Rules Around Using Episode Art Assets and Community Edits

As a fellow simmer, this was beautifully said. It’s beautiful how EA and sim gurus embrace modders. They even have items named after popular mods! That’s appreciating their community.

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Braincells have left the chat

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The big difference between any actual gaming community and an app community, though, is that these apps we’re using belong to this company in a way where we can’t mod or add our own custom content in such a way as with PC games. Companies that do real gaming, because no app on your phone is anything like real gaming, have created all their things with programs often from scratch. They use models and textures all of their own creation.

Like, I’m just gonna throw a random one out there, modders would use a program like Zbrush and create their own Z file and then load it into their launchers. Episode isn’t NEARLY as complicated, and we should be grateful we’re allowed to have our own overlays and backgrounds to begin with.

Modders would use notepad probably to create a script file to upload into their games to change stories or whatever they’re changing with that, or they could do weather mods with HDRIs, like…Episode has nothing to do with any of that…

Now with these mods, these mods are created FOR THOSE GAMES. The things we’re using for Episode are made with Episode in mind, BUT these things can be used ELSEWHERE, that’s why it is a problem and not comparable.

So, to like summarize, things we create for Episode can’t be shared because you can use Episode assets we create for other things and that’s illegal copyright stuff.

Mods for real gaming, like on the sims are MADE FOR THE SIMS, and it can’t be shared except for to be used ON THE SIMS.

Hope that’s clear enough >.>

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yes, it was on @ amepisode’s instagram story

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Sorry, I’m really confused. Can someone explain to me why people are saying no one is allowed to use edited backgrounds in their stories anymore? It says we are allowed to edit Episode assets? Am I missing something? Why is everyone upset?
Again, sorry I just want to know if I’m reading this right.

We are not allowed to share edited backgrounds with episode assets through a drive.
We can edit episode backgrounds (but only for ourselve) but not share on platforms like instagram or facebook.
That’s why everyone is upset.

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Oh okay! Thank you that clears things up. :grin:
That sucks though.

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I know that one can be widely used for other purposes more than the other. My comparison had to do more with the support system and how Episode could use this to benefit themselves rather than sabotage relationships with writing users who are already shaky with them due to their lack of release of useful things, which is mainly why these editors exist: to give writers what they’re not receiving from Episode, which is why I compared it to the CC community of Sims and how they’re creating content the Sims company lacks. Backgrounds and overlays can make or break a story as much as a set can make or break a movie or Tv show or commercial and etc.

Even though I get it and the whole copyright stuff, I’m still pissed because like said before, writing stories on Episode is already limiting due to the limit of animations, clothes, and backgrounds. Now that content creators/editors can’t mass share their edits even on Episode platforms, it’s going to be even more limiting.

In the end, to make it work for users and the company. Episode, should do like the sims and create a build a world like program. It can be built within the writers portal and allow people to create backgrounds and overlays with a code that blocks users from downloading or screenshotting, but also allows them to make their backgrounds and overlays public to background tabs of other users under the “Available For All Stories” tab. This way everything stays within their program. It’ll cost a lot, but save them from copyright issues in the future.

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This is basically why Episode isn’t real gaming LOLOLOLOL - This is just…probably not all that possible. I mean…it might be possible. Definitely less than probable.

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Anythings possible with coding and technology, IF someone wants to make it happen. It can be like Episodes version of photoshop with stock images in the form of overlays and backgrounds and furniture taken from already created backgrounds and overlays.

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Pffffft!!! This reminds me of a lovely gif with one of my favorite people.

It isn’t that no one would want to make this happen, I’m sure, it just…Episode is just Episode. There’s a reason these really complicated things don’t exist already. I don’t wanna say it is the engine, because that isn’t the 100% correct term, but let’s just compare it to an engine for a second.

