VX ACE - UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION OF EDITOR AND LEGALITY

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Rave
Even newspapers have those nowadays.
290
I'm going to buy VX Ace and that raises interesting legal question for me.

I've used unofficial Polish translation of VXA trial version and by translator maker I've been told that it'll just work as well on the full version of VXA.

It is more convenient to use Polish version for me, but I don't know if, when I'll get VXA license I'd be legally able to use it on translated maker (mind you, this is pure translation, just like unofficial English one, made before VXA got into international release - no cracks/pirating involved). Any help on that one?
I believe the actual act of translating and adding it to the Maker requires cracking the source material (which is where the illegality of the act comes in, since touching the source coding is a no-no).

Rave
Even newspapers have those nowadays.
290
But if I bought license from EB?...
Modifying software you have the right to use comes down to the laws of the country you reside in. An EULA is a legal grey area at best. I personally don't think anybody is going to care that you are using the tool in a different language that is in a user's native tongue.

The best way to resolve this is to head over to http://www.rpgmakerweb.com and asking a Degica representative directly. They released Ace in English so they'd have better insight than I.
It doesn't come down to the laws of your country, it comes down to the license the software is released under. And unless it is an open source and/or permissive license (like BSD, MIT or Zlib) you are likely (though not definitely) violating the license to modify the source code.

On the other hand, some licenses allow you to do whatever you want as long as you don't distribute your modifications. But you'd have to read the license to know what you can or can't do!

Plus, a simple translation might not actually modify the source code. But now I'm just farting words.
Rave
Even newspapers have those nowadays.
290
No, it doesn't modify sources. Since XP, language things are stored in resource strings, so they're easily editable with tools like Resource Hacker. For VXAce, translation strings are in separate dll - at least those are info I've got from translator, dunno if they're valid or not.
Software license plays a very minor role at best in a situation like this. They aren't worth the bits they're made up of if you can't take legal recourse against violators. One kinda-related example I can recall off the top of my head is digital locks on DVDs. The distributor of the DVD can slap all the digital locks they want on it and warnings saying that breaking said lock is illegal but in certain (read: sane) countries bypassing said lock and modifying the video, such as adding new subtitles for their own personal use, is in fact within the rights of the consumer that the creator can't revoke with all the licensing restrictions in the world.
Whether it is prosecuted or not it unrelated to whether it is within the consumer's rights. The owner of the rights to a work can revoke the consumer's rights if they violate the user agreement/license.

Part of the question here is the legality, that's in the very title of this thread. I'm not saying that it can't or even shouldn't be done, I'm saying that if you violate the license then technically you shouldn't use the software. That next-to-never stops you from actually using it anyway. But there is a matter of respect for the license. If you appreciate the software, you ought to appreciate and respect the license.
Nightowl
Remember when I actually used to make games? Me neither.
1577
Who is even going to monitor what you do with your software, the "cyberpolice?"
Use the translation, it's not like anybody cares.
Rave
Even newspapers have those nowadays.
290
Yeah, but if I sell game?
slash
APATHY IS FOR COWARDS
4158
author=Rave
Yeah, but if I sell game?

There exists a slim but tangible chance that they would care, and if they do they might have a case against you if they felt like pushing it.
Nightowl
Remember when I actually used to make games? Me neither.
1577
author=Rave
Yeah, but if I sell game?
ahahahaha just HOW HIGH do you even have to BE just to DO something like that.....

But in all seriousness, given the Polish translation is just a patch that alters the program's text strings, I don't think Enterbrain would notice anything if they would inspect your game.
ahaaahaha glub selling rpg makr games ahah ahue glubglub yeah sell yer sellout refmap rpg with cliche characters glub glub how do i operate pants ahahah
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
There is a difference between something that the police could prosecute you for and something that Enterbrain could prosecute you for. Translating their software is technically illegal, but falls into the second category. So you just need to find out if Enterbrain is okay with it. If you have their permission, it will be fine. I'm not sure if they will give you permission, but I think there's a good chance that they will.
author=Nightowl
Who is even going to monitor what you do with your software, the "cyberpolice?"
Use the translation, it's not like anybody cares.


I never said it couldn't be done. Just that maybe it shouldn't.
Rave
Even newspapers have those nowadays.
290
author=Nightowl
author=Rave
Yeah, but if I sell game?
ahahahaha just HOW HIGH do you even have to BE just to DO something like that.....


Believe me, there were successful commercial RPGs made with RM. I also choose not to comment on your whited text, because my games are nothing like that (did some good rpgs, although it is on hiatus right now - not no current project - but it is in Polish so if you know this language I can send it to you).

Also if I wouldn't want to sell my games, I'd probably not even care about legal aspect, would probably keep using trial or just pirated VX Ace altogether.
Nightowl
Remember when I actually used to make games? Me neither.
1577
I'd probably pirate your game rather than spend a few spondulicks on it.

Oh well, do what you want to.
Knock off the piracy chat.
If you're translating the editor for personal use, no one is going to care. If you start distributing it, that's when alarms get raised.

Beyond that, selling a game made with it is almost entirely separate from the editor itself.. if you've a license to distribute a game made with VXAce, you should be totally clear.
I think there is absolutely no difference between a game created with the original, and a game created with the translated editor. If someone opens that game, they would not find any reference of the "hacked" editor. So unless you start to upload the translated editor itself, use it. No one will care to punish you.

(I even think, that no one can track down a pirated editor from the released game itself, so a translation will be even lower priority... These are seperate things from your released game.)
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