I'm sure there's info on this somewhere, but does anyone know whether we're allowed to use our FPSC model packs in other software, such as Unity?

Although it was covered in the license for Classic packs, this was changed from a no to a yes but can't remember exactly when, there was a restriction that user had to contact relevant Third Party Artist's of intention to use in other engines, which was ignored as expected.



The licensing of Reloaded media is a little muddied at present but some kind of announcement is expected in the near future concerning this, I would say no if your asking about Reloaded media since you ask on this particular forum.



You should be ok with Classic media packs though I am pretty sure the stock media itself wasn't included in this license.



You are going to see some changes regarding licensing and use in other engines where Reloaded is concerned. Particularly since the quality bar is now raised.



There is likely to be a different price tier for use in other engines, which will depend on whose work you buy, it will be up to the individual Artist from now on I reckon, which is as it should be

Some of the model packs do have the option to install them as just models for third part packs, these packs can be used in other engines as they already give permission in the license.



Now some of the packs do have different license and need permission from the author.



It is very confusing sometimes what can and can't be used, the best option is just email the author.



Now for Reloaded none can be used at the moment in other engines as these models are for the beta version of reloaded so far.



Best s4real

Rolfy and S4 have pretty much covered it. As a rule of thumb, if you're not sure assume you can't use the models outside of FPSC without the authors written permission.



SC

Thanks a lot for your replies, folks.

At any location where TGC model/media packs are on sale there should be if not already existing a description of and viewable details available of any licensing in each model pack or indeed individual model/media item case that potential purchasers can view - before - purchasing so they know exactly where they stand.



One should not be expected as a purchaser of anything to have to buy something first before you can find out what any licensing details are. Licensing details should be transparent and available to see upfront just as any such licensing details should be clearly spelt out and made available for the main Reloaded product itself too similarly.

Thumbs up on Uman's comment!

We will definitely spell out the license terms before you commit to purchasing packs or individual models. We are working on (that is, a non-Lee coder) a store system which will combine the delivery of packs and individual models through a common mechanism which will vastly simplify the process of uploading for artists and improve access for end users (that is, you don't need to keep installing packs over and over, you just log in and the items you bought will be there). As part of this system will be a EULA you can read before agreeing to use the store, which will spell out the usage terms.



The exact wording of the EULA will depend on our conversations with artists, and whether they want to allow their assets to be used outside of Reloaded. I dare say some artists will not wish to publish through the store if they thought their assets could be exported from the store and used elsewhere. This leads to a great end user question:



Q. Would you prefer 'full usage rights' and fewer top quality artists contributing to the store OR 'Reloaded only usage' and all the top quality artists we can find for you. OR 'usage rights to vary from model to model'?

Usage rights which vary depending on Artists own decisions would be the best of all worlds for users. If I wanted to allow use in other engines I would package it up with different model formats.



For me it has previously been the norm to give TGC users a good deal, I don't see why I should expand this to users of other engines unless it's my choice



I actually don't mind if it's for use in any TGC products but Unity has it's own store for instance where models can be many times the price. This doesn't mean I wouldn't be happy to allow use in another engine but the choice should be my own. Though to be straight with you it will cost a little more. Most other engines have their own proprietary formats which makes them unusable in anything else anyhow so why shouldn't Reloaded be the same.



Just thought I would throw my two cents in here as I reckon this question wouldn't require answering by the majority of Reloaded users who wouldn't be using other engines to make their game anyhow. If they are then what are they doing hanging round here?

As I eluded to before. Getting the percentage up from 50% to 70% for the artist is now fair for all. However, price-point is going to continue to be low (which is a good thing for purchasers) here I would imagine. Therefore, to counter the possibility of undercutting myself in other stores I might upload to (ie., Unity) for a higher price-point; I would need to have a license that prohibits usage outside of FPSCreator (or at LEAST, outside of any TGC product). Anything else would cause me to reconsider selling with TGC at all.



