http://sourceforge.net/projects/freecnc
Pretty much dead though.
since noth can't be supported here are others
Moderator: ScummVM Team
ROTFLdb92 wrote:1) i only pay in EUR currency and
2)if i were to pay such a thing, i would just pay another experienced guy to do that, ur waaay too expensive
Riiiight. You don't really know how much an experienced well-trained programmer is paid, right? Especially one skilled at reverse engineering? Not talking about the problem finding one of those experienced with this kind of project (lack of that experience easily adds a couple more months to the project, and a proportional amount of money)... I think I actually know a lot of them
.That said, I initially wanted to complain that sev is ruining the market with his low prices...
.Yes, with $20000 you might indeed be able buy the source, at least in some cases. Or rather, you could use it to pay the lawyer who determines the legal state of a the source
The problem with unclear legal status due to sublicenses given to distributors, use of licensed libraries etc. caused major problems; companies which were interested in giving us the source didn't do it because it would cost them $$$ to make sure they actually were *allowed* to give us the source to their own programs...
The problem with unclear legal status due to sublicenses given to distributors, use of licensed libraries etc. caused major problems; companies which were interested in giving us the source didn't do it because it would cost them $$$ to make sure they actually were *allowed* to give us the source to their own programs...
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eriktorbjorn
- ScummVM Developer
- Posts: 3560
- Joined: Mon Oct 31, 2005 7:39 am
The only such case I've heard of was Blender, which apparently cost 100,000 EUR. That wasn't an adventure game, though...pi wrote:So seriously, how much would it cost to make clear the legal status of said sources? Maybe we should start a fundraise for that
It largely depends on whether you end up dealing with a company or individuals. Also, of course, whether you are a non-profit group like us... or a company that already has legal staff on retainer. But as with anything, you could always spend more money.
The example below could take from 3-12 months for us. Paying someone $10,000 to go and do it would probably take far less time :)
1. If the developer of a game is no longer in operation, the first step is trying to determine if the rights have defaulted to anyone. A publisher, they may have been included as assets in a takeover or split, they may have defaulted to the authors. This usually involves hunting down long-lost developers in weird and exotic locations doing jobs that can be completely unrelated to computers. And then trying to get in contact with them!
Of course, that is merely the opening volley of what could be a long line of investigations. On the other side, the main use of money apart from paying someone to do all the hard work, is to grease the wheels. This is usually only needed when dealing with companies.. or licensed games (eg, based off a book written by a 3rd party - you'll have to negotiate with the owner of the IP too).
One last example:
Company E has obtained the rights to Game ? after acquiring Company W.
Most people at company E are quite happy to give the code away, but it never really manages to kick off. Since everyone is being payed wages at the company, doing anything costs money and thus must be justified. As soon as somebody thinks the rights situation might be complicated, it becomes too hard to justify and is thrown on the backburner.
This is all worked around, thanks to some very persistant people. After all the legal right issues with the game were resolved, one old problem still remains - who's going to pay the company E techs to retrieve the code from company Ws backup tapes? Well, actually, that isn't quite true, that last bit mainly comes down to silly company internal policies. Now getting around THOSE, that can cost $100,000 :)
The example below could take from 3-12 months for us. Paying someone $10,000 to go and do it would probably take far less time :)
1. If the developer of a game is no longer in operation, the first step is trying to determine if the rights have defaulted to anyone. A publisher, they may have been included as assets in a takeover or split, they may have defaulted to the authors. This usually involves hunting down long-lost developers in weird and exotic locations doing jobs that can be completely unrelated to computers. And then trying to get in contact with them!
Of course, that is merely the opening volley of what could be a long line of investigations. On the other side, the main use of money apart from paying someone to do all the hard work, is to grease the wheels. This is usually only needed when dealing with companies.. or licensed games (eg, based off a book written by a 3rd party - you'll have to negotiate with the owner of the IP too).
One last example:
Company E has obtained the rights to Game ? after acquiring Company W.
Most people at company E are quite happy to give the code away, but it never really manages to kick off. Since everyone is being payed wages at the company, doing anything costs money and thus must be justified. As soon as somebody thinks the rights situation might be complicated, it becomes too hard to justify and is thrown on the backburner.
This is all worked around, thanks to some very persistant people. After all the legal right issues with the game were resolved, one old problem still remains - who's going to pay the company E techs to retrieve the code from company Ws backup tapes? Well, actually, that isn't quite true, that last bit mainly comes down to silly company internal policies. Now getting around THOSE, that can cost $100,000 :)