Open-Source DDO

**damoose88** · 03-03-2011, 02:19 PM

Have you ever considered releasing the source code for this game?

Dungeons and Dragons is one of the most popular games among the hacker community, and by releasing the source code to Dungeons and Dragons Online, you would be offering an open invitation to those hackers to come by and develop and improve your game for you. This could inevitably result in ports for multiple operating systems, thereby greatly expanding your market and increasing your opportunity to profit, as well as far more stability, reliability, improved performance, features, and flexibility through the myriad of addons that would be available.

There are only so many of you, but there are legions of programmers all over the world who would love the ability to help develop DDO and, since you already release the client free-of-charge, the free release of the client and source code and a $5-a-month subscription fee for access to your servers should easily allow you to maintain your current profits, if not increase them, while allowing you access to a global development base of elite programmers who develop projects like this for fun.

Not only would this be far less expensive for the end-user (half the cost of a VIP subscription and access to far more dungeons, features, etc. than what is currently available), but it would also offer you a continuous stream of revenue from monthly subscription fees, allowing you to bring more exciting games to the world, with hardly any additional effort on your end.

In my personal opinion, the open-source model could only benefit the company and the users -- after all, look at what the open-source movement has done already and how quickly they have done it.

**Memnir** · 03-03-2011, 02:21 PM

Ah... no.

**stainer** · 03-03-2011, 02:22 PM

Open sores? Is that a divine or arcane spell?

**Quarterling** · 03-03-2011, 02:23 PM

no.bmp

Because bitmaps take up larger amounts of memory.

**Khanyth** · 03-03-2011, 02:24 PM

No.

Really..... no.

**GentlemanAndAScholar** · 03-03-2011, 02:30 PM

Originally Posted by damoose88

Have you ever considered releasing the source code for this game?

I'm a big supporter of OSS and FSF and other Free Software initiatives. However, open-sourcing code for a MMO is bad, bad news. They're a business and this is their product. If they open-source it what's forbidding anyone from opening shop with their own tweaked version of the game? What's forbidding from the "hacker" community to find exploitable code in the game (and not fix it/announce it)? What's forbidding, say, plat sellers to find code paths and botable macros to plat farm the game to its knees? Opening up the source code for multiplayer games is a terrible idea.

**damoose88** · 03-03-2011, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by GentlemanAndAScholar

I'm a big supporter of OSS and FSF and other Free Software initiatives. However, open-sourcing code for a MMO is bad, bad news. They're a business and this is their product. If they open-source it what's forbidding anyone from opening shop with their own tweaked version of the game? What's forbidding from the "hacker" community to find exploitable code in the game (and not fix it/announce it)? What's forbidding, say, plat sellers to find code paths and botable macros to plat farm the game to its knees? Opening up the source code for multiplayer games is a terrible idea.

Everyone else. You're assuming that every single programmer in the world is going to want to exploit this game, when, in fact, most of them want a fun, fair, enjoyable game like everyone else. I'm not saying there won't be some people who will try to exploit it, however, there will be others who won't and who will be able to prevent exploitation. Moreover, the core developers (the company itself) will be the only ones who will decide what code is included and what code won't be included -- no different than the early days of Linux when the hackers developed the code and sent their code to Linus, who would then release the updated source.

As far as someone coming along and opening up shop with their own version of this game -- so what? If a new company enters the market with a better product, and are able to demonstrate the superiority of the product, the people will go to the new company. If someone develops a better version of this game, regardless of whether or not they have access to the source code, people will play that game instead. People switch MMOs all the time because they find a game they like better. If the developers release the source to the game to the players (people who already enjoy playing the game), the players can then develop it and make the game they already enjoy even better.

The company won't be able to charge people to download the client, but they don't do that anyway. Instead, they could charge a small fee for access to the servers, which they do anyway with VIP subscriptions. There is no reason why this model couldn't benefit both the company and the players.

**uhgungawa** · 03-03-2011, 02:46 PM

I'll pass

**krissonofpark** · 03-03-2011, 02:47 PM

Quite seriously, no.

The last thing anyone would want, especially anyone who had paid any money into this Game, never mind time and effort, would be to allow any kind of license to hack this or any other MMORPG.

**GentlemanAndAScholar** · 03-03-2011, 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by damoose88

As far as someone coming along and opening up shop with their own version of this game -- so what?

Apparently you have never owned your business. You have any idea the investment Turbine has put to keep this game alive? You have any idea how many contractual agreements are on this game to keep the revenues up? Why would they give away their source code? Your argument makes no business sense whatsoever.

**Cyr** · 03-03-2011, 02:48 PM

/not signed

**KreepyKritter** · 03-03-2011, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by damoose88

Have you ever considered releasing the source code for this game?

