Standard DS2 Mod Read Me File Template...
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| Submitted by Sharkull on Sat, 2005-07-23 18:45 | ||
Iryan presented this idea back on the original StheD forums (IIRC), and I made a template (with help of course), but I never saved a copy... Did anyone save a copy of that template (if so, please post it!)? If not, I'll start the template creation process again (suggestions on what should be included will be welcome). For anyone unfamiliar with the concept, it started in the early days of modding games (Doom, Quake...). Every mod had a readme file following a template with common features (single player, multiplayer, new sounds, new graphics, difficulty levels implemented...) listed, and each potential feature flagged with a Yes / No, depending on the mod's contents. This standard format allowed modders to easily write a basic readme for their mod (especially helpful for those whose English writing ability is not great) and allowed potential mod players to easily see what each mod contains. Of course this only works if adopted by a significant portion of the mod community, so it would be best to have a template ready, if there is going to be any hope of widespread use... Edit: Edit 2: Edit 3: Dungeon Siege 2: Mod ReadMe ___________________________ Mod Title: - Author(s): - Mod Version Number......................: 1.0 Release Date............................: - Mod Size (approx.)......................: - MB Contact Information (email / forum...)..: - Web Site (for the mod / author...)......: - Revision History: (example: 1.0 - Initial release) Installation Instructions: 1. - 2. - ... Uninstall Instructions: 1. - 2. - ... ******************************************************************************** * Requirements / Compatibility Dungeon Siege 2 Version.........................: 2.2 Other requirements (other mods, expansion...)...: None Windows only (uses ds2dll or custom installer)..: No Language .......................................: - Known Bugs......................................: None ******************************************************************************** * Mod Details Single Player only mod..........................: No Multi-Player only mod...........................: No New / Modified Difficulty Settings..............: No New / Modified Graphics.........................: No New / Modified Sounds / Music...................: No New / Modified Weapons..........................: No New / Modified Armor............................: No New / Modified Spells...........................: No New / Modified Misc. Items (Rings, Amulets...)..: No New / Modified Character(s) / Pets..............: No New / Modified Enemy Type(s)....................: No Modified Experience / Attribute System..........: No Modified Loot Drops.............................: No Modified GUI....................................: No Modified / Custom Map...........................: No Modified Other..................................: - Modding Tools Used..............................: DS2TK Modified files : (example - logic\world\contentdb\pcontent.gas) - - - ******************************************************************************** * Credits Some content provided by........................: - Modding advice received from....................: - Tested by.......................................: - Other Credits...................................: - ******************************************************************************** * Distribution This mod may be freely distributed, as long as this readme file and all related content is included. ******************************************************************************** * Permissions (pertains to non-profit usage only): _____ Permission is given to re-use this mod's content without restrictions. (Open source) _Yes_ Permission is given to re-use this mod's content, as long as credit is given to the original content author(s). (Open source) _____ Contact the author(s) for permission before re-using any content included in this mod. (Open source) _____ A separate licence is included with this mod, and all permissions are described there in detail. _____ No permission to re-use this mod's content is given by the author(s). (Not open source) ******************************************************************************** * Copyright: All title and intellectual property rights to the content of this mod are the property of the respective content owner and may be protected by applicable copyright or other intellectual property laws and treaties. (c) 2002-2005 Gas Powered Games Corp. All rights reserved. Gas Powered Games, the GPG logo, and Dungeon Siege are the exclusive trademarks of Gas Powered Games Corp. ******************************************************************************** * Disclaimer: The author(s) of this mod accepts no responsibility for damage to data, or physical damage to hardware, caused by the appropriate or inappropriate use of this mod. Use this mod at your own risk. ******************************************************************************** * Story / Further Instructions / Description: ... forums: |
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Yes I got a copy & have used it in the release of Cat Mansion Adepts v3.0beta (the first use of the template?). I'll put it in this post (is there any plans to have attachments to posts like on the old site?).
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Dungeon Siege 2: Mod ReadMe (Sharkull)
Mod Title:
Author(s):
Mod Version Number:
Release Date: __/__/__
Mod Size (approx.): ___MB
Contact Information: (email / forum address...)
Web Site: (for the mod, and/or author...)
Installation Instructions:
1.
2. ...
Uninstall Instructions:
1.
2. ...
Requirements / Compatibility
Dungeon Siege 2 Version:
Other requirements (other mods, expansion packs...):
Windows only: Y/N
Known Bugs:
Mod Details
Single Player: Y/N
Multi-Player: Y/N
Difficulty Settings: Y/N
New Graphics: Y/N
New Sounds / Music: Y/N
New Weapons: Y/N
New Armor: Y/N
New Spells: Y/N
New Misc. Items (Rings, Amulets...): Y/N
New Character(s): Y/N
New Enemy Type(s): Y/N
Modified Experience / Attribute System: Y/N
Modified Loot Drops: Y/N
Modified GUI: Y/N
Modified / Custom Map: Y/N
Modified Other: ...
Modding Tools Used:
...
Credits
Some content provided by:
Modding advice received from:
Tested by:
Other Credits:
Permissions (choose one):
__ Permission is given to use this mod's content, as long as credit is given to the author(s).
__ Contact the author(s) for permission before using any content included in this mod.
__ No permission to use this mod's content is given by the author(s).
Copyright:
All title and intellectual property rights to the content of this mod are the property of the respective content owner and may be protected by applicable copyright or other intellectual property laws and treaties.
Gas Powered Games and Dungeon Siege are the exclusive trademarks of Gas Powered Games Corp.
Disclaimer:
The author(s) of this mod accepts no responsibility for damage to data, or physical damage to hardware, caused by the appropriate or inappropriate use of this mod. Use this mod at your own risk.
