Create a Mod from SCS material? Is one allowed?

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SCS as a company do not wish to have paid mods on this forum. While we understand that not all paid mods use the Intellectual Property of other companies/people, it is very hard to moderate what is and isn't acceptable when money is involved. There are also concerns that it could look unfavorable to potential work partners going forward if SCS allow mods that may potentially use unlicensed branding.
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MacCekko
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Create a Mod from SCS material? Is one allowed?

#1 Post by MacCekko » 17 Aug 2022 17:28

Cheers, guys.

Back in 2020, SCS released their fabulous "TRUCK AT HOME" paintjobs mods, both for ETS2 and ATS and created the online event. Then, they stopped keeping it updated for comprehensible reasons.
But I did not. I actually extended the paintjobs to new trucks as long as they were included in new updates of the simulators themselves, so at least up to now, I can apply the #TruckAtHome paintjob to every single SCS truck in both simulators.
I basically duplicated the initial packs, and then renamed them adding the word "local" to distinguish them from the originals: I kept them updated ever since.

Now, would such an 'updated' Mod released on the Workshop be like somehow stealing from SCS? I am asking because I think it would be, but still… I 'd like to understand the whole thing. Should this NOT be the case, I could add something to the community, provided that people would still be interested in something pertaining a pandemic. :(

I have read the FORUM RULES, and especially the following:
3.1 Game Modification Guidelines
Posting or sharing mods that include any material/texture/art content from DLC packages in whole or in part is not allowed.
yet still I am unsure on the thing, hence my question in the first place.

Thank you for your possible answers.
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Madkine
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Re: Create a Mod from SCS material? Is one allowed?

#2 Post by Madkine » 18 Aug 2022 09:42

Given their mod is still on the workshop and in theory still functional, I'd only release a mod for trucks that their mod doesn't cover.

The rule you mentioned doesn't specifically apply, because the Trucks at Home is a mod SCS released, not a DLC.

In some circumstances mods can be created from SCS material, but not from DLC's.
Event skins such as the Xmas skins and Thrustmaster skins (and others) are fair game.

Such as these 2 from me:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/ ... 1596769658
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/ ... 2649212156
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Re: Create a Mod from SCS material? Is one allowed?

#3 Post by MacCekko » 18 Aug 2022 11:47

Madkine wrote: Given their mod is still on the workshop and in theory still functional, I'd only release a mod for trucks that their mod doesn't cover.
Yes, since that is very true, it could be a 'gentle' workaround to the problem: to include only those trucks that came to the Sims only AFTER the Mod was released.


Madkine wrote: The rule you mentioned doesn't specifically apply, because the Trucks at Home is a mod SCS released, not a DLC.

In some circumstances mods can be created from SCS material, but not from DLC's.
Event skins such as the Xmas skins and Thrustmaster skins (and others) are fair game.
Hmmm, I ignore what "fair game" means. I will try to search such an expression on the net.
In any case, I thank you for you kind answer, but I really thought that subtle differences between "MOD" and "DLC" in this particular case, would be… TOO subtle, in fact. For how I see it, it's all a matter of authorship and intellectual property and rights, and there are no differences between a DLC and a MOD in the strict sense of having at one's disposal things that come directly from the working mind of people at SCS. But if you say that the whole thing can be done, with the above 'trick', I certainly will give it a deeper thought, although I have still doubts.
BTW, who did you consult with before you released 'em? Is there a specific area of the forum, or a specific group of people, or person I could ask? Thank you.

Oh, and congrats for your Mods! Good work!
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Re: Create a Mod from SCS material? Is one allowed?

#4 Post by Madkine » 20 Aug 2022 04:30

In this context fair game = yes you can make mods from it.

I think I'd discussed it with a moderator at the time (I wasn't one then). And Max I think made a comment at some point.
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Re: Create a Mod from SCS material? Is one allowed?

#5 Post by room217au » 20 Aug 2022 06:29

You can create such a mod, just don't include the actual content. That way only folks with that DLC can use it.
You're not stepping on any copyright if you write definition files for various trucks n such. You can include the data_paths for those dds files, but you don't have to have them in your mod. They'll be 'cpicked up' from the game files. And that's fine.
And seeing that you're uploading to WorkShop you can specify that the mod is dependent on certain DLC to work correctly.
You can't copy SCS content, edit it, and change the name either.
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Re: Create a Mod from SCS material? Is one allowed?

#6 Post by xXCARL1992Xx » 20 Aug 2022 08:23

he isnt talking about a DLC but about a mod made from SCS in the Workshop, so he NEEDS to edit textures because there is no one skin that fits all trucks without work, especially the new ones

and mods cant be made depended on mods in the workshop
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Re: Create a Mod from SCS material? Is one allowed?

#7 Post by Outlaw Transport » 20 Aug 2022 08:59

Not sure what rules you would be breaking, half the workshop is just random content and edits based on SCS' original assets.

As far as I know there are two ways to connect one mod with another. One is to select the other mod as a dependency in the workshop uploader. The other is to add it as a requirement in the manifest, but IIRC that only applies to DLCs. I guess you could also reference data between your def files to the other mod if you really wanted to enforce the original mod, but aside from being bad form that would likely crash the game if both aren't active.
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Re: Create a Mod from SCS material? Is one allowed?

#8 Post by MacCekko » 21 Aug 2022 01:31

Thanks for your answers.

I think that some kind of compromise could probably be found.
DEF and DDS files with textures for 'new' trucks - those which were introduced, so to speak, and installed with LATER upgrades of the simulators, both ETS2 and ATS, must be present inside my Mod. Initially I started out duplicating SCS TruckAtHome Mod and continued simply adding new DEF and new DDS in time, but I could easily delete the folders coming from the original Mod from SCS, so that only DEF and DDS files for 'new' truck are present within 'my' new Mod. Also I was thinking to name it something like "#TruckAtHome Add-on", even if technically it would be a stand-alone Mod dedicated to new trucks only. In this strict sense, AFAIK there would be no need to activate both original TruckAtHome SCS Mod along with 'mine', since this one would only cover new trucks. Anyway, one COULD activate both Mods: 'mine' and SCS's, so that new trucks AND old ones, could be applied the paintjob on. I would also keep it updated as long as I could.

At any rate, the point is that since technically initial artwork and graphical layouts and logo are property of SCSs and fit onto old trucks, final layouts which fit onto new trucks would be the benefits of my work instead. All of this I shall write into the Mod description, of course. In this sense, I think this would be a nice compromise, as said initially.

This could be a gentle workaround - as suggested first by Madkine himself - to make things work together.
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