Hello everybody, Could I please ask for help? We are making our own car mod and need to understand whether a car MOD can be locked so that can be only used in a private dedicated server, meaning also that cannot be used offline. Does anyone knows if is possible and how? Thanks in advance
No. You can make it so it's not downloadable off a server, but you can't make it so it's not usable in single player.
Can you make it not downloadable off a server, so that you have to be online on the server to drive it? We are trying to find a way around people distributing the mod. But I guess a lot of mod groups are too!!
AFAIK you cann't lock a mod to online or offline but you can password the server. Only give the download link and server password to your trusted testers.
There are ways you could try to make it more difficult, but you can't prevent it completely. And that makes the considerable effort not really seem worth it.
It's not so much protecting the mod, but we find that some (and not generalising but it happens) guys will sign up to a league to get the mod, and you never see them again. You think you have a full grid of drivers, only a handful turn up and you spend resource chasing guys to turn up who just want to play with cars or pass it to another league. That's the bit that will drive you mad!!! I'm certain the payware guys are trying to work out something similar to stop free distribution of their mods too.
It's totally possible to make a mod not downloadable automatically from your server.You need to configure in the Multiplayer.json some options to disable download, and you need to not leave the .rfmod / .rfcmp into the Packages folder of your server.
But the player still has to have the package in their game folder to access, meaning they can play single player or distribute freely? This is the key bit. And I think rf2 is just built that way.
You need to provide the files manually to your reliable tester/drivers yes to be able to connect to the server. So you can control the server to not "distribute" the mod automatically, but you can't control the guys to give the mod to another people.
Yes, I help organizing leagues in EEC and in the past our mods were only available for league. After so many people joining only to get it anything made for our league is released for public, sometimes in other forums too to prevent people grabing and taking credits. It's really sad people won't even respect something in beta stage, we once wanted to keep a mod in beta available only for the online racers while all the bugs were fixed, someone still leaked it the mod would be released in like 1 or 2 months, dude still leaked it, what the heck. That's why I say it's not worth it. Also only reason protecting some paid mods still work is because rF2 user base is mega small
Yes, because the userbase is small. When it grows you bring people that has no respect But it's not all perfect, there are members that works with respected rF2 modding groups and organizes league in groups that shares URD stuff for whoever ask, just saying (not my business tho, not going to say anything else about it).
From a community standpoint, it would help smaller clubs to grow their grid sizes if you could control distribution better. On the other hand you could restrict the open nature of the platform. Competing priorities always. If we made a good mod and people enjoy racing with it, they race in our league as that is how you access it and the league grows off the back of it. People may then be encouraged to create more interesting / higher quality mods to attract more members and get bigger grids to compete with other racing clubs. As a growing club, this is our aim at the moment.
Dino (ciao!) and Rob, the only time I've seen something like this against distribution was with Cloud Motorsport's Formula E content. But if you guys are really protective of it then you should run a series only with your trusted drivers, not open a new one to the general public. Or if you can, run two series, a privateer and a public and keep your previous F1 stuff on the public.
Hi guimengo The catch 22 situation arrives when we want to grow beyond our trusted drivers, but don't want to release it to the public, not initially anyway. It's a tricky one!!
Before Dino got pushed out the place where I also once used to race, we had a momentary influx of members. They got the one mod we were going to run and in one case, left after one race and setup his own league (in a popular website). But if your community is good and enticing to members, they'll stay. It wasn't the case in that site I referred, and when it was growing the site owner went dictatorial and began crushing it again, but leagues grow by being consistent with what they run and also being run with quality and fair treatment. You either take a risk and go for it, or you don't. Run 2 trial races for new members and see if they stick with the existing content, and then do the new mod series with the ones who participated. If people still drop off, blacklist them on your site.
