Mods going public, October First 2020

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Xango2000, Sep 28, 2020.

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  1. Xango2000

    Xango2000 Captain

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    This game does Not have a EULA.
    Almost all the popular server use mods, most of those take in money, I imagine most of those that Have mods and take in Money actually pay their modders. I'm a freelancer with no way to advertise other than thru official channels, do you really want to make it harder for freelance modders to make a little money for their time?

    I have a hobby, I'm good enough I feel I can make some money off of it, You are trying to prevent me (and others in my position) from being able to advertise to my potential customers.
     
    #21
  2. Germanicus

    Germanicus Rear Admiral

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    Actually ..there is a EULA..sort of ->
    http://empyriongame.com/terms-of-service-eula/
     
    #22
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  3. Xango2000

    Xango2000 Captain

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    It doesn't apply since the players were never asked to agree to it.
     
    #23
  4. jmcburn

    jmcburn Rear Admiral

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    First, let me say, I have absolutely nothing against you asking for money for mods and such, although - personally - I don't do it. And its Eleon's decision to allow it in their forums or not.

    But, actually...

    upload_2020-10-11_13-56-37.png

    I needed to agree to it, when I bought the game. But as usual, who cares. ;)


    /jmc
     
    #24
  5. Ephoie

    Ephoie Captain

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    Well, the devs have allowed mods thus far...... I mean, EAH is now part of the game..... but it wasn't always that way.
    But to be fair, EAH is free. So that's not really apples to apples...

    The real question is:
    Is there potential for losses to occur for Eleon (or any developer) that would likely occur from the use of a mod that was paid for?

    HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLES
    Ex #1
    The modder creates a mod, by utilizing the tools and access points the developer has made available. Eventually, he/she shares it to the community, to friends, through a forum created by the developer (so they are aware of the mods existence). Let's just imagine its called "Active Radar" and it greatly added value to the game. Ultimately, expanding the game potential without breaking mechanics or modifying base code, where it actually encouraged more players to use the game, thus driving sales for the developers.
    In turn and over time, the modder is offered (without prompt) donations for their valued mod/time/expertise.
    I think you will find there is little conflict in this regard.

    Ex #2
    The modder posts the mod on multiple forums and asks for payment on a subscription basis. To the benefit of the modder, the mod becomes popular and financially viable. Word' goes round that the game mod is pay to play, as you have to buy this mod which costs $x.xx a month. Potential new players confuse the mod with the actual developers, regardless of the modders intent, and avoid purchasing the game do to the idea of inflated subscription costs. Sales then dive as a direct result of the mod being related to the game.
    In this case, the modder is likely to be sued for the potential of losses, provided the developer can prove it.

    Ex #3
    Create a website called "Empyrionmods.com". Then, actively share links to direct potential customers of the original developer over to the modder's website. On that website, publicly sell a mod that made it possible to bypass EAC or Steam Checks with family share and such, ultimately allowing the game to be pirated, and causing financial damages/losses to the developer.
    Then, in that case, you are for sure going to have a conflict, and be sued.

    We are free to do what we want to great extents. If one creates something, and another is willing to trade or donate in exchange, all the power to those individuals. However, if the intent is with malice, whether it is a constructive manner, or in fact, then there are grounds for counter-actions.
     
    #25
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2020
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  6. Ephoie

    Ephoie Captain

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    Why not? If the buyer is willing and the seller is able, all the power to them. At the end of the day, no one is forcing anyone here to pay anything. Its a choice. As a server owner, I find value in mods like the ones @Xango2000 has made.... and would have gladly thrown money at him provided he wasn't so freaking hard to get a hold of (in the past)....
     
    #26
    Last edited: Oct 11, 2020
  7. Germanicus

    Germanicus Rear Admiral

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    Forbidden... to sell ELEON Products which they already OWN - look here->

    §1 CONTENT
    All graphics, text, user interfaces, trademarks, logo, artwork, sounds, music, and computer code (“CONTENT”), including but not limited to design, structure, selection, coordination, expression, style, feel, tone, and arrangement of CONTENT in the game “Empyrion: Galactic Survival”, is owned, controlled, or licensed by Eleon Game Studios SA, and is protected by trade dress, copyright, patent and trademark laws, and various other intellectual property rights and unfair competition laws.


    No part of the CONTENT may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, translated, transmitted or distributed in any way.


    Legal Notice: By uploading your blueprint to the EGS Workshop, you formally transfer the blueprint to Eleon Game Studios and grant us full permission to use the blueprint in Empyrion – Galactic Survival. We reserve the right to adapt the blueprint if necessary.
     
    #27
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  8. Ephoie

    Ephoie Captain

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    The workshop is a tool provided by Steam, and utilized in coordination with Eleon's game, Empyrion, and the content therein.
    Yes, the assets used to build a blueprint, and the bp itself do belong to Eleon.

