Dungeons and Dragons online game!

[Hextic]

I am working on a computer version of the game Dungeons and Dragons.
It is being done in C++, and is allready very far in development. However,
I cannot program it all on my own. I very much need help, specifically with
writing a game listing daemon to run on projects.sourceforge.net. I also
need some clever people to help me with a very annoying bug that I cannot
weed out. I will soon be posting another source release of the game server
and client source so far. It will be just like playing D&D with pencil and paper,
expcet the need for pencil and paper is taken out, as is the need to buy 15,000
dice, boards, cards and books. It is all very basic and nearly self-explainatory.
Anyone feel like helping me out?

http://sourceforge.net/projects/ddirpg
http://ddirpg.sourceforge.net
http://ddirpg.sourceforge.net/forum

[lil_freak]

Have you obtained permission from Wizards of the Coast, seeing as how they own all the rights to D&D, to do this project?

[Hextic]

Don't need it as long as I:

1) Do not charge any money
2) Do not directly reference an actual product (eg. Basic Game, Monster Guide) in
the game or online documentation
3) Do not claim it to be an official D&D product
4) Place a disclaimer in a prominent place on the web page

All of which I did, so me, anyone who works on it, and anyone who plays it are safe. The reason music sites are going down is because they directly post exact
copies of copyrighted material, so are therefore in violation of copyright law. Not that anyone cares, free stuff is great! If a site were to be putting up files in an artist's style, and made it clear that they were not actual songs by the artist(s), they would eb safe. So it is with DDIRPG, as a matter of fact, that is why the I is in there, it stands for Independent.

[TheCotMan]

Don't need it as long as I:...

Copyright and Trademark are different.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x...itelegalnotice
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons; AD&D; Dungeons & Dragons; D&D;
... ... are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

Trademarks allows for control of how a name is used in the same "name space" (For example, Apple records allowed Woz and Jobs to use "Apple" for the name of their company so long as they stayed out of the music industry.)

Since there have been several D&D/AD&D games (written fro computers as well as "old school"), and these are controlled by TM, just using the name "D&D" with a game/derivative work may place you at risk without consent in writing from the owners of the TM.

How much money you make in the process in not an issue. If you have not talked to a lawyer, or received permission in writing to use the name, you may want to consider this,

[xerph]

Don't need it as long as I...

You may want to have a peek at the Software FAQ put out by WOTC which relates specifically to people wanting to use their open license and D20 system for a software project.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x...lfaq/20040123i

One of the parts that caught my attention was this one:
Q: So I could make a game?

A: Sure. Remember though, you cannot use any Product Identity with the OGL or claim compatibility with anything. So you can't say your game is a d20 System game or uses D&D rules..."

If you've got the same basic content (classes, skills, spells, feats, etc) then from what I've read so far of their copyright/license info, this may be heading towards a collision with Wizards. They haven't been shy before about going after people who released copies of their content (with no mention of DnD anywhere to be found). PCGen, a character creation tool is probably the best example, however eventually that was settled amacably on both sides.

[xerph]

wow, two almost identical (in concept) posts almost on top of each other. Must have slipped that one in ahead of me while I was looking over the WOTC licensing page :P

[TheCotMan]

wow, two almost identical (in concept) posts almost on top of each other. Must have slipped that one in ahead of me while I was looking over the WOTC licensing page :P

I was first! Neener neener neeeeeeener! :-P~~~~~~

;-)

[ndex]

I am working on a computer version of the game Dungeons and Dragons.

This really just sounds like a cry for help...

There are numerous online RPGs (EQ and Dark Age of Camelot come to mind). They are not free because they are most definitely not cheap to develop. By "not cheap" I mean 'required dozens of developers and QA months and months of work'. The fact that you're going to try to do this by yourself, in C, makes me want to either laugh or console your parents.

[LosT]

This really just sounds like a cry for help...

There are numerous online RPGs (EQ and Dark Age of Camelot come to mind). They are not free because they are most definitely not cheap to develop. By "not cheap" I mean 'required dozens of developers and QA months and months of work'. The fact that you're going to try to do this by yourself, in C, makes me want to either laugh or console your parents.

Come on, we could always use another choose your own text-adventure. ;) Maybe he should be coding in Lisp instead....

LosT

[TheCotMan]

Come on, we could always use another choose your own text-adventure. ;) Maybe he should be coding in Lisp instead....

Shhhh! Mentioning this language and/or "that language which is 4 letters long, starts with a 'J'' and reminds people of coffee" is a sure way to involve Bascule here in this thread. ;-)

[allentrace]

Shhhh! Mentioning this language and/or "that language which is 4 letters long, starts with a 'J'' and reminds people of coffee" is a sure way to involve Bascule here in this thread. ;-)

You mean Java?

[TheCotMan]

You mean J***?

Gah! Shhhh! You will wake him up! ;-)

[Hextic]

This is not text game. It will be just like playing DnD in the living room, minus the spilt mountain dew. Game hosts are the DM's, and the clients that connect to the game are the players. DM's can write a game script, which automates things like if you step on a certion tile, something happens. Only the most necessary of rules are included, for ease of programming. And I would sooner go work at Microshaft than write this in J***.

[LosT]

This is not text game. It will be just like playing DnD in the living room, .

How the hell did you code it to throw dice and pencils at people for being asshats?

LosT

[Hextic]

How the hell did you code it to throw dice and pencils at people for being asshats?

LosT

Wow, I spent 3 minutes laughing at that... There is an option to play various audio insults, such as "You idiot, just because D&D gives you roleplay freedom that does not mean you can make your sword +100 against living creatures!"