Regarding Permission To Use Content Of This Mod

[Bardo]

Wlesmana, the creator of the mod, and author of all the unit models, posted this after the release of his v2.0:

There has been quite a bit of PMs I received lately on the permission to use this mod and its resources so I'd like to post that you don't need to contact me personally as long as you follow these rules:

1. If you used anything from this mod, please use the proper credits. I did not do everything, just most of it. Please read up the Credits page in the mod for more details and who made what.

2. I'd rather you not use any models based on the movies, especially if your mod is NOT based on the LOTR movies. However, models not based on the movies (Dale, Mirkwood elves, Variags, some Easterlings and Haradrim units, etc) are free to use as is.

3. If you do want to use units based on the movies or heavily inspired by the movies, please take the time to alter at least their skins and make them different/more unique. For instance, I don't want you to show Gondorian Men-at-arms in a Narnia mod. But if you altered the Gondorian model/skin to look different, then it's fine. This is because the designs from the movies are not mine to give away.

4. You do not need permission to create add-ons. It's up to you if you want to undertake such a project but you're solely responsible for it. If you released a beta, planned to work on it more and you gathered enough interest, contact me if you'd like a sub-forum here.

5. Please ask if you want to create a mod BASED on this mod. If you're only using one or two resources (like unit models or animations) then you don't need to. But if what you're doing is basically copy the entirety of this mod then customizing stuff on your own (adding/removing factions or units, altering the map, etc), then you're making an add-on, not a full mod. I only ask that you be clear about it.

[Bardo]

About v3.0 released by me, the new battlemap environments were made by other people (and readjusted by me for this mod), you should ask them if you are interested to use some of their work:

- Roma Surrectum 2 team for the new battlemap environments:
Tone: trees, vegetation, grass, ground textures, terrain generator, and campaign map textures.
dvk901: water improvements, rivers, and a few textures here and there.
- TheLordz and NTW2 team for the skies, and some ground textures.

The rest may be credited to:

All unit models, and related files, were made by Wlesmana.
All building models, and every file related to custom cities, were made by Seth Krnell.
Everything else just use Lotr-tw Team

Full credits:

===================================================================================
===================================================================================
CREDITS
===================================================================================
===================================================================================

THANKS TO

* Wlesmana, the creator of the mod, for all the unit models, and most of the hard work. And to Cyen, for the forum support.
* Seth Krnell, for all the custom cities, the buildings, and the research to make them possible.
* Bardo, for putting it all together, and for keeping releasing patches.
* Falcons1988, for the new sounds and music.
* mac89, messenger, crayon, hellenes, rumil, Lupus, Baza, Raphael, Rhythalion, for being part of the team for v2.0.
* Tranky, Wulfburk, Hopit, Nelduin, CapnDan, for their collaboration on v3.0.

* Roma Surrectum 2 team for the new battlemap environments:
Tone: trees, vegetation, grass, ground textures, terrain generator, and campaign map textures.
dvk901: water improvements, rivers, and a few textures here and there.
* TheLordz and NTW2 team for the skies, and some ground textures.
* METW team for the campaign map, and Metal Storm for his professional improvements.
* Aradan, Dol Guldur, Eorl, and rest of FATW team for all their researches and tutorials, and for sharing with us the spreadsheet to calculate their unit costs, the base of our unit balancing system.
* Darth_Vader and Sinuhet for the AI formations.
* Echolyn for the great intro video, and the setup of the Last Alliance historical battle.

* Mods like Europa Barbarorum, DarthMod, SPQR, Roma Surrectum, Rome Total Realism, Iberia TW, ChivTW, Napoleonic Total War 2, ... for inspiration
* Legendary modders like Vercingetorix, Myrddraal, Epistolary Richard, Lord Adherbal's, SigniferOne, Simetrical, The_Mark, Makanyane, Red Spot's, khelvan, Thor the Bassist, Monkwarrior, Athenogoras... for their contribution with tools, tutorials, or support.

Specially helpful for every release:
* HouseOfHam - EDB validator, and his important discoveries on scripting
* RedFox - Zeus the Omnipotent EDB, DMB, DS Validator
* Squid - ATVTW - Trait/Ancillary Validator, descr_geography.db Editor
* MrHide - Trivium independant Map Editor (TiME)

* Betatesters: paradamed, Metallistic, zedestroyer, Vicious the Conqueror, Freelancer Tex, godofruin, Prdo, Maverick, Codename_V, SHaDoWxCrUsAd3r, Blacktemplar221, niko21, Miszel, Primo, Smasher 282, Clagius, masterslay, drdans41, Johnny12, cc7734, anchoret, Falconwatch, Xerdun, Arrow2daknee, Predator1994...
* People at multiplayer for many enjoyable games, in special to Kellhus, Curro, Adrix, Mataputas, and TheWitchKing.

And all the people at twcenter.net, totalwar.org, and lotr-tw.net forums.

[Shield]

The mod is not licensed. It is not protected by law in any way, shape or form. It does not make any money for the creators. Taking this into consideration, "permission to use the mod" translates to "use it as you want". The end.

[Aexodus]

What about twc rules...

[Shield]

No legal protection = free to use. End of story. Twc does not have legal power regard its members creations, to my knowledge.

[CapnDan]

lool... wtf Shield, what is wrong with you... haha
Aside from common decency in basically the whole internet-wide community of "at least ask before using someone else's work" - there are also the rules you specifically agreed to by signing up to TWC forums.

But maybe the biggest takeaway here is that just because you personlly don't know something doesn't necessarily mean that the most convenient answer you can imagine is true.

[Ngugi]

Wlesmana, the creator of the mod, and author of all the unit models, posted this after the release of his v2.0:

Thank you for sharing, Bardo, and in extent to Wlesmana for a friendly, appriciated gesture.

[Shield]

What if I download it from Moddb where terms of use are different? >

Legally, it is "free to use" to my knowledge, as long as you do not make money out of it.

But yeah, it is decent to respect the will of the author.

[Bardo]

Legally, it is "free to use" to my knowledge, as long as you do not make money out of it.

What you describe could be a copyright law that I could live with, but it is not true in any country, that I know.
As far as I know, in the European Union, where I live, all rights are reserved for the author unless he/she states it otherwise. In order to distribute a file, you either need the permission of the author, or a license that allows it, no matter where you downloaded it from.

Most of the files included in this mod were originally made by Creative Assembly. They surely have the right (by law, I'm not sure if morally) to stop us from sharing it even if we do not make any money out of it (and I thank them for not doing so). But this mod also includes files originally made by the modders, that are surely protected by the copyright laws of most countries, even if I may not like some of these laws.

Anyway, this topic was not created for legal reasons. Nobody is going to sue anybody here. This topic just tried to include the wishes of the modders, so people interested to use the files (and polite enough to ask) do not need to ask for permission one by one.

[Shield]

By your logic, if you use at your avatar a picture with someone else drawing, then it is illegal.

Copyright law makes sense only when you cause a financial prejudice to the creator of that thing or when you try to take his creation and call it yours (not give credit to the author).

[Aexodus]

By your logic, if you use at your avatar a picture with someone else drawing, then it is illegal.

Copyright law makes sense only when you cause a financial prejudice to the creator of that thing or when you try to take his creation and call it yours (not give credit to the author).

Pretty sure these rules apply just to TWC to maintain a good modding environment and relationship between creators. As he said, no-one’s sueing anyone.