Modding Ethics Question

So i'm working on reviving the ancient style CTF maps of olde. Waay back when names liek Tiny Tauren and Peon_U were respected names in multi-player map making before anyone had even heard of a Frostmourne.

Anyways...

So i've got the base programming finished for the map, and now I need some heros to make it functional. I am pretty handy with the GUI. That's about it. Very little Jass knowledge, I tried to do a couple of Vexorian's tutorials and found that it woudl take me days to just follow his step by step instructions as I kept testing the code and it returned failure :P

So now as I begin creating heros, I am presented with a situation: do I stick with my GUI system and make spells and such for the heros, or do I salvage together a set of spells by using and modifying other peoples Jass spells?

If I was to choose the latter, is it considered ethically o.k. by the modding community to create a Frankenstein of a map by hacking together a bunch of modified spells?

Of course I would plan on giving full credits for every line of code I used, but I was wondering how people would feel if their code was being used to create someone's else production with nothing but thier name in a credits trigger.

Clarification: The spells and jass code I planned on using was the stuff submitted on modding sites such as Wc3search and here.

-> Gen dev

When people submit their work to database such as wc3search and wc3campaigns it is for them to be used and as you do give credit then I see no problem.

This is why many people hate dota

As has been already mentioned, spells are submited to databases with the purpose of them being used. I'm sure the resource makers are only happy if their resource is put to some use (with proper credit, of course).

I don't think there is a moral issue with this approach, but a design issue. If you make a spell work a certain way only because that's the only thing the code you had could do, then this affects the overall quality of your map. For best results, you should have the ability to write your own JASS code, so that you can make exactly what you need.

Besides, as long as you don't try to do anything too big (projectiles and other stuff that eats a lot of CPU cycles), GUI can work just fine.

Well thanks for the advice. I think i'll try and keep my spell stealing to a minimum, mebee. But it is always fun to base a hero off a spell.

and @Thunder_Eye : DOTA doesn't use original coding?

I would be highly suprised if IceFrog knows one JASS command, as he ripped DotA off Guinsoo, who ripped it off some other guy, etc, etc, showing that IceFrog (and most likely Guinsoo as well) evidently can't even trigger AoS spawns.

Also, the Director's Choice spell section on wc3search looks strangely familiar to alot of DotA players

As for the origional question, the reason people submit resources is for other to use and learn from them, under the condition that those others make it clear in some way or other that they were not the author of the spell/model, etc

I`m quite sure he knows 10x more about Jass than you. Please inform yourself before posting. Thx.

There's no such thing as a GUI system

No offense or anything, but isnt that a little hippochritical?

Keep it ontopic. And for the record, IceFrog is a decent JASSer (unlike Guisinoo), and was, as far am I am aware, given DotA:AS to continue development, rather than ripping it.

Thus proving he is not an asshole.

On-topic: I doubt it'd be a problem, unlike models or textures, modifying spells doesn't really matter.

brief history of dota modding ability.
eul- used custom spells before everybody knew they could be made. used trigger enhanced spells before half the people knew custom spells were possible.

guinsoo- absolutely awful. he was so bad at scripting, that for making no-target abilities, he based the spell off water elementel and made a trigger that activated when a unit entered playable map area. when i first opened his map to see his scripts, i nearly peed myself.

icefrog- icefrog is inconclusive. since the guinsoo era, the map is becoming much more polished, balanced, lagless, and better scripted. im not sure, but i think he is using a storage system he made himself, and his scripts dont reek of common mistakes and unecessary coding evident of gui usage. however, iceforg currently has a team that sends hima lot of scripts to use. the guinsoo era gave dota a VERY bad name. icefrog isnt a jass heavy wieght, but his scripts arent terrible.

PM me if you want some of dotas jass, i dont like giving out unprotected maps. guinsoo was a thief and a bad modder. icefrog is working very hard to correct his mistakes.

as for the topic starters question, i reccomend you put a credits list that triggers when the game ends, just to say thanks to the major contributors. the list could get really big, so i also reccomend quest that shows the players minor contributors. as long as your map shows a lot of originality and personality, people wont care if you used a couple lines of code to help make a spell work. heck, using someones spells and systems is the intent of the contributors.

my map is currently working with a few systems, models and skins that im giving credit for. im even putting those that answered my questions on these forums in the credits.

go ahead and enjoy your resources submitted to a site. modding is not a race to invent the wheel, its a community attempt to enjoy the wheel.