Verification of the game by closed-source programs to prevent cheating in open source programs will also have the same problem as checking model consistency: blocking acceptable modifications. For example, with models, one could make just a different style of model, or a glow in the dark with spikes model. In the game, you could make an aimbot, but maybe you just wanted to put the health counter on the side of the screen instead of at the bottom. Either way, a consistency check will flag both the reasonable and unreasonable mods. Basically, the question is if you want all players to be locked in to the standard game, or allow them to modify it. If the second option wasn't favoured by at least some companies, we wouldn't have NS right now.
<!--QuoteBegin--wlibaers+Apr 1 2003, 01:03 PM--></span><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (wlibaers @ Apr 1 2003, 01:03 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Verification of the game by closed-source programs to prevent cheating in open source programs will also have the same problem as checking model consistency: blocking acceptable modifications. For example, with models, one could make just a different style of model, or a glow in the dark with spikes model. In the game, you could make an aimbot, but maybe you just wanted to put the health counter on the side of the screen instead of at the bottom. Either way, a consistency check will flag both the reasonable and unreasonable mods. Basically, the question is if you want all players to be locked in to the standard game, or allow them to modify it. If the second option wasn't favoured by at least some companies, we wouldn't have NS right now. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> There should be a server-side switch that allows the server to block any mods whatsoever, like with Q3's "TrueQuake" option. (Forgive me if I'm wrong about the name, it was a long time ago.) Servers that conform to "TrueNS" or whatever game the system applies to will have a special icon or something in the server browser, so players will know they're playing the game as it was meant to be. People who want to mod the game are allowed to do so, but will not earn the seal of approval. As far as Valve still making money, does anybody have any recent sales figures? Their retail sales still can't be THAT great that it would really hurt them financially. Even if they do release the source, like I said in my previous post, some will still continue to buy hl in retail, they have to get the pak file and all the art assets and stuff somehow.
KungFuSquirrelBasher of MuttonsJoin Date: 2002-01-26Member: 103Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
Keep in mind, too, that developers <b>don't see</b> most of the money that comes from retail sales. Publishers take a huge portion of the profits, and fund development houses in return. My guess is Valve is making little to nothing from HL itself right now while Sierra/Vivendi still racks in some decent cash from sales that are still pretty strong.
The fact that Valve still exists and is now 80+ employees strong shows that they clearly ARE still getting funding... but why would a publisher continue steady funding to a company not currently working on developing something new for them? Exactly. They wouldn't. They're tossing that money in Valve in the assumption that it'll come back even moreso in the end.
You can rest assured that Valve's next-gen title/engine will not be too far off from what we see now. I've of course not seen it or heard anything about it, but think about it for a second... Would it make sense for a company to build a new game and/or game engine that isn't compatible with the tools and methods they already use? They're going to be making these things to be as easy on them as possible ("easy" is still a term used lightly here when it comes to engine changes), but I imagine that whatever they give us next will be akin to (in function) UT2K3 compared to UT. Very similar development flow, similar software, just improved graphics, renderer, features, etc. I'd find it highly unlikely (and highly stupid, to boot) that we wouldn't see something that will allow <i>relatively</i> easy porting of mods.
People complain enough about not having a new title yet. Let's not bother petitioning these people about menial limits and let them do their work for once. People are doing amazing things with HL well within these limits. Don't let numbers stifle your creativity.
Comments
Upping the hl limitations will never happen it is there for a reason too much work for little gain for valve to modify it to work with higher limit
Basically, the question is if you want all players to be locked in to the standard game, or allow them to modify it. If the second option wasn't favoured by at least some companies, we wouldn't have NS right now.
Basically, the question is if you want all players to be locked in to the standard game, or allow them to modify it. If the second option wasn't favoured by at least some companies, we wouldn't have NS right now. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><span class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
There should be a server-side switch that allows the server to block any mods whatsoever, like with Q3's "TrueQuake" option. (Forgive me if I'm wrong about the name, it was a long time ago.) Servers that conform to "TrueNS" or whatever game the system applies to will have a special icon or something in the server browser, so players will know they're playing the game as it was meant to be. People who want to mod the game are allowed to do so, but will not earn the seal of approval. As far as Valve still making money, does anybody have any recent sales figures? Their retail sales still can't be THAT great that it would really hurt them financially. Even if they do release the source, like I said in my previous post, some will still continue to buy hl in retail, they have to get the pak file and all the art assets and stuff somehow.
The fact that Valve still exists and is now 80+ employees strong shows that they clearly ARE still getting funding... but why would a publisher continue steady funding to a company not currently working on developing something new for them? Exactly. They wouldn't. They're tossing that money in Valve in the assumption that it'll come back even moreso in the end.
You can rest assured that Valve's next-gen title/engine will not be too far off from what we see now. I've of course not seen it or heard anything about it, but think about it for a second... Would it make sense for a company to build a new game and/or game engine that isn't compatible with the tools and methods they already use? They're going to be making these things to be as easy on them as possible ("easy" is still a term used lightly here when it comes to engine changes), but I imagine that whatever they give us next will be akin to (in function) UT2K3 compared to UT. Very similar development flow, similar software, just improved graphics, renderer, features, etc. I'd find it highly unlikely (and highly stupid, to boot) that we wouldn't see something that will allow <i>relatively</i> easy porting of mods.
People complain enough about not having a new title yet. Let's not bother petitioning these people about menial limits and let them do their work for once. People are doing amazing things with HL well within these limits. Don't let numbers stifle your creativity.