ProphetSword
Arcane
Creating a game using the OGL seems to be far more complicated than it should be. I'm no expert in understanding the legal complexities of the license, and I have a ton of questions. I figure that since others have either developed games using the OGL or have attempted to do so, maybe this would be a good place to ask questions and get some answers, not only for me but for others who might also be curious.
As for myself, I am terribly confused by things in the FAQ that Wizards of the Coast provided (located here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/oglfaq/20040123f). In particular, this section, regarding software:
My questions are this:
When they say you have to "give all recipients the right to extract and use any Open Game Content you've included in your application," how does someone handle that in a game?
How would a potential game author "clearly identify what part of the software is Open Game Content?"
I know the second paragraph addresses these questions, but I don't feel they answer them clearly, so I'm curious what others have done or how they would address these conditions.
Anyway, any discussion of this is welcome. Someone out there probably understands this.
As for myself, I am terribly confused by things in the FAQ that Wizards of the Coast provided (located here: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=d20/oglfaq/20040123f). In particular, this section, regarding software:
Q: I want to distribute computer software using the OGL. Is that possible?
A: Yes, it's certainly possible. The most significant thing that will impact your effort is that you have to give all the recipients the right to extract and use any Open Game Content you've included in your application, and you have to clearly identify what part of the software is Open Game Content.
One way is to design your application so that all the Open Game Content resides in files that are human-readable (that is, in a format that can be opened and understood by a reasonable person). Another is to have all the data used by the program viewable somehow while the program runs.
Distributing the source code not an acceptable method of compliance. First off, most programming languages are not easy to understand if the user hasnÍt studied the language. Second, the source code is a separate entity from the executable file. The user must have access to the actual Open Content used.
My questions are this:
When they say you have to "give all recipients the right to extract and use any Open Game Content you've included in your application," how does someone handle that in a game?
How would a potential game author "clearly identify what part of the software is Open Game Content?"
I know the second paragraph addresses these questions, but I don't feel they answer them clearly, so I'm curious what others have done or how they would address these conditions.
Anyway, any discussion of this is welcome. Someone out there probably understands this.