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PLEASE READ! Posting info and MODDING INFORMATION thread. It

Do you want to start editing Freelancer, but have no clue where to begin? This is the place for you to find things and talk about getting started on Freelancer Modding

Post Sun Apr 04, 2004 3:05 am

PLEASE READ! Posting info and MODDING INFORMATION thread. It

Okay, this thread is to amalgamate all the info you might need.

This thread will contain:

Rules of the forum.
Submitting files information.
What can you edit?
List of what files do what.
Links to downloads of utilities for modding.
Links to topics on "How to" concerned with editing.
Links to tutorials
Link to thread about Sur files and other brainstorming
Post about serverside possible modifications
Your rights as a modder




First up:
RULES:

1) PLEASE CHECK FOR YOUR QUESTION THOROUGHLY. This means using the search function to find threads containing your topic. If its about how to mod something - then search the tutorials forum for it. If its how is something done - also use the newbie question threads too. PLEASE LOOK BEFORE ASKING. Honestly - its a year since modding started on this game, if your new - the chances are your questions have been answered about 100 times already.


2) Try to be helpful to fellow posters.

3) Don't post the same question twice

4) Do not make seperate threads for multiple questions. We have dedicated threads for asking questions in - called Newbie Questions. Try asking in there, but first SEARCH the thing. There is an index of links further down the page.

5) Don't ask how to cheat in MP, as the answers on how to spawn, cloak, uber hulls and more will be locked/deleted.



HOW TO SUBMIT FILES:




Thanks to Barbig's generosity you can now send in very large files.

How big you may ask Well the email box is 250 Megs.

Send your email's to
copy and paste version [email protected] and [email protected]

If you still cannot send the file you can add me to your contact list on MSN Messsenger and transfer the files that way. Use this email address [email protected]

What is changeable in this game???

You can change:
-The stats of ships
-The location where ships are sold
-The stats of equipment
-The location where what equipment is sold
-The location where wich commodity is sold for what price
-The location of bases, tradelanes, jumpgates etc.
-The Stats of asteroid fields, nebulas and similar stuff
-Patrols (who patrols where, new patrol pathes etc)
-Basically everything about the universe that is information
-Names and Info-text of stations, equiment etc. (You need Visual C or something similar to do this )
-You can add new ships, equipment, stations etc (everything mentioned above)
-3D models
-Textures
-Icons/graphics
-Missions
-Ingame cinematics
-Savegames

You can't change (yet):
-Character animations
-Ship collision boxes
-new effects
-Anything that is related to the actual game engine. We don't have the sourcecode of the game, so we can't change what is hardcoded.




Edited by - Chips on 4/4/2004 4:45:37 AM

Edited by - Chips on 4/10/2004 4:24:05 PM

Post Sun Apr 04, 2004 3:07 am

Which files do what?

equipment/weapons_equip.ini - this file contains all the raw data for weapons on how they fire, how much damage and stuff
equipment/weapons_good.ini - contains data on how they look in game, the price, and stuff (visible icons at dealer etc, price at dealer)
equipment/market_misc.ini - deals with selling weapons and equipment at the bases in game
equipment/st_equip.ini - shields and thrusters stats, regens, drain rates etc.
equipment/st_good.ini - goods file again, what is sold at bases, its kind of the package up. Links the weapon stats to the images and price you buy (same as for guns)
equipment/market_misc.ini - they are stated again here for selling
equipment/select_equip.ini - filled with an assortment of things, mainly this contains the info for commodities - like volume they take, what they are, information about them
equipment/goods.ini - contains the info on all commodities - like price, what is a good deal, what is a bad deal etc etc etc.
equipment/goods.ini also contains all info on ships prices, what they are sold with and more (called packages).
ships/shiparch.ini - contains all rough data on ships for stats, and links it to ships models and stuff
ships/loadouts.ini - contains all info on NPC ships loadouts for the game
ships/loadouts_special.ini - same but for capships etc
ships/loadouts_utility.ini - same but for the transports etc
Ships directory contains all ships models.
universe/universe.ini - contains all base and systems references. ALL need to be declared here.
universe/systems_shortest_path.ini - links between systems and stuff - NEED to declare route in here to make jumpgates work
universe/shortest_legal_path.ini and shortest_illegal_path.ini - same again, but specific for jumpgates/jumpholes routes mainly
universe/systems folder - contains ALL systems folders which in turn contain system and base files.
solar/solararch.ini - contains data on all base models, and planet models in game. Basically anything in a system NOT a ship/star/nebula is in here. Asteroids aren't here either
solar/loadouts.ini - contains info on what base models have mounted and stuff, including weapon platforms
solar/asteroids/all files - contain info about the asteroid fields, contents, loot and more
solar/nebula/ same again, but about nebulas this time.
audio/contains the music and sound effects of the game.
missions/contains all files to do with encounters and NPC's for missions and normal game.
random missions/contains all info about random missions pay, loot and more stuff.
Missions/mbases.ini - contains information about NPC's on bases, including their names, whom they are etc, rumours (via ids numbers), secrets, bribes on offer, whether the NPC's/ The BASE give out missions, and the level of those missions

