Xorak on 2/3/2014 at 03:54

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It'd bother me if I was still around and someone changed my missions without asking (not that someone would ever do that anyways), but if in ten years my missions become broken and I'm not around, I wouldn't mind if someone fixed any bugs or issues with them. I want players to get the most out of my missions, and play it as it was intended to be played.

zacharias on 2/3/2014 at 15:14

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We don't drive fan missions to work :p If you're gonna make an analogy, use like for like, i.e. another creative work.

I still say you should get permission for any 'fix' or modification.
Also the poll is flawed, people are giving multiple answers that contradict each other.

R Soul on 2/3/2014 at 16:25

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Guilty. I was tired and read the first two as 'fix broken loot' and 'fix anything else that's broken'. :o

Broken things should be objectives that don't work. I think anything else should only be fixed if there's a compelling case. I don't think relighting should be done because there could be something like a secret door that blends in perfectly using the old system, and is revealed by 32 bit lighting.

FireMage on 2/3/2014 at 18:37

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Gentlemen, this conversation is a dead-end! Nobody is listening to anybody...

We are talking about rights to fix fun missions, but I can see that some people are critising the poll! But we don't care about the poll!

The only thing to do is to think about the fix and the rights! The best way is to contact the author and get a simple permission, but sometimes, the guys never answer and their missions remains cool and interesting above all unless the bugs, then, it is a pity to see that we cannot "save" the work because of the rights!

I'm not saying that Ricebug is right, but I think that there is something to do for some missions when the author never answer.
After, I understand all the fears and the disagreements, because we could have some taffers who will create one hundred versions... that could be very annoying, or will modify some stuff that works before...
I know that If I see one of my fun mission modified, even if the man say that this one is mine and that he just fix the bugs without sending me a mail or PM about that project, I will be surprised but I won't be very happy...

IMO, we could do it, to fix all bugs, and missing loot, but nothing more. And the author must be mailed before to make him aware about it, and get the permission.
If he never answern we could consider that he don't care, or that he can't do anything about it, so, I think that we could do it too without his permission, excepted if he said that he will be absent for a time or that he get an IRL trouble, then, that will be understandable if he can't answer. But if he suddenly left the comminuty, we could consider that he has abandonned his missions, so what's matter? And if he go back, he will see obviously all his old messages and if he finaly disagree, then, we could just deleted the fixed version.

About luminosity quality: Never touch without a permission because it's a visual render exactely like the skies, the textures or the architecture. Changing it is fixing the mission no more.

Firemage has talked!

;)

LarryG on 2/3/2014 at 19:51

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Let us assume:

Scenario 1
1. There is a misplaced loot item such that it cannot be collected in Mission A.
2. An attempt is made to contact Mission A's author by TTLG PM & email.
3. No reply is made within a month.
4. The fix is made by someone and posted.
5. The mission author resurfaces in 3 years.

Scenario 2
1. There is an optional objective which cannot be met in Mission A.
2. An attempt is made to contact Mission A's author by TTLG PM & email.
3. No reply is made within a month.
4. The fix is made by someone and posted.
5. The mission author resurfaces in 3 years.

Scenario 3
1. There is a "poorly textured" brush in Mission A.
2. An attempt is made to contact Mission A's author by TTLG PM & email.
3. No reply is made within a month.
4. The fix is made by someone and posted.
5. The mission author resurfaces in 3 years.

Scenario 4
1. Players complain about it too hard to get by a guard in Mission A.
2. An attempt is made to contact Mission A's author by TTLG PM & email.
3. No reply is made within a month.
4. The fix is made by someone and posted.
5. The mission author resurfaces in 3 years.


Does the author have any right to be pissed about any of these scenarios? What if the author resurfaces in 3 months? What if the author resurfaces in 10 years?

My question is "What gives anyone other than the author the right to modify the author's work without permission?"

Does the passage of time weaken an author's rights? If so how much time must pass? Personally, I believe that copyright law should be our guide (European Union & US: life of the author plus 70 years). I can understand how some might find that excessive for these types of works, but it does have the advantage of actually being the pertaining law.

Does the severity of the tampering make a difference if no permission is given? If so, how do you determine how much tampering is acceptable? Well, there is such a thing as a derivative work in copyright law. This is when a new work includes major, copyright-protected elements of an original, previously created first work. For this new work to be considered a separate, independent work, the transformation, modification or adaption of the original source work must be substantial and bear its own author's personality. (ref. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derivative_work))

This is what US law ((http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/101) The Copyright Act, at 17 U.S.C. §101) says about derivative works:



So, if I read this right, if you make enough editorial revisions and/or elaborations, such that it represents an original work, you can claim it as a derivative with your own name as author.

So. If you want to fix the mission, don't stop there. Go ahead and make all the revisions and elaborations and other changes you want to make that mission "better" then claim it as your own mission giving credit to the original author as inspiration.

My point is if you muck about with someone else's work, it stops being their work and becomes something else. At best it is a collaboration (if you have permission). But if you change it without permission, you had jolly well change it enough to make it your original (if derivative) work. Otherwise, hands off.