LBA Copyright - where to ask for permission?

[Proxx]

Hello everybody,

for over a year now, I am working on a private project that is strongly related to LBA. It is a game editor for creating and playing self made LBA stories and includes models and textures that are imitating the original LBA game content - but with far more details and in a better resolution. I use especially the name "Twinsen" for the mail character and clearly want to build up on the LBA universe.

Now, who do I need to aks if I am allowed to publish this as a fan project? I see a lot of Twinsen models here or even game remakes, but I am not sure if I break some copyright law by simply publishing my "Little Big Adventure Game Editor".

Who do you have asked?

[lba07]

I think it's fine to just post it! The games are so old by now, and fan made stuff like this is what keeps the game alive! Do it!

[Angelus]

From what I know you could put this into group of modding tools and fan made content. I don't think anybody would make you problems about this as long as you :

• don't make original game standalone (you can play your modify Lba without Lba).
• you don't have any financial gain from it.

Personally I think connecting this project with original data could be nice (i.e. you are able to edit maps but to be able play you need original game).

With games (especially remakes) it is a little bit different story because you recreate game. So you using somebody else work (universe, design, graphics) as base to your work and for this you need approval of rights owner.

Also you need to take into account if owners of rights want at some point to create new game or recreate old one you are like competing with them so they have rights to stop your project.

[xesf]

As far as you mention the game copyrights and you clearly state it is base in LBA it's fine. Also you can't take profit out of it.

Really interesting to see what you have done.

[Proxx]

Thanks for your replies.

My project will definetly be a stand alone game that will run without any original LBA files.

@Angelus: I think my project is comparable to yours. I am developing my own graphics and game engine but a am about to remodel some elements of the original game. Your project is extreme in this sense: you are copying the whole game without changing the story, but lifting it up to a contemporary look and feel. By the way: its a really cool project and it looks fantastic. Did you aks for permission for this? And if, who did you ask? I am not sure who holds the copyright on the game.


To show a little bit of my project, you find a screenshot attached. I am building an editor application that allows both modelling the game story and a physical world to play in.



The upper left section is for rough story planing. The user can define chapters, sequences and scenes. The terms are lead from movie storyboarding, because I think LBA is a bit like an interaktive movie. ;-)
The section on the lower left side is a place to refine a scene. It is done by a state machine. This is actually the definition of game flow. The user defines a set of game states and connects them. A transition from one state to another is triggered by key inputs, regions that twinsen enters or time constraints. Each enter or leave of a state triggers an action that changes the game world. The concept of modeling the game logic as a state machine is lead from my bachelor thesis I wrote some years ago.
The bottom right section is a place to model a set. A set is a part of the physical game, like twinsens house or an island. The user can place walls, floors, lights and regions (for the moment).
The section at the upper right is a live preview of the game. Clicking on "run" will start the state machines. Twinsen will be controlled here by keyboard (not yet implemented) and interact with the world like it is modelled in the state machines and set editor.
Ok, after I read my long text here I think it might by hard to imagine how this all works together. Mayme I will publish this some day or make some videos like angelus on that to show you more.

[Angelus]

So if you moving in this direction I would still recommend you to ask for permission (I asked Frédérick Raynal here on forum using PM). But I don't think there will be any problem wit this.

@Proxx You are right I changing whole technical side and big part of gameplay, the story changes are mostly tweaking and refreshing. I do this that way because I do remake not my own game in the Twinsen universe.

About the work you show you are right :] I think that I have concept of what you do but well probably with time and next information you will give your intention will start to be even cleaner. Right now I think it starting to get shape. So keep it up :]

[Proxx]

Thanks for the answers. :-)

After the birth of my son (yay!!!) I now want to get back to my projectc - step by step. How exciting are the days!

I tried to contact Frédérik Raynal by the contact form on http://www.ludoid.fr/ but today I coincidentally found an "Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender" mail in my spam folder. What is his name in this forum? Is he reading private messages here or does anybody know how to better contact him?

[TommyGun]

Nice to see you excited about the project. Go ahead and do not worry about legal issues. I don't think any of the original authors will be offended by someone creating fan content. =)