How do you determine when to go talk to the author?
How or who would you go talk to, like an attorney or...?

I want to give credit where credit is due, but if there's a gray area on using ideas up to a specific point before you need to go ask permission, where is that line?

stuff like plasma cannons, tachyon emitters and hyperspace is open to all.

"basic ideas" behind sci-fi stories aren't copyrighted, usually, being that many sci-fi stories are written around a basic idea.

------------------
Yes, I'm still better than you
Soterion Studios

------------------
MM out-
Thought travels much faster than sound, it is better to think something twice, and say it once, than to think something once, and have to say it twice.
"Frogs and Fauns! The tournament!" - Professor Winneynoodle/HanClinto

------------------
Kiwee Stuff Website:
http://kiwee.gibbering.net

------------------
MM out-
Thought travels much faster than sound, it is better to think something twice, and say it once, than to think something once, and have to say it twice.
"Frogs and Fauns! The tournament!" - Professor Winneynoodle/HanClinto

so common, in fact, that I personally am going to stay away from it.
rather, I'd use a newer, weirder theory of using singularities.
for FTL speeds, a starship will create a black hole/singularity infront of it, bending (and compacting) spacetime in addition to pulling it forward.
then their Heim's theory where a large rotating magnet is capable of bending (and even splitting) spacetime, giving the capability of taking a short cut through space.

------------------
Yes, I'm still better than you
Soterion Studios

I've seen the concept of a planetary AI and I've seen the concept of nano-morphing but that was the first time I've seen them together that I can recall.

I know if I saw a patent and changed it enough, even if it looked close, I could patent it. I don't know the same status for ideas for fiction - movies, games, books, etc.

Creating a book would probably be a bit much but a game?

I wouldn't mind giving John Ringo (eg) credit or even some of the proceeds if I charged for the game (if he'd let me use the ideas), but I don't want to stick w/ the books exactly or even mostly....so I also don't want to give too much credit or money if I've changed the concept enough that it's not really copying, or if I've used only one idea and that idea isn't enough to qualify for needing permissions or reimbursement.

eg. One book had an idea for plasma guns which utilize a bit of plastic(?) wafer w/ a molecule of carbon or aluminum or something. The barrels could get hot, a residue could build up, and (my idea or the books?) the plastic(?) wafer could get jammed - part of the problem w/ the barrels getting hot.

I figure I'd probably need to talk to an attorney, but I'm not sure what kind of attorney I'd need to look for.

think about it...

...you could get that Veyron you always wanted...

------------------
Yes, I'm still better than you
Soterion Studios

If you need to give any credit, or want to to draw attention to your work, then they own your work and can sue you at will if they have a Copyright or Trademark already in place. But depending on what you are referring to, you may not need to give any credit depending on how much you borrow and how you present it.

Basically, this answers nothing, you just need to go over all the government documents to figure the rules of the game out. I suppose if you don't have a golden droid running around your game with an English accent and named C3PO, you'll be alright. Plastic guns are nothing new, though.

Oh, and as for layers, it's usually a layer that specializes in the game industry. Seeing that the game industry is much bigger than the movie industry, should be plenty of layers out there... sad to say.

quote:

---

Originally posted by ArchAngel:
so common, in fact, that I personally am going to stay away from it.
rather, I'd use a newer, weirder theory of using singularities.
for FTL speeds, a starship will create a black hole/singularity infront of it, bending (and compacting) spacetime in addition to pulling it forward.
then their Heim's theory where a large rotating magnet is capable of bending (and even splitting) spacetime, giving the capability of taking a short cut through space.

---

oooh! very nice!!! a singularity drive!

I agree, part of the fun might be to make up your own! Or at least an unfamiliar way of expressing a concept.

For example, here are some terms off the top of my head (and a quick scan through a Stephen Hawkin book for cool sounding words!)

Quantaspace
Hyperfield
Polydimensional Excelleration
15% EH (event horizon)
Gravity Warp
Gluon Drive
Penrose Propulsion
Hypertransitory Travel (hypertransiation or hyperT for short)

I don't think any are used (maybe though) but a quick google would give me a good degree of confidence if its an orginal name or not, even if a similar concept exists.

Quantfield dimensional ExcellerWarp. You can do pretty much with this as an original term as Google brings back 0 results.

You could make it whatever you wanted and people will have a general idea that it has to do with your topic.

(this message copywrighted and patented and protected under all legal and subliminal and sublicensable methods) &

I own a book that talks about the "science" of star trek, where they got it right and where they got it wrong.
it was a fun read.

------------------
Yes, I'm still better than you
Soterion Studios

Just depends on what you want!

------------------
yeah, im a little crazy
The following Image was created by me: