Any "Official" rules of modding?

[Druidic]

I have not found a thread related to modding that covers this, even though I know that in various threads there were topics that borderlined on this.

My main question is: What are the limits a modder could have if they were to release their work on the forum?
I ask this because a side project (mod) I'm starting on will contain real names, currently. If I aim to release it, I want to be clear and informed as to what IS allowed in modding and what ISN'T, so I don't fall under the hammer of ban.

I have a basic idea of what the rules could be, but since there's no official board I could find, I have nothing to guide me along. So that's where I need the community's help.

My interpretation:

• The mod must not be used to flame other members of the forum or reflect personal beliefs of the author. The gameplay is what's important.
• The mod must use original material unless there is permission from other authors/creators to use their resources. [VERIFIED]
• The mod will NOT contain copyrighted music, sounds, voices etc. unless permission is granted by the owners.
• Mods are FREE works, and should not be sold for monetary gain.
  隐藏

  [I'm a little fuzzy here. There was a thread about paid mods for Mount and Blade, and I'm guessing that they're not allowed, given that they are a taboo subject now.]
  
  [*]Models ripped from existing games (I.E. Skyrim, Far Cry, Payday 2) are NOT allowed.
  [*]Models and code taken from other Mount and Blade engine games (With Fire and Sword, Caribbean!) are not allowed.
  [*]Stealing other modder's work (Coding pieces and such) are NOT allowed [VERIFIED]
  [*]Mods must not contain explicit images, sounds, or scenes unless it is labelled for the appropriate age level (18+)
  隐藏

  [I have no idea if this is a thing, but some mods warned against playing them if you were not 18 or over]

That's my interpretation anyways. This is where I need some clarification, because I have no real clue as to what is acceptable other than what is verified for sure. I know that I'd have to ask Docm30, for example, for permission to use his name for a companion in a mod, but on subjects like code from WFAS to implement questlines into Warband, that is pretty tricky for me.

So, does anybody know of any thread with the rules, or of any confirmed rules/guidelines that they've learned?

Thanks,

Druidic.

 

[Kentucky 『 ＨＥＩＧＵＩ 』 James]

There are no official rules and a lot of what we assume to be set in stone (don't steal, give credit, ask permission) relies on trust and the discretion of the moderators. I haven't copyrighted the pirate bandana I made a few hours ago, and haven't officially published it in any way, so if somebody else was to put it in their mod without permission, there's no official complaint I can make besides reporting the user. Even if I published it elsewhere, there's a legal grey area regarding how legal it is to steal from a public dropbox link or a .zip in google drive.

This has happened to me before and the user in question was banned, but there were other factors involved (like posting fake screenshots of my PM conversation with him; read all about it here) and the Turkish moderators are far more stringent against stuff like that

Rules often get "bent" too, for example, Polished Landscapes is not necessarily an OSP, it's closer to a standalone mod. You need direct, explicit permission to use its assets as you would any other. But Gutekfuitek (who made PL) disappeared some time in 2012-2013 and people have helped themselves; it was even re-released a couple of times. Nobody thought anything of it even though Gutek never allowed it.

I can't exactly don the angelic halo either since I've got my own (heavily edited) Polished Landscapes, and Gutek specifically forbade this without permission. In my quest to replace some of the trees I also ended up taking tree textures from practice threads online and editing them beyond recognition, not exactly the best practice either. There are probably a few copyrighted images in my mod from when I've used personal practice models and textures and ported them over.

This is not to say that the lack of rules are permission to go nuts with inter-mod theft. As with any community, don't be a prick, and don't be overly aggressive when someone else is a prick to you, and everything will go nice and smoothly.

 

[Froi]

The mod must not be used to flame other members of the forum or reflect personal beliefs of the author. The gameplay is what's important.

Don't all mods reflect the personal beliefs of the author?

 

[Druidic]

Don't all mods reflect the personal beliefs of the author?

Meaning, religious, political (pertaining to real life) etc. Biases. Like I said, it was my interpretation, since not many mods I've seen tried to "force" a belief on you.

Naturally, an absence of it in nearly every mod I've played tends to make me think that it isn't allowed.

 

[Kentucky 『 ＨＥＩＧＵＩ 』 James]

There's no vomit mechanic in any warband mods, doesn't necessarily mean it's not allowed. Similarly, mods that have a particular bias don't ever get much support and eventually peter out, like the thousands of weird 10-post threads that pop up in the pioneer's guild every few weeks.