Awesome MOD, idea to continue

KyleKatarn · October 18, 2005

Ive posted in the past how awesome this mod is. I love the JK series, and I suggest to all who are with me, lets offer to purchase the entire MOD once its completed. The people doing this are incredible. If they can do Jedi Knight Dark Forces II also, it would be a dream come true, but I will be VERY happy with Dark Forces. I suggest an amount of 5 or 10 bucks. Not alot to ask I say for a FULL conversion of one of the best PC games of all time.

Thats just my humble opinion.

Cant wait for more!!

MikeGunther1969 · October 18, 2005

Let's offer to purchase the entire MOD once its completed. I suggest an amount of 5 or 10 bucks. Thats just my humble opinion.
Cant wait for more!!

As generous an offer as this may be, it is also illegal, and against the rules/ethics/code/standards/practices/etc....of Modding.

Everything STAR WARS is the intellectual Property of all of the Lucas Companies, (Meaning the Great Flanneled One Himself) and the game engines, codes, workings. etc... are the intellectual properties of ID, Activision, and Raven Companies. No one individual, or group of folks within these forums could ever emphasize this point enough. IF the Folks at LEC, and Raven ever thought for even a nanosecond that these MODS would be sold over the web, magazines, black market,...whatever the case may be, they would be terminated with extreme prejudice.

These MODS can not, nor ever will be sold for any kind of profit whatsoever unless the projects themselves are picked up by LEC, who (unfortunately or fortunately, you decide on this one here) reserves the right to do so at ANY TIME without any form of compensation to the author(s) whatsoever.

I repeat here for the sake of crystal clarity..."Without ANY form of compensation to the author(s) W H A T S O E V E R ".....period.

If it should ever end up being the case that LEC picks up these truly wonderful MOD projects, The MODS would be done a whole lot faster,(YAY!!) but would be completed per the companies' designs as opposed to the Modders' designs (BOOOO!!!), and we would most certainly have to shell out the obligatory $19-$49 for the completed projects.

In conclusion, I must say..."poo-poo" to your proposal.

MG

Benevolence · October 19, 2005

Keep in mind what we are doing is a labor of love. Everyone on the mod team has a very special place in their heart for the original Dark Forces. When I originally heard about a Dark Forces mod I said to myself If they are going to make that I'm going to join to make sure they do it right! which is a sentiment many of the team members feel. Many of the members on the team are the best at what they do. I am happy that my contribution with the music and sound effects, as well as some scripting/storyboarding for extended sequences, has been met favorably with the community and is considered an asset among the team.

It is very rewarding and gratifying to see your work paired up with the excellent work from the other team members and is also very motivating. We are very picky about our work and don't want to see it rushed out the door. We want to release a professional quality product (for free of course) that is what WE want to play. Considering how big of fans we are of the original Dark Forces I don't think the JA/DF community has to worry about the final result.

That being said, everyone on the MOD team knew that they were doing 'pro bono' work on this mod and would not be compensated for their time beyond getting to participate in an awesome project with one of the best teams ever assembled. I think that I speak for the team when I say we are grateful for George Lucas's generosity in allowing fans to find their voice in movie and game production using his intellectual property as a means. Everything from films like Duality to Troops to this Dark Forces MOD would not be possible if George Lucas wanted to shut them down for using his intellectual property. Ever see a Star Trek fan film? Paramount has their lawyers on active patrol preventing anything of the sort.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate your compliment for what it is. I'm glad you enjoy our MOD to the extent that you consider it worth purchasing. That is very flattering and lets us know we've done what we've set out to do with the demos and that we are working in the right direction. Just know that what you are suggesting is impossible and that we are not doing this for money; we knew what we were getting into when we joined up.

For those concerned with the speed of which the mod is progressing, keep this in mind: Most people on the MOD team are either advanced students or professionals in their field with jobs, lives and families. I for instance, am a high school and middle school choir/piano teacher and that is taking up all my time. I put time into the mod when I can and I do my best to create work that I'm proud to release. Also consider the fact that of the 10-20 team members it is difficult to coordinate activities from a team that large across the globe.

We are working hard right now however to release something for those of you who have been waiting patiently. I'm sure you will not be disappointed. Just keep in mind we don't want your money but your words of encouragement and feedback do mean a lot to us!

I'll leave you all with one little bit of business theory: Of the three thing to look for when someone is doing a job for you - speed, quality, and low cost - you can only get two of those at any one time. If you want speed and quality it will be expensive. If you want low cost and speed it will not be a quality product. If you want low cost (i.e. free) and quality, well you're just going to have to wait.

KyleKatarn · October 19, 2005

Good point MikeGunther. I didnt realize the legality of the situation. In any case, I wish we could compensate the awesome job done by ALL the modders. All I can say then, is thank you guys sooooooooooo much, and keep up the good work. :-)