Discussion Of The Possibility To Get Permission To Use Original X-com

[Dorian]

Abandoned, maybe. Open source licence, no.

Legaly there is no such thing as abandoned, it just means that no one cares enough to sue about it anymore.

And it will take a long time before the copyright for it expires.

 

Maybe it is possible to convince author to open code ?

Have someone concerned about that ?

Edited March 3, 2007 by Serge

[Oldtype]

Maybe it is possible to convince author to open code ?

Have someone concerned about that ?

There are a few problems with that.

 

I think we are past the point where the source code matters much.

The important stuff is reverse engineered or replaced. That is why you can actually play a game right now.

It was written by Julian Gollop.

http://www.lasersquadnemesis.com/AboutUs.htm

 

What you realy want is the artwork.

The artwork was made by MicroProse, or was at least owned by them. The question is who owns it now?

 

And even if you know, I doubt you even will get an answer.

[Dorian]

And even if you know, I doubt you even will get an answer.

Why ?

[Oldtype]

And even if you know, I doubt you even will get an answer.

Why ?

Because they are a company, their purpose is making money.

You would esentially be asking them to give up one of their assets, wich means loosing money.

Even the time used to write a reply will be seen as a waste of work time, so they will simply not answer.

Basically they need a reason to do you a favor, otherwise they won´t.

 

There are a few reasons I can see why someone would release a game or artwork into public domain, or allow non comercial use or something like that.

1. Advertisement

See Ultima 4 as an example, that was released to promote one of the later Ultimas

 

2. Someone realy cares about their work

Meaning that the actual people who once worked on the game want to see their work live on.

Of course they have to be in a position to actually be able to make such a decision, or at least influence it.

See Star Control 2

 

3. Money

Someone buys the stuff from them and makes that decision for them.

See Blender

 

I do not see any of that happening.

[Dorian]

Because they are a company, their purpose is making money.

As far as i know MicroProse doesnt exists.

 

You would esentially be asking them to give up one of their assets, wich means loosing money.

In fact, i would like to know weather it is possible to use their music, maps etc.

The AI engine, probably.

 

Even the time used to write a reply will be seen as a waste of work time, so they will simply not answer.

Basically they need a reason to do you a favor, otherwise they won´t.

 

That is not a favor but customer service duty.

 

There are a few reasons I can see why someone would release a game or artwork into public domain, or allow non comercial use or something like that.

1. Advertisement

See Ultima 4 as an example, that was released to promote one of the later Ultimas

 

2. Someone realy cares about their work

Meaning that the actual people who once worked on the game want to see their work live on.

Of course they have to be in a position to actually be able to make such a decision, or at least influence it.

See Star Control 2

 

3. Money

Someone buys the stuff from them and makes that decision for them.

See Blender

 

I do not see any of that happening.

 

That is only if company exists and makes profit.

Edited March 3, 2007 by Dorian

[Oldtype]

As far as i know MicroProse doesnt exists.

It doesn´t exist anymore, but all the stuff they owned belongs to someone else now.

So whoever that is would be the company/person to ask. Most likely it is Hasbro, but who knows who bought what and when.

Even the time used to write a reply will be seen as a waste of work time, so they will simply not answer.

Basically they need a reason to do you a favor, otherwise they won´t.

That is not a favor but customer service duty.

That´s just it, you are not a customer, but someone who wants their stuff for free.

Anyway, do you think your request would even reach someone who can make such a decision?

The best I expect is some standard reply by customer services.

That is only if company exists and makes profit.

That is why it is unlikely that someone who cares enough about it can still make the decision.

[Kratos]

You can continue your crusade with trying to get this permission. Once you obtain it, you will become a hero in the x-com community, but until then, there is not much sense discussing it.

Get the permission and then inform the community. Until then, this discussion is closed.