Question about "Porting"

[Farbourne]

Sorry for asking what is probably a stupid and basic question, I'm relatively new to this forum.

 

Could someone explain to me what modders mean when they say they can't do a certain thing because it would be "porting"?

 

It usually arises in the context of discussions about K1 mods that involve game aspects or enhancements found in K2.

 

Is there some legal requirement that prevents modders from putting elements of K2 in K1? (For example, creating a content mod in K1 that involves, say, Atton's back story, or using some of the K2 monster models in a K1 mod)? Or is it some fundamental software incompatibility (i.e. is it a technical, rather than a legal, issue)?

 

I'm confused because I've never seen anything explicitly forbidding such a mod, and in fact I've seen some K1 mods that definitely incorporate aspects from K2 (a mod I saw once that makes the K1 Ebon Hawk's workbence able to synthesize items like in K2 springs to mind). And I've certainly seen mods that go the other way...that incorporate K1 elements in K2. And yet, a lot of modders say they can't do all kinds of things because it would "technically be considered 'porting'"...

[jonathan7]

Porting is the act of taking an asset that isnt in one game and transfering it to the other. An example would be to take the modules for Manann from K1 and put them in K2; that would be illegal. Porting is illegal and to be honest a taboo subject here because of the special relationships LF has with LA. However you could make yourself things that resemble things from either game and stick them in the other as long as you started from scratch.

[Darkkender]

In your example above of taking Attons backstory this would be valid as your likely typing all of your own dialog and even creating a Atton character of your own for K1 to go with the back story. Meanwhile your example of a k2 monster model in K1 would be porting. The mod you were speaking of that adds a workbench on the Ebon Hawk replicates the concept at the workbench using the resources that are available in K1 which means no GUI window to scroll through the items you can build it is simply a dialog that the player choose items from.

[Farbourne]

Thanks for the clarifications, and sorry for bringing up a taboo subject!

[Quanon]

Thanks for the clarifications, and sorry for bringing up a taboo subject!

 

Héh there's nothing wrong with your question, as you just asked what porting is.

 

Not on how to do porting. Some of the new members are bit enthousiast and often don't know what's possible moddingwise. Though there's no shame, nor blame in that.

 

And welcome to the forums ( bit late, but hey)

[Robespierre]

How about VOs? Can you copy them from one game into another?

[jonathan7]

How about VOs? Can you copy them from one game into another?

 

Nope, that would be taking an asset not in one game and transfering it across. Sorry how my tone may have come across in my earlier post; it should have been a friendly; good question here's the answer, tread carefully where this thread goes.

[murdrax]

i personally think better option would be to closse this and stoicky it so when new people come up they can just look at this thread instead of opening a new one from having a hard time finding this. very imformative for new people!!

[jonathan7]

Its kind of covered here; http://www.lucasforums.com/showthread.php?t=127725 in point 7;

7. Mods containing assets (models, textures, sounds, etc.) ported from another game are prohibited

 

It is against Lucasarts policy to port assets from one game to another. Holowan Laboratories does not condone porting of this nature, and moderators will close or delete any thread or posts discussing such mods, even if it is for your own personal use. The exception to this is if the asset in question is present in both KOTOR and TSL. Modders may create from scratch mods that resemble assets from another game.