Texture use and misappropriation

Colin_K · November 2002

I have not yet had a chance to play Natural Selection, but I have heard very good things about it.

That said, I find it utterly inexcusable that in the FAQ on this site it stakes a claim toward exclusive ownership to the textures used in the maps when several screenshots quite obviously are using textures from <a href="http://shaderlab.com" target="_blank">Ydnar's Shaderlab</a>. I haven't pored over every page on this site, but I have yet to see that fact acknowledged or Ydnar thanked in any way.

This may well simply be an oversight, and if that's case I'll offer up some congratulations when the sitation is corrected.

JediYoshi · November 2002

Well, it's not like the can only use the offical textures in their maps <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>

Merkaba · November 2002

All the shaderlab textures were originally in ns_bast.wad, and were used with permission from Shaderlab. At some point all these textures were mistakenly put into the ns.wad.(probably an attempt to reduce the amount of texture wads used.)

We don't claim any ownership to these textures or any others which weren't the creation of any of the dev team members.

Unfortunately it would be extremely difficult to correct ns.wad so these textures are removed, as many mappers will be using the textures from ns.wad, and if we delete them all then many maps would be 'broken' as they would be looking for textures which aren't there. That is, unless the maps also load up ns_bast.wad, but it can't be guarrenteed that all maps using these textures also be using ns_bast.wad.

Colin_K · November 2002

I guess you're missing my point.

This from ydnar's website:

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Usage and redistribution policy: Textures may be freely downloaded, modified, and used in free maps, mods or total conversions provided this copyright notice is left intact and a link to Shaderlab is provided in the credits or read-me file.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

If there is a credit to ydnar and shaderlab that I'm missing, then my apologies to the Natural Selection crew. I couldn't find one.

The NS FAQ makes it clear that the textures used in the game are not to be used in anyway that "does not support Natural Selection". The implication here is that they own the artwork contained in the game, which in the case of ydnar's textures, is false.

Furthermore, using his textures without giving him credit is a tacitly claiming his work as the work of the NS team. This is one of the worst things an artist can do, outside of actually putting the work in your portfolio and explicitly taking credit for it. It's despicable.

But like I said before, this may simply be an oversight. I hope it is.

Merkaba · November 2002

Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound as though everything was fine. We made a mistake. Fear not, the problem will be rectified ASAP.

Thanks for pointing it out <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

Colin_K · November 2002

I was working on that above reply when Merkaba made his post, so I didn't see it till after it was finished.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">All the shaderlab textures were originally in ns_bast.wad, and were used with permission from Shaderlab. At some point all these textures were mistakenly put into the ns.wad.(probably an attempt to reduce the amount of texture wads used.)</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>

So it <b>is</b> just an oversight that ydnar isn't credited. That's totally understandable and excusable.

'nuff respect.

Relic25 · November 2002

It wasn't overlooked. I had full credit given to shaderlab in the ns_bast.txt, but <b>this</b> was accidentally left out of the distribution. Not a single one of us ever claimed rights to those textures. I was the one who brought them into NS, I made fully sure to contact the real artist to ask full permission, and it was given. This text file that gives credit where credit is due WILL be included ASAP.

Now go back to playing and leave us alone. <img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'>

Squeal_Like_A_Pig · November 2002

And, I know that I, for one, have mentioneed numerous times on these forums that those particular few textures were not mine but had been taken (with permission) from Ydnar's Shaderlab library. I have never sought to take credit for those textures, or any other work that wasn't mine, and have gone out of my way many times to make sure I properly acknowledged where they came from.

Texture use and misappropriation

Comments