A legal question for you, HPS guys

P.Ako · (This post was last modified: 02-10-2010, 07:17 PM by P.Ako.)

Is it legal to modify the .exe files to make the game to recognise a new folder for a nation?

I'm just asking, i have not done it yet...

EDIT: I think that no

**Warhorse** · 02-10-2010, 11:00 PM,

I gotta expand on this topic to explain what it is. Just changing the existing names, say West-German to Colombia. Not actually modifying anything but existing text in the exe, and maybe some of the bmp files within. This is also NOT for monetary gain, but for a free MOD for the community to enjoy? I've done this in the CS games, also by Tiller, but if it's a problem, I'll just do it for my own enjoyement and not waste any more of my time working on this series, as I'm really supposed to be working on the unit icons for the new Middle East game for Matrix anyway... Please advise...

I've been working on a mod for Buda '45 with Allied Bulgarians, and also for Korea '50, with plans for Spanish Blue Division, not really hard to do this exe modifying, so I don't understand why it WOULD be a problem?

Mike

P.Ako · 02-10-2010, 11:44 PM,

(02-10-2010, 11:00 PM)Warhorse Wrote: I gotta expand on this topic to explain what it is. Just changing the existing names, say West-German to Colombia. Not actually modifying anything but existing text in the exe, and maybe some of the bmp files within. This is also NOT for monetary gain, but for a free MOD for the community to enjoy? I've done this in the CS games, also by Tiller, but if it's a problem, I'll just do it for my own enjoyement and not waste any more of my time working on this series, as I'm really supposed to be working on the unit icons for the new Middle East game for Matrix anyway... Please advise...

I've been working on a mod for Buda '45 with Allied Bulgarians, and also for Korea '50, with plans for Spanish Blue Division, not really hard to do this exe modifying, so I don't understand why it WOULD be a problem?

Mike

Sorry i had to tell you by email but i wanted to know the answer from HPS guys first.

I think that it's not legal, you would be supplying the game exe for free once the mod is finished because it would require to overwrite the game executables.

Marquo · 02-11-2010, 12:05 AM,

I do not understand why you would go to all that trouble and risk legal entanglement; simple use the OOB editor to make whatever new army and units you want and link the units to whatever bmp files you want.

I did this with the Flashing Sword of Retribution: I made Italian, Hungarian and ss units using the Kharkov OOB editor and it works just fine. I made new tank, AT, AA, Soviet MTZ, air units etc with relative values I imported in from looking at the charts from EF CS and TOAW.

Anyway, use the OOB editor and you won't have to lose any sleep wondering when the knock on the door will happen.

Marquo :)

**Warhorse** · 02-11-2010, 12:47 AM,

You must already have the game though, there are other files needed to run the game. Unless I hear from anyone in charge saying different, I am going to stop all mods on this game engine, I have way too much else going on, and don't need the hassle. I don't understand the problem, I just don't like seeing west german on a unit when it's Colombian, etc., as I'm kinda anal about my modding. I'm only changing names in the exe, not actually reworking any inner game workings anyhow? Thanks to all who helped with my two ventures anyway, I appreciate it.

Mike

P.Ako · 02-11-2010, 03:16 AM,

As you wish... but the things of the folder names is just a pointless detail and it does not need to be done... and look at the other major mods like TBOOTB neither of them change the .exe, in fact this mod in the folder "Greece" has the spanish army..

**Ricky B** · 02-11-2010, 05:25 AM,

Warhorse, as Marquo stated there is no real need to change the nationality name because it doesn't appear in the game at all. For the unit display you can customize the unit background to show the Columbian flag and the name will show whatever you would like. There is nothing I can think of anyway that would show a player using "Columbian" units that they are actually considered British by the game engine. You just have to be sure to use unused nations in the game, for the side they will be part of, and all will be okay.

Rick

Volcano Man · 02-11-2010, 07:40 AM,

Yes, going off of what Rick said, plenty of "mods" have been made that add new nationalities to the game. Just look at the Chinese Expansion for K85 as an example, or many of the ME67 mods for that matter. There is simply no reason to alter the .exe for this, just pick one of the existing nationalities that align with the same side you want them on, and one that is not used in another mod or in the stock game (to be nice).

The problem I see is that you are modifying the .exe for something that (as Rick says) will never be seen, and who is going to update their .exe file in the game? I sure wouldn't. For one thing, you would have to re edit it after each and every update, because once an update is applied then it would break your mod. Now, if you intend that the .exe file and other needed files be copied to its own directory to be something stand alone then yes, there is no doubt a legal issue with that (reverse engineering). Nothing would probably be done about it since it is a free mod, but you never know. I guess it is a matter of "why go through all that trouble" through. One idea might also be to propose it through official channels as an official game idea... who knows what would come from it. Otherwise, I just say use an existing nationality and save all the headaches. :)

**Warhorse** · 02-11-2010, 07:49 AM,

But the changes are visible, in the editors, if you use the pulldown boxes to edit, etc, the correct name of a country comes up, instead of the country it is stock?? Also in the objectives list it is visible also, oh well.... I'm not going to argue about it, it's their game, maybe I'll do it for myself, then see what happens when I use the stock exe's, and rename the folders back accordingly. Thanks for all the feedback anyhow!!

-72- · 02-17-2010, 08:05 AM,

I'd go with what VolcanoMan says - he's practiced it and knows the angles.

The .exe files, .map files (by creating new ones), as well as .OOB files in the CWB series are considered proprietary files by HPS (as I've read on other boards- specifically considering the Civil War series), and modifying them for any reason is not on as far as they are concerned. I recalling posts that would have been written by Rich Hamilton and a couple of years ago.

I've had to deal with it to a limited extent on SDC, with people wanting to contribute to the site.