34 replies to this topic

[James The Fox Dixon]

The textures for the HD update for an older is always a new texture. The old ones would be pixelated to the point of not being able to discern what they look like. It's the same thing with taking any picture that has a 640x480 resolution and rescaling it to 1920x1080. It'll be pixelated to the point that the picture looks like random dots.

[Valdarion Silarius]

Assault Tech 1:Battletech was turning out to be a Mechwarrior 2 remake with a few additional mechs and 3060+ accessible tech. Until *ahem* some company that we all know and love decided to pull the plug on them.

[Vellron2005]

I wonder if PGI has the legal power to simply remaster MW1-MW4:Mercs..

And if they do.. would it be good for them to do so?

If they ported those games into the new engine, and replaced the models with existing mechs from MWO.. It would be a very fun addition!

I'm sure MANY people would love that..

[Metus regem]

Vellron2005, on 23 May 2017 - 11:26 PM, said:

I wonder if PGI has the legal power to simply remaster MW1-MW4:Mercs..

And if they do.. would it be good for them to do so?

If they ported those games into the new engine, and replaced the models with existing mechs from MWO.. It would be a very fun addition!

I'm sure MANY people would love that..

-sigh- as we've been discussing, remaster isn't what would happen, none of the assets are in a positon to be updated, they are simply too old and too out of date (low polygon count / low res textures)... they would be remakes from the ground up.

The legal question is a bit murky, as MW 2 (31st/GBL/Mercs) are owned by Activision, but Activision doesn't have the rights to make games using "Mech Warrior". That is owned by Microsoft, but Microsoft doesn't own the files to make MW 1-2, they do how ever own the files for MW 3 (and Pirate's Moon) as well as MW 4 (Vengeance/BK/Mercs). PGI got a license from Microsoft to make MWO and MW 5 from Microsoft, as Microsoft sees it as a tainted IP, thanks to the way the BT community in large reacted to the Mech Assault series (not favorably), as that is the only reason I can come up with as to why Microsoft has let the IP rot since the last Game Boy version of Mech Assault / MW 4.

Trust me it gets really, really murky with how the BT IP got divied up after FASA went under...

Iron Wind Metals has the rights to make the models

CGL has the right to make Table Top games / merchindise

Microsoft has the rights to the name "Mech Warrior" (hence why the RPG for CBT changed names, as it was originally called Mech Warrior) as well as all digital games for "Mech Warrior".

[Sleepyboy14]

cazidin, on 23 May 2017 - 10:22 AM, said:

Greetings MechWarriors. Today I have a simple question. A clever modder is in the process of porting Elder Scrolls II:Daggerfall into the Unity engine. Naturally, this made me curious. Would it be possible to port any of the assets* from MW:III or MW:IV into a modern engine to add HD graphics, resolution, shaders, etc?

*Assuming that you already own a copy of the game, do not intend to sell the work, and will obey any further laws required. I neither encourage or condone illegal use of software or assets created within, for, or in the general vicinity of.

I would like to see MW: II given HD update with the Unity engine and if Activision agrees with it.

[cazidin]

Metus regem, on 24 May 2017 - 07:17 AM, said:

-sigh- as we've been discussing, remaster isn't what would happen, none of the assets are in a positon to be updated, they are simply too old and too out of date (low polygon count / low res textures)... they would be remakes from the ground up.

The legal question is a bit murky, as MW 2 (31st/GBL/Mercs) are owned by Activision, but Activision doesn't have the rights to make games using "Mech Warrior". That is owned by Microsoft, but Microsoft doesn't own the files to make MW 1-2, they do how ever own the files for MW 3 (and Pirate's Moon) as well as MW 4 (Vengeance/BK/Mercs). PGI got a license from Microsoft to make MWO and MW 5 from Microsoft, as Microsoft sees it as a tainted IP, thanks to the way the BT community in large reacted to the Mech Assault series (not favorably), as that is the only reason I can come up with as to why Microsoft has let the IP rot since the last Game Boy version of Mech Assault / MW 4.

Trust me it gets really, really murky with how the BT IP got divied up after FASA went under...

Iron Wind Metals has the rights to make the models

CGL has the right to make Table Top games / merchindise

Microsoft has the rights to the name "Mech Warrior" (hence why the RPG for CBT changed names, as it was originally called Mech Warrior) as well as all digital games for "Mech Warrior".

The old MechWarrior games are basically in copyright hell and, unfortunately, it sounds like the only way to recreate it would be to have a medium sized team or it'd take years?

[Metus regem]

cazidin, on 24 May 2017 - 07:46 AM, said:

The old MechWarrior games are basically in copyright hell and, unfortunately, it sounds like the only way to recreate it would be to have a medium sized team or it'd take years?

Medium sized team and take years would be more likely... MW 2 maps were sizeable and very open with a lot going on... I remember one mission in MW2; Mercs, where working for the Combine you had to escort an APC through a city, the mission took a good 15-20 miunets to do, as said APC came under attack a few times by people with rocket launchers (yes rocket launchers not SRM launchers)... man was I glad that I had MG's on that mech... too bad I found out after the mission that I was used to suppress a fracking food riot...

[cazidin]

Metus regem, on 24 May 2017 - 07:56 AM, said:

Medium sized team and take years would be more likely... MW 2 maps were sizeable and very open with a lot going on... I remember one mission in MW2; Mercs, where working for the Combine you had to escort an APC through a city, the mission took a good 15-20 miunets to do, as said APC came under attack a few times by people with rocket launchers (yes rocket launchers not SRM launchers)... man was I glad that I had MG's on that mech... too bad I found out after the mission that I was used to suppress a fracking food riot...