missions/npcships.ini - contains information about the ships that the NPC's fly, linked directly towards the loadouts.ini file, and also the faction_prop.ini file. Basically - npcships.ini file links these files together for the faction_prop.ini file to use as "encounters" and stuff: Also holds the npc ships difficulty level.
Shiparch.ini
Loadouts.ini (or loadouts_special.ini etc)
pilots_population.ini
formations.ini
shipclass.ini

The others interlink kinda

missions/Empathy.ini file - contains info about how the factions react to YOU when u do mission for a faction etc, and shoot them/please them, as well as how all toehr factions respond to you doing it for one faction etc.

Missions/faction_props.ini file - contains info about the formations, names, voices, legallity, scanning of cargo as contraband/wanting it, ships to fly etc, and the factions names, how they are reffered to (voices) and more. EXTREMEMLY closely linked to NPCships.ini

missions/lootprops.ini - contains info about the drop rates of stuff by npcs
missions/news.ini - contains the ids links to text for bases as news items.
missions/ptough.ini - money and level area
missions/formations.ini - formations and their "design" - basicalyl the ships positions in formations, and where the player joins them


random missions folder:
rmlootinfo.ini - stuff dropped by npc's when killed in random misions
diff2money.ini - mission (random) payouts to difficulty levels
Killablesolars.ini - types of missions given out by the NPC factions. The ones with faction name appearing in the lines for them are giving that mission type. Don't worry if you don't understand, you gotta learn to walk before doing a marathon!
The rest you needn't worry about at this time. Its not important

Cockpits folder - contains all cockpits for ships - basically contains the turret cam info, and rotation speed etc.

Thats more than enough for 99% of modders.

To make systems, your universe folder contains the systems folders. each system has its own folder, along with the system file inside that folder.
So:

Universe/systems/li01/li01.ini ;contains information about liberty system New York
Universe/sytems/Rh01/Rh01.ini contains all systems inofmation for new berlin.

Okay, inside these folders (systems folders) they have a bases folder, whre the file for bases are contained. These files only contain links to the "rooms" of the base, which are contained inthe rooms folder (inside bases folder). The rooms foler contains links to the backgrounds, music played, character position (by points on the CMP for base) and other things. It also contains the links for the buttons inside the base etc.

Going backwards, the audio/sounds.ini contains the links to sound files (sound effects) for the game. The music.ini file contains the music links.

The FX folder contains the files that deal with the effects of stuff. The main effects.ini file deals with the weapons, wormholes etc etc etc.
Beam effects are the actual stuff SEEN in the game by the guns, but you MUST have them referenced inthe effects.ini file to work.

explosions.ini file is also in here, and obviously contains links to the effects for different types of explosions used in the game.

