NEW POLICY: ROM Hacks, asset rippers, and console game mods.

[DZComposer]

Seeing that a lot of user content lately is in this area, I think some ground rules are in order for dealing with these issues as we're in legally dubious territory.

Rule #1: DO NOT LINK TO ROMS, EVEN HACKED ONES. Your post will be deleted without warning.

Rule #2: DO NOT ENCOURAGE, EXPLICITLY OR IMPLICITLY, PEOPLE TO PIRATE SOFTWARE. If you need 3DS Max, Maya, Cubase, or any other specialized software to open something, don't suggest illegal means to obtain said software. This also applies to ROMs. Posts asking for or telling people to go download a ROM will be deleted without warning.

Rule #3: ANY ASSET RIPPER THAT USES 3RD-PARTY CODE IN AN UNAUTHORIZED MANNER MAY NOT BE LINKED. Only share it if you have permission to do so.

Rule #4: DO NOT POST ANYTHING RIPPED FROM A GAME THAT IS PART OF 3RD-PARTY LIBRARIES. This is more likely to show-up with sound-dumps. With modern games, chances are those instrument samples you just dumped were part of a commercially-available library and as such are considered Warez and are not to be posted.

Rule #5: ROM HACKS MAY ONLY BE LINKED AS PATCH FILES, AND EVEN THEN, YOU MAY NOT DIRECTLY LINK TO THE FILE. Only post code that is not original to the game.

Rule #6: ANY POST THAT IS DEEMED BY THE STAFF TO ENCOURAGE COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT WILL BE REMOVED, EVEN IF IT DOESN'T EXPLICITLY VIOLATE THESE RULES.

REPEAT OFFENDERS MAY BE BANNED.

[Battlechili]

I'm glad that these are rules, as copyright infringement is a serious issue that people may often break.

I've got a question though. Why is it that there are downloads on this site for music and sound files from Star Fox games, and why is it that those don't fall under this? I tried to bring this up in a PM a while back but I never got a response.

[psy_commando]

I just wanted to comment one or two things here. Mainly because of the ambiguity.

 

I've been dealing with romhacking for a while in other communities, and I don't think if I had something to post here, I'd bother posting with ambiguous rules. Not blaming you or anything, I just want to try to help make the SF-O community a little more accessible/better.
 

Rule #3: ANY ASSET RIPPER THAT USES 3RD-PARTY CODE IN AN UNAUTHORIZED MANNER MAY NOT BE LINKED. Only share it if you have permission to do so.

This is kinda ambiguous. Assets ripper rips anything that aren't binaries, and thus do not rip code.
Moreover, the action of ripping something from a game is unauthorized already. Why not just write it as "Do not post links to ripped assets and binaries from games you don't own the copyright on." ? Unless I'm missing a subtlety somewhere?
 

Rule #5: ROM HACKS MAY ONLY BE LINKED AS PATCH FILES, AND EVEN THEN, YOU MAY NOT DIRECTLY LINK TO THE FILE. Only post code that is not original to the game.

Here also the wording is pretty confusing. Here's pretty much how I understand it right now:

 

- You first ask not to link to hacked roms, but to patches instead.
- Then you say that, we cannot link to patches.
- And then you ask to post only code that isn't original to the game, which is basically the reason patches exist for.

In the end, I can't really tell whether you mean you allow patches, or if you disallow them as well.

[DZComposer]

Rule 3 means the author of the tool didn't use any code from the game or system OS to access the files. You say the vast majority don't. That is fine.

Rule 5 means you can link to a ROM hack patch so long as you don't link directly to the file. IE: instead of linking to somesite.net/romhack/files/superawesomehack1.0.4.rar link to somesite.net/romhack/superawesomeromhack.html

As far as music downloads, they are largely unavailable commercially (Only SF1 and SF64 had full OSTs, and they were Japan only and they are out of print). Plus, music is game assets anyway which are OK to post so long as the assets aren't from a 3rd-party library.

[Fox-Shot]

While I rarely link or show any rips/1080p screens, do the rules about ripping or emulating software mean that demonstrating 1080p Screens/Ripped models are ok to post so long as they are just the images and don't openly encourage the use of an emulator/illegal ripper? (Don't mention names or how you got the screens)  I really liked some of the interesting posts that came out of new technologies allowing 1080p/higher res screen caps from otherwise low resolution games.

[DZComposer]

Screenshots are fine, for the most part. Of course any image that encourages piracy should not be posted.

[AmazingRCat]

On 6/12/2014 at 5:11 PM, DZComposer said:

Rule #6: ANY POST THAT IS DEEMED BY THE STAFF TO ENCOURAGE COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT WILL BE REMOVED, EVEN IF IT DOESN'T EXPLICITLY VIOLATE THESE RULES.

Hi, new user here!

I am working on a Star Fox Tabletop Wargame system.  I won't go too much in detail on it until I finish the Playtester's Edition, but would you consider me posting such a work copyright infringement?  I believe it to be no different to a fan fiction or fan art, but TTGs tend to have varying rules from forum to forum, so I want to be sure I'm not breaking any rules! 

- R-Cat

[Dr. Orange]

As long as it isn't ripped characters copy pasted into your game it's fine. 

[AmazingRCat]

15 hours ago, Dr. Orange said:

As long as it isn't ripped characters copy pasted into your game it's fine. 

So, for example, if the game allowed you to include Fox McCloud as a pilot in your fleet, would THAT be copyright infringement, or would that just be fan fiction?  Due to its non-profit use, it should fall under Fair Use by copyright law, but I won't argue if you guys don't want it here.

EDIT: Note that this is not a video game, so code, sprites etc. are not used at all, let alone ripped.

Edited December 13, 2016 by AmazingRCat

[Dr. Orange]

That's not copyright if it's freeware.

And honestly if there's a "I do not own/Copyright Nintendo" in the credits or whatever it's called, that's good too.

[AmazingRCat]

19 hours ago, Dr. Orange said:

That's not copyright if it's freeware.

And honestly is there's a "I do not own/Copyright Nintendo in the credits of whatever this is that's good too.

Neat.  Just wanted to double check.  Thanks!