Leaving the project

[jbb]

Warning - long rambling post follows:

I've been thinking about this a lot for the last couple of days and I'm sorry to say that I've decided that it wouldn't be right for me to continue to work on this project.

The recent talk about the legallity of the project is what has made me make this decision. I firmly believe that openeq is perfect legal and legitimate. There are clearly some doubt about using the everquest zone files, but I don't believe that it is "illegal" to do so.

However, although openeq might be perfectly legal I'm not entirely happy about the fact that as it stands it is using a large chunk of someone elses work against their wishes. It will clearly allow people to make use of the considerable amount of work that Sony have done making the zones without paying the subscription fee for the game.

As a professional software developer myself I would be unhappy if I'd put years of work into developing everquest and then someone made a way of making use of my work without paying me for it.

While I fully support your right to continue with the project I feel that I can't in good concience continue to help with a project which could end up depriving the original creators of the everquest world the benefits of their work.

To this end, please would you remove my admin access to this forum, and to the source code repository.

I'm sorry to have made this decision and wish you best of luck with your project but after consideration I don't feel that it's really something I ought to be assisting with even in the small capacity I have done so far.

Best wishes to all involved, and to Daeken for much of the excellent work that has been done so far. I'll talk to you on IRC at some point soon.

[Spike]

Well there goes another developer, i've been wondering too about the legality of the entire project too. I somehow doubt sony will hunt us down because of posting a few custom zones or taking theirs. We bought their game and own the rights to it. However, the emulation of the servers is perfectly legal also because I think the servers were put up for the players if im not mistaken. So I think we have all the right in the world to do so. I wouldn't worry too much on sony sueing anything. I'm sure nothing bad will happen to the project.

Originally Posted by jbb

To this end, please would you remove my admin access to this forum, and to the source code repository.

I'm sorry to hear that all developers will leave someday, your time just ended a bit sooner I guess. Hopefully openEQ won't die just because of this decision.

[jbb]

As I said, it's not about the legallity.
It's just that regardless of the legallity I came to realise that I feel uncomfortable using their work in a way which they certainly wouldn't want me to.

I was never a major developer on the project, I just made a few builds for windows and had a few ideas. The project will go on fine I'm sure.

[Spike]

Originally Posted by jbb

As I said, it's not about the legallity.

oh

Originally Posted by jbb

The project will go on fine I'm sure.

it's good to hear that and all, but the fewer developers we have, the less funner it becomes to see all these great things being released for the community.

[Windcatcher]

I definitely understand your ethical concerns. Last night I started drawing replacements for the 40x40 item icons, in the hope that we could come up with a drop-in replacement and not have to use SOE's icon set.

In the end, OpenEQ needs three types of content: zones, models, and bitmaps. From what I've seen of Khan's work we can probably get zones and UI bitmaps covered :P but that leaves mob (and item) models and item bitmaps. I emailed daeken a copy of what I did last night: I drew 50 different bitmaps for rings and saved the lot as a Photoshop file (so it retains its color depth and transparency). Maybe instead of coding for OpenEQ, would you like to try adding a few more? I think if we pass this around we can probably come up with a complete replacement for their item icons in a week or two. It's not everything OpenEQ needs, but it would be a start. Another possibility is I could send it to Khan: he has that great new website for content and would be a good place for hosting them...

Edit: drawing more rings...up to 60 now.

[daeken_bb]

I understand your concerns, but I'm sorry to see you go. Thank you for the work you did while you were with us

[gxti]

Sorry to hear you go, your advice on getting win32 builds done was by all means invaluable. I do feel that our work is going the distance to circumvent Sony alltogether, but I just can't empathize with the "big bad corporation" on these kinds of issues. You're always welcome to come back.

[KhaN]

Next time you guys want items icons ... just send me a mail, would have save you a few days of work

Concerning contents needed for OpenEQ, you will also need sounds/musics. Models are not the biggest part of contents, zone is, and to be honest, if a model(NPC/Items) software like OZ would have existed, this would make a long time i would have make items / npc models for world of alkora

[daeken_bb]

Originally Posted by KhaN

Next time you guys want items icons ... just send me a mail, would have save you a few days of work

Concerning contents needed for OpenEQ, you will also need sounds/musics. Models are not the biggest part of contents, zone is, and to be honest, if a model(NPC/Items) software like OZ would have existed, this would make a long time i would have make items / npc models for world of alkora

I have sounds and music covered. Most of my friends are musicians, so that's not an issue by any means

[Sakrateri]

I assure you there will be much more rewards although in a longer amount of time if this is all of your own work. However there is much time to be gained by using anothers finished work and adding to it, One thing to look at is the life span of EQ , Will Sony really be pushing this horse much longer ? and if not then do the zones of old just sit and rot never to be seen again ? You can make money off a horse if it runs of its own accord , when you have got to get behind it and start pushing then its time to put it out to pasture. Im not saying using their stuff is good or bad or legal or not , Im just thinking aloud here.

[Raggnarokh]

why do u say that u havent paid for the Eq developements work ( soz if my english isnt great ) u have paid the original Eq Cds (the same as everyone here i think) so , u really can use that stuff u have payed for ...
i am talking as a programmer aswell... so , think again about this


See u all around mates , take care =)

[shamanistik]

Well, considering how Everquest is (and I am pretty sure Brad Mc Quaid dont get money anymore..) I feel pretty happy about this OpenEQ/EQemu, for one and simple reason..


The Mc Quaid team surely have put a lot of work in Everquest, and it was an amazing game, they built EQ till Luclin, maybe PoP.. but even if they was working on it, I am sure they had lost a lot of decision power..

EQ had once an history, Kunark made me go crazy playing 12 hours a day, sleeping 3 for months.. the lore, the gods, the history of their people.. was just amazing.

Now what EQ is?? with PoP it started to be a "show me I have loot" game.. the Lore and I would even say the essence of the game started to be replaced..
They launch expansions like in a factory, good or not? people will buy it..
Kill mobs bigger and bigger, I dont know even why, I don't care because it drop 360 HP loot..

I remember the time when someone had a loot from VP, it was surely a skilled player, now I see people not even knowing who Kerafyrm is, or who is the god that created the trolls, showing and linking their 300+ items..

Now talk about game support, where are the GMs??
I knew it was possible to do amazing events, I know it for ages, now I ran my own server and see the panel of commands they have, its just discusting.. at least 1 GM online at regular hours per server wouldn't be too much for 8 / 12 $ per account and per month, don't you think?

I am still playing on EQ because of the friends I made, and because I love the old lore, history

So if I can bring my friends to my server, custom it for fun with good lore on old zones, with decent loot that is actually meaning something, and being able to do events like nobody ever seen one on EQ.. HELL yeah, I love EQemu..


Sorry about my english, probably made mistakes (I learn'd english by playing EQ)

PS: anyway I understand you man, but just saying I feel like Sony is kinda abusing with a software they didn't really made, keeping it alive with no cares of what it was, for money..