Post Sun Apr 04, 2004 3:11 am

MODDING UTILITIES AND WHAT TO USE TO EDIT FILES ETC

Mod Tools for Modding

FREELANCER MOD MANAGER
used by all mods to enable you to activate them without having to install the game each time

FREELANCER SDK Ver 1.3
This will install all the ini files pre-decrypted and de-compressed, which means you don't need biniQ.......also has many fixed errors and decompression errors fixed that biniQ creates, and ones made by microsoft coders too

BINI Q
Used to decompress and de-crypt ini files

FLED-IDS infocard creation tool
Use this to edit existing info, and to create your own. Use with the FLED IDS tutorial to benefit and understand fully. Also useful is to use the EMPTY DLL FILE as the new dll file for new ids stuff

UTF EDITOR
Used to edit ships hardpoints, edit icons, and other files (like sound, image and more

CRC calculator
Used to generate the numbers FL uses when referencing things in CMP files using UTF editor

Freelancer Character Editor
Edit the appearance of characters

MILKSHAPE 3D
Only 3D editor that can export to FL at this time. Use this with TEXTURE TUTORIAL as well for full effect.
Also the COMPLETE SHIP CREATING TUTORIAL to understand how to make ships, coupled with the ICON TUTORIAL to make it a complete package

FREELANCER EXPLORER
Used to make systems when you have no idea how

IONCROSS CHARACTER EDITOR
Can edit save game files and give your character new things


IONCROSS SERVER OPERATOR
Use this to run a server - very useful as you can edit most things (starting positions etc) and money, also protects against cheats and has autoreboot incase of crashing.

DATASTORM
To reveal nav map and all info about bases etc

Subxeros Miscillaneous database
Information on nicknames of weapons, ships, systems, factions, and everything you need

LINK TO TUTORIALS FORUM TOPIC CONTAINIG LINKS TO TUTORIALS THEMSELVES

Stingers Tutorial Complilation




Edited by - bakedpotato on 7/6/2006 3:56:52 PM

Post Sun Apr 04, 2004 3:17 am

TUTORIALS AND MORE IN TUTORIALS FORUMS PLEASE HERE

For those with little attention span, here is a helpful post for you

FIrst off. NO QUESTIONS ABOUT CLOAKS, UBER SHIELDS, UBER HULLS OR ANY OTHER CHEATING CRAP! Just thought i would make that clear. If you came to TLR for those............then its time to leave, cause they aint here......and no - no-one will post in reply. In fact, don't bother making a thread about it, cause the threads just get LOCKED

This is an "index" of the content of Newbie Questions thread 1. Click on the links to the pages to get there fast

Links to topics in the first thread
The First Version - 469 posts!, Page 1
This was started by accushot - who devoted alot of time to answering questions. I am trying to fill his place whilst he is absent!
Okay: Questions already covered in detail in that first page are:

Making a station
Custom Rumours
Creating custom commodities
Moving ships selling points
Creating New weapon Hardpoints
Changing MP starting ship


Page Two - Link will take you. List below is what is there
Page 2
Changing SP starting ship juni gives you
Changing factions empathy towards others
Making Hammerhead take class 10 weapons
Changing the ships power plant
Changing the price of ships
Changing nano bots/bats capacity
Making the train flyable(including docking problems- eat yer heart out duriel!)


Page 3
Programs for editing, and what they do
Creating a cruise disruptor mine
Making guns/turrets fire multiple shots
Changing weapon efficiency against shield types
Changing random missions rewards money
A starter on how to make new story missions (wow - gonna fiddle with this now!)
Changing radioactivity of places


Page 4
Formations and player positions in formations
Making bounty hunters fly gunboats
Changing Reavers weapons effects (apply to others)
Changing stations names


Page 5
Changing cruise time (longer to initiate)

Page 6
Basics of adding a ship (importing) At this point it goes into a little bit of a ramble as accushot is absent

Making a new system (basics)
Trying to minimise hull hit movement to a ship
Creating new ids entries
Making a flyable gunboat
-however, there is another version later wihtout the knackered view point!

Page 10
Changing loadouts of starting ships
Setting different loot for wrecks
ideas for making weapons ship type mountable
Increasing cruise speed


Page 11
Changing Thrusters speed (including going up to whatever value)

Page 12
Basics of modding - what to do etc

Page 15
Pilotable gunship again -fully working though


Page 17

Adding your custom Dll entry to the game (in Freelancer.ini)
Erm - UNlocking locked gates (alaska don't work though?)


