Editing someone else's maps?
 

I don't know if I'm posting this in the right place but I have no doubt that the good people at DF-HQ will put it in the right place if neccessary!

Last night I was on line and decided to drop into a server for a quick game. The server was running several maps that a friend of mine had made and we have played together on them many times. However, these maps had be changed, presumably by the host of this server and indeed one of my own maps had also been edited by, again presumably, the host of this server.

How is this possible? I thought you could down load anyones map as long as you didn't change it in anyway? Is there not some sort of understanding/code that states you must not edit other peoples maps that you down load?

I know it's not the end of world and all that, but I must admit I was quite annoyed by the fact that someone had changed my friends maps, without his permission and indeed had done the same to one of mine!

Any thoughts on this anyone?

Regards

There is an understanding in the general public yes, but like all areas there are people who disagree with it or dont know about it.

A mapmaker ArticWolf (try his LW coops, really hard) emailed the US copyright office and you do apparently hold copyright to maps, there was a discussion in the Webdesign forum not long ago bout this if you inteested.

To get the map to an editable state is easy, there are tools availiable to do this that are freely downloadable at most df sites, obviously they wernt intended for that exactly......

Its just somethingyou have to deal with unfortunately

Baddog isnt complaining hes asking a question

Hello Blackbelt:)!

Thanks for the reply and the information mate, as you say it looks like it's something we have to live with unfortunately.

Warm Regards:cool:

your predicament
 

actually i can explain it,

there is a little programme called bmstomis converter that is how the maps get stolen, hell that is how my maps get stolen
i figure out a way to make sure that the people who play on the maps i built that have been stolen know that I built them i have my ways,
by typing in a code in the root directory i managed to prevent my map from being stolen, if you all have tfd and exp installed you can download one of my secure maps you know the site nown own the map
http://www.geocities.com/swsharthor/downloads.html

try typing in a snippet of code into the root directory

Thanks for the tip and info Gene, much appreciated bro:)!


Warm regards:) ;) :p :cool:

i am currently developing a programme that stops maps from being stolen,
if your interested i can help you out

but i need help myself,

i have the DFBHDmed_I
i build my maps general info but when i place a character on the map like a delta soldier and a little bird and try to edit the ai attributes the thing crashes on me
i have windows 98 does that add to the problems? if so how do i get round it?

Hi Gene:)!

That sounds like quite a problem you have there! Before I got my new PC I had Windows 98 and had a few problems myself, as to why this problem keeps happening? My advice is ask StevieB who knows quite a lot (a hell of a lot lol) about the Delta Force series, he should be able to point you in the right direction bro:)!

Hope this helps.

Warm Regards:) ;) :p :cool:

ok direct me to stevieb and i shall see

just post your problems in a seperate thread in the appropriate forum, that way your more likely to get help

The Best thing to do is not upload your map anywhere that way no one can change it. If they like the map so much then they should just play YOUR map on your server!

Editing Other's Maps
 

Wow some people are sensitive.

I have made 21 maps for DM & TDM and am fairly proud of my work. I have not submiitted any maps, but if I had, I would not have such a swelled head that I would not believe that a little tweaking by a talented map maker could make the gameplay of my maps a bit better. I would just ask that you not remove my signature and claim the map as your own

. My brother and I play my maps on our servers and have had many compliments on them.
However, I must confess, that I have tweaked a few download maps ( due to suggestions from players that they were good maps but too damn dark). I have mainly just changed dark maps to daylight and maybe added an armory or tower at suggestion of other players. But I have left the signatures (if any) of makers, and tell anyone who asks that they are not my maps. If that makes me a bad person, so be it. Shoot me if you wish, but jeez, lighten up a bit.

man you get it finsh let us know how it work out, i make maps in my pass time and post them up at dbarrack.com have done DF2, DFLW, DFTFD

This is a sore subject for many map makers - the thought of your work being stolen and claimed by others...

Thanx for the note BB, I did some research and the info I found at the US Copyright Website did specify that any work you do, no matter if it's graphics/game maps/writing/whatever, is copyrighted by you and you have full legal rights to this item or items. It is possible to prececute under copyright infringments but being able to optain the individual's info is next to impossible, what I mean is that I'd never bother to follow it out, the only thing I'd do is to make sure the idiot's server and situation was posted on as many forums as I could.

I've been making maps since DF2 and finally reached a point that when I make a map, I include the mis file. Why? I figure that if they want to learn how I did what I did, this would be useful to them, and also, for those lame lazy losers who want to do what they do, well, hell with it.. let em go for it.

I host my own maps for a period of time till I start getting requests for them and then that's when they get posted or given to different websites to hand out, usually by this time everyone who plays them know who the real author is. :)

what i really like to see a tool that will lock them for good so no one can edited it or change it to a .mis file like a password zip-file without the password you can not copy it or reformated to a mis-file, that would work on all DF Serials.BMS files.

Ive had the same problem m8, people taking my maps and editing them, its a real pain, ive seen quite a few programs on the web now that allow you to take BMS files and turn them into MIS files so u can edit them. Its Stupid, someting mus be done, i like the sound of that program that stops this, however, untill that ahppenes, i ghuess we wil have to put up wth it

Don't you think that once you post something and someone else likes it they should be able to do what ever they want with it including chage aspects of it as long as they dont try to say that it is theres then i don't see a problem

NO m8 i dont see a problem with that.. All my maps have *WS* written after them cus thats my battle tag, but wen ppl take ure maps and edit them completely and change names asweel, that really asnnoys me. If people edited my mapds and called it BLA BLA BLA *WS*, it really wouldnt bother me.

i got the message on map protected, i have a professional copyright merchant in york who has tfd and bhd, SHE does the coding but me and her have made a pact, i do not revela her name or email, i can only write to her and send my missions on a disk, if you fancy discussing this further and me to ur contacts, william_skyner@hotmail.com

Look if a person edited another person “Map name”. Bms file they should at lease get that person ok or use it for a base to make their own map, how do we say another mans art work is his dream, but to take it and make it your own is really showing how low you can get.

Most of the time there be a text file with the map having info on the map they made (map type, terrain use, e-mail address, home page ect.), I even make ref; to other maps that I like and added some of its items in my maps from it reason they look really good. And I say who was the mapmaker of it and the map name it came off of. One should always give credit to the person that made it and info were they got the ID from.

Best not steal another mapmaker map. Bms and say it was you who made it, that’s really low.

Never ever steal another mans work. its his's/her's Art work. Internet dose not mean you can steal every thing thats on it.
maps are free to use not to ripoff others credited art work.