In the past, FPSC users have enjoyed media that is the least expensive on the internet (notice I termed it "least expensive" and not "cheap"). $20 for a pack of quality media is WAY below the norm; couple that with the (then) low rate that the actual artist received. Along with the little to no promotion (real, actual promotion) of their wares here. It's no wonder that you didn't have artists clamoring to sell their work here; other than a few long-time supporters.



You need to excite your Artist-Base here Lee. They need to be included MUCH more than they have in the past, on developments during the dev cycle of ReLoaded. I would highly suggest opening a section much like the internal Beta section, albeit for artists that are invited to participate. That would help eliminate the hodge-podge of postings around the Forum here, and concentrate it all in one area that could be accessed by the developers of ReLoaded (along with the internal beta testers). It is my supposition that ReLoaded will have an initial effect on TGC's bottom-line, then a steady trickle (assuming lifetime updates/upgrades still holds true). Much of your income after that will be from your Store. Therefore it would make sense to get quality artists in at the ground level, and keep them there.



We can sell both here and elsewhere; having a diverse portfolio of venues to sell is important to any artist who is trying to scrape together enough money to make this an income hobby, or an actual source of significant income. Waiting for the engine to be "solid"; before focusing on the art pipeline isn't a good way to go. As I've said before; good art takes time. If you want ReLoaded to hit the online stores running; you'll need to have libraries of media that is ready to go. We can't do that, if we're left hanging in the sidelines (those of us who stick around, that is).



As far as promotional work goes; why don't you start having a Newsletter that better promotes artist's work for sale in your store? I remember getting a text-only "blip" about the latest updates in my email; but nothing about a newsletter. It would be better to get with the rest of the group (ie., Unity, UDK, etc.) and have a newsletter sent to subscriber's emails that has all the bells and whistles...such as images, links to store items showcased, etc.



This is something that shouldn't be ignored, as it has in the past.

Good points Keith and bolsters my thoughts on this not being a users decision, it's really not up for debate and something strictly between Artists and TGC unless both TGC and users are happy to decide licensing of Artists media between themselves and we can take it or leave it.

Not the best way to go guy's.

Hmm, wise words @KeithC



How about fusing the store into website as well, the big ones are doing it this way so why not. It could autodetect your FPSCR folder, so when you have purchased a item it gets sent to your FPSCr folder.



Another thing would a newsletter or its own section that talks about upcoming store items and new items.



Edit:





So true, i have stopped showing my model wips as am not even sure where this all will lead.

The current situation is - not really good as there is not much happening on the artist sideline.

The talk about the new store was now going on for ages and well..

where is it?, what happend with it?



And that so much wanted Character Creator System, well lets be honest, there is not one utility that can replace the work of a artist.

There is also the matter of people who bought packs prior to Reloaded and did so under whatever terms applied at the time of purchase. I think there needs to be clear and unambiguous guidelines for those existing customers, too, on the website, where it's easy to find. Naturally, people must abide by the terms, but the least they should expect is clear, straightforward, and accessible info.



One of the things that prompted me to ask was because I've seen this question come up from users of other engines with regard to FPSC packs.



Maybe this would make things too complicated, but could there be (for some packs at least) 2-level pricing: one price as a Reloaded commodity; one price as a standalone product everyone can use in any engine. That way Reloaded users get a good price and the artists have the largest possible market...not to mention the fact that it might bring other non-FPSC developers in to the TGC site to begin with, and make them customers That sounds like a win-win to me.

I like the idea of the "store" being fused into the existing website, but would be against:

unless this was optional (controlled by the *purchaser*) since I prefer downloading to a location of my own choosing, and the device doing the browsing/downloading wouldn't be my development device (FPSCR or otherwise) anyway.

The current system has a new IDE dialog which allows you to auto-log in and see what items have not yet been downloaded to that local system, and then you click a DOWNLOAD button to retrieve the missing items. Why do you need to separate the download process from the development system? I can assure you that the download process is very secure and the items could never contain any sort of virus.