Missing license

[throwaway1037]

Please may the files be released under a libre license?
Some OS distributions such as Parabola cannot package games which are not libre.
Until the files are licensed, they are proprietary.

[sprunk]

This repo doesn't matter, it's just a storage for random unused crap. See the actual game repo at https://github.com/ZeroK-RTS/Zero-K

As for files in the game repo, many asset files have a muddy status and there's just an implicit license to use with various TA-derived content that lets ZK use them but their authors are lost in time so we cannot relicense.

[throwaway1037]

That's a shame.
How faesible would it be to replace these files with libre ones?

Also, is there a policy that all works currently being made are libre?

[sprunk]

How faesible would it be to replace these files with libre ones?

If somebody is willing to remake them without a drop in quality he is welcome to do so. It may end up being quite a lot of work though (might end up having to remodel half the units, idk). A good first step would be figuring out what license exactly some of files even have (since usually nobody cared as long as it was compatible with ZK).

Also, is there a policy that all works currently being made are libre?

No, we have make do with what's available and that sometimes means taking contributions without a fully libre license.

[throwaway1037]

So as to stop this issue from becoming worse, please may I propose instating this policy?

[sprunk]

Some sort of skin in the game would be good. If somebody shows effort in replacing assets with libre versions then I think we could arrange it.

I looked at https://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html (linked from the Parabola main page) and it says

Non-functional Data
(...) some game engines released under the GNU GPL have accompanying game information—a fictional world map, game graphics, and so on—released under such a verbatim-distribution license. This kind of data can be part of a free system distribution, even though its license does not qualify as free, because it is non-functional.

Our code is already all libre, and while assets aren't necessarily libre they can all be at least distributed verbatim, so maybe it's already fine?

[throwaway1037]

In addition to being compliant with the GNU FSDG, Parabola has a Social Contract stating it is 100% libre, which includes non-code works.

[sprunk]

Alright. In that case replacements welcome.

[throwaway1037]

Thank you.

In the meantime, I am busy on a project to liberate lots of games and I don't have a lot of time to spend on any one specifically.
Since it will probably take a while to replace the proprietary files with libre ones and/or track down the authors and ask them to liberate the files, it would be best to instate the policy that all new files added to the project going forward should be libre, so as to stop this issue from becoming worse.
Please could we do this?

[sprunk]

Sure, feel free to monitor PRs to our repository and point out any that try to add non-libre assets.

[throwaway1037]

As I said, I'm busy and I can't actively monitor each and every project.
Instating a policy so each project can govern itself is important.

[sprunk]

Our project doesn't have anybody else with enough manpower to govern it under a libre regime though.