The end of Rock Patch

[Blade]

I don't understand why EA don't just open source old game engines like this, they would get massive good PR (which they are in dire need of IMO), their old games would get patched to prevent cheats and exploits online (they already turned over the running of the online community to the community) and they would get ported to alternate platforms giving things like TFD better legs in the market as people use use linux and mac would buy them and just download the native binaries to run the content. The only problem I can see is with the requirement of external crypto libraries like blowfish and the bink libraries which I assume aren't free to link against.

[VK]

and they would get ported to alternate platforms giving things like

This needs a lot of changes in code.

[Bobingabout]

ever heard of warzone 2100? the company went bust and the game stopped being sold, and everntually they made it open source and free. within 6 months, fans had translated it to work on linux and macos, aswell as fixing a number of bugs.(which is about 1 half of the time it took tron to re-write Transport Tycoon Deluxe as OpenTTD, without even fixing bugs or adding any features.)

EDIT: i looked it up, took then 6 months, not 3. and even then the multi-platform changed introduced some bugs, which were worked out over another couple of months.

[Blade]

Exactly, just releasing the code instant pulls on board a load of OS developers that would want to port it to their pet platform. A lot of code may need to be rewritten to make it more platform agnostic, but that will be done by a community that EA doesn't have to pay. It would also include coding better support for XP and vista, support the company they paid to make the tfd didn't see fit to implement.

[Renegade]

So, basically, you're saying a few unpaid hippies could do more to the game within a few months than dozens of paid EA programmers didn't manage to do in six years?

And you wonder why they won't release it? It'd be a marketing disaster.

[Bobingabout]

So, basically, you're saying a few unpaid hippies could do more to the game within a few months than dozens of paid EA programmers didn't manage to do in six years?

And you wonder why they won't release it? It'd be a marketing disaster.

all i have to say to that is: LOL


yer, and, you could get around the pirate distribution thing by only distributing the core EXEs, possibly only gamemd.exe, leaving all the anti-copy protection in place, and requiring the player to either "Upgrade" their original game, or just extract the files from the CD, which would require a TFD isntallation, a YR installation, or the RA2 and YR CDs and a CAB extractor.

[Blade]

So, basically, you're saying a few unpaid hippies could do more to the game within a few months than dozens of paid EA programmers didn't manage to do in six years?

And you wonder why they won't release it? It'd be a marketing disaster.

EA haven't tried to do anything with the game in the last 6 years except do periodic re-releases in ever growing box sets. EA don't care that it has minor problems on XP and big problems on vista. I doubt they will ever make it properly vista compatible even in future package released, look at the way they stripped out networking play in some of the XP patches for TD rather than just making it work properly. I fully expect that with the source code a few unpaid hippies (that probably have paid full time programming jobs) would do more for the game. I'd say it would be a lot more customer friendly too to point customers to unsupported vista compatibility versions made by the community than to tell them tough, it doesn't work!

[valcyrilestrada]

It was really heartbreaking to see Rock Patch go.BTW, VK, what should i do with RP 1.10 0036? should i go back to RPCE?

[TX1138]

Uh... Have you even bothered to read the rest of the topic? Obviously not

[Renegade]

EA haven't tried to do anything with the game in the last 6 years except do periodic re-releases in ever growing box sets. EA don't care that it has minor problems on XP and big problems on vista. I doubt they will ever make it properly vista compatible even in future package released, look at the way they stripped out networking play in some of the XP patches for TD rather than just making it work properly. I fully expect that with the source code a few unpaid hippies (that probably have paid full time programming jobs) would do more for the game. I'd say it would be a lot more customer friendly too to point customers to unsupported vista compatibility versions made by the community than to tell them tough, it doesn't work!

I was not arguing against you - I was just saying that, maybe even due to the fact that we'd be better than them, they'll probably never release the source.

[Hunt7s]

Its probably worth putting a pettiton together, and puttin it to EA. If they say No, then all we have wasted is our time trying. But i would rather say that there has been an attempt rather than wishing it would just happen without asking. (same goes for women and relationships lol. )

[Bobingabout]

i think someone already made a petition for TS code.
only reason why i remember that is because i remember signing it.

http://www.petitiononline.com/opentsun/petition.html

[VK]

It would also include coding better support for XP and vista,

YR Engine is 100% compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista (at lesat for 32-bit versions)
What you mean under "better support"?

big problems on vista.

I have no problems on Windows Vista.
(Yes IPX no more supported, by this Microsoft blame.)

VK, what should i do with RP 1.10 0036? should i go back to RPCE?

Please delete it now and use something else (RP 1.08 is the best).  

BTW, PD sent to me his sources, it rather good.
It will increase a progress of a Swizzle Engine.

[Blade]

Yr isn't 100% compatible or at least has a problem with the launcher. I've never got it to run right without being in Win98 compatibility mode and I've seen other testimony to that effect as well. As for Vista, again you have to run it in compatibility mode and with administrator rights. Also, the lack of IPX support in vista would be a big problem for people trying to play lan games.

[VK]

with administrator rights

none. Only first time.

at least has a problem with the launcher

yes - launcher is shit

Also, the lack of IPX support in vista would be a big problem for people trying to play lan games.

This is Microsoft problem.