Hello all -
A word from the biz end here.
We're very pleased and flattered that people want to use our software to create commercial maps. In addition to those who have mentioned it in this forum, several large publishers have approached us about using Dundjinni in their products.
However, we hadn't really considered this use of the product until recently and so we're still trying to figure out how best to accommodate that desire. We'll certainly take your input into consideration. Right now, we're considering a range of approaches to cover the spectrum of requests but haven't reached a decision.
Regardless of our approach to commercial uses, we are committed to permitting non-commercial exchanges. We made this product so that the average Joe GM could bring his vision and adventures to life - and share them with his friends and fellow enthusiasts. So don't worry - you'll always be free to give copies of your maps and adventures to your friends.
In fact, we hope that Dundjinni users will share their maps and adventures with their community via direct file swaps or uploads to our website archive (this upload feature on our website is forthcoming). For people who don't own Dundjinni, you can share exported html files for adventures, or exported jpeg and bitmaps for maps. Same goes for printed versions.
For others who do own the Dundjinni software, you can share the .dja file. What you cannot share are the individual art packs or art objects like a bathtub or a catapult or etc.
To address the issue of sharing .dja files with users who don't own the same artpacks, we've installed placeholder art icons. For example, if you make a map that uses the Catapult from the Castle Art pack, and you share that .dja file with someone who doesn't own that art-pack, then a generic placeholder object will appear in your friends .dja file in place of the catapult. So send along the .dja file as you see fit. Just don't send the actual catapult or art pack that supports it (we've put copy protections in place to prevent this as well).
Finally, as an aside, there seems to be some potential confusion about copyright law in this thread. From a legal standpoint, all of the artwork (including textures) in the product (as well as the code itself) is protected under US and international copyright law as original works of authorship. As creator and owner of those works, Fluid always has the right to determine what rights it wishes to license and under what terms. (Thus, the right to use and copy Photoshop textures, etc. to create commercial products is granted within the terms of Adobe's license for that software - and such a commercial use license probably makes sense given the high end nature and price for that product.)
To take it a step further, when you create a map or adventure with Dundjinni, you are creating a work that combines copyright-protected material from Dundjinni (such as the artwork and tiles) with your own copyright-protected work (the design of the map and the text of the adventure). In this case, you would own all rights to your original creation (the underlying map design and adventure text) and would be free to sell that as you wish. However, except to the extent licensed by us, you would not be free to commercially exploit (e.g., sell) anything (such as the Dundjinni-generated map) that incorporates our copyright-protected materials (such as the artwork and tiles), just as we would not be entitled to sell a map you designed without your permission, even though it includes our artwork.
Hope this clears up some confusion.
