Credit!

[TiLu640]

Hello! 

I was wondering about credit at the end of the game, do you credit for the engine used?

And if you buy resources from the store do you give credit then?  I have no problem with giving credit where it's due and love when people make something!

I totally understand giving credit for something you didn't buy/scripts used.  But what about if you buy something?  Like the amazing stuff off the store?

Thanks guys!  <3

 

[Alexander Amnell]

My rule of thumb is if you didn't personally create it then you give credit to who did whether they ask for it or not... the only difference with the store is that you get to use them in commercial games if you want because you paid for them, but the artists/scripters/others still deserve credit for the hard work they put in that allowed your project to be possible, right?

 

[amerk]

The things you buy in the store should have a "read me" file which explains how to provide credit.

 

[TiLu640]

I'd actually like to get into a little depth here, if you guys would like that.

If a painter paints a canvas and tries to sell it to make money and someone buys it then proceeds to hang it in their home and is very proud of it,

Does the painter still own the painting?  They sold it, now someone else owns it.

Yes, it may be their hard work and original idea but once you sell something do you give it up as well?  Now I'm not saying anyone is taking credit

for the work, that's a different discussion. 

So the question begs, if you buy work or resources whatever it may be from an artist are you obligated to give them credit?

Do they deserve credit, absolutely!  <3

But if you make a game and use other resources you didn't make (but purchased) are you legally required to give credit to the artists?

It's something to think about and I'm dying to hear some opinions. 

 

[Alexander Amnell]

   It depends on their terms of use whether you are obligated to give credit or not, however for commercial games I would go the route of crediting them regardless (I mean, come on. Why not let people know who made them?) You can own something legally and it still have a copyright on it, however. For example, in my youth I worked at wal-mart in the photo department. If you were to bring in that painting that an artist sold you and try to get a copy of it made, you would be told that you cannot unless you also possess a copyright release stating that you are allowed to reproduce that photo. So while the artist/photographer may have sold you an item, there may still be conditions on what you can and cannot do with it regardless.

   Setting all of this aside however, I just want to ask... why does it matter whether you are legally obligated to give credit to them or not? You have already conceded that they deserve credit, so under that logic there now exists a moral obligation for you to provide said credit whether you are legally bound to give it or not. It's just a few lines of text at the end of your game or in a text file packaged with the game and if you distribute it in an rm community everyone is really going to know for the most part who made what anyway. The only reasons I can see for avoiding giving credit would be in cases where you are trying to at least imply that some of these resources might have been developed by you, I may be missing something but I just don't understand why it would be an issue in the first place otherwise.

 

[Lunarea]

It's different with digital goods -i.e. materials we sell in the store. You're not buying the resources, but rather buying the license to use those resources. The resources still belong entirely to their creators/copyright holders. This is different from buying a physical object that becomes your property once it's paid.

The resources we have in the store have a read-me file that specifies that you need to credit the authors (as well as how to credit them). If you decide to skip the credits, you are in breach of our terms of service.

 

[TiLu640]

Cool cool, I just like to hear what people think.  Lol, nothing wrong with talking is there?

Also, what if you recolor/redesign something?  How do you credit that?

Is it original author then yourself for editing?  Orrrrr.....?

Sorry for all the questions, haha.  Just trying to understand all this stuff. 

 

[Touchfuzzy]

Except its not opinion based, its fact based. That is how the EULA and the law work.

 

[TiLu640]

Well "law" is a funny thing and can be easily interpreted differently. 

One court can rule one thing and another court can turn it.  (So yes, it's opinion based)

I merely have questions seeking answers and what people think.

It's part of the learning/growing experience. 

 

[Alexander Amnell]

Well "law" is a funny thing and can be easily interpreted differently. 

One court can rule one thing and another court can turn it.  (So yes, it's opinion based)

The Law is not meant to be bloody interpreted by abusive fools trying to get away with things they know they aren't supposed to! The fact that this can happen is a symptom of a failing legal system, that doesn't mean that the law itself is lucid. Just follow the guidelines that came with whatever resources you bought and quit looking at common sense concepts through the eyes of a damn child. In this case however I'm pretty sure you'd be at fault in any court of law, terms of use arguments are pretty black and white.

-Rant over, gonna walk away now.

 

[Archeia]

If I remember correctly that the EULA states that if you breach the terms, you will have to face court of that specific country. E.G. if you broke the RTP rules, you'll be sent in trial with Japanese laws. In fact here it is.

This Agreement will be interpreted and enforced in accordance with the laws of Japan without regard to choice of law principles. Any and all dispute arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall solely be resolved by and at Tokyo District court, Tokyo, Japan.

