A letter to CA: Release of the source code

[Skullheadhq]

R:TW Source Code Letter


This thread is created for the purpose of asking CA for the source code of Rome: Total War (Barbarian Invasion/Alexander). The most important things we need are arguments. We need not only arguments in favor of releasing the source code but also arguments contra for the purpose of debunking/minimising it.


Things we need:

- Arguments (Pro/Contra)
- An emailadress/postaladress to send it to.
- Good grammar (native speaker) to compile it
- Respect and humility when writing to CA.
- Following the proper letter conventions
- (Signatures?)


Okay, I need all of you to help and contribute arguments.

Arguments pro:
* Increases lifespan of a game
* Ability to revive a game (Doom)
* Game is old, it won't give away valuable information because it's outdated.
* More sales, much more sales (if correctly modded)
* Many people delay the purchase of MedII Gold until EBII is released, mods have a great impact on sales.

Arguments contra:

* No direct profits (but indirect! And money is money.)
* Cracks and Keygens will be produced (they're all over the internet anyway)
* It will give valuable coding info to the competition (RTW is outdated)
* No broad demand (Counter Strike Source is one of the most played games ever)
* DLC competition (there is no DLC for RTW)

more is needed.

[Lysimachos]

I think it's way too early for that. There are still a lot of people playing RTW and they are still making decent money with it, but releasing the source code means giving the game away for free to all those who may probably still buy it. There is a number of people who got on the TW-train with later games, who go on trying older installments and it will remain that way for a while to come.
I don't understand what you mean by "indirect profits".

Edit: I think I may have misunderstood. You are not talking about a public release, but about giving the code to a limited team of independent programmers, like what for example Paradox has done with, urm, not sure which game it was...?

[Skullheadhq]

I don't understand what you mean by "indirect profits".

Better mods = more sales

they are still making decent money with it

With the €5 they ask for it, I'm surprised if it covered more than the production cost of the disc.

[Lysimachos]

I believe the impact of modding is regularly overestimated. To my knowledge Sega doesn't release their sales figures, but I'm positive that the vast majority of buyers never even enters a community where mods are distributed and an even greater majority never plays a single mod. I know, EB has impressive download figures, but we can savely assume a) that many downloaders have downloaded more than once or twice and b) that a huge percentage of RTW-mod-users has tried EB at one point or another, as it clearly is one of the most popular ones.

As for the production cost, you can get blanks at retail for less than 0,20 € a piece, bought from the producer it's even less and I don't think putting that software on the disc is such an expensice endeavor. I believe, after the development costs are earned back, even a 5 € copy earns the publisher a profit margin other trades can only dream of.

It's not like I wouldn't want them to release the source code, I just can't believe Sega (and to my understanding they would be the ones to decide, not CA) would do that in, say, the next decade or so.

[Skullheadhq]

I believe the impact of modding is regularly overestimated. To my knowledge Sega doesn't release their sales figures, but I'm positive that the vast majority of buyers never even enters a community where mods are distributed and an even greater majority never plays a single mod. I know, EB has impressive download figures, but we can savely assume a) that many downloaders have downloaded more than once or twice and b) that a huge percentage of RTW-mod-users has tried EB at one point or another, as it clearly is one of the most popular ones.

As for the production cost, you can get blanks at retail for less than 0,20 € a piece, bought from the producer it's even less and I don't think putting that software on the disc is such an expensice endeavor. I believe, after the development costs are earned back, even a 5 € copy earns the publisher a profit margin other trades can only dream of.

It's not like I wouldn't want them to release the source code, I just can't believe Sega (and to my understanding they would be the ones to decide, not CA) would do that in, say, the next decade or so.

At least we can try, if we don't we'll never get it.

This is a flawed argument. It's like giving a thief your money, because other thieves have already stolen a part of your money. It doesn't really make sense.

No, there are keygens on the internet anyway for all possible patches, releasing the source code will not change this in any way.

[siegfriedfr]

Didn't the EB team already got rebuffed on the subect with a not-so-nice legal threat, "if"?

[Tellos Athenaios]

Two things: first of all I doubt CA actually owns the exclusive rights to the source code of RTW: I doubt SEGA would be comfortable without actually holding the rights to the works they publish.
As for the money: €5,- includes a lot of profit. Take for instance the CDs every commercial Linux company and their dogs appear to be selling: in the example that is 100 CDs for £80,85 including shipping. That means £0.81 buys you a CD and delivery, and presumably it still includes a profit margin.

[Hax]

With the €5 they ask for it, I'm surprised if it covered more than the production cost of the disc.

Yes, it does cover more. However, I don't think that they produce those disks anymore.

* Cracks and Keygens will be produced (they're all over the internet anyway)

This is a flawed argument. It's like giving a thief your money, because other thieves have already stolen a part of your money. It doesn't really make sense.