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A few months ago, there was a great discussion about production values for EVN plug-ins. It was suggested that someone make a guide, so I made one compiled from the discussion. I'm bringing this up again because I'm just one person, and very capable of mistakes. I'd really like your imput on the guide - be as critical as you want, I promise to take all your ideas into consideration and not to hold any critism against you. Unless you suggest something stupid like plug-in censorship. :rolleyes:
Also, I'm sure there are many people here now who weren't here for the original discussion. Please, say your piece. The links below are to the guide and to the original discussion and the draft of the guide.
(url="http://"http://sroe3.tripod.com/Non-TechnicalEVNBible.html")The Non-Technical EVN Bible(/url) (url="http://"http://www.ambrosiasw.com/webboard/Forum9/HTML/001811.html")Production Values for Plug-ins(/url)
------------------ Cuz I'm a 21st Century Digital Boy I don't know the Monty Python but I've got a lotta toys My daddy is a Renegade, his name is Hellcat Helian Wait a second...
(This message has been edited by 21st Century Digital Boy (edited 08-03-2002).)
(Please don't quote verbatim or give me official credit/responsibility for any of this, should it make the guide, since I'm writing this after being up for 22+ hours.)
Regarding the "ethics" section:
If you use characters, ships, planets, etc., from major sci-fi franchises (anything bigger than Andromeda, say), watch out for copyright restrictions. These major production houses probably have more lawyers than you'd ever want to see.
If your theft ("inspiration") is more subtle, no one will care. But make sure not just to be inspired from one series. Something that is "Star Trek, only... not" will be quite awful, I assure you. Be influenced from Nova, sci-fi franchises (esp. Babylon 5, which probably has the deepest plot), and (best of all) obscure work that no one has heard of.
Make a good read-me file. Preambles would be good things as well. Let the player know what they are about to get into.
Virus check. Twice, preferably.
Try to keep the profanity no stronger than is allowed on these web-boards, unless you warn people in the read-me file. If the violence (in descriptions) is extremely strong, or there is sex somehow involved, let the player know, preferably before they download it.
(Aside, for a section other than ethics: a romantic subplot in a TC would be very nice. Especially if it's well-written. After flying around in Nova for 8 game years, doing any string except the Auroran, I get to wondering how incredibly cranky my pilot would be.)
Beta test. Nova's level of bug-free-ness is the ABSOLUTE minimum that should be tolerated in a final plug.
Some of these may be stated or alluded to in other sections, but they are covered under ethics and I thought they could be placed there as well.
------------------ Attn: Moderators, Administrators, etc. If you wish to modify this post, please delete it instead. Thanks.
Quote
Originally posted by Una: **If you use characters, ships, planets, etc., from major sci-fi franchises (anything bigger than Andromeda, say), watch out for copyright restrictions. These major production houses probably have more lawyers than you'd ever want to see.
If your theft ("inspiration") is more subtle, no one will care. But make sure not just to be inspired from one series. Something that is "Star Trek, only... not" will be quite awful, I assure you. Be influenced from Nova, sci-fi franchises (esp. Babylon 5, which probably has the deepest plot), and (best of all) obscure work that no one has heard of.**
Now I'm not one who can quote copyright laws from memory, but I seem to remember hearing somewhere that Paramount and other production companies won't sue you for using an idea (Star Trek, Star Wars, B5) as long as you don't try to make money off it. And always cite your source ("Based on Star Trek by Gene Roddenbury" or something, should be fine) to be safe (they might sue you if you say Star Wars was all your idea).
Matrix
------------------ "Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool."
That was the third thing with Beta testing and spell-checking! A read-me file!
Thank you. I knew there was a third thing there, but I just couldn't remember what it was.
Also, here's an eithics question: Is it ok to take work/ideas from dead plug-ins? You probably shouldn't steal them, but then again the author might not want his work to go to waste. Obviously contact the author, but that's not always possible...
Alright, as to copyright violations, here's a pretty rough explanation, as I understand it. Now, don't take my word for it, and if you're really really unsure, you just might wanna contact a lawyer. But here goes. If they really really wanted to, the Star Wars/StarTrek/Earth: Final Conflict/HGTTG/Andromeda/whatever owners could sue the maker of a plugin that used their name or ideas or whatever. However, it wouldn't hold up very well in court, as a good defense lawyer would bring up 1) the fact that the plugcrafters aren't doing the owners any real damage (they're not selling the plug), and 2) why are they suing these poor fellows, and not the umpteen-million dudes out there with unofficial Star Wars or whatever websites or newsletters. I'm not a lawyer myself, but I don't think that the plaintiff would have a very strong case. But, as matrix said, always site your source, and give them due credit. Basically, suck up to the guys with "more lawyers than you'd ever want to see", as Una said. They're bigger than you, so be nice to them.
Yes, a readme file is very very good, as are preambles, or even something more along the lines of a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: something that gives an in-depth overview of the universe as a whole, that way the player has some idea of what he or she is getting into.
I agree with Una with regards to the romantic subplots. Come on, folks, these are supposed to be real people. This guy's gonna get stoned sometime and end up in some girl's bed... But here's an example of what I consider a good romantic substoryline, although since it's written by myself, I may be biased. It's part of a mission dialog from the plug-in I'm helping to create, The Age of Exploration
Your performance was magnificent, Joel. Thanks. I honestly cant tell you how I knew to target their reactors, I just did. Well, as to that, you were just very lucky. As you know, most ships including your own have their heaviest armor around their reactor cores, specifically to keep people from doing what you did. But since the Raider vessels have modified their fusion reactors for extra power, they had to skimp a little on the armor. If you had been firing at any other vessel, you wouldve run out of ammunition before you had even halfway penetrated the hull plating. Of course, the damage inflicted by that 800mm cannon of yours didnt hurt you any. You laugh, Alexi, honestly, give me a little more credit. It still worked, didnt it? As far as Im concerned, thats all that counts. She smiles. True. Besides that, you scared the other Raider ships in the area so badly that they went into hiding. That would explain why we didnt see any on our way back. Yep. Well, all things considered, you did pretty well out there. So The Company has increased your pay from 50,000 creds to 150,000, and youve been promoted to Lieutenant Commander. Congratulations, Joel. Thank you, Alexi. Uhm, how about a celebratory drink? She looks startled and puzzled for an instant, then a smile spreads across her face and she simply replies, Okay. Lets go. As you walk in the door of the spaceport bar, you ask, So whats next? Her smile widens and there seem to be stars in her green eyes as she flips back a shock of her auburn hair and answers softly, Why dont we talk about that? You cant help but grin as you sit down on a stool next to her and order your usual whiskeyandsoda.
Moral of the story for you writers out there is: let the character have some fun, but don't get explicit with it. Be classy about the way you write, not cheezy. (SIDENOTE)From "Thank you, " on, the mission itself ends. Fade into your subplots. Okay, off my soapbox.(/SIDENOTE)
------------------ Youre only given a little spark of madness. You mustnt lose it. -- Robin Williams
(This message has been edited by spacecowboy (edited 08-04-2002).)
Originally posted by 21st Century Digital Boy: **Also, here's an eithics question: Is it ok to take work/ideas from dead plug-ins? You probably shouldn't steal them, but then again the author might not want his work to go to waste. Obviously contact the author, but that's not always possible... **
Just my opinion:
If you were part of the dev team for a plug that went vaporware, you can probably use the other people's efforts in your future plugs, unless they expressly prohibit it.
Stealing anything verbatim is not a good idea. However, if there's a planet (one) you really, really like from a plug, take it, change the name, redo the graphic and call it good.
Try hard to contact the author. They may have changed e-mail or AIM or whatever, but if they leave the boards, ev3, everything else, it's safe to assume that they no longer care about producing plug-ins, or about EV in any form. They work could be used, just make sure to give credit.
Regarding major studio copyrights:
It's unlikely you'd be sued for money, since you didn't make any, and your plug-in will not destroy their "brand reputation". (A "Star Wars Sucks!" plug would be another story.) They would probably insist that you take it down off of your and Ambrosia websites, and possibly contact anyone else who got the plug through them, noting about the legal action.
You could still play it yourself though, because simply writing or drawing the Starship Enterprise or some such is not a violation of copyright law.
In other words, Creation is okay, Distribution may or may not be, Selling certainly is not.
Originally posted by Una: **Just my opinion:
<snip>
**
As a fanfiction author, I checked out the copyright issue with a lawyer friend. Essentially, any and all useage of a copyright property (and copyright is an automatic right granted to the creator of an original work), is illegal. The only real "fair use" exemption is for works of parody. There is also a small right to quote (although not at length) as part of a review in a professional publication.
The water gets deeper with trademark properties, which are legally registered. If it could be shown that Paramount, for instance, had permitted wide use of their trademark Star Trek properties it might then become arguable that Star Trek has entered public domain. From then on, any producer or merchandizer could sell Star Trek material. Paramount protects their trademark from entering public domain by showing they have a willingness to go to court over gregarious infringement.
Because of the basic sanctity of copyrights, if you were to get your hands on my unpublished novel "Shirato" (from whence comes my board name), and create and distribute a plug-in from it, I would have the legal right to ask you to cease and desist or be sued. (Practically speaking, I'd be tickled pink and would do nothing of the sort.)
The experience of the fanfiction community is informative. Paramount has chosen to essentially ignore the fanfiction community. ("Ignore" in the legal sense, that is). Fox and the X-files, however, have caused fan sites to be taken down. Rowlings and the Harry Potter property have been even more protective, sending lawyers after sites hosting "Slash" fiction using those characters. Anne Rice, as an individual author, also refuses to allow the Internet distribution of fan works set in her universe.
Practically speaking? Trademark properties are a gamble. It is likely you will never recieve any complaints about a Star Wars TC for Nova, but if they do notice, be prepared to withdraw quickly or you and the sites that host your plug will be in deep trouble. Lesser-known properties have two advantages; the first, and primary, is that Star Trek et al have been done to death. The second is that science fiction authors, book people, are as a rule friendly and accesible. If I were to create a TC based on Sheffield's "Heritage Universe", or Niven's "Known Space," I would have no qualms about sending them an email informing them of my intentions.
------------------ "I know the stranger's name." Turandot
This is great information. Thanks. I'll go and put it in.
::grins sheepishly:: My main computer is down, and I forgot to log out of the ASW Webboards
But in other words, Cmdr. Arashi, to make a long story short: doing a plugin based on ANY copyrighted material is illegal. However, they generally don't care, because you're not making any money, nor are you screwing up their reputation.
I think I may need to elaborate on what I said in my last post regarding romantic subplots. I said that they should be written with a style that was 'classy', not 'cheezy'. What I meant to say, instead of 'cheezy', was 'lewd, crude and boorish.' Let's say you're playing a plug, and in it is a rather explicit dialog -- I'll leave the details up to you. I, for one, would be very offended at this, for two reasons. 1) As a human being, because, at least for the time being, I have to live on the same planet as the guy who wrote that (NOT as a woman, because, the last time I checked, I'm very definitely a man). And as a man, I believe that women should be treated with more respect than just some inflatable doll. Reality check, guys, they're living beings, just like you and me. Even though we can't always understand them, give them their due deference. 2) As a fellow plugcrafter. To explain, let's say that this plugin, for one reason or another, is highly rated, and highly downloaded. Inevitably, some newbie to EV is going to download that as their first plugin, due to its high rating. They play it through to that explicit dialog. They're going to think that all plugins are like that. Chances are, they'll never download another TC plugin, or at least have a much lower regard for them and their plugcrafters. Which means, if you do a nasty plug, I get a little of the blame. And so does every other plugcrafter out there. See what I'm driving at? Like I said, do it with class and style. Okay, honestly, I'm off my mountain now. Have a good week.
You really think I have to say that? I've never seen someone sink to that low in a plug-in...
Revisions so far:
Under Technicalities:
A third thing: make sure you have an adequate read-me file. This should have basic info on the plug, anything the player needs to know, cedits for development, graphics, and beta testing, etc. Also, background information (like preambles), a FAQ, and contact info for the author and other developers would be nice.
Under Plot/Universe Development:
Another similar, optional plot-enhancment would be some romance sneaking into the storyline. A guy on the dev board who wishes to remain anonymous said Ive been playing for 8 Nova years, and I cant imagine how cranky my pilot would be. But, please, keep it reasonable. Try to make it something that wouldnt offend anyone. Im not trying to be a goody-two-shoes here, but if you make it too explicit than it rubs off on the reputation of the whole plug-in developers community. There are many of us who arent like that, and wouldnt appreciate it too much.
Under Ethics:
(Quote of Comm. Arashi's post) _Besides the legal issues of this, it might be better off to come up with your own ideas anyway. As Commander Arashi said, the Star Wars/Star Trek/X-Files/Babylon/etc things have all been done to death. And at the time of writing this, there are already plug-ins in development for both Star Trek and Star Wars.