 

[TiLu640]

The Law is not meant to be bloody interpreted by abusive fools trying to get away with things they know they aren't supposed to! The fact that this can happen is a symptom of a failing legal system, that doesn't mean that the law itself is lucid. Just follow the guidelines that came with whatever resources you bought and quit looking at common sense concepts through the eyes of a damn child. In this case however I'm pretty sure you'd be at fault in any court of law, terms of use arguments are pretty black and white.

-Rant over, gonna walk away now.

Yeah, you should walk away, there's no need to talk to people like that.

It's so easy to hide behind a computer and be anonymous and berrate people and say they are the fools.

 

[SLEEP]

I don't usually credit "RPG Maker" or anything in my credits, but a shout out to Enterbrain couldn't hurt.

I assemble all my credits in a txt document, complete with the url I get resources from (because crediting somebody solely under an online pseudonym feels impersonal to me, so I include the pseudonym and the url, but including both is my own preference and not usually required) If I actually got off my ass and released something, i'd find a way to implement the credits in game, at least dumping the contents of my txt file into a scrolling text event, because I feel like the people deserve their credit within in the actual game file.

Also ffs credit people, don't try to get around it by trying to throw around concepts like "subjectivity" when there's none here really. Give credit or die.

 

[Archeia]

By the way guys, you are actually required to credit Enterbrain :'D

 

[Lunarea]

Also, what if you recolor/redesign something?  How do you credit that?

Is it original author then yourself for editing?  Orrrrr.....?

This is also covered by the EULA. You are free to modify the pieces, but you may not redistribute those modifications -- in other words, they're for your private use only. You still have to credit the original author.

Whether you credit yourself is entirely up to you. I imagine most people don't, since they put their name elsewhere in the credits (like design, production, etc).

 

[orochii]

Oh come on, just credit everyone involved. You have unlimited space. Not much effort on writing one/two/hundred lines of names.

Also, you know, credit is something you give to someone as a "thank you", AND as a acknowledgment of their work. If you feel that you don't need to thank someone for what they "gave" to you, then why are you using that piece of work and not doing it for yourself?

I'm sorry if I'm not getting your point,

Orochii Zouveleki

PD.: If you feel that there's a kind of help you don't know how to credit, you can make a "special thanks" section. At least that's what I do, ahahaha!

 

[amerk]

The terms of use are there, and it takes hardly any effort at all to credit everybody. Choosing to ignore those terms means you risk breaching the EULA and whatever consequences come as a result.

Something else to consider: even if you feel you have a leg to stand on in the court of law when it comes to going against the EULA, why would you want to burn that relationship you have with the community? Even if you were to break the terms of the EULA and if, for some reason, the courts sided with you on it, you still have to answer to the community, who will most likely never want to do business with you again. And there's still the chance the Admins decide to have you banned.

So yeah, the courts might be able to protect you from legal action, although that's a risk not worth taking, but they won't be able to protect you from the community backlash.

 

[Solo]

By the way guys, you are actually required to credit Enterbrain :'D

Crap, I didn't see that anywhere. I noted that my game was made with RPG Maker XP on its website, but do I actually have to add "Enterbrain" under Special Thanks in the credits of my game? Or maybe on the title screen? What do I put, "Created with RPG Maker XP, Copyright (symbol) Enterbrain Corporation" or something like that?

 

[orochii]

The terms of use are there, and it takes hardly any effort at all to credit everybody. Choosing to ignore those terms means you risk breaching the EULA and whatever consequences come as a result.

Something else to consider: even if you feel you have a leg to stand on in the court of law when it comes to going against the EULA, why would you want to burn that relationship you have with the community? Even if you were to break the terms of the EULA and if, for some reason, the courts sided with you on it, you still have to answer to the community, who will most likely never want to do business with you again. And there's still the chance the Admins decide to have you banned.

So yeah, the courts might be able to protect you from legal action, although that's a risk not worth taking, but they won't be able to protect you from the community backlash.

Also it means losing money paying a court just for not including a name.

Yeah, credit EB!, you know, some of us would never had thought seriously on game development if EB! never existed,

Orochii Zouveleki

PD.: I know, some started on Excel/etc, but... you get my point. RM does serious **** in seconds that makes youths (and olders) cry tears of joy!

 

[Archeia]

Crap, I didn't see that anywhere. I noted that my game was made with RPG Maker XP on its website, but do I actually have to add "Enterbrain" under Special Thanks in the credits of my game? Or maybe on the title screen? What do I put, "Created with RPG Maker XP, Copyright (symbol) Enterbrain Corporation" or something like that?

If you're using the rtp then just credit them in graphics haha. Pretty much the same as the resource packs actually.