Episode doesn’t have an engine like…some games have a frostbite engine so that models break around them. Episode just isn’t this kind of thing, it just isn’t ^^’

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The program doesn’t have to be complicated as photoshop. I just said photoshop because it’s the only program that popped into my mind. It can be just like the preview section that comes up when you upload an overlay. It allows you to move and scale overlays over a background. They can simply add all of their backgrounds to the “Choose a background” section and turn that into a tab and add a “Choose an overlay” tab.

Or

Simply, them just turning all of their furniture in their backgrounds into overlays and adding empty room backgrounds to their background section. Then making it possible for users to add an unlimited or larger amount of overlays to a scene.

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Not sure that’s a possitive thing though… :thinking:
Take for instance the code system for creating stories - it’s a mess and so much more complicated then it needs to be.

It’s kind of like when logitech made the horrible decision to go from using the Cherry MX switches everyone else were using in their keyboards to creating their own(!)…

Why invent the wheel twice!?

@julesscreven
I’m not familiar with her/his site or content so I can’t speak for it, but if it used “Episode assets” then I guess they are in their full rights to order it to be removed. It’s either that or being dragged into a lawsuit

-not directed at anyone particular just a reply to the post-

I’m not angry at Episode for the rules (that’s been there all the while btw) - its pretty self-evident to me that they don’t want anyone to use something they’ve created in order to market themselves or make a profit outside of their management. I’ve actually been supriced they’ve allowed us to get away with it for as long as they have. Copyright has always been copyright, and it is their product after all.

As I’ve also mentioned earlier, they have rules themselves they need to follow, contracts they’ve made with other parties (Demi Lovato for instance) that they risk getting into a legal process over if it’s broken. Wich it probably is if we’d use some of the hidden images for those stories.
What we all need to understand is that this is money we’re talking about here. Episode (pocketgems) is a corporation. They didn’t create this app and all its content for the fun of it.

No, what I’m sad and dissapointed about - and many with me I imagine - is their way of handling the situation. Instead of adressing the issue and bring us some concrete examples of what we as creators can/can’t do, to try to find a good solution for everyone (like a site where we actually can share our creations within the community only) they just shut us off. That’s not professional and it puts the whole community in jeopardy. Way to bite the hand that feeds you

<3

ps: and don’t even get me started on this weeks art update,…

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I don’t think it is positive or negative. It just is what it is and we have to live with it. As for the coding thing lol, come on fam. We’re lucky we have this to begin with, that we can use Episode for such a hobby. It is a really cool thing and if you can get used to it and work with it, there really are no downsides. How messy it is is dependent on the writer, IMO. I’ve seen messy scripts, I’ve seen clean scripts, there’s times where I say fuck it, I’mma just do whatever and mine becomes a little messier than usual shrugs

We could just…not have it at all? But I’d say that’s a negative. It is what it is and what it has always been. All this misunderstanding and freaking out over it all, the rule makes perfect sense and it isn’t wrong of them to have this rule. I like the rule, personally LOL - good rule.

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This!

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Agreed, on all points (but maybe one)
Just thinking that it would be even better if they’ve used an actual existing coding system. That way they’d teach young people to code at the same time as they’re having fun. Killing two birds with one stone so to speak.
But you can’t have everything I guess…

<3

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This is exactly what Episode needs!!!

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I guess I owe Episode an apology.

I see people complaining a lot and I kind of understand, but then I remember that it is on me, as I am one of those idiots who just skimmed through Episode’s Terms of Service without really paying attention and there is no room for anger or disagreement after that.

I am in time to avoid “breaking the law”, but for this announcement, I assure you, I would have done it. My apologies.

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Looking back at the reply, wouldn’t it be great to enforce this rule that forbiddens widely distribution, but outside of the Forums? I doubt anyone that doesn’t use the forums can’t reach the backgrounds. And maybe a system that makes you sign in/up to download from forums? Or is this allowed?

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You can get hold of as good as any background if you just have the right search words - member of the forum or not. Once it’s up on the web it’s out. That’s how the hidden backgrounds got spread in the first place :upside_down_face:

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