models from old games. [NO WAY, has anyone seen these ships on internet?]

[someone else]

Now, I kow that taking a model from another game is against Copyright laws.

I was thinking of using some models taken from Homeworld 1, all the Kadeshi ships in particular.

now, HW was released in 1999 and and has already run his life, according to Wikipedia its source codes were released too.

First question:

Is it still considered against Copyright to reuse models from a game that is way out of the market now (still cooler than most other games of these days)?

Second question:

Is it considered against Copyright laws to reuse models from a mod that ported the ships (kadeshi) into Homeworld 2?
I couldn't contact the creators and that mod's thread had its last post on 2005.

if neither of the above is doable how can I do what I want to do without breaking laws?
thanks for any assistance.

EDIT: ok, no way.

[MightyOdin]

Yes the models are still under copyrights, things remain so until the company that own the game, and models say otherwise.

You can try and get in contact with the company and ask permission to add them to this game, I once did that with CCP->eve online to use the music and it took a little doing but they confirmed and told me that it were ok as long as credit were given to composer and CCP.

So that is one way of doing it without breaking any copy rights laws.

[ezra-r]

It all should depend if you intent to release it in your mod or something like that I guess.

As for free open source that usually goes for the engine and how the game works, not the models or art in it (I think).

So if you want to, for example, release a mod with ships imported from a game sold in 1999, I guess you would need permission or the game becoming "abandonware" or something like that.

[xiriod]

Afaik Aandonware is when you can't buy the game anywhere any more. Homeworld is still available for sale though.

[LV]

Abandonware is just as illegal as games still for sale!

The policy here is simple, unless you have permission to post a model from another game or person or have got a mesh which had permission to use (some sites offer this) anything you make must be your own work.

E.g I want to create a tie fighter, if i create the model of it myself pretty much going just off the image and don't rip it from another game that's fine

rip it without permission and all the work you do on your mod will go south with the thread you post it in when i lock it and potentially ban you

clear enough?

[someone else]

damn. so reusing those models would be considered "stealing" .

I'm gonna look around for good guys who modelled and textured ships that looks like the ones that I want and give me permission to use them.

@ALL: any ideas on good sites to find the models that I'm lookin' for?

@LV: crystal clear milord! but don't be so harsh... I was just asking, to make sure that i don't make a frikkin' load of work and then find out that what I did was illegal and as such not usable in a mod.

just in case someone has already seen those ships around...
Multibeam frigate
[ external image ][ external image ]

Swarmer, fighter: (yeah, the image is from a "papership" manual)
[ external image ][ external image ][ external image ]

[LV]

I wasn't being harsh, just saving you from yourself potentially

I also needed to quickly cut through the views of forum members as moderators are expected to guard and advise on egosoft's actual policy, which bears no resemblance to normal users opinions here

i was also at work so rushing!

blunt and clear, my dear

-----------

google "sci fi meshes" & "free sci fi meshes", there are many sites offering tremendous models that can be ported over as they are free to use.

Just make sure you take note of the authors use policy, many just ask for credit.

[Lancefighter]

I loved that multibeam frigate, and the swarmers
Those were mah favorite missions back the day, I just wish I could have actually captured some of those swarmers (say, 30+)...

[Algoran]

I actually went to the trouble of catching a bunch of em once, and some fuel pods to go with them. As it turned out they were fairly useless, because of the hideous amount of micromanagement required to keep them fueled, and the way they had trouble attacking large objects. Kadeshi were my favorite race too