Yep, patents have a span of something like 7 or 9 years. I forget.
Well, AGN seems to be divided on this issue. I guess the majority says Yea, but it's too close to call.
An idea crazy enough...
I think we should have the consent of all ZC developers before we attempt something like this.
Perhaps we should consider advertising somewhere other than Nintendo Power? I've noticed that almost no Zelda sites mention ZC at all (unless the site is dedicated to ZC)...
MoonCheese wrote:Perhaps we should consider advertising somewhere other than Nintendo Power? I've noticed that almost no Zelda sites mention ZC at all (unless the site is dedicated to ZC)...
Zelda Dungeon is a good fan site. We could see if we could have ZC put up in their fan section.
:eyebrow:
Zelda Dungeon and Zelda Classic already are affiliates. Why would we need to put something in the fan section?
Pineconn wrote::eyebrow:
Zelda Dungeon and Zelda Classic already are affiliates. Why would we need to put something in the fan section?
They are? Wait, I think I remember something like that. Well, then we alreadr have a good affiliate. Now we just need to become affiliates with every single Zelda fan site on the internet! This could take a while.
Ya, I actually found out about ZC from Zelda Dungeon.
*Entering the conversation*
We could just affiliate with every Zelda related site out there. I can't see why they'd say no, and hey, publicity is publicity.
It's a bit of work, but just firing off emails should be enough.
(Wow, my spellcheck approves "emails"? Go figure.)
E-mail, email, whatever. I prefer e-mail.
Well, I suppose more affiliation would be excellent, but I'm not about to do so without administrator approval. I imagine I could get ZC affiliated with ZeldaPower relatively easily (since I used to be an active member there, now I just poke in and out; I also happen to be well-acquainted with the ZP administrator).
But yeah, affiliation would be much safer than an announcement in Nintendo's official magazine, but likely not as effective.
Oh yeah, nowhere near as good publicity. But also about 1000 times less the danger.
I guess what I'm saying is "Why not?"
Amaster42 wrote:Oh yeah, nowhere near as good publicity. But also about 1000 times less the danger.
I guess what I'm saying is "Why not?"
I agree with you. Maybe somebody could create an article about ZC on the Zelda wiki. There are a bunch of fan sites we could afiliate with. It might not be as effective, but we don't have to risk Nintendo shutting ZC down.
A few things to clarify:
ZC was not reverse engineered to my knowledge. Reverse engineering would be looking at the game's code and deriving your engine from that code. What occurred here was a rough, if faithful, approximation of how ZC worked based on observation of the game itself. Besides that, the legality of reverse-engineering software is something that has yet to be made concrete.
Thus, the entire engine is custom and built from scratch. The only illegal part of the software are any use of trademark (thus the name itself) and the use of ripped NES/SNES graphics and of the original songs, even in MIDI form. As far as custom quests go, I believe that user-created content of that nature falls under fair use. On the other hand, Marvel *did* try to sue the makers of City of Heroes since their character creation system allowed users to violate copyright, and it was settled in court. However, the main issue in this case was that Marvel was creating their own Superhero based MMO. So unless Nintendo is planning on a 2D Zelda game with user-created content, I don't think they care.
In the hypothetical case that we get a C&D, it would be as simple as gutting out any trademark and copyright infringing graphics and sounds and renaming the program. A similar thing happened when Graal when it used to be Zelda Online. Then again, I believe they charged people in that game, whereas, as DD said, as long as we control ZC it's going to stay free.
As far as trying to get ZC advertised in NP, I don't have a personal problem with it, but I still recommend everyone to err on the side of caution. Of course, as DD also said, we can't control what our loyal fanbase does 😉
There is one big difference here though. No one is profiting from ZC. As long as that stays true, I don't see why Nintendo would have a problem with it overall. They aren't losing any money. If anything ZC is maintaining popularity in the Zelda series and that is benefiting them more.
That being said, I am still not sure how good of an idea it is to advertise in NP. They know we exist. ZC has been featured on a tech TV show once. I can't remember the name but I know a video has been floating around somewhere on the internet. Also the many videos on youtube that show the program would be a giveaway as well. Even though I don't think Nintendo would come after ZC, I don't want them to find a reason to either.
There is one big difference here though. No one is profiting from ZC. As long as that stays true, I don't see why Nintendo would have a problem with it overall. They aren't losing any money.
True, but they also aren't gaining any money either. If ZC infringes their copyright, and they sue for ownership, then they can sell it, thus making money.
Amaster42 wrote:True, but they also aren't gaining any money either. If ZC infringes their copyright, and they sue for ownership, then they can sell it, thus making money.
On second thought, it might not be such a bad idea. They would probably put it on the DS and Wii. ZC would be forever free of allegro limitations! Of course, it would probably cost a lot too.
No-one would buy it, and we'd just be ZCless.
Joe123 wrote:No-one would buy it, and we'd just be ZCless.
I bet some people would buy it. I know I would. Think of it, you are on your Wii at the Wii shop channel. The new hotest product is called Zelda Classic, It says, "Relive the original Zelda game, as well as make your very own ones. Use professional new features to make quest like these (followed by links to Hero of Dreams, Lost Isle, Link to the Heavens, Key to the Heavens, etc.) Only 500 Wii points! Buy now!" That would be a pretty big lure to people.
Oh, you mean if Nintendo were to market it as one of their products?
I'd buy it if that happened, but I don't think it would.
Also, some people wouldn't want to buy a Wii just to play a game they'd otherwise be able to play on their computers. I pretty much lost interest in consoles when every game turned 3D, now the only newer games I play are for PC or handhelds. The Wii interests me somewhat, but only for the Virtual Console feature, and I'd rather not spend the money just for that.
You should buy a Wii. They are awesome! Even the Wii Sports game that comes with it is fun. But it has such great games! But that's off topic.
Making an effort to try to make every Zelda site on the Net aware of ZC sounds like a far better idea as far as pubicity goes. Then at least we wouldn't be waving ZC over the heart of the forge. -- Pteryx
Does anyone find it odd that Zelda Classic links to TSA's former website "ZHQ" (now "The Hylia"😉, but this site doesn't have a link to Zelda Classic?
Pineconn wrote:Does anyone find it odd that Zelda Classic links to TSA's former website "ZHQ" (now "The Hylia"😉, but this site doesn't have a link to Zelda Classic?
Hm, that's strange. We should see if they will link to ZC's website.
It's not like TSA (who really doesn't manage that site anymore) would say, "No, screw you guys, I've never heard of you before in my life."
So I see that we're torn between "It's a good idea" and "I have no idea." Yay, decisiveness!
I think getting affiliations with other sites is a better option than advertising in Nintendo Power. There are so many Zelda fans who probably go to other Zelda sites who have never even heard of ZC. No Zelda fan I've met in real life has claimed to know what ZC is, either. ZC seems to hide itself, it took me a long time to find it myself.