AIWheledVehicle --> Did someone contact Badguy before using ?
by Bruno Grieco · in Torque Game Engine · 03/08/2006 (11:58 am) · 5 replies
Now this is a question of what belongs to whom.
Merging some old code to the new 1.4.0 version, I found this new AIWheeledVehicle Class. Inside it, there was the getSteeringAngle function.
This function is what actually makes vehicles able to be controlled by AI and it was created by Badguy and posted in this thread.
When I created the Flight Compendium resource, the first thing I made sure to express was that I was just putting together code written by other people and gave them the credits for that.
Now the code shows up with a GarageGames copyright with no mention whatsoever to it's author.
Does everything that is posted on the forums belongs to GG ?
When I post code to the community, I don't mind that it will be included in a commercial product and distributed as an executable, after all, I'm giving it out.
But I do mind to have my SOURCE code distributed without notice and without a proper credit at least.
What is GG policy on this issue ?
Merging some old code to the new 1.4.0 version, I found this new AIWheeledVehicle Class. Inside it, there was the getSteeringAngle function.
This function is what actually makes vehicles able to be controlled by AI and it was created by Badguy and posted in this thread.
When I created the Flight Compendium resource, the first thing I made sure to express was that I was just putting together code written by other people and gave them the credits for that.
Now the code shows up with a GarageGames copyright with no mention whatsoever to it's author.
Does everything that is posted on the forums belongs to GG ?
When I post code to the community, I don't mind that it will be included in a commercial product and distributed as an executable, after all, I'm giving it out.
But I do mind to have my SOURCE code distributed without notice and without a proper credit at least.
What is GG policy on this issue ?
About the author
#2
03/10/2006 (1:38 pm)
Great resources that are excellent engine additions get folded into the new releases. It's been this way for a long time. As long as I can remember, actually. Now if only the rest of the Advanced Camera resource would be folded in. 
#3
I never noticed GG taking any notice of the fixes though and it sits in 1.4 now w/o any of my changes. If memory serves me correct, the problem was that the steering triangle is actually vertical rather than in the xy plane as it was intended and that can cause some numerical errors that cause the angle to jump around chaotically during some turns.
I beautified the math a little and added some checks on the data. I use it all the time in my sims now and has been working great after I made those mods.
My resource was AIWheeledVehicle Steering Aid at:
www.garagegames.com/index.php?sec=mg&mod=resource&page=view&qid=8883
03/10/2006 (2:11 pm)
Ahh so that's where it came from originally. I posted a resource that added some visual aids to this and I also corrected a some problems that I saw in testing the getSteeringAngle method. Nice work Badguy, your not so bad afterall. ;-)I never noticed GG taking any notice of the fixes though and it sits in 1.4 now w/o any of my changes. If memory serves me correct, the problem was that the steering triangle is actually vertical rather than in the xy plane as it was intended and that can cause some numerical errors that cause the angle to jump around chaotically during some turns.
I beautified the math a little and added some checks on the data. I use it all the time in my sims now and has been working great after I made those mods.
My resource was AIWheeledVehicle Steering Aid at:
www.garagegames.com/index.php?sec=mg&mod=resource&page=view&qid=8883
#4
As a policy we usually strip people's names from the source code or comments (even our own). This isn't a case of trying to prevent people from getting credit but rather an issue of trying to keep the source code clean (anyone who is familiar with DMMFIX can appreciate this). We do try to give credit as much as possible in changelogs and the like by citing the thread or resource the code came from.
We do have to be *very* careful what code we include in the engine especially bug fixes. We have to test the code thoroughly and make sure that we aren't fixing a bug or introducing a new feature that is just going to create even harder to fix bugs. In general this means that we will sit back and watch a particular piece of code and let the community pound on it for a while before we even begin to seriously consider it for integration. It can look like we aren't paying attention but our bug tracker is full of links to resources and threads that we are tracking. My desktop is actually half covered with shortcuts of code that still needs to be added to our database =P
Btw, Advanced Camera is a great resource but it does some hugely dumb things with networking that *will* kill performance in any multiplayer game. At some point I am going to sit down and rewrite that part of it and pull it into the engine but that is a few months down the road.
03/10/2006 (4:42 pm)
Yes, posting code on the forums or as a resource means that we can (and will) fold it into the engine at some point. If you aren't comfortable with that then don't post your code.As a policy we usually strip people's names from the source code or comments (even our own). This isn't a case of trying to prevent people from getting credit but rather an issue of trying to keep the source code clean (anyone who is familiar with DMMFIX can appreciate this). We do try to give credit as much as possible in changelogs and the like by citing the thread or resource the code came from.
We do have to be *very* careful what code we include in the engine especially bug fixes. We have to test the code thoroughly and make sure that we aren't fixing a bug or introducing a new feature that is just going to create even harder to fix bugs. In general this means that we will sit back and watch a particular piece of code and let the community pound on it for a while before we even begin to seriously consider it for integration. It can look like we aren't paying attention but our bug tracker is full of links to resources and threads that we are tracking. My desktop is actually half covered with shortcuts of code that still needs to be added to our database =P
Btw, Advanced Camera is a great resource but it does some hugely dumb things with networking that *will* kill performance in any multiplayer game. At some point I am going to sit down and rewrite that part of it and pull it into the engine but that is a few months down the road.
#5
I have enough of my own issues that I introduce without dealing with others!
03/11/2006 (9:14 am)
Ah, that makes sense why pieces have wandered in over time and others have still to be implemented. Since just about everything that I do is single-player based or in a reporting mode to a database, I hadn't seen those issues.I have enough of my own issues that I introduce without dealing with others!
Torque Owner Badguy
Im going to have to do a checkout.
I can't really say im offended at all.
I'm not really that well received around here.
(after all I am the Badguy)
I am happy to see it available for all to use tho.
All this time and I havent been sure it is the best way to approach the problem.
which is all I really ever wanted to know.
is there a better way to solve the problem?
good eye Bruno keep up the good work!