Rake's Weapon Textures

[Rifraf]

Does anyone have Rake's weapon textures mod from all those years ago? His site is still functional, but the download links are all dead?

 

[dvatreknerd314]

I know a few mods used them and what I did was tried to extract some of the sprites from those mods. There are a few Romulan ships that use them, I think by Pepperman, but I'm not sure

 

[Majestic]

I might have them backed up on a CD somewhere. I was using them for the first YY, and I modified them to work for A2 and for my own personal tastes. However I had a massive Harddrive failure about 12 months ago and I lost a lot of data that I didn't back-up as it wasn't a priority for me like my 3D models are.

If no one else has the files I will dig out my CD's and have a look. I might have something, but probably not all that he released.

 

[Rifraf]

I have acquired these now so no need to go spelunking for them Majestic

 

[dvatreknerd314]

Is there some way for the rest of us to access these?

 

[Rifraf]

PM'd you

 

[CABAL]

If anybody knows how to contact Rake then we could ask him for permission to mirror his work on MSFC. Obviously, we wouldn't do that without permission, though.

 

[Majestic]

Many years ago I got permission from Rake to use his content as I saw fit on the condition that he was credited.

The site I contacted him on no longer exists if my memory serves me. His own site was taken down years ago too if my memory isn't failing me.

Normally I would be in Cabal's shoes and rightly so. MSFC was built on that fact that an artists rights come before anything else. However this is an usual circumstance, we all have to face that fact that the A2 community has dwindled quite far and with FO going to their own engine this isn't going to get any better, more likely to accelerate. I went to FF for the first time in close to 12 months and there was only one new post on their A2 forums. While AFC got a facelift as well activity isn't much better. It seems FO and MSFC are the only two active communities based on the game that still draw a crowd.

With all this in mind but most important the fact that if I (and we all know my conditions of using my junk) had been out of the community for a decade or near enough to it and someone wanted to use my decade old content, long after my site had chewed the dust I wouldn't mind as long as credit was given.

So with that in mind, if you Rifraf wants to host it here in the A1 section, I will allow it. Provided we try and contact him first. Might also benefit our community here on MSFC as some new members might show up interested in these. However if Rake shows up and wants them removed, of course we will without question. However I haven't personally been able to get in contact with him since about 2006/2007, if I could I would be on the blower to him asking if it was ok. If anyone has an updated contact details for him, please PM me.

 

[CABAL]

Majestic makes a good point, and exceptions for individual ship models have been granted before for mods (mostly at A2F) on condition of giving proper credit and taking it out if the artist protested. I do think we should spend at least a few days trying to contact him, though, rather than simply uploading it.

 

[Rifraf]

Majestic has a very good point though ultimately I side with Cabal on this one out of respect for the author. I just happened to look at Rake's readme and he explicitly states that no one is to host his work without permission. I don't want to tarnish my image nor that of Majestic and his site if dirt starts getting thrown.

I just emailed Rake through the contact in his readme and it didn't get returned so relays crossed.

 

[Majestic]

Cabal also makes a good point. I'll try and contact him today and give him a week or so before we upload it.

@Rifraf

I have emailed him also via an alternative email address that Cabal sent me. Also to save you any issues that might arise, if contact is not made with him, as admin and owner of MSFC I will upload the file and take responsibility if the worst shall happen.

 

[Rifraf]

That's respectable and I appreciate it. Thanks Majestic. You certainly have history with him whereas he has no clue who I am.

I'll let you know if I hear anything on this end.

 

[Majestic]

Sounds like a plan, it be a shame to loose a valuable resource such as this. Very little new content is coming out these days. I remember back at the turn of the Millennium when we were getting new files multiple times each day on the Armada sites.

I suppose that is the downfall of having been in the community so long, you see it at it's best and then you see the tailing end of it as well.

Maybe I should get A1 out and go play the campaign for my nostalgia fix.

 

[CABAL]

I suppose that is the downfall of having been in the community so long, you see it at it's best and then you see the tailing end of it as well.

On the other hand, you tend to build strong relationships with anyone else who hangs around.

 

[Majestic]

Very true. The community over the years has gotten a long stronger than it was a decade ago when there were so many and half the community didn't know the other half.

 

[Rifraf]

My email was returned undeliverable at the strategy planet address so the well's empty on this end.

 

[CABAL]

Well, I found six different means of contacting him today, four or five of them recent, and sent them to Maj.

 

[Rifraf]

If you do reach him are you intending only to ask for permission to host or are you also going to ask about usage permission for the community? Maybe since so much time has passed he'll allow usage with credits only? Just a thought.

 

[Majestic]

My email also bounced, as Cabal mentioned he sent me some more contact details. I'll look at attempting to contact him on those either today or tomorrow and I'll be sure to mention both the hosting and the credits for mods requirement.

EDIT: I have contacted him via two alternative methods that Cabal have sent me. If I don't hear a response in a week I'll try two alternative methods of contacting him. Lets hope one gets through.

 

[Majestic]

NEWS UPDATE:

I got in contact with him and he has given permissions for MSFC to host his work. I also invited him to join our community as he mentioned he was going to see about trying to get A1 to work.

They can now be found here:
http://www.msfc.com.au/community/index.php?resources/rakes-weapon-textures.64/

 

[CABAL]

Huzzah! Now if only I could find Yacuzza...

 

[Majestic]

I'm sure you can do that Cabal.

 

[Katala]

If anybody knows how to contact Rake then we could ask him for permission to mirror his work on MSFC. Obviously, we wouldn't do that without permission, though.

He is now also a member of MSFC, I just approved him

 

[Rifraf]

How cool is that? A veteran of the community coming back into the fold.

 

[Rifraf]

Sorry to drudge up an old thread, but would the following line below from Rake's old site grant permission to "anyone" to use his stuff "publicly"? I found it through the Wayback Machine. Thoughts? did he grant any general permissions ever?

4. Armada 2 will not be modded by this site. I don't have it, don't want it, will NEVER pay for it, and simply will not support it. I do let STA2 modding groups use my stuff, which kinda means I'm supporting the game, if only indirectly, but that's all you A2 players are going to get. I'm certainly not going to do anything for the game myself.

EDIT:
Found this in his Q&A section so assume technically permission would need to be obtained first

Question 25 -
Can I use your textures in my mod?

Answer -

Yup, but let me know first so I can mention it on the News page.

 

[dvatreknerd314]

I thought I might have used some in my Invasion mod, but I don't remember. It does sound like you need to at least let him know first

 

[CptBenSisko]

i believe i used his textures as a template to create my own... along with screen grabs from TNG/DS9/VOY... but that was more than 10 years ago.. don't even have photoshop currently to be able to do any work...