Also, if you download graphics from the internet to use in your plug-in, make sure you have the authors consent. They probably wont sue you, but you would still be in the wrong. Even if they give consent on the page you downloaded it from, it doesnt hurt to e-mail them. And please, give them credit for the graphics. _ ------------------ Cuz I'm a 21st Century Digital Boy I don't know the Monty Python but I've got a lotta toys My daddy is a Renegade, his name is Hellcat Helian Wait a second...
(This message has been edited by 21st Century Digital Boy (edited 08-06-2002).)
Originally posted by 21st Century Digital Boy: **You really think I have to say that? I've never seen someone sink to that low in a plug-in... **
I'm not sure that you really have to state it. I was just trying to make a point; probably trying a little too hard. Condensed version of what I said: romantic subplots are good, but don't take them too far. There. 'Nuff said, b4 I run it into the ground (probably already have). Your revisions look great. This is something that the plugcrafter's community has needed for a long time. I'm just sorry that I didn't think of it first. Good job, Digital Boy. Just post it on the Guides section of the Add-ons for Nova, and you're good to go.
One thing that is also very important is to give the characters a personality. A personality they will keep all along the plot. One thing I hate is this kind of desc:
" You land on <DST>. A AlphaBeta Corporation employee is waiting for you. "The boss wants to see you in the bar..:" ".
That's what I like about the Nova scenario: details. The pre-flight routines are often mentionned. The characters have emotions and react to the events of the storyline.
------------------ Pesmo's Profile Refresh no. 13 I am to tired to think of something I could potentially write here and the perspective that no one would ever read that (yet inexistant) signature discourages me even more.
Originally posted by pesimist_guy: **One thing that is also very important is to give the characters a personality. A personality they will keep all along the plot. One thing I hate is this kind of desc:
I'm a little split on that. I did enjoy many of the Nova descriptions, but there were also plenty of times I felt like a passenger as my character did things I had no control over. I was very surprised, for instance, to find the peaceble and even demure merchant I had created for one string turned out to be the martial arts wombat of all space. I certainly had never envisioned "myself" charging into a crowd of fight-happy Aurorans with two fists and a wide cheerful grin....! It also, on several strings, gave my character "victories" I had not worked for or earned as a player.
However, it makes sense to expand Nova's new "char" resource -- describe the enclosed chars in the read-me, with graphics and suplementary material as apropriate, and tailor missions, descriptions, visbits, et al to the specific char in play at that time. For the player that wants more control over their alter-ego, they can generate from scratch instead.
In a nutshell; if you are going to describe the players actions for them, make those descriptions specific and interesting, not varied and generic. And try to reward actions taken by the player, not by the character (I seem to recall spending most of the Polaris thread flying in and out of wormholes, passively watching the plot progress. )
Originally posted by Commander Arashi: **I'm a little split on that. I did enjoy many of the Nova descriptions, but there were also plenty of times I felt like a passenger as my character did things I had no control over. I was very surprised, for instance, to find the peaceble and even demure merchant I had created for one string turned out to be the martial arts wombat of all space. I certainly had never envisioned "myself" charging into a crowd of fight-happy Aurorans with two fists and a wide cheerful grin....! It also, on several strings, gave my character "victories" I had not worked for or earned as a player.
The EV player perspective is a pretty difficult question, specially when it comes to how far you should describe or suggest the players feelings and thoughts and, most of all, how much you should make him take part in discussions. I agree that the events should be consequences of the player's actions, otherwise the scenario turns into an novel.
Originally posted by Commander Arashi: **As a fanfiction author, I checked out the copyright issue with a lawyer friend. Essentially, any and all useage of a copyright property (and copyright is an automatic right granted to the creator of an original work), is illegal. The only real "fair use" exemption is for works of parody. There is also a small right to quote (although not at length) as part of a review in a professional publication. **
So then distribution is illegal as well, which is frankly what I expected. Creation is, however, still fair use (according to both reason and sources), as long as you keep it on your own hard drive.
It's the same line as used for mp3 files: you can rip them off a CD, mess with them in an audio program, and put them on your iPod, but you can't distribute. With sci-fi franchises, you can download a (legal) Enterprise picture, spin it around to make a graphic in photoshop, and write a back story in a Nova plug, but you don't have the right to put in on a web server. (Which as far as I'm concerned is really silly, but I don't make the law. Yet.)
