Polycon now as a true TC

Upload or do I need permission?

I have taken Polycon from the plugins folder and put it into the Nova Files folder. I have taken care of all the issues involved and it runs as a true TC. I have removed all the null resources and rle8 resources and the total file size is smaller by about 10mb

Using the debuglog.txt I have fixed a couple a few things in the game but most I have left alone.

The point of the topic is I have made this into a regular TC by putting the resources into the Nova files folder and have tested the game out.
I am not looking to put my "name up in lights" by posting a TC. Nothing is mine, all I did was make a miniscule update; if you want to call it that. I don't have any desire to have my name in the description if possible, thought an email address is mandatory.

Why should I bother with such an old plugin/TC? Polycon has the possibility for plugins, but so many resources are used for nulls. By putting the game into the proper folder it opens an old game to ideas. 1. Expand Soral known space. 2. like World of the Wraith, start the game off from the view point of the alien Soral. 3. The Alien Artifact/Takari Artifact. Maybe it adds a storyline and some new systems

The end result/problem, is that there is no one to contact. From what I have read on these boards, Anubis is gone and people have tried to contact him to no avail.
How do I handle this?

The work you've done sounds really good - congratulations for doing it :). A few more things you may like to do:
- Grab the high res asteroid fix from my site (link in sig) and replace polycon's roids with the fixed ones.
- Make sure the read me is saved as rtf.
- Make sure the music file is compatible: check the audio guide from my site for details of this.
- Delete all the TMPL resources from the files. There's also a strange WNDW resource in one of the files that can be deleted.
- Run all the files through BlitZen: dither to 16-bit, do NOT QuickTime compress. This will save a little space (you should be able to pack the graphics files down to just 3 files instead of 4) and also helps compatibility as there are certain PICTs that are required to be 16-bit on Windows. After doing this you'll need to RLE the 6 main menu buttons and the rollover else they won't display.
- Delete the file icons. If you'd rather keep them that's fine but they're old 32x32 icons stored in the system 7 format and don't look very good on OS X (not to mention they can't be seen on windows).

This post has been edited by Guy : 11 November 2008 - 11:47 PM

Yes, you do need to get the permission of the original creator before we can post it to the add-ons directory.

Isn't he not around?

congratulations on this. I might actually play Polycon now.

Don't celebrate just yet Of Doom, I'm following Guy's directions and though I have most of it working I have one RLE logo nagging at me that refuses to work. Then there is Arrakis666@yahoo.com I just sent a request to that email address and I am going to try searching out the rest of his crew to see If I can get someone's OK to post this. Even if I can, I am not on Broadband (DSL, Cable, etc) so I will have to go someplace to upload IF everything works out.

David, Do you know if there are exceptions to the rule?

The animation (PICT 8010) and the slides (8030-8032) do not use masks and do not need to be RLE'd, so if it's one of those you're having trouble with then don't bother about it.

It'd be good to get his permission but if you can't get hold of him then I don't see why you shouldn't post it anyway. It's not like he would have any objection to it.

Well that fixes the start up screen. It wouldn't do for me to go some and get this thing uploaded and come to find out it was denied because they got nothing from the original owner to upload it. That is why I asked David Arthur about how strict the rules were.

@guy, on Nov 12 2008, 11:15 PM, said in Polycon now as a true TC:

It'd be good to get his permission but if you can't get hold of him then I don't see why you shouldn't post it anyway. It's not like he would have any objection to it.

No, unless the original creator has specifically released it into the public domain or under a licence which permits derivative works, I cannot legally accept it to the add-ons page without his permission. There have been circumstances in the past where creators have objected, and for good reasons. Does anyone remember the incompetent and unauthorised port of Kris Hauser's Star Wars plug-ins to EV Override?

Well I haven't received a bounce yet from the yahoo email address, so that could mean he either doesn't look at it anymore or it is still actively used.

Also in the About Text there is no explicit permission given, but there is:

Quote

You are not allowed to commercially exploit this level, i.e. put it on a CD
or any other electronic medium that is sold for money without my explicit
permission! That includes charging people to download it. (Scary as it may sound, it has happened to me before).

One other thing. This isn't a port. All I have done is take the files out of the plugin folder and put them in the Nova Files Folder. Some files were changed as Guy suggested and resources removed, but the game is the same beginning to end.

If it turns out that Ambrosia (?) won't let this be put on the Add-ons page because of a rule about contacting the creator (who is gone from the boards and no one can contact him). Then maybe someone will put the files on their Web Space?

For now, I have another question.

And That question is: what format should I save the files in? I have to deal with both Windows and OSX users. I have both to test this on.

I recommend using .sitx.npif, that is compressing the files as Macintosh Nova plug-ins with .stix so that everyone with expander can uncompress them, and so Mac users can use them "out of the box" and Windows users can convert them with a converter that's included with every copy of WinNova.

Actually, most recommendations I've seen are to use .bin.zip if it's in Mac format, which Plug-in Archiver will do for you. Both Mac and Windows can handle the type easily using Stuffit Expander. If you're using .rez format, then putting it in a .zip is all that is needed.

Aye, Plugin Archiver from my site

Excellently useful tool. Highly recommended. CA stamp of approval.

I used .bin then .zip using Stuffit. I have a PC with XP and EVN. I can't remember if I found an executable plugin convert for it, or it came with it.

@vast-deathmaster, on Nov 13 2008, 10:29 PM, said in Polycon now as a true TC:

If it turns out that Ambrosia (?) won't let this be put on the Add-ons page because of a rule about contacting the creator (who is gone from the boards and no one can contact him). Then maybe someone will put the files on their Web Space?

The rule in question is copyright law. Quite simply, there's no right to create or distribute derivative works without the original owner's explicit permission. Nor is the original owner under any obligation to be available for comment.

@david-arthur, on Nov 14 2008, 02:29 PM, said in Polycon now as a true TC:

The rule in question is copyright law. Quite simply, there's no right to create or distribute derivative works without the original owner's explicit permission. Nor is the original owner under any obligation to be available for comment.

I know there is Ambrosia's Rules, but is there a written statement from the creator 'do not distribute unless I give you permission'?

I can't find it.

Also, if it really does not matter please let me know so I can stop working on something pointless. Then you can lock the topic and leave it at that

........or we can tangent into some other topic that has nothing to to do with Polycon

Someone known as AnubisTTP appears to be active on this site. The contact link goes to another person called Accutron but you could email and ask if he has contact details for Anubis.

I think this is an important thing to do, for Polycon's sake. This isn't just making Polycon self-contained, it's a sort-of update to add some future-proofing and improve compatibility.

This post has been edited by Guy : 15 November 2008 - 11:49 PM

Concepts of copyright.
1. Copyright of the work that one creates is automatic (Berne Convention).
2. Copyright of a work is the right to exclusive control over its distribution for a certain period of time (unless licensed or sold).

2 as applied to this work are a major point of argument for free software - the case when the original creator, the copyright holder, has lost interest in maintaining it.

Edit: also, there's an AIM address to go with the known yahoo email, available from the68k Macintosh Liberation Army forums: Bender2114. Has anyone tried that?
Edit: too bad the website is on geocities so you can't do a whois...

This post has been edited by Nonconventionally Creative : 16 November 2008 - 12:17 AM

If I recall correctly, the length of time for copyright protection is the author's lifetime plus 50 or 70 years after they die.