Dungeons and Dragons is one of the most popular games among the hacker community, and by releasing the source code to Dungeons and Dragons Online, you would be offering an open invitation to those hackers to come by and develop and improve your game for you.

I think this could have been worded better...

Perhaps... 'Software programmers' or 'Code designers'. But... really? Hackers? You actually used that term in the same sentance as 'Release the source code'... and you were SERIOUS!

Some how I don't think you're going to convince a game developer to release its source code to 'Hackers'.

**Qindark** · 03-03-2011, 02:57 PM

/not signed

There was another game I used to play that released a map editor. I realize this isn't the same as releasing the source code, but I think the premise is the same.

If you owned a server, you could create and load a map. After seeing the efforts put forth by the gaming community (not by me of course) I realized how good the dev team was at making content. I think if you released just the ability for players to create adventures, you'd see the **** start rolling out.

just my 2cp

**DaSawks** · 03-03-2011, 03:05 PM

What the OP meant to say.

"Hi Turbine. Just me talking here but would you mind throwing away your gold mine? We will take good care of it for you."

**uhgungawa** · 03-03-2011, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by Qindark

There was another game I used to play that released a map editor. I realize this isn't the same as releasing the source code, but I think the premise is the same.

There have been lots of games that did this one way or another. Some worked great, others, ..... well .... not so good.

Even Diablo II had a type of this for a bit (or still has, haven't played it in ages) You had off line play, Battlenet, and Open Battlenet. Battlenet was like here, everything held on their servers. And if you were caught cheating or hacking POOF. Off line and Open Battlenet was kinda no holds bared. Hacked Items maps ect, but they could not go over to the Battlenet server.

So here we have a secure server type game. If it was open sourced the Devs would have to stop working on content and scour over all the incoming codes sent in. Most of these would be tossed out, and the few that weren't would have to be adjusted. This would give the devs 0 time to do any actual development of their own.

**damoose88** · 03-03-2011, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by GentlemanAndAScholar

Apparently you have never owned your business. You have any idea the investment Turbine has put to keep this game alive? You have any idea how many contractual agreements are on this game to keep the revenues up? Why would they give away their source code? Your argument makes no business sense whatsoever.

Why do you only quote one sentence separate from the context of the statement in its entirety? I have never owned my own business but I'm not stupid -- I'm fully aware Turbine has spent a lot of money in this game. However, if someone releases a clone of this game (which has been done legally, just look at Pac-Man and Tetris) and releases the source of the code to that clone, Turbine would run into some very serious problems very quickly. Turbine made a great game, but it still has plenty of room for improvement. WB's acquisition of Turbine gave Turbine access to a very large financial repository, but it can only do so much. The players know what they want, obviously, and by opening up the source, they players can build exactly what they want and submit it directly to Turbine, who would decide whether or not to add it. Open-sourcing does not take away any power from Turbine, it gives a lot of power to the players, and it gives Turbine access to a volunteer labor force that would do Turbine's work for them. This model makes great business sense and it would be even better if it were applied to a game like Dungeons and Dragons.

**damoose88** · 03-03-2011, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by KreepyKritter

I think this could have been worded better...

Perhaps... 'Software programmers' or 'Code designers'. But... really? Hackers? You actually used that term in the same sentance as 'Release the source code'... and you were SERIOUS!

Some how I don't think you're going to convince a game developer to release its source code to 'Hackers'.

Hacker: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker

Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, is a hacker. Richard Stallman, the founder of the FSF, is a hacker. Eric S. Raymond, the founder of the Open-Source Movement, is a hacker. There is a significant difference between hackers and crackers.

**damoose88** · 03-03-2011, 03:18 PM

Originally Posted by uhgungawa

There have been lots of games that did this one way or another. Some worked great, others, ..... well .... not so good.

Even Diablo II had a type of this for a bit (or still has, haven't played it in ages) You had off line play, Battlenet, and Open Battlenet. Battlenet was like here, everything held on their servers. And if you were caught cheating or hacking POOF. Off line and Open Battlenet was kinda no holds bared. Hacked Items maps ect, but they could not go over to the Battlenet server.

So here we have a secure server type game. If it was open sourced the Devs would have to stop working on content and scour over all the incoming codes sent in. Most of these would be tossed out, and the few that weren't would have to be adjusted. This would give the devs 0 time to do any actual development of their own.

Canonical seems to be able to develop their own code, while reviewing submitted code, very easily, and Ubuntu (operating systems are FAR more complex than games) is among the best Linux distros available.

**Slyphan** · 03-03-2011, 03:19 PM

No and further more no.

**krissonofpark** · 03-03-2011, 03:21 PM

I have already said no on this thread and given the OP - Rep for his suggestion, but I am now wondering if suggesting Turbine throw away everything they own and have worked long and hard for, is even allowed on these Forums?

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