Having someone else edit DLC resources?

[Htlaets]

I know you're not supposed to share DLC resources, but you are allowed to edit them. I was wondering if there are terms against having someone edit DLC resources for your personal private use? Like, say someone editing some of the heroine character generator parts to have the face graphics match the RTP better, or editing them to have proper, not mirrored, TV graphics.

 

[RetroExcellent]

Each DLC has it's own terms if I remember correctly, there should be a page on this site that contains those terms. I am pretty sure if the person doing the editing and the person using those edits both own the DLC you should be safe, but I'd double check the terms to be sure.

 

[Poryg]

Both need to own the DLC.

 

[Andar]

it can only be done if both you and the person editing them own a licence to use that DLC. That is how teams work on projects, and sometimes I even heard that the commissioner purchased a DLC licence for the artist who does the edits to enable that.

 

[Wavelength]

As far as whether you can use the edited resources - many DLCs have a Terms of Use that spells this out specifically, but in the cases where it doesn't, the general expectation is that you are allowed to use edited versions of resources wherever you are allowed to use the resources themselves. This means that you can use them in your own non-commercial games, you can usually use them in your own commercial games (but only as long as the original resources are OK for commercial use), and you generally can not publicly re-post or sell the edited resources for other peoples' use.

As far as whether both people (the game designer and the artist) need to own the DLC in order to have one make edits for the other, the answer is that technically, yes, both people need to purchase the DLC. That honestly seems a little onerous to me, since the two users are using the same resource for one shared purpose (similar to installing it on one computer and having a few different team members use that computer at different times)... but if you want to do it right, you've gotta both buy the DLC (or you need to buy it twice, once for yourself and once for your artist).

 

[Venima]

As far as whether both people (the game designer and the artist) need to own the DLC in order to have one make edits for the other, the answer is that technically, yes, both people need to purchase the DLC. That honestly seems a little onerous to me, since the two users are using the same resource for one shared purpose (similar to installing it on one computer and having a few different team members use that computer at different times)... but if you want to do it right, you've gotta both buy the DLC (or you need to buy it twice, once for yourself and once for your artist).

I'm curious about the case if both people are sharing the same steam account and the purchases are made through steam. Steam's family sharing API allows family members to share libraries, but only provided the original owner isn't playing a game on steam. It's an interesting case and probably mentioned on the steam license agreements somewhere.

 

[mlogan]

RPG Maker software cannot be used with Family Share so DLC wouldn’t be able to either.

 

[Venima]

RPG Maker software cannot be used with Family Share so DLC wouldn’t be able to either.

I see, but what about a shared steam account?

 

[mlogan]

Well if you use the same login yes, but I believe that goes against the EULA for RM software.

 

[Htlaets]

Thanks for all the responses. Really cleared things up. Seems kinda inconvenient to have to buy two copies of a DLC to have someone else make private edits, but things are what they are, I suppose.

 

[Shaz]

That honestly seems a little onerous to me, since the two users are using the same resource for one shared purpose (similar to installing it on one computer and having a few different team members use that computer at different times)

But it's not similar to installing it on one computer and having different team members use it on the same computer. The resources would be installed on two different computers, being used by two different people who are not related and not living in the same house. The issue is that the person who owns the resources has no way of controlling how the other person would use them. They cannot guarantee that the resources would be removed from the computer when they were no longer required, or that the other person does not use them for their own projects or for commissions for others. The person who bought the DLC is restricted by the terms of use, but the other person would not be, as they never purchased it in the first place.

And in this case, it's not even two team members working on the same project. It's one person's project, and the only contribution by the other is editing some images. That's more like a commission than teamwork - after the editing is done, the other person has no other interest or input into the project.