Ports and Shareware IWAD

myk said:

Either Digital Café had an arrangement with id Software (obtained a license) or it's copyright infringement.

They did obtain a license.

Greetings
Funduke

The question now is does a port have to make the check if playing the shareware version and deny add-ons or the user must not use any add-ons? And I'm not talking only about PWADS. I'm talking also about hi-resolution texture replacements and MD2 models replacements. I also thing that old versions of Doom (I think <1.2, not sure) didn't make this check, unfortunatelly I don't have at this time a system running DOS or DOSBOX to check it.

jval said:
The question now is does a port have to make the check if playing the shareware version and deny add-ons or the user must not use any add-ons? And I'm not talking only about PWADS. I'm talking also about hi-resolution texture replacements and MD2 models replacements.

Those are like PWADs in this sense; user made game patches that extend or enhance the game. Simply restrict such hi res or model addons to the full game like any other PWAD. In any case, Quasar posted above about engine specific wads with resources required by the code and how he's managed to make exceptions for these. Other engines may have done similarly.

I also thing that old versions of Doom (I think <1.2, not sure) didn't make this check, unfortunatelly I don't have at this time a system running DOS or DOSBOX to check it.

The check was added in v1.4, but how does this make a difference?

Early on they did not think the addon community was going to be so big so they didn't think of such a check. It doesn't mean they initially thought it was okay to make patch wads that weren't exclusively for the registered version.

Remember: The release of the source as free software has not changed how to handle the IWADs or what naturally extends from them (PWADs or wad related addons associated to them, in this case), as these are still propietary.

jval said:

The question now is does a port have to make the check if playing the shareware version and deny add-ons or the user must not use any add-ons? And I'm not talking only about PWADS. I'm talking also about hi-resolution texture replacements and MD2 models replacements.

The point being, of course, is that the Shareware version is intended to give people a taste of the game and leave them wanting more - so they part with cash to get it. It could be argued that the enhancements you mention hadn't even been thought of when the game was issued. However, getting the full version allows you to extend and enhance the game in any way that you wish and the SW version lets you see the basic, unenhanced version. So the motivation to get the full version is still there even if all you want to do is make the SW version prettier. Whether the various ports that allow such enhancements enforce the check for the enhancements or not, I don't know.

As I think was said earlier in the thread, there isn't anything illegal about releasing a port which doesn't make the check but a lot of ports have left it in. I suspect this may be done as a courtessy to id. If the full game was free software, the check would be pretty pointless but the full game isn't free and id still make money from people buying it.