Page 19
Very indepth setting things to sell at custom bases
Making new shields, scanners and custom equipment (very detailed again)


Page 21
Making planets dockable and converting undockable planets into bases - including populating the base!!! (detailed)
Adding new sounds and music to the game including weapons effects sounds


Page 22
Explanation of shiparch.ini - increasing weapons mounts etc etc
Changing level requirements for shields and weapons (very detailed for newbs!)


Page 23
Setting gammu and robot planet to sell equipment, and give out rumours
Fixing Mbases.ini errors
Changing max ammo capacity

PAGE 1
Making NPC shields regen
Making NPC's use sheild batteries and nano bots
Making Custom Jumpgate effects
Making NPC's drop different things/changing frequency of drops/custom drops
Making NPC's carry Pirate Pilots as a commodity, that you then set to drop during combat, which you can then sell for a fortune at Bounty hunter bases, less at prisons etc, and have the bounty hunters scan you for them so that they will collect the bounty
Making commodities illegal (inlcuded in the above instructions)
Changing level requirements, making new levels to level up too....
A docking fix for capital ships/transports for stations/ docking fixtures.. etc etc A fast startup......(no intro movies)


PAGE 2

Server Side possible mods
Phantom Physics for passing through objects (like docking rings/asteroid fields)
Changing zone stats for encounters
Enabling NPC's to utilise shield bats and nano bots, and outfitting them
Encounters parameters and percentage chance of spawns.


PAGE 3

Tradelane Traffic
Lots of chatter


PAGE 4

Jumpgate orientation
Opening Locked gates in MP
Diagram of system coords and how they work
Diagram of jumpgate coords and how they work
Making objects like bases destructable
Planetry information, and finding that "other" ids number
Poeple in bars and base populations (short)


PAGE 5

Free ids numbers in existing DLL files.
(Nothing else really )

PAGE 6

Adding custom inforcards the quick and simple way
Changing a rep between two factions so that they are friendly instead of hostile


PAGE 7

Random mission loot drops

PAGE 8

NPC loadouts and equiping them with things (server side and SP player)
Gang banging server side nomads in unknown system
Adding nomads encounters in other systems (example is manhatten)
More on NPC loot drops


PAGE 9

Changing SP starting ship
Changing Freelancer.exe file version number for mods
Changing ships selling locations and adding ships to be sold somewhere
Adding ship selling to normal stations (basic)


PAGE 10

major spam by Trail and himself as another person (yes i am sure, he did this on my forums as well - insulted and flamed himself......i could read IP and they matched perfectly )


PAGE 11

mission vignettes
patrol paths (doesn't work)


PAGE 13

Battleship Missions (brief)

PAGE 14

Mounting more than one shield (items in general)

PAGE 15

Creating New Shiparch.ini entry for custom made ships
Creating infocard data for adding new ships
Creating the packages and loadouts for adding new ships
Creating your mod into mymod.zip.flmod format from .zip format
Editing loadouts of wrecks


PAGE 16

Storyline commands and possible editing methods.
Storyline condition and action command tags
Making a zone to give damage around wrecks (apply to other areas the same though)


PAGE 17

Nicknames for ships
Adding news to bases


http://www.lancersreactor.com/t/forum/t ... id=24790' Target=_Blank>PAGE 18

NPCS to use alaska jumpgate


PAGE 19

Adding things to Ion cross freelancer server operator
Working patrol path (Firebase)


PAGE 22

Removing stuff from pic to give good screenie

PAGE 23

Max ammo increasing
Making solar objects destructable
Making power plants for sale


PAGE 24

Information and names into missions text
Making NPC factions fly new ships/new loadouts
Increasing starting money
Modifying missiles agility and speed


PAGE 26

Extracting the nav map image
Unable to see custom ships (LOD Ranges)


PAGE 28

Adding a new faction
Max ammo again


STOP CRASHES WHEN LOADING FL MODS UP . Please read the whole thread, as other pages have picural descriptions of this as well


