Are we prepared for potential Microsoft harassment?

[rubenwardy]

"Minecraft encourages users to build their own versions of the game, such as this Hunger Games title."

Ha ha ha, lol.

[Azvael]

It's a done deal, folks.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/09/15/technol ... ney_latest

MC won't open source MC. Looking at MS' business patterns in the last few years, I'm not optimistic about MC's future, the future of the modding community, or development on non-MS platforms. A lot of new players will stick with it becuase they don't know any better, but the players who've been with the game for a long time...I suspect many of them will leave as MC begins to slowly creep in it's changes and restrictions.

Regarding the OP, I'm trying not to think about it. :(

[Inocudom]

But Robin of PureZC said the following:

This is all just silly speculation though. We don't even know if this is real yet. If I'm not mistaken, the original source of the rumor stems from the Wall Street Journal - the same outlet that claimed Google was buying Twitch a couple of weeks ago - something that turned out to be false, Google didn't buy Twitch, Amazon did. Why does this matter with this case? It doesn't, but it gives us an indication of the validity of the rumors.



And even with that said, even if Microsoft does buy Mojang, there's no reason to think that would mean they're going to force the creative team down a certain route - for all we know, Microsoft just wants to put their name on the thing, because they've gotta know what made Minecraft popular, and sending someone to meddle with what's already gold, probably isn't something Microsoft sees as a good idea. So that leaves us with the question: why exactly would this be so bad? I mean, other than stupid speculation from some idiot on Youtube, how can you be so sure that this would be a bad thing for both Mojang and Minecraft? What if you're wrong, and Microsoft just decides to spruce up their budget and leave em to their own devices, and the end product ends up being the best thing that has ever happened to Minecraft? See what I did there? I speculated. I have no way of knowing that it's going to go down that route, but neither do you.



And you're wasting time worrying about something that absolutely has the chance of being completely fine - and the people who are making a big deal out of this at this point are just hipsters who does it because they think it's cool to hate on Microsoft. And it's completely fine to hate on Microsoft, there's plenty of valid reasons to hate on that company, but rumors that aren't in any way confirmed yet are not one of those reasons.



On top of that, I still don't see why Microsoft would want to do this. Minecraft has already sold insane amounts of copies, there's a limit to how many more they're going to sell compared to the number of already sold copies. And anyone with some common sense would tell you that there's no way in hell that a Minecraft 2 would be doing just as well as the first one. So that leaves me asking why the fuck Microsoft would want to do this. So no, I don't trust these rumors. I don't see the it as being a profitable purchase for Microsoft. It's entirely possible that I'm wrong, but let's leave the hating until we've got something to hate on. It's not as if that douchebag with a greenscreen is going to stop this from happening if the rumor turns out to be true.

He seems like an expert on these things too. Of course, he is probably in error here, especially considering the fact that he feels the need to spew hatred for a person on YouTube that clearly does not deserve it.

[stormchaser3000]

well it is official from what i read. Microsoft has now got ownership of mojang but i will chack a few other sources.

EDIT: yep it is offical http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2014/sept14/09-15news.aspx

[Inocudom]

well it is official from what i read. Microsoft has now got ownership of mojang but i will chack a few other sources.

EDIT: yep it is offical http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2014/sept14/09-15news.aspx

I would say that it would have been better if Nintendo bought Mojang, but then there would never again be PC versions afterwards. I am interested in hearing what Robin of PureZC says about this.

[MirceaKitsune]

I would say that it would have been better if Nintendo bought Mojang, but then there would never again be PC versions afterwards. I am interested in hearing what Robin of PureZC says about this.

Nintendo doesn't even tolerate having a fanbase. If they got MC, any website that even dared to post screenshots from it would be attacked. That happened with Pokemon B&W some years ago, when they tried to create their own SOPA type law... since then they're pretty much the company I hate most.

[Inocudom]

I would say that it would have been better if Nintendo bought Mojang, but then there would never again be PC versions afterwards. I am interested in hearing what Robin of PureZC says about this.

