/vr/ - Retro Games

>>3564775
Blood. Stop sitting on the IP Atari, you hacks.

>>3564783
OP here
>tfw many companies have IPs and do nothing with it, go after others cause 'muh copyright'

Origin released source code to WC3

Still, I just wonder when a company just goes up - and nobody buys them, does all their IP just .....disappear?

case in point my other post about Killing Time (Studio 3DO).
*sigh*

>>3564775
Daggerfall. God, imagine what could be done if Bethesda didn't do everything they could to keep the source code for themselves, and then lose it.

Think of the modding possibilities. Just think about what could be done with Daggerfall. How vastly it could've been improved. Every single cut and planned feature could've been added, plus who knows how many more.

Instead, because no one but (now former) Bethesda employees had access to the source code, there are only very precious few mods for Daggerfall, and they're mostly just very simple surface-level edits - editing what text can be accessed and changed with notepad from the Daggerfall folder, editing class stats, very rarely editing sprites - or simple, often literally broken, quests using basic, accessible templates in the DF folder. In any other TES game, almost all existing DF mods would be babby's first mod-tier, because that's all anyone can do without knowing the source code.

That's why DaggerXL and Daggerfall Unity are taking so fucking long; they're basically having to try to make the entire game from scratch (save for things like assets and text (which hasn't been implemented since they haven't figured out how to program NPC interaction)).

>>3564821
OP here ,fucking forgot about Daggerfall....

I played The Ur`Quan Masters, and the source code released originally and used (assets too) were from the 3DO port.

It just pisses me off that these companies have the mindset of 'hurr, there is no money in this IP , so we will let it die' - go after fans who try to keep said IP alive and relevant.

Master of Magic
Simcity 2000
Creatures
Darklands

>>3564813
The source for Wing Commander 3? I've never heard of that. Have any good ports/mods come from it?

Shenmue Saturn. I want to see how they planned to achieve this mad thing.

>>3564850
Hi anon, OP here, dunno, but I am surprised you dinna know.....

>In September 2011, the source code of Wing Commander III was handed to the fan community by a former developer for the purpose of digital long-time preservation.[7]
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_Commander_III:_Heart_of_the_Tiger#Development

>http://www.wcnews.com/news/update/10969

>>3564830
Yeah it really is complete bullshit. I remember when EA issued a C&D against that project to remake Ultima 4 in Java with mod capabilities.

Of course, Bethesda doesn't do that. Instead, they're incredibly careless and short-sighted - all copies of the source code, any computer or floppy that ever held it, is now long gone, as is anyone who knew it. Not really surprising given how buggy and sloppily put together all Bethesda games are (and I say that as a Bethesda fan)

>>3564842
>Simcity 2000
my dream

Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (first game has homebrew ports to just about every console, superior sequel is still PC-only)

WWF No Mercy (legendary engine, has a decent hacking community but the ability to change it inside and out would basically make wrestling games redundant for the foreseeable future.)

Goldeneye XBLA ;__; It's sitting on a hard drive in a Rare office somewhere.

>>3564783
THIS. They're not making new ones, they're not rereleasing it or doing any "special anniversary edition" shit like Duke3d, we just want to make a sourceport of it for fuck's sake.

>>3564775
Might and Magic 6-8 and HoMM3

>>3564775

Fat chance for most of these, some of which may still be making money, but here goes...

Lucas Arts: Dark Forces, Outlaws

Blizzard: Diablo, Warcraft, Starcraft

Sirtech: Jagged Alliance

Bioware: Baldur's Gate (Infinity Engine)

Interplay: Fallout

Also, I always wanted to have a look at the Goldbox(PC) series of games (and tools) source, I have no idea what language they used, I'm guessing (mostly) C or Pascal, but that's optimistic. I think Unlimited Adventures was the last Goldbox release. Also NWN + server source code which probably belongs to AOL (or SFS).

Apparently Nightdive Studios is planning on releasing the source code for System Shock 1 so that's something to look forward to. Replaying SS1 in true HD with widescreen support is going to be amazing.

>>3564775
Because having source code some how magically enables any frogfag to make a game run better than the original developers were able to. What a fucking goof.