    For argument's sake though, let's say I have a youtube channel and have a Patreon tier where for $x.xx, you get access to discord channel, extra videos, and my unlisted workshop items. Now, you aren't directly paying for the bp's, but are getting access to them as a result of the Patreon subscription. So one could argue that the proper methods of the service were utilized as intended, as far as they paid for the information to access the available files through Steam's Workshop.

    All I am saying is that the potential for a content creator to generate revenue from a prized past-time such as video games is not a fantasy anymore, but a reality. If you can do what you love, and get paid, awesome stuff! If you are disrupting the earning potential of others, you are likely to draw the wrong kind of attention, and ultimately legal action. If there is an open platform for mods, and it is embraced by the devs and the community, it would only strengthen the value of the game.
     
    #28
  9. Xango2000

    Xango2000 Captain

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    Ex #1 Eleon never gave me credit for ActiveRadar, they just took the idea and coded it directly into the game as-is. I could have claimed Copyright infringement if I had wanted to.

    Ex #2 It's not a real subscription, I just didnt want to go thru the hassle of setting prices on each mod or constantly uploading a zip file containing all the mods.

    Ex #3 That was Chili's website and I never heard anything on there about pirating. Though at one time it was possible to maintain multiple copies of Empyrion using SteamCMD (purchase still required). I find Eleon's open histility toward anything even remotely resembling a fan site very disconcerting.
     
    #29
  10. Ephoie

    Ephoie Captain

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    Hey @Xango2000
    I was just making up scenarios..... nothing to do with actual events or rumours.... just strictly hypotheticals. I'll edit it to make that clear.
    I used active radar as it was definitely one of the most popular mods out there for servers and clients. Not to draw any similarities between the two "radars".... but now that you mention it, yeah... It would appear that your mod demonstrated how desirable a radar system is, and possibly was a motivating factor in the current radar mechanic. (ASTIC made a script for displaying radar coordinates on an LCD in realtime intervals, most recently)
    I also used empyrionmods.com (not .us) just as an example of how using the name Empyrion with any other word could potentially be confusing for some consumers who could be manipulated, IF the person doing such was operating with malice...

    It was not to suggest that Chilimeat or Xango2000 were doing anything of the sort and I never intended for that to be the conclusion.
    I can see how the dots can be drawn from what I wrote..... but that's not what I was saying, so, I want that to be clear.
    They were just hypothetical examples of scenarios where a person might be liable and/or open to legal actions.
     
    #30
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  11. stecph

    stecph Lieutenant

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    What is "Active Radar"????
     
    #31
  12. Ephoie

    Ephoie Captain

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    It was a mod that would create markers for resources when the player typed /scan into the chat.
    You would need to be in a CV/SV/HV with a Radar dish to have it work, and it was quite a welcomed addition at the time, as it was pretty hard to find resources sometimes. Not to mention that it actually gave the Radar Dish a function aside from being just a moving display piece.
     
    #32
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  13. stecph

    stecph Lieutenant

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    Like a real radar I imagine, without the need to "ping" as we do now (I like it as is BTW).....thanks for trying to keep me up-to-date:)
     
    #33
  14. Xango2000

    Xango2000 Captain

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    The current version of Scanner but:
    The waypoints were only yellow or white
    There was no visual of the scan
    It didn't alert the NPCs (was planned)
    Instead of using a hotbar slot you had to use a chat command /scan

    other than that, exactly the same
    and I had plenty of plans to expand that mod but Eleon said they were planning on adding something similar to my mod.
     
    #34
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  15. Taelyn

    Taelyn Guest

    That actually depends on HOW you do this. There are Server Monetisation rules aswell we added some time ago

    For instance. If you sell on this patron stuff that you disallow a normal player in game to get by just playing this is forbidden.

    F.ex. Like you forbit base building. But you start to sell this on a patron. Forbidden to do


    About the ToS. Everyone who bought the game agrees to our ToS.
    Since the API is ours. You cant claim copyright as the ToS also states
     
    #35
    Last edited by a moderator: Oct 13, 2020
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  16. Xango2000

    Xango2000 Captain

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    I don't recall ever agreeing to a ToS or a EULA.
     
    #36
  17. Taelyn

    Taelyn Guest

    The moment you buy it and install it you get a small popup where you can read the ToS you either have to press accept or decline.
    Decline = Game wont be installed. Thats how Steam works..

    Everyone had to do this for the first time.
     
    #37
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  18. ravien_ff

    ravien_ff Rear Admiral

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    You agree to a terms of use or similar agreement anytime you purchase/download/install/and or use almost any software. Even free open source software still requires you to agree to certain terms and conditions before use. The act of purchasing, downloading, installing, or opening any software is enough, and by taking those actions you indicate your acknowledgment and agreement to the terms of use.
     
    #38
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  19. Xango2000

    Xango2000 Captain

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    Still doesn't apply to mods, since they arent made in the game.
     
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  20. Taelyn

    Taelyn Guest

    Yes it does. You use the game as resource. The API, our DLL references. Its offered by us

    Same as a Blueprint.
     
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