Crashes - possible causes and solutions - so have a peek if you have crashes occuring after creating a system in either FL Explorer or something

Post Sun Apr 04, 2004 3:24 am

INFORMATION ABOUT IDS NUMBERS/NAMES/NICKNAMES IN INI FILES

This is an old post by Reynen Starfyre, which has alot of information. Suggest you use this as well as Subxeros misc database.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Planet ID's:
Click here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ship ID's
Weapon ID's
Engine ID's
Shield ID's
Commodities ID's

Click here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Faction ID's

Click here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Constants in Constants.INI

Click here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another good tutorial on Moding Ships

Click here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tutorial for creating a system

Click here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tools Needed for Moding

Freelancer UTF Edit w/MFC ( For hardpoints )
Freelancer INI uncompressor AND / OR Bini QDU 1.1
ResHack ( For DLL and ID card modification )
A hex editor ( Hex Workshop is good )
3DMilkshape ( For ship creation )
Milkshape View ( For viewing Milkshape 3D's )
FL Mod Manager ( Highly Recommended!! )
Ship Editing Studio ( Highly Recommended!! )
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What INI files do what

These are some important things I have noticed about the ini files.

/DATA

Constants.ini - Static info about the game.
Under Constants - MAX_PLAYER_AMMO = ####
Under EngineEquipConsts - CRUSING_SPEED = ####
Under AsteroidConsts - MAX_LOOT_PER_ASTEROID = ####


/DATA/EQUIPMENT

Commodities per faction.ini - A general of list what factions sell what goods.

Equip Engine.ini - Effects the engine of each ship. Use ship ID to find it.
Max Power / Linear Drag = Max speed, so 50000 / 100 = 500 normal speed
Reverse Faction - .5 gives half of max speed backwards...etc...
Cruise Charge Time - How long it takes till you to charge cruise.
Cruise Power Usage - How much power cruise uses.

Goods.ini - *Major File* - Holds stats for goods and the information for ship packages. You can change or create a new ship here, combined with shiparch.ini

Market Commidities.ini - What bases sell what goods

Market Misc.ini - What bases sell what equipment - The FIRST number after the name is level requirement. Replace with 0 to buy at any level.

Market Ships.ini - What bases sell what ships - *ONLY 3 per base!!*

Change 0, 0, 1, 1, 1 to 1, 1, 0, 1, 1 to enable buying.

Misc Equip.ini - Effects Power Recharge, Scanner, and Countermeasure Info

St Equip.ini - Effects Thrusters and Shields (NPC & Player)

ST Good.ini - Primarily to effect how much equipment costs

Weapon Equip.ini - Stats for all the weapons.

*NOTE* Radius on explosion is a nice little feature. Put it to 10000 and you have a nuke in space that hits anything as the bast radius expands (Useful for taking out a base with fighters) Players from Free Space 2 will know what I am talking about, Helios Nuke Mod Just make sure you don't blow yourself up with this :p

Liftime also effects the look and effect of the explosion. Increase it to 2-3 seconds for each and you have a semi-slow cool looking massive explosion.

Weapon Goods.ini - Primarily effects the cost of the weapons.

Weaponmoddb.ini - Effects dmg on various shield and such. Put 1.0 to have normal dmg effect everything.

/DATA/SHIPS

Shiparch.ini - Contains the main data for all the ships *Modify with caution!!* One mistake and it will crash the game.

Hope this helps, I spent the last 36 hours pouring over these files and creating several mods which I will post for others to use. I will try and make them for Mod Manager but I am not good with XML.


Tutorial for changing effects / explosions on various stuff

Click here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tutorial for modifing the factions to be good to all but 1

Click here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tutorial for breaking the 990 cruise barrier

Click here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tutorial on Creating a Liberty Battleship with mooring (dock fixing)

Click here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tutorial on Creating new Hardpoints on a ship

Click here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tutorial on Nomad Battleship / Gunboat / fighter encounter

Click here

Tutorial: Add scanners and tractor beams to the inventory menu in 5 minutes

Click here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tutorial: How to creat a large crago train

Click here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tutorial: Creating New News Items/Adding News Items To Any Base

Click here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tutorial: How to create beam weapons

Click here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tutorial: Unlocking SP Gates

Click here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tutorial: Unlocking MP Gates

Click here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tutorial: Display all maps from start.