>>3564813
Yes. As soon as a company goes bust the IP Fairy waves her magic wand and erases all their IP. I think you meant do you personally get to grab the IP when a company goes bust. No. You have no rights to someone elses IP unless they sell it to you, license it to you or release it to the public domain.

>>3565262
Speaking of Looking Glass, who owns the copyright to the Dark Engine games?

Would Night Dive have to negotiate with Eidos to open-source the code to Thief and Thief II? What about System Shock 2, since it used Thief's engine?

>>3565549
Pretty sure Eidos owns the copyright. The good news is someone leaked an update anyways that fixed a lot of issues with modern systems, added 32 bit color, and increased the polygon limit of maps by a factor of 10.

>>3565549
I think I read somewhere that the source code for SS2 is lost. No idea if that's true or not tho.

>>3565176

Jagged Alliance 2 source code was released.

>>3564783
>>3564775
KILL YOURSELVES WHY DO YOU REMIND ME

>>3565549
Source for Thief 1 and 2 aren't lost. They've been getting updates from an anonymous user that could only have been done with the source code.

Speaking of LGS. What's the deal with the source code for Ultima Underworld? Is it lost?

Shout out to all the companies that actually release source code. I'm replaying Star Control 2 now and couldn't be happier.

>>3564775
According to the rumors, updated and fixed console version of Killing Time had been ready for PS1, but it was not released due to lack of interest.

IIRC, both 3DO emulators (4DO, Phoenix) have options to increase CPU speed and enable various performance hacks, and both boast 100% compatibility with Killing Time in 1:1 software emulation.

>>3565518
No, but where there's a strong community, there are hackers looking to improve the product.

And as for companies who just die with their IP, I don't get that mindset.
>our company's going down
>what do we do with all this several decades worth of ip?
>should we release it to the public so that some prospecting dev might breathe new life into it?
>nah
>we might lose money
>it all goes down with the ship

Like I get it, they're dying, they don't owe us anything and they don't get anything back for it, but if you put work into a product surely you care about it enough to want to see it preserved.

>>3564775
Also, burgerbecky (who released DOOM 3DO code) was also responsible for porting Killing Time to PC (being the regular candidate for chopped and cropped ports, probably?) and said the code should be there somewhere.

That said, Killing Time has one of the worst training/introductory set of levels. Not everyone can stomp on ducks for an hour before getting to real stuff (or to scary overpowered monsters in the complete darkness ;-).

Half of “professional” “reviewers” don't even care to play the game for that long.

>>3569218
OP here, I played the PC demo, completely different game , and none of the in game FMVs.

>>3569242
The game had potential - and during the whole FMV fad/craze of the 1990s - it implemented in game FMV very well , music was great.

The mechanics could have worked, if it weren't so terrible on the 3DO (framerate wise).

The only actual proper port (non-3DO) was the MAC version - which I never played because I was and am obviously still a PC-fag.

>>3569212
What if you love what you did and think there is no need to improve it? In the past, improving things involved creating new ones, drawing inspiration from the things you have seen, read or listened. I'd feel bad if i made a game and someone took it to 'improve it'. Like you were raping my creation.

>>3564783
Damn, son. Just posted about that in the retro fps thread.

>>3569212
The people who put the work into the product are the developers and programmers who get laid off when the game's finished.

The people who own the source code are the suits upstairs, who are only interested in dollar signs.

Epic. Fucking. Pinball!

Or Extreme.

Extreme Pinball would be too table limited. Well anyway, with either one, it would be just so damn really awesome if it was updated to display the whole table on the screen at once! And of course, Silverball counts as it's essentially a variant of EP. Pinball Fantasies would be okay too.

>>3569212
The IP never dies someone owns it. If you're lucky it's a suit who wants to squeeze as much money as he can out of it. If you're unlucky its a developer who's so jaded by the whole thing they do nothing.

Remember how the Half-Life 2 source code was stolen a year before release? Just become a hacker and break into their servers.

>>3565176

What is DarkXL, Freeablo, Wargus, Stargus, JA stracciatella and GemRB?

>>3570091
>just become a hacker

What a feasible idea.

>>3572354
I'm afraid to ask if you were being ironic because you're too retarded to even be a script kiddie.

>>3564775
The Battle Isle games, I'd like to see a really good source port and scenario editor for those.