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Fan game policy

From Sonic Retro

Revision as of 14:30, 25 February 2011 by Scarred Sun (talk | contribs)

So, you've created a fan game, and you want to distribute it on Sonic Retro. Before you do, make sure that your project meets our Fan Game Policy!

Retro exists partly to document the history of the Sonic scene—both in its "oral" history and the files therein. The best way to show this history is through the hosting of these fan games for archival purposes. Simply put: Sonic Retro is not a place to dump your random game. Fan Games are accepted on the basis of their merit to both the Sonic enthusiast community and the larger population of gamers and those casually interested in Sonic the Hedgehog.

Examples of games qualified for inclusion

  • Historical fan games: As a general rule, fan games created before 2003 will qualify for inclusion, as early fan games provide a window to the early Sonic community.
  • Technologically innovative works: Something here
  • Notorious games: Several fan games are so well-known that they are used as comparisons to modern games. For educational purposes, these works are included on the site.
  • Fan Games which are currently considered to be important: Ask this simple question—will people still be talking about this project two years from now? If so, the hack qualifies.

If you feel you meet this or another significant qualifier for inclusion on Sonic Retro, check your own hacking project.

Fan Game Project Qualifications

  • Make sure you have a project to begin with: In order to have a fan game project, you must have proof that such a project exists, either by a public demo release, a series of screenshots, or some other definitive proof that you have and are working on a hack.

In a small number of cases, Sonic Retro administrators may waive this requirement.

  • Make sure you have a quality project: I need some help on this one
  • You MUST have a corresponding page on Sonic Retro: Sonic Retro is not a glorified uploading site for the Sonic scene. There must be an accompanying article for any hack uploaded onto the system done in the style of all hacks listed in Category:Fan Games.
  • You MUST host a mirror of your files on Sonic Retro: One of the most alarming problems with hack distribution is that oftentimes files are hosted on temporary upload sites or by web servers which are later dismantled. Because Sonic Retro isn't going anywhere anytime soon, we ask that you at least mirror your files onto the upload system here. You are free to include a link to your own hosting of the file, website or forum thread(s) in addition to this file.

Fan Game Uploading Requirements

  • Please upload the game contained inside a .rar or .7z file (.zip if only absolutely necessary.) Sonic Retro does not accept uncompressed files (unless you would like to pay its server bills) and non-standard compressions—all major Mega Drive/Genesis emulators recognize .zip compression and the format is the most universal and accessible of all compression formats.
  • As a general rule, the file inside your zip should not exceed 20MB. If it does, please contact the administration to explain why.
  • Upload your file with a clear, accurate filename, and tag the hack file in its appropriate category.
  • If you are uploading multiple versions, do not delete the older version of your fan game; it is kept for archival purposes.

Disclaimer

By placing your hack on Sonic Retro, you give the site irrevocable rights to distribute the files. Files, while appearing to be deleted, can never be fully removed from our servers. We will NEVER take credit for anyone else's work—you, the hacker, hold the rights to your work. Conversely, Sonic Retro reserves the right to remove any fan game at any time if it does not meet the policy stated on this page.

Historical fan games or games that have been abandoned by their creator by leaving the community are considered by this site to be "freely distributable," and may be placed on the site due to their already wide distribution.