12-04-2013, 12:41 PM
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==PROPOSED TERMS FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN SPRITES==
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I spoke with Dazz about this, and he brought up some very good points, and has allowed me to try and come up with good terms for the hosting of PD sprites. I'd love any feedback, additional points or more official-sounding syntax that anyone can provide. I'm only concerned about doing this for sprites as there's plenty of places for hosting sounds, textures and models, but few for PD sprites, and even some of those misuse the term 'public domain' (see Sprites Inc.). Without further ado, here's what I've got so far.
1: All sumbitted sprites must either not be tied to any IP, or the IP must belong to the artist. For example, Ari Fieldman's Spritelib is already public domain, and the graphics of the game Tyrian, while part of the Tyrian IP, were released publicly. TSR/VGR will remove sprites found to be in violaation of this term, however legal liability will fall to the one who submitted the sprites in question.
2: Sprites will be sorted by artist (using the same format games are sorted into), and then subdivided by use, such as platforming sprites, RPG sprites, tilesets, etc.
3: The license for public domain sprites will be similar to the Zlib license. This means that the sprites may be freely modified, used and reposted, even in commercial media. Sprites will be reviewed upon submission to ensure they are compatible with this license.
And here's the big one... quality control!
4: TSR will only accept sprites that are categorized as pixel art. 3D renders, such as Diablo 2, or 'painted' sprites, like those in Dust; An Elysian Tail, are not permitted. Sprites must show an acceptable level of effort and usability. Single-image sprites are also not allowed, particularly because of how bloated galleries would become and how inconvenient it would be for those downloading them. Perpetual resource projects may submit in packs of at least 20 images (levitation/position translation does not count as a separate image). NES/Gameboy level sprites are not allowed.
5: Sprites done in the style of other games will be considered, so long as they do not contain elements specific to that universe. For instance, Final Fantasy style humanoids may be valid, but a moogle-taur is not. For other species, rules for submission are affecte by the preferences of the species' designer. For instance, Goldfur allows chakats to be used in any media, provided they are portrayed acurately.
==PROPOSED TERMS FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN SPRITES==
============================================
I spoke with Dazz about this, and he brought up some very good points, and has allowed me to try and come up with good terms for the hosting of PD sprites. I'd love any feedback, additional points or more official-sounding syntax that anyone can provide. I'm only concerned about doing this for sprites as there's plenty of places for hosting sounds, textures and models, but few for PD sprites, and even some of those misuse the term 'public domain' (see Sprites Inc.). Without further ado, here's what I've got so far.
1: All sumbitted sprites must either not be tied to any IP, or the IP must belong to the artist. For example, Ari Fieldman's Spritelib is already public domain, and the graphics of the game Tyrian, while part of the Tyrian IP, were released publicly. TSR/VGR will remove sprites found to be in violaation of this term, however legal liability will fall to the one who submitted the sprites in question.
2: Sprites will be sorted by artist (using the same format games are sorted into), and then subdivided by use, such as platforming sprites, RPG sprites, tilesets, etc.
3: The license for public domain sprites will be similar to the Zlib license. This means that the sprites may be freely modified, used and reposted, even in commercial media. Sprites will be reviewed upon submission to ensure they are compatible with this license.
And here's the big one... quality control!
4: TSR will only accept sprites that are categorized as pixel art. 3D renders, such as Diablo 2, or 'painted' sprites, like those in Dust; An Elysian Tail, are not permitted. Sprites must show an acceptable level of effort and usability. Single-image sprites are also not allowed, particularly because of how bloated galleries would become and how inconvenient it would be for those downloading them. Perpetual resource projects may submit in packs of at least 20 images (levitation/position translation does not count as a separate image). NES/Gameboy level sprites are not allowed.
5: Sprites done in the style of other games will be considered, so long as they do not contain elements specific to that universe. For instance, Final Fantasy style humanoids may be valid, but a moogle-taur is not. For other species, rules for submission are affecte by the preferences of the species' designer. For instance, Goldfur allows chakats to be used in any media, provided they are portrayed acurately.