General

What is The Legend of Mazzeroth?

The Legend of Mazzeroth is a 3-part project with the ultimate goal of producing a fully functional set of software to run a persistent 2D online world (MOG).

More clearly, LoM is broken into three parts each of which will be built in sequential order.

Part 1 - Single-Player RPG: The first part of the project aims to build the 2D client which will ultimately connect to a remote game server over the internet. However, this will be a single-player game and plays a two-fold role in LoM’s development. First, it provides players with an opportunity to explore the world of LoM before the events of the MMO from the perspective of an old-school RPG style game. Think Diablo and Diablo II. Second, it allows us to develop in its entirety the 2D game client and have a very clear picture of the elements in the game client that need to be handled remotely. We can then build a server tailored to the game Client itself.
Part 2 - Online Persistent World: The second part of the project will focus development on an online persistent world with server software designed with flexibility and scalability in mind. As much of the object and world design will have already been done with the first part of the project, we will be able to focus our development on a fully functional server without having to worry too much about special effects in the 2D game client. Part of this phase of the project will involve developing software to integrate with MySQL databases and in particular using a phpBB3 user table to perform connection authentication. Additional server management tools will be handled via a web interface to allow for easy remote operation, management and maintenance of the game servers through web page applications as well as stand-alone native tools.
Part 3 - Redistribution of Game Client Code as Game Framework: The final part of the LoM project will be to take the core code from the game client, clean it up and repackage it as a stand-alone 2D Game Framework from which other games can be developed.

What platforms will LoM be available for?

LoM is being developed with cross-platform capabilities in mind. The idea is to release both the game client and server software so that it can be built and run on all major platforms including Windows, MacOS X and BSD.

Where did you get the name 'Mazzeroth'?

The project leader came up with the name Mazzeroth years ago when he was still a kid in high school back around 1997 when LoM was first started. It is not a play on Warcraft's 'Azeroth' and having a reference in the bible is pure coincidence as he has no religious affiliations of any sort (and, in fact, detests them).

Development

What software do you use to build LoM?

The following Compiler's/IDE's are used to build LoM's Client, Server and Tool Programs:

Windows XP/Vista/7: Microsoft Visual Studio 9 (2008, project package includes pre-built libraries).
MacOS X: XCode (universal project with framework binaries included).

Will you provide me with a compiler/IDE?

We don't condone copyright infringements so we will not provide you with commercial compilers/IDE's however we will be happy to help you obtain and set up freely available compilers if your platform doesn't ship with them (i.e., if you're running Windows).

How can I join the Development Team?

We've had a lot of potential team members come and go with various skills and levels of work ethic. For the most part, we've had people come in saying they wanted to help only to leave days later. Because of this, we are now requiring an application process in order to be considered to become part of the Development Team.

For the most part, all interested parties will be accepted however we do demand a level of respect and at least some dedication of time. Everybody involved in the project so far has donated time to the project and we expect nothing less.

What if I'm a beginner?

Don't be afraid to apply because you're a beginner. As long as you're willing to learn and put in time and effort you should be in good shape. Keep in mind that several of our current team members started out as beginners.

Where do I sign up?

To begin, we have a sign up form. After filling out the form and submitting it you should here from us within a day or two.

What if I want to submit only a Map/Mouse Pointer/Graphics/Etc.

We have several requirements and standards that we need to adhere to so while we appreciate the enthusiasm and the desire to help no content will be included as part of the official content packages unless it was created by a member of the development team.

Licensing

What License is the Software released under?

The source code for The Legend of Mazzeroth is released under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 3 (GPL) license. This includes any LUA scripts as these are considered part of the source code.

What License is the Content released under?

The Content (all non-source code related materials including, but not limited to, graphics, music, maps, sound and artwork) is released under the Creative Commons Non-Commercial Attribution license.

Why two licenses?

The programmers have all agreed that the source code should be made available via the GPL. This allows everybody to use the source code for whatever means they see fit provided they make any derivative works also available under the GPL.

The Content, however, is creative work given to us by the generous authors who created the work. We do not want to force our Content Authors to release their creative talents in a manner that would allow for unfair commercial exploitation without requiring some form of compensation. This license and its terms, however, can be waived provided the appropriate permission is obtained from the Author of the work.

Can I use LoM for Commercial Interests?

Yes.

The source-code for The Legend of Mazzeroth can be used for commercial interests provided the terms of the GPL version 3 are adhered to. Essentially this means that any derivitive works based on The Legend of Mazzeroth must also be distributed under the terms of the GPL version 3. However, any of the game data (outlined above) is not available for use in commercial products without explicit written permission from their original authors.

How can derivitive open-source software have any commercial value?

Distributing the source code under the terms of the GPL does not restrict you from selling a product based on the source code. We are requiring that any source code you develop using LoM's code as a base be redistributed under the GPL as well. This does not require the Content from being distributed under another license.

Example 1 - MMO, Free to Play, Pay for Perks: In this scenario, anybody can download and install the game and play for free. They can even download the source code and compile it themselves (e.g., compile on a system that no binaries exist for). However, they still need to register an account and they still need to Pay for Perks so to speak.
Example 2 - Commercial RPG: LoM's source code is flexible enough to allow for single-player modes. In this case, a game is developed with commercial intentions. The source code is distributed free which allows anybody to compile the code. However, without the game data (the commercial part of the game), there is no game to play. In this case, users would purchase and play said game under whatever license. The source code, however, would continue to remain under a GPL license.

Table of Contents

General

Development

Licensing