************************************************
Story / Further Instructions / Description:
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What a relief. Welcome back Iryn.
Yes attachments will be added to the boards as soon as I find a nice phpBB mod.
YaaaaaaaHooooo! ^_^
Thanks iryan! I was thinking this was going to have to be redone. What a relief.
I polished up the formatting a bit (and removed the reference to me...
). It also sounds like the "Windows only: No" line might be redundant (since the Gone Gold announcement implies DS2 is WinXP only... 8O ), but I think it might be best if it is left in for now (until we know for 100% sure).
...and I've also saved a copy of this on my hard-drive. :P
When there is a consensus about the template being finished, I think it would be a good idea to post this on the other DS related sites out there to promote its use. Note: if someone else does this, don't give me any credit (I don't want it) just give a reference to the SiegeTheDay community.
Edit:
Responding to below... OK, thanks.
That reference to you was just so I could remember who made the template. It's removed in the actual readme in the mod's release & replaced with a mention in the credits.
This is a great idea to adopt!
Ive added it to the DSII Modding info section of Herena Forge!
OC
Thanks OC, but can you use the version I posted within quote tags above instead of the version with my name in it? Please?
I think a fourth entry should be added:
_Premission is given to use this mod's content in any non-profit project, with or without credit given to the respective author(s).
You fancy law speaking types can fix it up but most of mods I release under this title, as it is generally more appealing to people when they are looking for something to use.
This implies that you can mod with DS2, and profit from it... which I'm sure GPG would have a problem with. As far as I'm aware (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong), all mods are non-profit... anything else would be illegal / a violation of the EULA (unless you had an agreement with GPG and M$).
That being said, it is an important point, and I've modified the template quoted above to include this not-for-profit qualification. Let me know if this covers your concerns (or if you have any other ideas).
I would be interested to see where it restricts this in the EULA. I could not find it.
I looked in the DS and DS toolkit EULAs and could not find anything relevant.
From what I could read is this: either you cannot mod at all (and I tend to think that this is the case, because of the disassembly clause and the non-separation clauses), or you can mod and do whatever you want with the product, in which case tank files are not really considered as part of the product, I guess.
But, I would say that while tank viewer might be in breach of the EULA, tank creator is not, and whatever use that comes from it is the propriety of the creator, like any software.
I am playing the devil's advocate here, I really like the non-profit and open source mods, and would not pay for one. But, from a legal stand point, I think it is the same as doing MS Access applications and sell them, which is quite common.
From clause 1, of DSTK_EULA.htm :
Thanks, I missed that somehow.
So if I understand right, you can only mod if you download the DSK and agree to this license. This is what a license is. It means that something is illegal unless you get the license. If you do not do that , then what I said about DS seems to be correct. You cannot mod it legally.
That's the way I've read things... the reverse engineering clause in the DS EULA doesn't allow you to even untank dsres files legally, but the DSTK allows this under certain conditions (i.e. as specified in the DSTK_EULA). The LOA EULA includes references to the Editor and the reverse engineering ban, both in line with the DS and DSTK EULA's. Basically, without the DSTK, modding in DS is a violation of the DS EULA, so all mods are bound by the restrictions of the DSTK_EULA (or they are illegal).
Note: I'm not a laywer, and these are just my impressions...
OK, I've just updated the template with a few suggestions that were made since the last revision. Check the first post in this thread for details. Key changes are:
1. Added a Modified File section.
2. Included a clause that encourages open distribution... (as a default).
3. More Permissions options, including a pre-selected default option (open source if credit is given) and an option for providing an external licence agreement (if you want to write your own / use GNU...).
4. A general reformatting which will look better when read using a fixed-width-font program like Notepad...
Further suggestions are also welcome, and absolutely feel free to use the template for your mod.
This is only my opinion, but I usually see "contact information" at the bottom of pretty much any site I visit and would expect it to be there. You know, "Any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact at someplaceATsomewhereElse.net." To me it seems silly to place that at the top of something where you haven't even gotten a chance to read all the way to the bottom. (As if the author was expecting concerns/complaints, etc.).
This is only my opinion, however, and you could always choose to have it either way.
EDIT: Wow, lol, it actually thought that was a real email address, weird, changing @ symbol to AT.
Thanks for your opinion... and as you note, any modder can do that themselves. I put author info at the top because I didn't want modders to forget to put it in. Also, the end of the template is a free-form area for "Story / Further Instructions / Description" and I don't want to put anything after that because it could be forgotten / easily ignored.
in reality having the author information at the top has some advantage. One does not have to read through the entire document or at least scroll through it to find the creator. It is kind of like the title page in a book. Name of Mod or story. Who wrote or created it, creation date... However remember this is a template.... Something that shows what information and data should be included. I used this template when I created the last two versions of Girl Armor for DS1 and Old Lady Armor for DS1. I found all the sections useful, but I did change the location of some just to make the document flow a little better.
just the contact information
I saw a readme recently that gave me another idea for an addition to the template... "Revision History / Change Log:".
When the mod playing program biddle is working on is released, I might also add any new information to the template (eg. requirements...).
KillerGermal over at SN just made another suggestion... Language compatibility. Sounds like a good idea to me (knowing nothing about how language support for a mod would be handled...).
I'm thinking it should be made general so it works for the other DS games as well.
It is pretty obvious that "Dungeon Siege 2" in "Dungeon Siege 2: Mod ReadMe" can be replaced with the correct game
but I'm thinking it'd be good to make it more clear just for consistency.
Maybe the title should have something like
"[Game] Mod ReadMe"
(example: Dungeon Siege 2: Broken World Mod ReadMe)
"Dungeon Siege 2 Version" should be replaced by "Game version".
Some thoughts.