Sorry if this has been debated before, I could not find anything.
Here: from time to time, I really wish I could play with the source code.
There are many reasons not to go open-source. I understand that.
- it would conflict with the struggle against piracy (makes very easy to distribute a complete and free version)
- M&B authors [let them be prised] are should protect their work, and BTW they deserve to get paid a lot more that they presumably are. I myself shoud probably buy a second licence, considering how much (and for how long) I've been playing this addictive drug of a game.
- The source code could well be (or maybe not, I've no no idea) in an extremely unpolished state, full of difficult-to-explain hacks, with hardly any documentation and badly commented. Giving the source would also triggers hordes of fans asking for explanations and complaining about not being able to complie or understand it.
- players, and modding community, (and me) would feel very uneasy with the idea of many conflicting versions with no clear "established version" (aargh).
So going opensource is not an option. Right. However, I also think that providing the source would:
- provide a way to actually HELP;
- make bug-fixes, improvements, and new features implemented faster;
- provide those among us that can code and are willing to do so the possibility to show their proposed changes in a very convincing way:
"forum readers: here is an exe, try what I mean - developers: here is the code, please consider using it";
For one, I would have been tempted to do that, multiple times.
For example I've been horribly annoyed by that "arrow-hits-ground-before-guy-in-front-of-it-when-low-fps" bug for a long time (until renewed the computer) and I would have joyfully fixed that bug myself rather than living with that for yet another battle.
I came to think many small additions and mini-features, as well as larger ones (no, not the moddalbe kind), but I knew that just submitting a request for a change would be most likely ignored (not Armagans' fault, I know).
Providing the authors with a code modification and the community with an exec to try out would be a way to share your views in a easy-to-include-in-the-next-release way.
Proposal: maybe institute a "worshipping, subjugated sub-Dev team" (WSSDT). Its trusted members have a (limited?) access to the source code, having signed in blood all sorts of non disclosure agreements, plus an extra "I will never complain" form, and they would post in a special forum ("implemented suggestions"), possibly a strictly moderated one.
Your thoughs?
Do you see a way to make something like this possible without harming authors interests?
Does anyone else share my wish to work on the code of this magnificent game?
[Disclaimer: I never intended anything on the lines of sharing the profits.]
[PS: posted this here because I don't think it is a suggestion for the game itself, but rather a question and a proposal for the project]
[minor edits: spell-checking, grammar]
Here: from time to time, I really wish I could play with the source code.
There are many reasons not to go open-source. I understand that.
- it would conflict with the struggle against piracy (makes very easy to distribute a complete and free version)
- M&B authors [let them be prised] are should protect their work, and BTW they deserve to get paid a lot more that they presumably are. I myself shoud probably buy a second licence, considering how much (and for how long) I've been playing this addictive drug of a game.
- The source code could well be (or maybe not, I've no no idea) in an extremely unpolished state, full of difficult-to-explain hacks, with hardly any documentation and badly commented. Giving the source would also triggers hordes of fans asking for explanations and complaining about not being able to complie or understand it.
- players, and modding community, (and me) would feel very uneasy with the idea of many conflicting versions with no clear "established version" (aargh).
So going opensource is not an option. Right. However, I also think that providing the source would:
- provide a way to actually HELP;
- make bug-fixes, improvements, and new features implemented faster;
- provide those among us that can code and are willing to do so the possibility to show their proposed changes in a very convincing way:
"forum readers: here is an exe, try what I mean - developers: here is the code, please consider using it";
For one, I would have been tempted to do that, multiple times.
For example I've been horribly annoyed by that "arrow-hits-ground-before-guy-in-front-of-it-when-low-fps" bug for a long time (until renewed the computer) and I would have joyfully fixed that bug myself rather than living with that for yet another battle.
I came to think many small additions and mini-features, as well as larger ones (no, not the moddalbe kind), but I knew that just submitting a request for a change would be most likely ignored (not Armagans' fault, I know).
Providing the authors with a code modification and the community with an exec to try out would be a way to share your views in a easy-to-include-in-the-next-release way.
Proposal: maybe institute a "worshipping, subjugated sub-Dev team" (WSSDT). Its trusted members have a (limited?) access to the source code, having signed in blood all sorts of non disclosure agreements, plus an extra "I will never complain" form, and they would post in a special forum ("implemented suggestions"), possibly a strictly moderated one.
Your thoughs?
Do you see a way to make something like this possible without harming authors interests?
Does anyone else share my wish to work on the code of this magnificent game?
[Disclaimer: I never intended anything on the lines of sharing the profits.]
[PS: posted this here because I don't think it is a suggestion for the game itself, but rather a question and a proposal for the project]
[minor edits: spell-checking, grammar]