Here is the briefest summary I can come up with of the recent change to the licence and the updated release of content.
- Arma modding has always had rules, and Bohemia has always shared some content publicly in what are called MLOD releases. These are sample models that allow people in the community who want to make "Mods" for the arma franchise of games. They have always been shared under a general licence that required the models ONLY be used in Arma games AND that any use of them can not be for profit.... FURTHER it states if you use the sample models, you must share the source of your modified models upon request.
- Bohemia historically will also share specifically requested items with some dev groups depending on a perfect storm of: luck, availability, luck, lack of conflict, luck, and luck.... Basically if you ask the right person, at the right time, and they have time, and no one else has already asked... you MIGHT get permission and files... IF they are willing to share what you've asked for AND it's easily accessible for them to share with you... They have other things on their plate like making games.
- DayZ is a mod, it was the work of Dean Hall and a small group of independent developers in their free time... It uses NO MLOD models, and is a true total conversion mod.
- In Arma modding, you can not in any way shape or form use another teams models, code, or assets without their permission. EVER. You will be immediately banned from the forums, blocked from all the reputable communities and shunned in general... Please see this site for more about Author's Rights: http://amar.arma3.fr/
- Private hives, Derivative DayZ mods etc, have ALL.... ALWAYS, been without permission. Until this new batch of licences was released there was no way of using DayZ code or assets in an officially approved manor. PERIOD.
- Anyone working on or running a derivative DayZ mod, even in A2, has been playing with fire, and if they were not aware of it, they were purposefully or pitifully ignorant.
Ok... so now that is the basic background... on to the specifics.
BEFORE.... There was one fairly vaguely worded license for the content released which was essentially ALL the Buildings, Weapons, Vegetation, Vehicles, from Armed Assault (Arma I). It only included one sample character model, and skeleton. and NO terrain (map) sample.
Bohemia also released tools that had another license however I'm not going to touch on that at all. The tools allow you to open and manipulate the files, and allow anyone to either build a ground up world/mod, or to slightly alter existing assets without ever editing or creating models or terrains.
NOW.... There are 3 very specific licenses. APL (Arma Public Licence), APL-SA (Arma Public Licence Share Alike), and DML (DayZ Mod Licence)
1. APL (http://www.bistudio.com/english/community/licenses/arma-public-license) - You can use their stuff as a source, and do not need to share. But ONLY in Arma games, and you have to say you used their stuff and you can't get rich off it.
2. APL-SA (http://www.bistudio.com/english/community/licenses/arma-public-license-share-alike) - Same as above, BUT, like the old license if requested you must share the source of your altered files. For example the old license stated the buildings that our group (m1lkm8n mostly) opened and finalized have to be shared as source to anyone who requests them.... I have not had time to go through which license is now applicable.
3. DML (http://www.bistudio.com/english/community/licenses/dayz-mod-license-share-alike) - You can use their source but you can't get rich, it can only be in Arma 2, and you have to share your changes.
They are all very simple, very clear, very bold, very generous licenses. I think it is enormously generous of Dean Hall and BI to share DayZ Code and source... the learning opportunities sitting in the code represent what would normally be his property and no one else would have ever dug into or learned from.
ANYONE trying to cause a shitstorm about them not offering server files, or changing the license, or feigning shock over BI/DayZ protecting their current ventures is either stupid, or more likely attempting to manipulate the situation for their own financial gain.
- Arma modding has always had rules, and Bohemia has always shared some content publicly in what are called MLOD releases. These are sample models that allow people in the community who want to make "Mods" for the arma franchise of games. They have always been shared under a general licence that required the models ONLY be used in Arma games AND that any use of them can not be for profit.... FURTHER it states if you use the sample models, you must share the source of your modified models upon request.
- Bohemia historically will also share specifically requested items with some dev groups depending on a perfect storm of: luck, availability, luck, lack of conflict, luck, and luck.... Basically if you ask the right person, at the right time, and they have time, and no one else has already asked... you MIGHT get permission and files... IF they are willing to share what you've asked for AND it's easily accessible for them to share with you... They have other things on their plate like making games.
- DayZ is a mod, it was the work of Dean Hall and a small group of independent developers in their free time... It uses NO MLOD models, and is a true total conversion mod.
- In Arma modding, you can not in any way shape or form use another teams models, code, or assets without their permission. EVER. You will be immediately banned from the forums, blocked from all the reputable communities and shunned in general... Please see this site for more about Author's Rights: http://amar.arma3.fr/
- Private hives, Derivative DayZ mods etc, have ALL.... ALWAYS, been without permission. Until this new batch of licences was released there was no way of using DayZ code or assets in an officially approved manor. PERIOD.
- Anyone working on or running a derivative DayZ mod, even in A2, has been playing with fire, and if they were not aware of it, they were purposefully or pitifully ignorant.
Ok... so now that is the basic background... on to the specifics.
BEFORE.... There was one fairly vaguely worded license for the content released which was essentially ALL the Buildings, Weapons, Vegetation, Vehicles, from Armed Assault (Arma I). It only included one sample character model, and skeleton. and NO terrain (map) sample.
Bohemia also released tools that had another license however I'm not going to touch on that at all. The tools allow you to open and manipulate the files, and allow anyone to either build a ground up world/mod, or to slightly alter existing assets without ever editing or creating models or terrains.
NOW.... There are 3 very specific licenses. APL (Arma Public Licence), APL-SA (Arma Public Licence Share Alike), and DML (DayZ Mod Licence)
1. APL (http://www.bistudio.com/english/community/licenses/arma-public-license) - You can use their stuff as a source, and do not need to share. But ONLY in Arma games, and you have to say you used their stuff and you can't get rich off it.
2. APL-SA (http://www.bistudio.com/english/community/licenses/arma-public-license-share-alike) - Same as above, BUT, like the old license if requested you must share the source of your altered files. For example the old license stated the buildings that our group (m1lkm8n mostly) opened and finalized have to be shared as source to anyone who requests them.... I have not had time to go through which license is now applicable.
3. DML (http://www.bistudio.com/english/community/licenses/dayz-mod-license-share-alike) - You can use their source but you can't get rich, it can only be in Arma 2, and you have to share your changes.
They are all very simple, very clear, very bold, very generous licenses. I think it is enormously generous of Dean Hall and BI to share DayZ Code and source... the learning opportunities sitting in the code represent what would normally be his property and no one else would have ever dug into or learned from.
ANYONE trying to cause a shitstorm about them not offering server files, or changing the license, or feigning shock over BI/DayZ protecting their current ventures is either stupid, or more likely attempting to manipulate the situation for their own financial gain.