Nintendo doesn't even tolerate having a fanbase. If they got MC, any website that even dared to post screenshots from it would be attacked. That happened with Pokemon B&W some years ago, when they tried to create their own SOPA type law... since then they're pretty much the company I hate most.

Well, I don't play any of Nintendo's games anymore, thanks to Kid Icarus: Uprising and its disturbing beliefs and disgusting sense of humor. I am not surprised that they have become so evil. I guess they really are the Disney of the video gaming world. If they were to have a favorite planet, it would probably be the one below:

Funny, because I really hate Saturn. Of course, Microsoft is pretty evil as well, so they probably favor that planet as well. There is a reason why it is called The Great Malefic, you know. Look it up on the internet.

[Morn76]

Funny, because I really hate Saturn. Of course, Microsoft is pretty evil as well, so they probably favor that planet as well. There is a reason why it is called The Great Malefic, you know. Look it up on the internet.

EA also has plenty of Saturn symbolism in their current logo with the black disk and ring. *Sigh*, I remember the 80s when EOA were the good guys and stood for quality games. Who knew they would get this big?

[Inocudom]

Funny, because I really hate Saturn. Of course, Microsoft is pretty evil as well, so they probably favor that planet as well. There is a reason why it is called The Great Malefic, you know. Look it up on the internet.

EA also has plenty of Saturn symbolism in their current logo with the black disk and ring. *Sigh*, I remember the 80s when EOA were the good guys and stood for quality games. Who knew they would get this big?

EA is another one of those evil companies. Just look at The Sims 4; it has the same graphics as The Sims 3. It is more like an expansion pack than a separate game. If they had bought Mojang, they would probably do similar to what Microsoft will do (again, remember what happened to Rare.)

[Morn76]

EA is another one of those evil companies. Just look at The Sims 4; it has the same graphics as The Sims 3. It is more like an expansion pack than a separate game. If they had bought Mojang, they would probably do similar to what Microsoft will do (again, remember what happened to Rare.)

Then again MC has been getting more and more satanic on its own over the years: zombies, magic potions, enchanting, the Nether (=Hell), etc. The black Ender Dragon seems kind of Saturnian to me as well. I remember an old thread on this board where someone said this drove her from MC to MT because e.g. brewing is not in the default MT game. Especially in the US some people are very aware of this kind of stuff in the media and video games.

Perhaps you should make a new (offtopic) thread for this kind of discussion, Inocudom.

[Inocudom]

EA is another one of those evil companies. Just look at The Sims 4; it has the same graphics as The Sims 3. It is more like an expansion pack than a separate game. If they had bought Mojang, they would probably do similar to what Microsoft will do (again, remember what happened to Rare.)

Then again MC has been getting more and more satanic on its own over the years: zombies, magic potions, enchanting, the Nether (=Hell), etc. The black Ender Dragon seems kind of Saturnian to me as well. I remember an old thread on this board where someone said this drove her from MC to MT because e.g. brewing is not in the default MT game. Especially in the US some people are very aware of this kind of stuff in the media and video games.

Perhaps you should make a new (offtopic) thread for this kind of discussion, Inocudom.

It's tempting, but that could prove hazardous. I certainly could not do so in the forums of PureZC. I made a topic in these forums about the increasing disasters on this planet once, but people just ignored it. All I can tell you is to look at my current signature. I still watch those videos, you know.

What you said about Minecraft pretty much predestined Mojang to be owned by Microsoft. That is a fact. These sorts of things do not happen by chance.

To everyone that reads this topic, you must understand that the more you use open-source software, the safer you and your kids will be. Though symbolism can (and does) appear in open-source software too, it is not as frequent/not as powerful. Plus, closed-source programs can have a good number of ways that you can be monitored without even knowing about it.