This, of course, only applies if you're in a nation that has copyright reciprocity with the USA.
So just make your plug-in in international waters.
Definitely. Abso-posolutely. And any other affirmative answers that I can't quite come up with right now. All characters players and non-players need to have at least the resemblance of a personality, especially those that are really involved in mission strings. The quote pesimist_guy provided above, with the AlphaBeta Corporation employee, actually isn't that bad: not even a star writer can waste his time developing a back story for every single person in a plugin. Just our one lousy planet has over 6 billion people. The population doubles about every 30 years. So when we're all old and gray 60 years from now, there'll be 24 billion people in existance. That's a lot of people, folks. And you, as plugcrafters, can't spend your time developing a back story for every one of 'em. BUT , what you should do, is to keep in mind that they have a back story. They're more than just a faceless name. They're real. Make them real in your mind. Make the entire Universe real, with everyone and everything in it. Every mission should be real to you. Make it into an alternate reality that you can escape to when things aren't so hot over here. Your job is to share it with the rest of Humanity. So take it, from your point of view, and describe it. Describe the people as if they are real, because, to you, they should be. Okay. 'Nuff said.
Originally posted by Una: **So just make your plug-in in international waters.
Make sure that it's not an American vessel, and post it from there too. You'll need a sattelite connection, so make sure you're not beaming to an American sattelite. Just a hint so you can CYA.
Originally posted by Una: Try hard to contact the author. They may have changed e-mail or AIM or whatever, but if they leave the boards, ev3, everything else, it's safe to assume that they no longer care about producing plug-ins, or about EV in any form. They work could be used, just make sure to give credit.
The onus is on you to contact the copyright owner, whether they care or not, unless they've specifically placed their work in the public domian. If they haven't done so, and you can't contact them, you should assume that you do not have permission to use their material.
------------------ David Arthur (url="http://"http://davidarthur.evula.net/")davidarthur.evula.net(/url): MissionComputer and the Talon plug-in (url="http://"http://www.ev-nova.net/")EV-Nova.net(/url): Now with added forum-y goodness! | (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/")EVula's Lair(/url) | (url="http://"http://www.evula.com/survival_guide/")EV Nova Survival Guide(/url)
Another revision, under Plot/Universe Development:
As I touched on before, characters should have personalities and backgrounds, as they do in real life. However, it would probably be impractical to make those up for every shiping company employee that ever talks to the player. But keep in mind that they should have, at least in your mind, personalities and backgrounds even if you dont know them. They shouldnt just be a faceless name. And for the few times the player sees them, just improvise a personality.
And I'll go put in the above post.
Originally posted by 21st Century Digital Boy: **Another revision, under Plot/Universe Development:
Real quick, as I was getting ready to type, I noticed a typo in your text: "However, it would probably be impractical to make those up for every shipping company employee " Just that, if you're going to do a readme for the expectations for a plug, typos would be a very very very very bad thing to have in it.
Sidenote: the text does not always have to be perfectly grammatically accurate. This applies for spelling as well. Now, normally, my grammar and spelling are pretty good. Butcha see, Isa can do some shtuff wiz my typin'. It can really help to get a point across, as it can also help to create a character. In other words, write like your characters speak. If they speak with a New York accent, write with a New York accent. If they speak like a redneck, write like a redneck. Also, you don't use perfect grammar in normal speech. Like this. You see, that was a fragment. It didn't contain a complete idea, which is why I wrote it like I did: it broke the flow of the paragraph enough to keep my writing from lulling you off to sleep (which I am undoubtedly doing right now). It attracted your attention. Play with your grammar and your spelling. Non-technically (as this topic is supposed to be), write like your character talks. Write in plain English. If he or she is a scholar, use big words and perfect grammar. If they've lived out on the street all their life, use slang words and phrases, and bad grammar. It helps to give your character personality.
Digital Boy, I want to congratulate you on this. As I believe I said before, this is something that the EV plugcrafter's community has desperately needed for a long time. Kudos, man. You deserve more karma. Once this is published, you should become an Honored Leader or something. Good job, and good luck. Oh, by the way, if you'd like to do some writing, I'm currently working on a plug. I'd welcome you to The Ages Trilogy Team.
Have a good week.
(This message has been edited by spacecowboy (edited 08-08-2002).)
Thanks for the offer, but I already have my hands full with SRE.