Click here
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tutorial: Speed and Handling

Click here

Post Sun Apr 04, 2004 3:37 am

Other topics of helpful/interesting things:

Not for Noobes, Reading involved - which contains ALOT of intersting information.

How to make a mod into FLMM format....

Well, to start with you need to BUILD the mod in the mods folder of FLMM. You make a folder that you wish your mod to be called, something unique to your mod. Then, inside this, you put the files as that you modify as they are found inside the freelancer folder......soooooo...

If its got a shiparch.ini and a freelancer.ini file, you would make an EXE folder, and a DATA folder. You would put your Freelancer.ini file inside the EXE folder and then go into the data folder, where you make a ships folder. Then paste your shiparch.ini file in there.....

So you would have your mod folder's name. Inside this is two folders - data and exe. Inside the exe folder is the Freelancer.ini file, inside the data folder is a folder called Ships which contains the shiparch.ini file

If you have an weapons_equip.ini file - you would need to make the data folder, and then make the equipment folder. Then past the weapons_equip.ini file inside there, and it be fine

Edited by - Chips on 4/17/2004 5:31:14 PM

Post Sun Apr 04, 2004 3:37 am

INFORMATION/ BRAIN STORMING THREADS

SUR FILES



Server Side Modifications can be done are:

Battleship encounters
NPC's flying other FL ships (xenos in eagles)
Increased difficulty AI
NPC shields regenerate/NPC's use nano bots and bats
Change of loot drops by NPC's
Changing encounter zones/types
Unlocking locked jumpgates (needs total character wipe)
Changing NPC loadouts
Adding more encounters
Changing starting money
Changing starting position
Changing starting rep
Making the order fly stuff
Adding nomad encounters etc to where ever you like.


YOUR RIGHTS AS A MODDER IN THE MODDING OF FREELANCER

This is distilled from experience closely mirroring what's going on with Starfyre Studios. Basically, I'm going to let you all in on what your rights are as modders, and what MS can/can't/might do to you. I'm not going into details about my situation, since there's still legal stuff floating out there, but here's what I can tell you. So, lets begin.

1.) You can mod whatever you like, as long as you don't touch an EXE:

This is, and has been, the cardinal rule, and only limiter, in modding ever since I started doing it 10 years ago. You can change anything else in the game you want.. but touch the EXE, and get the pants sued off you.

The EXEs of a game are the holy grail which must never be touched... you risk *everything* if you try to do anything with it.

(Exception to this rule is the X-Wing series of games... since all the stats for everything were stored in the EXE, LucasArts basically said "ok, you can do that... but only with those games."

2.) You can mod whatever you like, as long as you don't make money from or in relation to, the distribution of the mod:

I've had to refuse 1000s of $$ from grateful mod players in the past, mainly due to the fact that if I accept anything... even as a gift... and it's because of the mod I'm doing/have done, I've violated the law. The money, in that case, belongs to the game publisher, since I don't have any license to their engine.

3.) You can recieve cease and desist orders, at any given time, under any circumstances:

The dirty and sad reality is, publishers/developers are fully under their rights to request the termination of development of every mod in existence. If it comes to the point of lawsuits, even if you're defending yourself, the company will lose (since you havn't technically violated any laws).

You still have to pay court costs though. Basically, if you won't stop, they'll screw you in the end with court costs, and walk away from the court laughing back to their offices. Such is the reality of the world we live in.

The only way to avoid a lawsuit, and keep your mod, is to change the name and/or premise of the mod, while keeping the content. Often that's all it takes. The Q3 DragonBall Z mod changed to a generic anime fighter mod, retaining alot of the same content (slightly changed), and is still around today... all to avoid the wrath of the license holders...