[Morn76]

It's tempting, but that could prove hazardous. I certainly could not do so in the forums of PureZC. I made a topic in these forums about the increasing disasters on this planet once, but people just ignored it. All I can tell you is to look at my current signature. I still watch those videos, you know.

Well, offtopic is only visible to logged-in users, so the audience is more limited. But I don't see the problem otherwise. Nobody in their right mind would dispute that the media and video games are saturated with satanic imagery and symbolism. Sites about this topic such as Vigilant Citizen are pretty mainstream and mostly accepted now I think.

What you said about Minecraft pretty much predestined Mojang to be owned by Microsoft. That is a fact. These sorts of things do not happen by chance.

True. Notch's penchant for black fedoras should have tipped us off:

To everyone that reads this topic, you must understand that the more you use open-source software, the safer you and your kids will be. Though symbolism can (and does) appear in open-source software too, it is not as frequent/not as powerful. Plus, closed-source programs can have a good number of ways that you can be monitored without even knowing about it.

I suppose a proper Christian should not touch computers, computer games, the WWW, currency, horoscopes, lotteries, the Olympics, the MTV Music Awards and all that nonsense in the first place. It's all the same thing.

[twoelk]

...
I suppose a proper Christian should not touch computers, computer games, the WWW, currency, horoscopes, lotteries, the Olympics, the MTV Music Awards and all that nonsense in the first place. It's all the same thing.
..

hehe, I guess a lot of religious fanatics of most believes out there will agree with you on most of that. Actually any fundamentalistic model of a correct way of living, be it religious or not, might be in that same boat.

Ha, so back to the neolithic roots; live in small rural communities surrounded by a broad girdle of undeveloped nature, plough your own field, eat only what you sow and throw stones at any uninvited strangers.

erm - wait, that is what I often do on Minetest servers - oh dear I'm living some fundamentalistic dreams in virtuall reality. Should I consult a shrink?

[hoodedice]

I would love it if you could keep your stuff limited to a single topic under offtopics. This sort of content of content on a "serious" topic might deter new minetest players =/

[Inocudom]

I would love it if you could keep your stuff limited to a single topic under offtopics. This sort of content of content on a "serious" topic might deter new minetest players =/

Yes, it probably will.

Well, from what I have seen, three new people have turned away from Minecraft and to Minetest. Let us welcome them and not make the same mistakes that Minecraft did. Sadly, however, none of the folks from PureZC have come here as of yet.

[Ivy]

I would love it if you could keep your stuff limited to a single topic under offtopics. This sort of content of content on a "serious" topic might deter new minetest players =/

Thanks man, I was getting a bit spooked there.

[paramat]

We probably don't have to worry, but it would be wise to not develop core Minetest and Minetest game to be more like Minecraft, leave that to non-default games and mods. Of course we don't need another reason to do so but this is another good reason.

[ExeterDad]

We probably don't have to worry, but it would be wise to not develop core Minetest and Minetest game to be more like Minecraft, leave that to non-default games and mods. Of course we don't need another reason to do so but this is another good reason.

Agreed

[MirceaKitsune]

We probably don't have to worry, but it would be wise to not develop core Minetest and Minetest game to be more like Minecraft, leave that to non-default games and mods. Of course we don't need another reason to do so but this is another good reason.

Agreed too.

[SAMIAMNOT]

Point 1: I doubt Minetest will ever have as large of a fanbase as Minecraft until Microsoft destroys it, and by then MS wouldnt care so no we wont get sued.
Point 2: Why is EA evil? Dont they make popular games (Madden, Battlefield)? & I personally love NCAA Football 12. Tho youre right Nintendo sucks.
Point 3: Im a Christian and furthermore I am GOING to find a clip of Lecrae on the Tonight show.

[rubenwardy]

Origin is what mainly makes EA evil.

[Samson1]

I think that as soon as Minetest gets onto Microsoft's reader then Minetest is going to be in trouble. But as Minecraft is not open source I will say that Minetest is betterXD

[benrob0329]

I don't think that MC has any ground to stand on when it comes to a lawsuit. As MT doesn't have copyrighted blocks, code (its C++ and Lua, it would be impossible!), and its FLOSS software...so Microsoft shouldn't even think about it, or we will be harassing them.

