Combining resources and permissions

[Ser Gob]

Not entirely sure if this is the right section for this, sorry if not.


So I've recently learned the potential of 100% photoshop mapping (without using the map editor for the base) and am planning to do that for most of my maps. But there are so many tilesets and opening them one by one to see which one I need is a tedious process so I'm thinking about combining all of them into one big file. Including the ones that I got from other people (from this site only). Now some of them doesn't give any permission to edit/customize their work, so my question is does combining counts as editing?

 

[DTracy3]

I think it's some form of editing but since you don't really change their original work I think there shouldn't be a problem unless you want to use this somehow for commercial use. However this is just my own opinion, to be sure, maybe just contact the creators of the file in question directly.

 

[Nade-sama01]

Umm, by combining you mean to just copy-paste exactly the same all together on a same image? or mixing them together to make a new object?


In the first case I guess it's fine, since is the same resource just moved into a same document However RPGMaker's tilesets have their own templates depending on the tiles (floor, walls, furniture, decorations) by separate. Maybe what you can do is put them together in the same image so you can copy them into the corresponding template without opening every single file, but for importing them like that into rpgmaker probably won't work.


Edit is when you make something new, derivated from the resource. Ex: edit a bed to make a bunk bed

 

[Andar]

you need to check the terms-of-use for any tile you're using. If you're allowed to edit them (as is the case with any stock/RTP and their derivatives due to the licence of the RPGMakers), then there is no problem with doing that.


If the artist forbid edits, then you can't do that.

 

[taarna23]

Just to be clear, you're saying that you can't use tiles for parallax mapping if the original artist forbids edits of those tiles?


How does this extend to assembling them into other tilesets, as needed? How about in the instance where the tiles are given without being in a tileset?

 

[Sharm]

I've always been bothered by artists putting a no-editing rule on tilesets, because Andar's completely right.  Legally you can't even put it into a tileset with that rule.  But that's not usually what an artist means by that.  When in doubt, just ask the artist to clarify.  I think mostly what artists are trying to do with that rule is restrict people from doing the whole "I edited it and now it's mine" thing which isn't legal but happens all the time.

 

[DTracy3]

My biggest trouble is to ask for permission. Often I find graphics where I have no idea who the artist is or how to contact him. :/ I usually just give up on these tiles since I don't wanna take someones work without their permission, but it still is annoying no to be able to use a graphic which you like.

 

[Andar]

@DTracy3: that is one reason why we always ask artist who present their work in our forum to state terms and credits, and why resources without proper credits are removed from here. pure internet searches very often end at resource sites that are full of rips and don't care about proper credit.

 

[Ser Gob]

Lol. I forgot to follow the thread and thought that no one replied yet. Good thing I checked.


Thanks for the clear answers. That's one less thing to worry about.