Babylon modded in for free?

[Pinstar]

So my understanding is that one of the perks you get for buying the special edition is you get access to the Babylon civ.

On the same token, Civ V is touting how open and accessible it will be to the modding community.

Couldn't the people who want to play Babylon (with whatever stats, unique abilities and units it has in the 'official version') just download a mod that inserts the Babylon civ? (since I would assume mods can be used to create new civs).

Granted, you would be without the leader animation of the official version, but you'd still get the stats and uniques from it.

Just a thought.

 

[12agnar0k]

thats just cheap

 

[CHEESE!]

Well, since CIII a modded civ has never been quite as good as the box civs. I wouldn't download a mod that replaced Babylon for an inferior, seeing the detail (and probable difficulty to mod) of the box civs.

 

[Pinstar]

Oh I agree. A modded Babylon would be the cheap knock-off version that wouldn't hold a candle to the offical civ. I'm talking more about what if your personal style of playing civ makes Babylon the greatest and most perfect civ to meet your playstyles, yet you don't have the cash for the special version, could one do that then?


I merely ask for curiosity's sake. I intend to stick with my favorite Civ from IV (The Ottomans) provided they maintain a similar feel in V.

 

[CHEESE!]

That's a self-answering question, isn't it?

 

[Pinstar]

Very true. I guess my real question would be: Are the devs going to crack down on this kind of thing, or are people free to make/use the knock off Babylon.

 

[Louis XXIV]

If you make your own Babylon, I'm sure that's fine. If you just use the files of their version, I'm sure they'll step in.

 

[wolf_brother]

If you just use the files of their version, I'm sure they'll step in.

Why? If the modding capability is supposedly so open, easy to use and community oriented Either one of these statements is false, or both are false.

 

[cccv]

Why? If the modding capability is supposedly so open, easy to use and community oriented Either one of these statements is false, or both are false.

There's a difference between letting people make whatever they want and letting people steal their stuff. Their work is protected by copyright, and no they're not going to let you use their files and call it your mod. That doesn't mean they're not making modding open/easy etc.

 

[CTH]

There's a difference between letting people make whatever they want and letting people steal their stuff. Their work is protected by copyright, and no they're not going to let you use their files and call it your mod. That doesn't mean they're not making modding open/easy etc.

Here is a huge potential problem with DLC (that you have to pay for), in earlier Civs it is not really a problem if you reuse units from the original in a mod, at least if you dont charge anyone for the mod. But with DLC you have to be very careful on what kind of things you reuse...

and how will mods works with different DLC:s?

 

[Yakk]

You don't reuse units, you refer to them in Civ4.

Creating a BtS mod for Warlords that reimplemented most of BtS in Warlords would also be frowned upon.

 

[AriochIV]

Ten dollars is a ridiculous price to ask people to pay for one extra civ. It's going to get modded in (with Firaxis' files) instantly, and I don't see any way they can stop it... since all you have to do to foil any attempts to block it is change the files.

 

[Mercade]

Ten dollars is a ridiculous price to ask people to pay for one extra civ. It's going to get modded in (with Firaxis' files) instantly, and I don't see any way they can stop it... since all you have to do to foil any attempts to block it is change the files.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[DarkMaster]

Just my two cents on this whole Deluxe Edition controversy. Yes, I agree that it's a bit of a letdown to see two versions being sold, and I don't think one civ is worth the US$10. And I agree with someone who said that it leaves a bad taste in your mouth buying any version of a standard / deluxe option game, ie, "was it worth the extra US$10? Is the new Civ worth it?" vs "holy , now I can never play with Babylon Civ, I bought the regular one. The game is incomplete for me".

But personally, I would rather they include the scenario and the extra Civ and just have one regular Civ offering of US$60. It's US$10 more expensive than most PC games, yes. But it's Civilization. It's not a milk-the-franchise annual installment. Last Civ game we got was in 2005, and is one of the games I spent more time on. The dollar per hour ration of Civilization games is ridiculously low. And, on top of that, Civ V is a PC exclusive, and that means it sells much less than console games. That's why I urge you guys to buy the deluxe and don't think about it as a US$10 civ. Firaxis can't release a game at a US$60, they aren't Blizzard or Activision. Civilization is not Modern Warfare 2 nor is the biggest sport of a nation. But they feel like they should ask for more than what regular grey filter FPSs charge. And I think they are right. Not every game has to cost the same, it's too inflexible. If a 12 hours single player game can charge for US$50 why should Civ? We'll be playing Civ V until Civ VI is released in 2015. Heck, there are still Civ III GotM going. Why isn't it worth it the extra US$10?

Sorry for the (somewhat) off topic rant.

 

[Sciguy001]

There are still Civ II GotM being hosted

 

[TWEAKED Metal]

I'd have no problem paying the extra ten dollars for a game of civ quality but I don't want to have to download it as my internet is limited and i don't have a credit card so it's because there not going to be a copy of the deluxe edition available in stores that i'm going to either have to download a mod or just live without Babylon

 

[civ_king]

Buy the Deluxe Edition if you can to support Firaxis, they have been good to us over the years, I'm sure we will get our money's worth. I've probably spent 4 000+ hours on Civ IV, IMO 4 cents an hour is pretty cheap entertainment

 

[AriochIV]

I would have bought the deluxe edition for the swag and to support Firaxis, but this move of putting a deluxe-only civ in has really turned me off. I know that sounds backwards, but that's how I feel about it.

 

[johnny139]

I would have bought the deluxe edition for the swag and to support Firaxis, but this move of putting a deluxe-only civ in has really turned me off. I know that sounds backwards, but that's how I feel about it.

I know how you feel. If the "deluxe" edition had been the only/basic version, Babylon and all, and it cost $60, I'd be perfectly fine with that. I'd buy it in an instant and beg for more. But the fact they're releasing a version with ONE more civilization for ten dollars more really ticks me off, and I'm not so sure.

It's funny, but semantics like that really make a difference, I guess.

 

[Thyrwyn]

I do not believe that the raw data (values, flavors, mechanics, raw numbers, etc...) that describe Babylon can not be protected by copyright - they are just numbers (just like you cannot copyright or protect a recipe). A modded civ called "Babylon" that uses those same values with different graphics should be a non-issue. (I am not a lawyer )

The graphics files that will be associated with Babylon will be proprietary. Including them in a mod that makes them accessible to users that have not purchased the Deluxe Edition would be a violation of copyright (piracy). I suspect that such a mod would violate the Code of Conduct of sites such as CFC, and would not be hosted there.

YMMV