Source Code ?

[mack]

Just a quick question :
Are you guys ever gonna publish the source code of ET ?
That wold really help some noob developer like me !

Cheers :drink:
MACK

[weasel]

The source code has been released to certain individuals under NDA. Don’t expect a public release.

[Chairman_Kaga]

They will never release the source code publicly. That much has been stated by SD.

And they have a perfectly good reason, too: id Software.

Think about it: ET is a free, downloadable game. If you release the source so people can mod it, it’s tantamount to giving the general public a free license to the entire Quake 3 engine. That’s what, a minimum $250,000 value? Somehow I doubt the good folks at id would find it cool to lose revenue like that.

Now, Activision has at least been kind enough to provide the source under non-disclosure to select parties (namely, shrub and bani). So we will, at least, see some fixes and mods to the base ET game. But don’t expect to see any total conversions running via ET.

[Ark42]

True, but you dont get the code to the main game still, and I’m not sure its legal to sell TC mods. I still dont completely buy this reason however, since I understand the Quake2 engine costs $10K to license for a commercial game but you can get the full source under GPL if you want. If the mod source was available and the license does not allow commercial games to be made from it, the only free mods for ET can be made, and I don’t think it would harm any of IDs license sales.

[Sauron_EFG]

and I’m not sure its legal to sell TC mods

“You shall not rent, sell, lease, lend, offer on a pay-per-play basis or otherwise commercially exploit or commercially distribute the New Creations”

That’s from the RtCW game source license, but I’m sure the same applies to ET.

[mack]

then why was the source code for basic rtcw released ?

[nodgam]

you can buy this game

[mack]

you can buy this game

I have rtcw but i’m talking about ET

[BondyBoy007]

then why was the source code for basic rtcw released ?

from this quote of yours it seems that nodgam gave you the right answer, the source code for RTCW was released because you “can buy the game”, ET is free and so they’re not going to release it

[mack]

O sorry about that.
but since its free dosen it make sence to make the code free ?

[nate.h]

I can understand why they would want to keep the mod source (let alone the engine) under tight control But, I guess I just don’t quite see what they would have to lose to allowing people to mod the free engine, besides competition with modding existing engines. I mean, I wouldn’t think that having new mods made for ET instead of RTCW would cost alot in the way of profits. But then, I’m still not quite sure what the buisiness model for the release of ET as a free stand alone is, anyways.

What I would like to know is, given a project (in particular, a research project on visualization in video games that I am working on), is there any way I could correspond with someone at Splash Damage about getting access under a strict NDA?
(Hopes a mod reads this)

[ND80]

I can understand why they would want to keep the mod source (let alone the engine) under tight control But, I guess I just don’t quite see what they would have to lose to allowing people to mod the free engine, besides competition with modding existing engines. I mean, I wouldn’t think that having new mods made for ET instead of RTCW would cost alot in the way of profits. But then, I’m still not quite sure what the buisiness model for the release of ET as a free stand alone is, anyways.

What I would like to know is, given a project (in particular, a research project on visualization in video games that I am working on), is there any way I could correspond with someone at Splash Damage about getting access under a strict NDA?
(Hopes a mod reads this)

Not that I think it will get you anywhere, but it is really up to ID/Activision, not SD. The only two people that have the code are Shrub and Bani and they demonstrated their abilities in RTCW.