Machinima and open source

[Dokujisan]

There is an interesting discussion on /. about the popular machinima called Red Vs Blue.

http://games.slashdot.org/games/06/10/25/2240257.shtml

One of the points brought up was the issue on the legal rights of creating a video made from a video game engine. In that discussion, someone (who is said to be involved in machinima projects) wrote...

Is it legal to take any game, make machinima out of it, and sell it? NO! Has there been any lawsuits yet? No. Has there been cease/desist requests? Yes, a couple that I know of. Asking the legal questions regarding machinima don't get solid answers because there are no solid answers yet. We're still in its infancy.

My question is, can those legal issues be avoided by using open source game engines to create the machinima?

Your thoughts?

[Dokujisan]

Can you even create machinima from Nexiuz? Doesn't seem as though the engine allows enough fine movement of the character models.

Oooh... maybe that could be the next evolution of the dark places 3D engine. Fork it into an open source 3D engine specifically for doing machinima!

[tChr]

Can you even create machinima from Nexiuz? Doesn't seem as though the engine allows enough fine movement of the character models.

Oooh... maybe that could be the next evolution of the dark places 3D engine. Fork it into an open source 3D engine specifically for doing machinima!

You are perfectly welcome to do that at any time DP is full GPL Good luck and have fun

[Dokujisan]

Maybe when I become a software developer, in a year or two, I can be involved in such a project. I certainly couldn't be the head developer in that relatively short period of time. My main focus as a software developer (so far) is going to be website application development, but I am interested in games as well, so who knows where I'll end up.

Obviously, it would make much more sense for the project to be done by people who are already software developers, and perhaps already familiar with the DP engine.

Just an idea. Ideas don't hurt.

As far as ideas go, doesn't it sound like a niche where GPL game engines could have a strong advantage? This is assuming that my theory above holds, where a GPL game engine built for Machinima would not place legal limits on the output of the engine. That would be like GIMP requiring people to GPL their output.

[tChr]

Sorry, my bad. I did not intend to imply that you were nagging or anything like that. It was just ment as information.

[esteel]

Short answer is that there are NO legal problem with machinema when it comes to Nexuiz. As mentioned Nexuiz is licensed under the GPL which does allow you to do anything you want with the output..

Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not
covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of
running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the Program
is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the
Program (independent of having been made by running the Program).
Whether that is true depends on what the Program does.

Though i must confess i have no idea right now on how to interpret that 'independent of having been made by running the Program'. I have a good book on the GPL here but i just started reading it. http://www.oreilly.de/german/freebooks/gplger I can't find an english version right now and i do not know if there is any..

Well you are right DP is currently not very machinema friendly but its still evolving..

[tChr]

That ting about created or running is to differ between the output from the program. as say the menus, and maybe even the game output from Nexuiz, and stuff you make with the program. You are free to copyright stuff you _make_ with the program, such as picture you make in gimp, or text you write with openoffice.

[Ed]

Darkplaces can be used to play Nehahra which does have a four and a half hour film called 'The Seal of Nehahra'. So yes, you can do Machinima in Nexuiz too but the movement won't be too fine. Major Bent had a very interesting walk in that film that was a bit like moon walking but forwards. There was also lots of dead space in between things happening because of the time to do scene cuts.

[Dokujisan]

Interesting! Well, I did a search on Nehahra.

Wikipedia page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seal_of_Nehahra

Director's notes
http://www.machinima.com/article.php?id=160

Download the movie
http://www.machinima.com/films.php?id=106

Is Nehahra also a game? There seem to be download links to the Nehahra game as well as the movie. It says on the front page that Nehahra development is still in progress, but it doesn't say whether it is the movie or game.

[Ed]

Nehahra is primarily a game. The Seal of Nehahra was a 4.5 hour story explaining Quake and Nehahra, it's all mystic nonsense really. Nehahra was actually finished about 5 years ago but their is a remake project at the moment. You can download the original and play it through the current Darkplaces engine if you want to make it look nice.