4.) You risk it all if you incorporate legally into a company (even if you don't make money):

Even if you *explicity* state so, all over your website, you're still considered more of a risk by a game publisher or license holder, due to the fact that you're a legal entity who'se only "product" is a mod. The potential is there to make profit, and "they" consider that potential a dangerous thing.

Better to stay an org in name only... that way there's none of the dangers associated with being an actual company.

5.) If you don't give credit everywhere, Legal Departments will assume you aren't serious about the credit you do give:

Give credit to the company that developed the game, and especially to the publisher. Do it everywhere. At the bottom of every page in your site, on all your documents, everything. Be thorough. Claim that the company owns all rights to the mod, if nessecary... just make sure that it's understood that you bow before the might of the publisher/developer, and that the mod it for no profit, just for fun.. by fans, for fans, etc. Make sure you do this for the license holders, if you make a Star Wars mod or use any other license too.

All that is serious. They will pick it apart to make sure you're really giving them credit where credit is due.

**ADDITIONS SINCE ORIGINAL POSTING**

6.) Your work is your own (unless it's someone else's):

This should be common sense, but there are legal issues to consider as well. For example, if I design an original model or do coding for something in a mod, that "stuff" is *mine* (or the property of the modding organization I'm attached to). Anyone that wants to use that model or coding in any capacity must gain my permission, and credit me in some way/shape/form.

However, if I model an Omega Destroyer from Babylon 5, or the USS Enterprise from Star Trek, then there are some complications. The model itself (the file, the code within it, and it's general use) are my property (as outlined above)... but I *must* give credit to the outfit that came up with the original concept, wether it be a Corporation or another Modding Group (since they created the origjnal object I based my model on).

If you make a file, or code something useful, it becomes your "intellectual copyright"... anyone using it without my permission can be taken to court (the copyright holder wins *every* time). That goes for original work, as well as previously done work (like Star Wars ships).


Anyways, that's it for now. Follow those rules, and you'll not have to worry much. I'll be around for any questions later...

Regards,

Stalker



Edited by - Chips on 4/4/2004 4:46:11 AM

Post Sun Apr 04, 2004 3:37 am

/*****************Reserved Post********************

Post Sat Apr 10, 2004 4:43 pm

Excellent job Chips



May the Force be with you

Post Mon Apr 12, 2004 9:54 am

Impressive! Great job chips. Now we see why you were promoted to moderator.

Sanic

Post Thu Apr 22, 2004 4:17 am

Err... will I be considered gravedigging if I post in the Making Beam Weapons thread now?

PS. Chips, how did you put your site online? I'm already working on my own site with MS FrontPage and I would love a free WPP (web presence provider). Pleeeeeeeaaaaaasse.....

"You cannot pass! I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor.The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udun! Go back to the Shadow." Gandalf the Grey, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

Post Thu Apr 22, 2004 8:33 am

How did i put my site online? I pay out each month (well, I paid a year in advance) to the best deal by FAR on the net that i found (which is also reliable - ie the provider won't fold).

I pay around $6.95 a month for 2 gig of storage, 60gig bandwidth, unlimited email and all the other stuff that goes with it (database support etc). The company is Globat, and i Regularly rave about them whenever someone asks me for a recommendation. By far and wide the best deal i could find. If you pay the whole year in advance, its cheaper, you get the URL name free, and free everything else (*basically one payment made). If you pay by month, it costs more, and you may have to pay for the site name too. If you pay Bianually, its about $6.50 a month - and seeing as that was just a pack of fags, or 2 pints of beer per month (nothing really), I was more than happy to pay out. Best money i ever spent, as fiddling with it keeps me going when terminally bored. It has great live support chat, as well as phone support as well. However, as always, shop around, take a peek etc.

Post Thu Apr 29, 2004 7:51 am

I'd like to know how exclusions show up on the navmap, actually making a hole in an asteroid field.

Post Thu Apr 29, 2004 8:06 am

This is not a Q and A thread - see Newbie Questions for that (its not just for Noobs to modding, it is for EVERYONE regardless of skill level....)

Nudge to bump in listings

Edited by - Chips on 9/1/2004 10:49:30 AM

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