Releasing a Mod: Edit and update

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## Introduction
In this chapter we will find out how to publish a mod so that other users can use it.
Releasing, or publishing, a mod allows other people to make use of it. Once a mod has been
released it might be used in singleplayer games or on servers, including public servers.
* License Choices
* Packaging
@ -23,24 +24,25 @@ In this chapter we will find out how to publish a mod so that other users can us
You need to specify a license for your mod.
**Public domain is not a valid licence**, as the definition varies in different countries.
First thing you need to note is that your code and your art need different things from
the license they use. Creative Commons licenses shouldn't be used with source code,
but rather with artistic works such as images, text and meshes.
Your code and your art need different things from the licenses they use. For example,
Creative Commons licenses shouldn't be used with source code,
but can be suitable choices for artistic works such as images, text and meshes.
You are allowed any license, however mods which disallow derivatives are banned from the forum.
(Other developers must be able to take your mod, modify it, and release it again.)
You are allowed any license; however, mods which disallow derivatives are banned from the
official Minetest forum. (Other developers must be able to take your mod, modify it,
and release it again.)
### LGPL and CC-BY-SA
This is a common license combination in the Minetest community, as it is what
This is a common license combination in the Minetest community, and is what
Minetest and minetest_game use.
You license your code under LGPL 2.1 and your art under CC-BY-SA.
You license your code under LGPL 2.1 and your art under CC-BY-SA. This means:
* Anyone can modify, redistribute and sell modified or unmodified versions.
* If someone modifies your mod, they must give their version the same license.
* Your copyright notice must be kept.
Add this copyright notice to your README.txt, or as a new file called LICENSE.txt
Add this copyright notice to your README.txt, or as a new file called LICENSE.txt:
License for Code
----------------
@ -69,8 +71,40 @@ Add this copyright notice to your README.txt, or as a new file called LICENSE.tx
### WTFPL or CC0
These licenses allows anyone to do what they want with your mod.
Modify, redistribute, sell, leave out attribution.
They can be used for both code and art.
This means they can modify, redistribute, sell, or leave out attribution.
These licenses can be used for both code and art.
It is important to note that WTFPL is strongly discouraged and people may
choose not to use your mod if it has this license.
### MIT
This is a common license for mod code. The only restriction it places on users
of your mod is that they must include the same copyright notice and license
in any copies of the mod or of substantial parts of the mod.
To use this license, include the following in your readme or license file:
Copyright (c) <year> <your name> <emailaddress>
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
THE SOFTWARE.
## Packaging
@ -88,12 +122,13 @@ You should provide a readme file. This should state:
* What dependencies there are / what the user needs to install.
* Where to report problems/bugs or get help.
See appendix for an example and a generator
See appendix for an example and a generator.
### description.txt
Write a sentence or two explaining what your mod does.
Be concise without being too vague. This is displayed in the mod store.
This should explain what your mod does.
Be concise without being vague. It should be short in length
because it will be displayed in the mod store.
For example:
@ -111,45 +146,50 @@ This is displayed in the mod store.
Uploading
---------
In order for a potential user to download your mod, you need to upload it to somewhere
which is publicly accessible.\\
I will outline several methods you can use, but really you should use the one that works
best for you, as long as it mets these requirements:\\
So that a potential user can download your mod, you need to upload it to somewhere
publicly accessible.\\
There are several methods you can use, but you should use the one that works
best for you, as long as it meets these requirements:\\
(and any other requirements which may be added by forum moderators)
* **Stable** - the hosting website should not just shutdown randomly.
* **Direct link** - you should be able to click a link on the forum and download the file,
* **Stable** - The hosting website should be unlikely to shutdown without warning.
* **Direct link** - You should be able to click a link on the forum and download the file
without having to view another page.
* **Virus Free** - pretty obvious.
* **Virus Free** - Mods with malicious content are not wanted.
### Github, or another VCS
It is recommended that you use a Version Control System for the following reasons:
It is recommended that you use a Version Control System because this:
* Allows other developers to submit changes (easily).
* Allows other developers to easily submit changes.
* Allows the code to be previewed before downloading.
* Allows users to submit bug reports.
However, such systems may be hard to understand when you first start out.
However, such systems may be hard to understand when you first use them.
The majority of Minetest developers use GitHub as a website to host their code,
however that doesn't matter that much.
but other alternatives are possible. For information on how to use GitHub,
please see:
* [Using Git](http://git-scm.com/book/en/v1/Getting-Started) - Basic concepts. Using the command line.
* [GitHub for Windows](https://help.github.com/articles/getting-started-with-github-for-windows/) - Use a graphical interface on Windows to upload your code.
* [GitHub for Windows](https://help.github.com/articles/getting-started-with-github-for-windows/) -
Using a graphical interface on Windows to upload your code.
### Forum Attachments
You could use forum attachments instead.
This is done when creating a mod's topic - covered below.
You can use forum attachments instead.
This is done when creating a mod's forum topic (covered below).
First, you need to zip the files into a single file. This varies from operating system to operating system.
First, you need to zip the files into a single file. How to do this varies from
operating system to operating system.
On Windows, go to the mod's folder. Select all the files. Right click, Send To > Compressed (zipped) folder.
Rename the resulting zip file to the name of your modfolder.
On Windows, go to the mod's folder. Select all the files.
Right click, Send To > Compressed (zipped) folder.
Rename the resulting zip file to the name of your mod's folder.
On the create a topic page, see below, go to the "Upload Attachment" tab at the bottom.
Click browse and select the zipped file. I suggest that you enter the version of your mod in the comment field.
On the Create a Topic page (see below), go to the "Upload Attachment" tab at the bottom.
Click browse and select the zipped file. It is recommended that you
enter the version of your mod in the comment field.
<figure>
<img src="{{ page.root }}/static/releasing_attachments.png" alt="Upload Attachment">
@ -169,7 +209,8 @@ to "Mod Releases."
### Content
The requirements of a forum topic are mostly the same as what is recommended for a README.txt
The requirements of a forum topic are mostly the same as the recommendations for
a README.txt file:
* What the mod does.
* What the license is.
@ -210,12 +251,12 @@ Here is an example. The Minetest forum uses bbcode for formating.
[url]http://wiki.minetest.com/wiki/Installing_Mods[/url]
If you modify the above example for your mod topic, remember to
change "modfldername" to the name of the folder your mod should be
change "modfoldername" to the name of the folder your mod should be
in.
### Title
Subject of topic must be in one of these formats:
The subject of topic must be in one of these formats:
* [Mod] Mod Title [modname]
* [Mod] Mod Title [version number] [modname]