Returning player with a possibly stupid question
By
Ironblade,
Posted on: 2012-06-15 15:10 in Player Questions
Quote:
I don't recall if the EULA language has changed, but said mod is still winked at.
|
Originally Posted by Weijyan
The last time I played, which was admittedly around Issue 10, a map mod called Vidiotmaps was not only allowed, but it had won some kind of player's choice award here. I was just wondering if it was still allowed, or if it was deemed at some point as a violation of the EULA.
I wouldn't mind re-downloading it, but I don't want to get banned, either. I know a lot can change in 4 or 5 years, and I saw some of the others I used to use are now listed on their sites as being 'banned'. |
Orc&Pie No.53230 There is an orc, and somehow, he got a pie. And you are hungry.
www.repeat-offenders.net
Negaduck: I see you found the crumb. I knew you'd never notice the huge flag.
So it's still allowed? Cool. I guess I will be downloading it then. Thanks.
Super Reflexes - The New Squishy
Quote:
Yup. It's still updated with every change or zone addition and is still a very handy resource.
|
Originally Posted by Weijyan
So it's still allowed? Cool. I guess I will be downloading it then. Thanks.
|
Dr. Todt's theme.
i make stuff...
The Map Pack is not a Mod. The City of Heroes client automatically looks in a certain directory when it starts up, and if it finds properly names files in the appropriate directories, it loads those resources instead of the default ones. There is no modification of the client, so there's nothing bad about using it.
MAKING it, on the other hand, is a bit of a grey area. The only ways to get the right filenames are to either spend a LOT of time guessing, and hoping you hit the right names, or to extract the filenames from the game files. The latter action falls under "decompilation or reverse engineering of the software" in the EULA, and is not allowed (See the sticky about PIGG viewers in the City Life section).
I suspect that the devs and community reps turn a blind eye because the people behind the Map Pack don't distribute any modified game files, nor any tools to modify the files.
This is an unofficial and unsupported feature. As such, none of the City staff can or will provide troubleshooting help if you have problems with it, and threads here asking for help may get moderated. If you need help, asking on the Vidiotmaps forums is your best bet.
If I had to make a wild guess, I'd say that this functionality is there for the art devs. Once they've got textures, sounds, etc finished, they can load them in this manner, rather than having to submit them to a build and wait for that to be compiled before they can test their assets.
@Roderick
Quote:
It does modify the client. It doesn't modify the client's files, but the client you run IS different (changed/modified) compared to a fresh install.|
Originally Posted by Roderick
The Map Pack is not a Mod. The City of Heroes client automatically looks in a certain directory when it starts up, and if it finds properly names files in the appropriate directories, it loads those resources instead of the default ones. There is no modification of the client, so there's nothing bad about using it.
MAKING it, on the other hand, is a bit of a grey area. The only ways to get the right filenames are to either spend a LOT of time guessing, and hoping you hit the right names, or to extract the filenames from the game files. The latter action falls under "decompilation or reverse engineering of the software" in the EULA, and is not allowed (See the sticky about PIGG viewers in the City Life section). I suspect that the devs and community reps turn a blind eye because the people behind the Map Pack don't distribute any modified game files, nor any tools to modify the files. This is an unofficial and unsupported feature. As such, none of the City staff can or will provide troubleshooting help if you have problems with it, and threads here asking for help may get moderated. If you need help, asking on the Vidiotmaps forums is your best bet. If I had to make a wild guess, I'd say that this functionality is there for the art devs. Once they've got textures, sounds, etc finished, they can load them in this manner, rather than having to submit them to a build and wait for that to be compiled before they can test their assets. |
And I'm not sure they need the ability to leave it open for us for the art devs, but yeah, like I said, it's winked at. They could very easily change the game behavior if they wanted to. And as you said, it probably helps that Vidiotmaps keeps quiet about exactly how they do it.
It's also the backdoor used to silence/change sound files in game, if any of them give you trouble/headaches/etc.
Orc&Pie No.53230 There is an orc, and somehow, he got a pie. And you are hungry.
www.repeat-offenders.net
Negaduck: I see you found the crumb. I knew you'd never notice the huge flag.
Quote:
No, it modifies the data that the client loads upon start-up.|
Originally Posted by Rajani Isa
It does modify the client. It doesn't modify the client's files, but the client you run IS different (changed/modified) compared to a fresh install.
|
Modifying the client is absolutely prohibited.
Paragon City Search And Rescue
The Mentor Project
The last time I played, which was admittedly around Issue 10, a map mod called Vidiotmaps was not only allowed, but it had won some kind of player's choice award here. I was just wondering if it was still allowed, or if it was deemed at some point as a violation of the EULA.
I wouldn't mind re-downloading it, but I don't want to get banned, either. I know a lot can change in 4 or 5 years, and I saw some of the others I used to use are now listed on their sites as being 'banned'.
Super Reflexes - The New Squishy