Ireclan
June 7th, 2007, 01:03 AM
This post is about a dream of mine. The dream started as a tiny seedling and slowly germinated to where it was definable in form. Some time has passed since then, during which I debated bringing it to the forefront of my mind and into the light of these forums. I was hesitant, you see, and still am. I do not want the concept to come to nothing, to have its only epithet be that of "neat idea" or "would be nice". I wanted it to come to fruition, to be transformed into a concept with healthy substance and reality! But as time wore on, I realized that my idea was CERTAIN to die a slow, dusty, mouldering death if it stayed with me alone, for I have not the talent or skills to see it through its birthing. And so now we come to the present day, where I present to you a software concept born not out of any great paradigm shift of the mind, but instead the simple, untainted love of a game.
The concept itself I have dubbed "FreeAges", after the manner of the open source and free game known as FreeCiv. The goals of both games correlate rather well, almost serving as a mirror reflection for FreeAges'. FreeCiv's goals could be summed up as:
* Clone Civilization II.
* Allow the clone "free" status (both as in speech and as in beer).
* Extend the functionality of the game without greatly altering its look and feel.
This could be said to be the goals of FreeAges, save one thing: it would be Microsoft's award-winning strategy game Age of Empires I software that would receive the treatment. I propose that Age of Empires I be cloned, GPL'ed, given away freely, and developed beyond its original capabilities.
The pitfalls of such a project would, of course, be numerous. One cannot merely copy Age of Empires I in its entirety. The laws of copyright forbid the reproduction of its artwork or music, and the penalty for breaking those laws would likely be severe, especially when the copyright holder is none other than Microsoft corporation, a multibillion dollar company with vast resources and an army of lawyers, and a loathing of the GPL and Linux. Since the only members of this project would likely be a handful of artists and programmers, taking chances would be at a premium, as Microsoft would be looking for any chance to sue. The only course of action I can foresee that would fend off Microsoft would be to start from scratch in regards to all aspects of the endeavor. This has the benefit of granting legality to the clone, but makes for a long and arduous initial development. Any legal alternatives would be appreciated.
But before any legal aspects can be considered, the practical questions of such a project must be dealt with. Namely, how shall this program be developed and distributed? Using what manpower and resources? This question is what troubles me the most. I am poor; I have no money with which to pay a programmer on an ongoing basis. Nor does it seem likely that I myself could assume the role of programmer; I have a marked deficiency in math, and to learn the craft of programming would require several years, a delay which I believe should be avoided if at all possible.
The benefits of such a software program being developed should not be overlooked either. Linux is in a state such that it covers most basic tasks well, but it still lacks in one field: entertainment. Like a half-finished tapestry, Linux entertainment is not completely whole, having plenty of music and video players, but threadbare of games, unless one trusts to WINE, can afford VM Ware, or feels morally comfortable with videogame piracy. While FreeAges can't complete this unfinished tapestry, it can fill in a goodly portion of it. Not enough so that an observer will be unable to tell that the tapestry remains unfinished, but enough that progress is NOTICABLE.
Any comments, criticisms, and of course, suggestions regarding my proposal are welcome. As a final note, and by way of concluding, let me say that it is my eventual hope that FreeAges becomes more than just another game. If that's all it ever becomes, I will of course, be joyously grateful. But it is my personal wish that it become a sort of every man's strategy game, one that , thanks to its low hardware requirements (comparatively speaking with other games of the present time frame), can also run on an every man's computer. If that were ever to occur, I would feel I had done some greater good in the Linux software world.
The concept itself I have dubbed "FreeAges", after the manner of the open source and free game known as FreeCiv. The goals of both games correlate rather well, almost serving as a mirror reflection for FreeAges'. FreeCiv's goals could be summed up as:
* Clone Civilization II.
* Allow the clone "free" status (both as in speech and as in beer).
* Extend the functionality of the game without greatly altering its look and feel.
This could be said to be the goals of FreeAges, save one thing: it would be Microsoft's award-winning strategy game Age of Empires I software that would receive the treatment. I propose that Age of Empires I be cloned, GPL'ed, given away freely, and developed beyond its original capabilities.
The pitfalls of such a project would, of course, be numerous. One cannot merely copy Age of Empires I in its entirety. The laws of copyright forbid the reproduction of its artwork or music, and the penalty for breaking those laws would likely be severe, especially when the copyright holder is none other than Microsoft corporation, a multibillion dollar company with vast resources and an army of lawyers, and a loathing of the GPL and Linux. Since the only members of this project would likely be a handful of artists and programmers, taking chances would be at a premium, as Microsoft would be looking for any chance to sue. The only course of action I can foresee that would fend off Microsoft would be to start from scratch in regards to all aspects of the endeavor. This has the benefit of granting legality to the clone, but makes for a long and arduous initial development. Any legal alternatives would be appreciated.
But before any legal aspects can be considered, the practical questions of such a project must be dealt with. Namely, how shall this program be developed and distributed? Using what manpower and resources? This question is what troubles me the most. I am poor; I have no money with which to pay a programmer on an ongoing basis. Nor does it seem likely that I myself could assume the role of programmer; I have a marked deficiency in math, and to learn the craft of programming would require several years, a delay which I believe should be avoided if at all possible.
The benefits of such a software program being developed should not be overlooked either. Linux is in a state such that it covers most basic tasks well, but it still lacks in one field: entertainment. Like a half-finished tapestry, Linux entertainment is not completely whole, having plenty of music and video players, but threadbare of games, unless one trusts to WINE, can afford VM Ware, or feels morally comfortable with videogame piracy. While FreeAges can't complete this unfinished tapestry, it can fill in a goodly portion of it. Not enough so that an observer will be unable to tell that the tapestry remains unfinished, but enough that progress is NOTICABLE.
Any comments, criticisms, and of course, suggestions regarding my proposal are welcome. As a final note, and by way of concluding, let me say that it is my eventual hope that FreeAges becomes more than just another game. If that's all it ever becomes, I will of course, be joyously grateful. But it is my personal wish that it become a sort of every man's strategy game, one that , thanks to its low hardware requirements (comparatively speaking with other games of the present time frame), can also run on an every man's computer. If that were ever to occur, I would feel I had done some greater good in the Linux software world.