This idea is sounding less and less appealing. What's the rules on Kickstarters to resurrect old games*?

*For purposes of legal clarity, yes. That's a joke.

[SmokedJag]

cazidin, on 24 May 2017 - 07:46 AM, said:

The old MechWarrior games are basically in copyright hell and, unfortunately, it sounds like the only way to recreate it would be to have a medium sized team or it'd take years?

Copyright aside, they're old, old games. Mercs is from 1996, that's two decades ago. Mechwarrior 4 Mercs is 2002, fifteen years ago. So 15+ years of computer development generations. Everything about them is archaic. The graphic assets would have to be redone from scratch. The AI would have to be done from scratch (since there wasn't any). The in-game cinematics look terrible at modern resolutions. The animation never had anything like 30-60 frames per second in mind.

It's a whole new game.

Edited by SmokedJag, 24 May 2017 - 08:19 AM.

[Metus regem]

cazidin, on 24 May 2017 - 08:15 AM, said:

This idea is sounding less and less appealing. What's the rules on Kickstarters to resurrect old games*?

*For purposes of legal clarity, yes. That's a joke.

That's the real question... they are all considered abandoned ware now... my guess is you would need to get a license from Microsoft, and that could be problematic if PGI secured one in such a way as they are the only party allowed to make something using that IP, if not, then it would be a matter of legal and financial deals with Microsoft, I would imagine Microsoft would want either a flat dollar amount or a percentage of sales. I think percentage of sales might be easier to swing, as for Microsoft it could be a source of long term revenue.

After that the next step would be to contact Activision to see if they would be okay with you lifting the story from their games, or failing that get a copy of the TT source books that cover those events and write a story for each mission that follows the events accordingly, with out it being a direct copy as to avoid plagiarism.


After those hurdles had been cleared, you should be in the green for making this project a go, provided you have the resources such an undertaking would require. If the legal coverage or funding is an issue, perhaps seek a publisher to cover those aspects, if you had worked out a percentage of sales agreement with Microsoft, offer them a larger percentage in hopes that they would take on the role of the publisher. This would give you a good distribution network as well as funding and legal shelter.

[cazidin]

Metus regem, on 24 May 2017 - 08:29 AM, said:

That's the real question... they are all considered abandoned ware now... my guess is you would need to get a license from Microsoft, and that could be problematic if PGI secured one in such a way as they are the only party allowed to make something using that IP, if not, then it would be a matter of legal and financial deals with Microsoft, I would imagine Microsoft would want either a flat dollar amount or a percentage of sales. I think percentage of sales might be easier to swing, as for Microsoft it could be a source of long term revenue.

After that the next step would be to contact Activision to see if they would be okay with you lifting the story from their games, or failing that get a copy of the TT source books that cover those events and write a story for each mission that follows the events accordingly, with out it being a direct copy as to avoid plagiarism.


After those hurdles had been cleared, you should be in the green for making this project a go, provided you have the resources such an undertaking would require. If the legal coverage or funding is an issue, perhaps seek a publisher to cover those aspects, if you had worked out a percentage of sales agreement with Microsoft, offer them a larger percentage in hopes that they would take on the role of the publisher. This would give you a good distribution network as well as funding and legal shelter.

Actually the legal question is deeper than that. Does it count as receiving money from their work if your Kickstarter is only to create a game but with your own assets, albeit based on theirs if you've no intention to sell beyond that?

[ScrapIron Prime]

cazidin, on 24 May 2017 - 08:45 AM, said:

Actually the legal question is deeper than that. Does it count as receiving money from their work if your Kickstarter is only to create a game but with your own assets, albeit based on theirs if you've no intention to sell beyond that?

A court would probably see that as splitting hairs. You took money to Develop a product with someone else's intellectual property. Whether you shared it or sold it afterward, you did distribute it.

[JC Daxion]

Id settle just digital copies that run on new systems for Mech 1-4 through GOG.. I've been requesting it for years! (goto gog and put in your request!)

[Metus regem]

cazidin, on 24 May 2017 - 08:45 AM, said:

Actually the legal question is deeper than that. Does it count as receiving money from their work if your Kickstarter is only to create a game but with your own assets, albeit based on theirs if you've no intention to sell beyond that?

As I said Caz, legal shelters, having Microsoft on your side by securing a license gives you coverage in that regard, and to be honest even if all they want is a penny or 55% of the sales, either is a good deal compared to what a legal battle could cost you.

[cazidin]

ScrapIron Prime, on 24 May 2017 - 09:09 AM, said:

A court would probably see that as splitting hairs. You took money to Develop a product with someone else's intellectual property. Whether you shared it or sold it afterward, you did distribute it.

And that answers the question. Lol.

JC Daxion, on 24 May 2017 - 09:13 AM, said:

Id settle just digital copies that run on new systems for Mech 1-4 through GOG.. I've been requesting it for years! (goto gog and put in your request!)

That might not be possible given the legal battle between... 4 different organizations who each want a slice of that BattlePie!

Metus regem, on 24 May 2017 - 09:13 AM, said:

As I said Caz, legal shelters, having Microsoft on your side by securing a license gives you coverage in that regard, and to be honest even if all they want is a penny or 55% of the sales, either is a good deal compared to what a legal battle could cost you.

Alright. Thanks!