines in ways that don't step on other people's + toes and giving us all a chance to support the same things. +