legality of selling games

[hiroshi]

I know you can't sell SCI Studio itself, but...
I was wondering, is it legal to sell a compiled game made with SCI Studio?  as in, sell a floppy disc with your game to run on an old machine?  in a ziplock bag with photocopied manual to boot?  just as long as all the content was original and your own?

just wondering

[Chris Cromer]

The legality of it is very vague due to the fact that the engine that runs these games was created by Sierra. We don't have permission to be distributing that engine with our games. To be on the safe side I would recommend distributing a interpreter like "FreeSCI" instead of the original interpreter.

[Eigen]

But the question is, would anyone buy it?

Why would they buy your game when there are a lot of adventure games with better graphics and sounds and stuff that SCI can produce, and all for free.

Unless your game has something unforseen, something so revolutionary that people just have to buy it.



-Eigen

[robingravel]

Myself, I found Abrah and Serguei's destiny on a freeware/shareware compiled cd-roms.

Robin Gravel

[Kawa]

Just to be on the safe side, I'd release my games in two flavors.

One with only on-screen dialogue for download, and another one on CD-Rom in my web shop with full speech, maybe better graphics...

[robingravel]

Full speech?

Are you talking about a sci game using sci studio vga or a commercial game?


Robin Gravel

[hiroshi]

I figured an open source interpreter would suffice, just as long as it was ok to sell your own creation made with SCI Studio.  The reason I brought it up was, I predict that this (http://homestarrunner.com/pqtrailer.html) will be sold at their online store or something.  Maybe they'll just give it away, idunno... could be a joke.  I figured if anyone would buy an SCI adventure game, it would be one from them (coming from the same people who plan to sell an Atari 2600 RPG on cartridge).  

Do any of the open source interpreters even work on older machines?  

[Nychold]

<LOL!!>  That's hilarious, but it could easily be real.  A lot of those graphics look authentic, but not SCI.  That's an AGI game, with staggering, 160x200 AGI graphics.  Best to ask about that game on the AGI board here.

Also, no.  I believe FreeSCI requires either Windows 95+/DirectX or some sort of windowing interface on UNIX/Linux like X11 (which controls KDE, GNOME, CDE, etc.)  I think there's a Mac port as well, but I'm not familiar with it.  Also, if these are actual requirements, then FreeSCI requires no less than a 386, and probably recommends a Pentium+.  Still, you can check their site http://freesci.linuxgames.com to find out more about it.

[Chris Cromer]

It depends on how old a machine and which interpreter you use really...

As for that trailer, that's an AGI game not an SCI game.

[robingravel]

I saw the trailer. I think the game will be agi on apple2.

Robin Gravel

[hiroshi]

hah, oops...

[Doc Comic]

Knowing the Homestar Runner crew, I think they made that just as a parody.  If they do release it, however, it will indeed be free, as all their other games are.

[robingravel]

I agree with you Rob Berry.

The Homestar Runner crew can make agi-like with flash but since I played Homestar Runner RPG they might make an apple2 agi as well or a pc agi.


Robin Gravel

[Doan Sephim]

the homestarruner game is the reason why they wanted me to remove my game from the internet (so as to not seem like there was competition)...they told me in an email that they were making a game in flash that was very similar to AGI. so it will indeed be a playable game for the fans...it will probably be free since they told me it was a "special treat for the fans".
but soon after they release it, they will also give me the ok to put my game back up for download too.
yay! their game looks like fun!
doan

[OmerMor]

Sierra released a lot of free playable demos of their games, and some were done in SCI. That means that the SCI interpreters that were included with those demos can be freely distributed with your future games.
The SCI demos that I'm aware of are:

• Astro Chicken 1
• Astro Chicken 2
• Christmas Card 1988
• Christmas Card 1990 (EGA)
• Christmas Card 1990 (VGA)
• Christmas Card 1992
• Dr. Brain 1 & 2
• EcoQuest 1 & 2
• Freddy Pharkas (3 demos)
• Fun Seeker's Guide
• Gabriel Knight 1
• Hoyle Book of Games 3
• Hoyle Classic Card Games
• King's Quest 1 Remake & 6
• Laura Bow 2
• Leisure Suit Larry 1 Remake, 3 & 5
• Mixed Up Fairy Tales
• Mixed Up Mother Goose Deluxe
• Pepper's Adventures in Time (2 demos)
• Police Quest 3 & 4
• Quest for Glory 1 Remake, 3 & 4 (2 demos)
• Slater & Charlie go Camping
• Space Quest 1 Remake

That sums to a total of 34 SCI demos with fully functional SCI interpreters, from every genereation they made.