Cervantes
Off-Brand Transformable Robot
A former Incompetent Evil Commander (XP: 2423)
Posts: 2,863
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Post by Cervantes on Apr 22, 2016 1:39:18 GMT
Sega announced they'll be releasing a "Mega Drive Classics Hub" as a free update on Steam for anyone who already has any Mega Drive game. Here is the video:
While the hub itself is a cool new feature, the best thing may be their announcement that "That’s not all, every single MEGA Drive game will now feature Steam Workshop support allowing you share modified versions of your favourite retro SEGA titles!". Why is it important? Well, it basically means ROMhacks distributed through the workshop will be considered legal, so people can finally make their fangames without worrying about cease & desist letters! It turns ROMhacks into mods, which is awesome. Of course, there are still few details on how that will work, but I hope it's as simple as it seems.
What do you guys think?
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stratogustav
Supreme Overlord
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Post by stratogustav on Apr 22, 2016 7:35:44 GMT
I have all the available Mega Drive ROMs on my Hyperspin, as well as all the other Sega console libraries. It's cool to know they are legal now. Although I kind of felt they always were because they are emulation, imitation or reproduction is illegal, but emulation has always been legal as far as I heard.
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Cervantes
Off-Brand Transformable Robot
A former Incompetent Evil Commander (XP: 2423)
Posts: 2,863
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Post by Cervantes on Apr 22, 2016 16:42:57 GMT
stratogustav - Keep in mind I'm not saying that owning ROMs is legal now (only if you bought them on Steam or other online stores, or in one of those physical Sega collections). I'm only saying that fan made games, ROMhacks, will be considered fair game - if they're used with the hub; also, only for the games compatible with the hub (only the Mega Drive games available on Steam, at least for now). Your Hyperspin is still illegal as heck.  While the emulators themselves aren't illegal (they are programs created from scratch by the developers and don't violate any copyright), having the ROMs/ISOs is, unless you ripped them yourself from an original game you own. If you downloaded them or bought from an unoficial source, it's considered illegal. The good thing about the announcement is when you consider that some promising fangames were cancelled because the developers got a cease & desist letter. Take the promising fan sequel to Chrono Trigger, called Crimson Echoes: it was 98% complete, featured a completely new story with an estimated 35 hours of playtime, and yet it was suddenly cancelled when Square-Enix lawyers sent a cease & desist to the developers (there are some betas floating around, though). The same happened with Streets of Rage Remake (although this one wasn't really a ROMhack, and the game was already 100% finished when cancelled, so you can find the full version). With this new hub, Sega is not only guaranteeing that people can make their fangame modifications without worrying, but also giving oficial means to distribute those modifications (Steam itself). That's a cool thing to do for your fans. I'm talking about fanmade games, but we should also include translations/retranslations and other modifications (like new modes, new characters etc.). But, of course, we still don't know the details... I hope it's as good as it seems.
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stratogustav
Supreme Overlord
Warrior with Bandana
Posts: 7,646
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Post by stratogustav on Apr 22, 2016 18:46:21 GMT
If that's the case then I agree my whole Hyperspin collection is quite illegal.
Oh well. At least I try to support those games when they are available through consoles, you can see that by looking at my collection list.
For example I just bought the entire King Of Fighters collection through the Japanese PSN, even though I already had those exact same ROMs on my Hyperspin.
I have to say the originals do run smoother and look better on my PS3, but that's just because the video card on my Mini PC is not very good.
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Pimpjira
Guardian Force Shooter
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Post by Pimpjira on Apr 25, 2016 23:20:10 GMT
I heard the games will be 66% off for the release of this hub as well so for anyone interested it may be a good time to pick them up.
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Cervantes
Off-Brand Transformable Robot
A former Incompetent Evil Commander (XP: 2423)
Posts: 2,863
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Post by Cervantes on Apr 30, 2016 14:09:43 GMT
Hey guys, I just tested it!
The hub is a nice little thing, nothing too much - there's this small 3d room with not much to do - there are a few comics on the floor but you can't read them, you also can't look closely the poster on the walls. I think this was a missed oportunity (Sega could have included a few extras here).
Now, for the mods/ROM hacks...
Yes, they're awesome! Each ROM hack is tied to an original game, so, let's say you want to play a Streets of Rage 2 ROM hack, you indeed need to have bought SoR 2 in your Steam collection. Some very known ROM hacks are already available; to give a few examples: the one that converts SoR 3 into an english translation of Bare Knuckle 3, a few translations/retranslations, the one that converts the 50fps PAL Alien Soldier into the 60fps JP version, a lot of Sonic fan games and mods, some hacks to correct bugs in the original games or to add easier/harder modes and other stuff.
Yep, it's really nice to see Sega giving their official blessing to these mods. Some of them might get taken down because they use content from other companies (like the ones that let you play as Mega Man or Ryu in Streets of Rage, or as Strider in Sonic), but outside those, the fan games, translations and bug corrections themselves are certainly fair game.
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Post by winnersdontusedrugs on May 1, 2016 6:22:11 GMT
I love the idea, but I get the feeling that this might not end well. Attachments:
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Cervantes
Off-Brand Transformable Robot
A former Incompetent Evil Commander (XP: 2423)
Posts: 2,863
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Post by Cervantes on May 1, 2016 12:04:16 GMT
I love the idea, but I get the feeling that this might not end well. It's not much different from other game's mods, though - some of the most questionable ones will just be taken down with time, while the legitimate ones survive. At least that's what I take from other games with workshops on Steam, like Skyrim. |
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While the emulators themselves aren't illegal (they are programs created from scratch by the developers and don't violate any copyright), having the ROMs/ISOs is, unless you ripped them yourself from an original game you own. If you downloaded them or bought from an unoficial source, it's considered illegal.