[MirceaKitsune]

I don't think that MC has any ground to stand on when it comes to a lawsuit. As MT doesn't have copyrighted blocks, code (its C++ and Lua, it would be impossible!), and its FLOSS software...so Microsoft shouldn't even think about it, or we will be harassing them.

Yes, I ultimately agree with this. The most they can do is claim that we stole their artistic design (only a concern for minetest_game), as well as the "Mine" in the name (Minecraft / Minetest). There aren't any patents to using voxels (thank goodness) so no matter how rich Microsoft is, they couldn't ever find a basic plausible reason.

Even if they tried, they would fail in court, and only get a lot more hate directed at them. And even if they magically did succeed in court and Minetest went down, there are already several forks, and people would immediately make more to get back at them and ultimately continue the project as if nothing happened.

[BobbyBonsaimind]

...so Microsoft shouldn't even think about it, or we will be harassing them.

Uh, Microsoft is already taking shit for much more important stuff, like the whole Windows 10 privacy thing and the sideloading of executables provided by the BIOS. Given that they don't care about that stuff, I highly doubt they care about the Minetest community, no matter how much noise it makes.

Even if they tried, they would fail in court, and only get a lot more hate directed at them.

You are assuming that someone in the community does have the capabilities to invest time and money for multiple years into a legal battle. I don't know a lot of people, or well for that matter, in this community, but I'd be very surprised if there would be someone in here with these capabilities. Therefor it does not matter if Microsoft is right or wrong, if you can't proof them wrong in the court they will be victorious one way or the other.

For that matter, I do not believe that the "voxel market" is anything Microsoft is really interested in and I would not be surprised if they'd drop Minecraft altogether at some point because "it fell short of expectations". They seem to use Minecraft mostly to sell their new and awesome VR/glasses technology, and the Minecraft community has proven to be a mass of people that want all the shiny things right now. They are really only interested in the community that is deeply tight against Minecraft, their wallets and their opinions. Remember that many Minecraft players will downplay, insult and harass any other game that might look similar, pretty similar to how it happens with Windows and Office users. That is what Microsoft wants, Lemmings.

Outrightly attacking any other voxel game will do nothing for them, it will not gain them more users and it will not gain them more money. Also, given how freely a big part of the Minecraft community handles copyright, they really would shoot themselves in the foot with such an action in the long term.

So my prognosis for this? Not going to happen.

[MirceaKitsune]

You are assuming that someone in the community does have the capabilities to invest time and money for multiple years into a legal battle. I don't know a lot of people, or well for that matter, in this community, but I'd be very surprised if there would be someone in here with these capabilities. Therefor it does not matter if Microsoft is right or wrong, if you can't proof them wrong in the court they will be victorious one way or the other.

You only need to engage in a legal battle if there actually is a legal battle to carry. If there are no legal arguments for Microsoft to threaten us, the battle ends before it even started. If rich companies could really sue everyone for every reason, you and me and everyone we met would be sued by random corporations on a monthly basis, simply because they have more money and could try making an extra buck this way... yet this thankfully this doesn't happen, because they still need a legitimate reason to do so.

[SAMIAMNOT]

If Notch had patented Minecraft I bet he could've sued us though.
Maybe we should patent it so they cant sue us...

[benrob0329]

MT is open source, so im not sure who he/they would sue in the first place...maybe c55 but I'm not sure..

[programmingchicken]

MS may bring up posts from the forums, and 4aiman's subgame 'Magichet' is NOT helping us by trying to copy MC.

[FreeLikeGNU]

I think minetest stands on its own. IANAL, but whatever patents might cover minetest, infiniminer looks like prior art for the sake of voxel block sandbox game, so minecraft is no more novel a game than minetest in that regard.