Valve have just updated the Source 1 SDK on GitHub to the latest code based on Team Fortress 2, effectively making TF2 code source available.
SDK was previously updated in 2014.
This is great, but also WEIRD because Valve have historically gone after TF2 fan projects in the past few years. I guess they just changed their minds?
Just because the source code is available it does not mean it is free to use and do with it what you want. The license explicitly states that you may use it but have to publish it for free and follow the Steam subscriber agreement. Also this is just source code, not the assets (at least as far as I understand it).
Valve has made attempts to take down projects that follow those rules. TF2Classic is the example that comes to my mind since it’s the main one I’ve played, but I know there are several others. In TF2C’s case, they tried contacting Valve to find out why they’d been hit with a C&D, never heard back, and eventually quietly resumed development.
Some kind of miscommunication between legal and the devs? Maybe internal drama? Maybe they didn’t really pay attention and still aren’t aware TF2C is back up? Who knows. Still happened tho.
Official announcement for the TF2 SDK: https://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=238809
This is great, but also WEIRD because Valve have historically gone after TF2 fan projects in the past few years. I guess they just changed their minds?
Just because the source code is available it does not mean it is free to use and do with it what you want. The license explicitly states that you may use it but have to publish it for free and follow the Steam subscriber agreement. Also this is just source code, not the assets (at least as far as I understand it).
Valve has made attempts to take down projects that follow those rules. TF2Classic is the example that comes to my mind since it’s the main one I’ve played, but I know there are several others. In TF2C’s case, they tried contacting Valve to find out why they’d been hit with a C&D, never heard back, and eventually quietly resumed development.
Some kind of miscommunication between legal and the devs? Maybe internal drama? Maybe they didn’t really pay attention and still aren’t aware TF2C is back up? Who knows. Still happened tho.
I don’t doubt that this happened. All I wanted to point out is, that this move doesn’t conflict in any way with such things happening.
Or maybe they took fan projects down because they had this in the works.