IllFonic's Nexuiz

[Scandalon]

This is my first post, and I'm a bit saddened by that it has to my introduction to you all. (You can check my profile, I registered before the announcement.)

I'm a new player, my workmates and I have been playing for a couple months now. I haven't posted before, I haven't made any contributions other than being a pretty easy target online, haven't created a website, nothing like that. And illFonic, I do thank you for wading in here and trying to be involved. The fact that you're from the same "roots" however doesn't give you an automatic pass - a better perspective, yes, but please try and take a step back and make sure you've truly thought it through from our perspective as much as possible. This was handled badly, I think we can all agree. The question is, will illfonic/AlienTrap (in their respective areas) have the maturity/guts to say "yea, sorry, we screwed up" and actually do something about it?

iLLfonic: Change or modify the commercial product's name, and give a more prominent link/credit/thanks to the original project. That's it. Do that, and 80% of the ire will be reduced. (I realize some of this is the legal issue and some of it was a bad call on AlienTraps's fault. Doesn't matter, you two sort that out.) The biggest, really the only, issue on your end is the feeling that Nexuiz has been stolen. Which is why a name change/modification would be in our best interests. I realize that it's not something that's just easy to do overnight, you can't snap your finger and have every reference in your possesion changed: building up a "brand" and name takes time and effort. And that's exactly the reason people feel ripped off. A name means something, and it has value. You can't just say "oh, it's the console version, it's unrelated, people will be able to know the difference". If that's the case, then just call your project "Squiggle", since people will understand, right? (You can't have it both ways.) "We" were here first, and you've appropriated the name (and potentially stolen/rerouted traffic to the site.) This is even reflected in your use of "Nexuiz GPL" for clarification, but you never clarify by using "Nexuize PS3" or somesuch. Code/features/anything else that can be contributed back in to the community would be nice of couse, but seriously, fix the name/domain issue and you can go back to fending off people complaining about kb/mouse support. :P

Or they can just rename the original, open project to "illFonic".

AlienTrap/iLLfonic: Besides all of the other questions and just feeling like it was "sprung", your main issue is credit/renumeration, or rather, the (apparent) lack of it. You started a really great thing, and many other people added to it, of various degrees of quality, impact, and even just quantity (time). You have profited from their (and your) work. Legally, you probably don't have to care. Morally, however... Obviously you're not going to be able to "pay" them all perfectly fairly, but couldn't you work something out with Illfonic as a token of appreciation? A few hundred bucks to some of the top contributors, and acknowledgement in the credits wouldn't be amiss. (Copies of Nexuize: illPhonic Console Edition don't count, unless their name is in the credits!) Maybe illFonick* can send you some hardware after their next upgrade cycle to distribute as you see fit or something more creative like that? Remember, how and why you do something is just as important as what you do.

Everyone else, keep questions/comments/gripes about the console version design decisions somewhere else please? It just adds noise.

*Yes, I've been purposely mangling the company name to snarkily make a point...

[LordHavoc]

I really sincerely wish people would actually read what Lee said about the matter some days ago: http://alientrap.org/nexuiz/news

So much speculation is based on things that were directly answered, and I'm getting rather tired of rehashing the same info on Lee's behalf.

[Vermeulen]

Fact is, the community could go right now and register nexiuz.org, or nexuiz.net, cut all ties with Alien Trap, and get on with their lives. But is this how you and Lee want it to end?

I will reiterate. Nexuiz 2.5 is a community driven project. I have never forced anything on the development of releases without the consent of the community developers in it's history, and this will not change.
I honestly do not see the point in a split like that because Alientrap only hosts the forums and site (both of which are maintained and updated by the community) - the releases and development (the SVN) are still entirely in the control of the community developers.

[divVerent]

Obviously, the use of the name and the community was not.

[Baker5]

Obviously, the use of the name and the community was not.

There is little to fear. Be still and know FOSS is here.

http://www.quakedev.com/forums/index.php?topic=1083.0
http://planetquake.gamespy.com/View.php ... etail&id=2

You are encountering a speedbump of a wet noodle. It will pass.

Nexuiz is a "Free and open source shooter." Not today it isn't. There are million boring FPS games developed by souless "commericial interests". The key is to rise above this. Some will get it; some will not.

Do not have contempt for the "have nots". Ignorance is a sign of poorness of the soul, not of the pocketbook. FOSS is the idea that a project need never ask permission or consent.

http://www.quakeone.com/

[Lee_Stricklin]

Just took a look at Nexuiz.com again and it looks like they weren't completely pulling our leg. Replaced the "PC Nexuiz GPL" button with one that says "Original Nexuiz For PC" and moved it to the upper right corner. What do you guys think? If they leave that button in a spot as visible as that after the console game gets released, there's a possibility that a small wave newcomers will click it. Right now the only thing I'd still like them to do is add a suffix to the title and call it something like "The Nexuiz: Peace through combat", "Kavussari and Forsellians", or something like that. I've said that this game could story wise explain how the Nexuiz began so if they had added a suffix to it then that would definitely help BOTH games by making some of the PC players that own consoles interested in the commercial game while the series new comers see the "Original Nexuiz" button and become interested in this one.

[Baker5]

What do you guys think? If they leave that button in a spot as visible as that after the console game gets released, there's a possibility that a small wave newcomers will click it.

Yes, having your cause usurped is worth a few possible mouse click refers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Xbox_360_games

Everyone has their price. Is a few mouse clicks yours?

/Where is esteel when you need him?

[Lee_Stricklin]

What do you guys think? If they leave that button in a spot as visible as that after the console game gets released, there's a possibility that a small wave newcomers will click it.

Yes, having your cause usurped is worth a few possible mouse click refers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Xbox_360_games

Everyone has their price. Is a few mouse clicks yours?

/Where is esteel when you need him?

I'm just saying that's better than before. Both games can co-exist and if done properly both would benefit greatly from the other. I think if the titles were slightly different from one another that would resolve a lot of the problems we are seeing.

[Baker5]

I'm just saying that's better than before. Both games can co-exist and if done properly both would benefit greatly from the other. I think if the titles were slightly different from one another that would resolve a lot of the problems we are seeing.

And a wonderful way to start would be not stealing the Nexuiz name (aka "A free and open source shooter") so at least people still understood what Nexuiz is and isn't.

Are you going to now call it "GPL Nexuiz" is the name "Nexuiz" is a trademark of a non-GPL commericial interest? What are the ramifications of that? And putting that aside, what of the identity of Nexuiz?

[Lee_Stricklin]

I'm just saying that's better than before. Both games can co-exist and if done properly both would benefit greatly from the other. I think if the titles were slightly different from one another that would resolve a lot of the problems we are seeing.

And a wonderful way to start would be not stealing the Nexuiz name (aka "A free and open source shooter") so at least people still understood what Nexuiz is and isn't.

Are you going to now call it "GPL Nexuiz" is the name "Nexuiz" is a trademark of a non-GPL commericial interest? What are the ramifications of that? And putting that aside, what of the identity of Nexuiz?

I will refer to Nexuiz as Nexuiz and console Nexuiz as console Nexuiz.