Bridge CE/Scythopolis Legal Problems

[Rob Oplawar]

Man, it's always hard to tell where to put these Bridge CE threads.

Ok, so here's the legal crap MS has finally clarified:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/developer/rules.htm
I appreciate that it is worded well and is polite and concise, but it still means a headache for me any way you look at it.

Three rules about the usage are what's getting me:

You can’t reverse engineer our games to access the assets or otherwise do things that the games don’t normally permit in order to create your Items.

Because I intend to use an "unlocked" version of the H2EK, as well as various tools used for extracting the aforementioned assets.

You can’t use the soundtracks or audio effects from the original game. We often license those from third parties and don’t have the rights to pass them on to you.

Not quite so bad because there is other music out there, and I do know a very talented band that's perfectly willing to let me use their music, but I had hoped to toss in some singing monks somewhere.

And here's my biggest problem with the rules:

You can’t add to the game universe or expand on the story told in the game with “lost chapters” or back story or anything like that.

First off, that makes most if not all of the fan fiction on HBO an infringement since short stories fall under the ever so broad category of "Items". So what am I to do with Scythopolis? Minor storyline spoiler to explain where I'm coming from:

Scythopolis is the capitol of the Decapolis, a collection of ten ancient cities, of which one of them is Damascus. If you'll remember the Damascus facility in the Halo novels... all I'll give you is that it has to do with early contact with the Covenant and the origins of Mjolnir.

Clearly that falls into their broad category of "expand the story told in the game."

So what am I to do? Well, I'll discuss it with you guys a bit first, but I think I'm going to try to get in contact with somebody in Bungie (I know, it's a bold statement) because I'd much rather talk to someone who actually has something to do with the epic win that I love rather than some M$ legal representative.

[Ki11a_FTW]

meh...the only closest person i think you would be able to contact is, Nitro, or bum has knife :-/

[Kalub]

Just do what your going to do, Halo CE has been doing all of those for ages.

[Con]

You can’t add to the game universe or expand on the story told in the game with “lost chapters” or back story or anything like that.

I really think they're stepping over the line in this one; I don't understand how that could be a potential problem. I say continue with Bridge, just keep it low down. It would be a shame if you had to stop after all that effort you've put into this so far. I suppose there's always MP, but it's just not the same

EDIT: well, technically, you're not *adding* to the game universe, since this whole bridge thing could have happened anyway And it's not expanding on the story told in the game. Your map is by no means part of the original campaign.

[Rob Oplawar]

I decided to use the BUngie.net forums to try to get someone's attention and see if I can clear up the issues. Pain followed.
[rant]

I hate things that suck. Oh my god do I ever hate things that suck- especially big important very widely used systems with huge development teams and lots of people whose %&@#ING JOBS it is to make sure they do not suck. I worked on a Java webapp this summer, and I was an intern, and I was one of 3 people working on it, and it sucks a whole lot less than the #&$%ing .net passport system as it interfaces with Bungie.net. Because I, the clueless user, which the system is designed for, could not figure out what the hell they wanted me to do or how to do it, I did it wrong and now my B.Net account, my .net passport account, and my associated gamertag are irretrievably lost. I can create another account, but I'd have to make a new email address and I'd be unable to link my gamertag. A word to web designers: it is your FUCKING JOB to design your system in such a way that this doesn't happen!

[/rant]
Well, I'm disillusioned with trying to use Bungie.net right now, so I'll do it another time.

I'm well aware that a whole lot of machinima and mods and short stories have already broken these rules, but now that they're spelled out, they probably will be more enforced. I aspire for Scythopolis to be a popular Halo 2 custom single player map, which means if I'm at all successful some legal rep will eventually notice it, and I don't want to receive an e-mail commanding me to cease and desist work on it or take down all public downloads for it, because that would suck. I'd rather address the issue before it becomes an issue.

Edit: Hey ghost, you should add rant tags, just so people are encouraged to enclose rants and protect the unsuspecting from them

[Kornman00]

Good luck getting people to use the rant tags.

[leorimolo]

I say do it, and if you get some sort of llegal problems you remove it from the intrenets...

[SMASH]

I say do it, and if you get some sort of llegal problems you remove it from the intrenets...

No, you spread it on P2P like Limewire or as a torrent. Psh... dumb Microsoft.

[Limited]

When it means "Items" does that just mean maps? It doesnt mean videos, programs (like 3rd person) and those types of things correct?

If it does mean those, that kind of sucks because if you record halo your likely to hear the halo sounds, for me I dont because I have integrated soundcard so it sounds REALLY rough but others do.

you could "forget" you saw that webpage >_>

[Siliconmaster]

If it does mean those, that kind of sucks because if you record halo your likely to hear the halo sounds, for me I dont because I have integrated soundcard so it sounds REALLY rough but others do.

In fact, would that not mean that any machinima would be illegal, since they all use the sounds? I say someone needs to find a clarification, or contact M$. Not sure how to though, or I'd do it myself...