Board Thread:General Mod Discussion/@comment-27506967-20170521225234/@comment-25101089-20170522205405

I will explain why I don't like the idea of open-sourcing the mod.

First of all, there is the simple truth that I still see this as my own project, my child, and I'd like to continue being the one who makes it. It's great that so many people have come to take an active interest in it - but I still see it as my own creative project, and sometimes, it can be less satisfying to work with other people on something that means a lot to you. It's not about being able to take credit for things, but about knowing that what you make and how you make it is ultimately up to you.

(But we have a texturer, do we not? Yes, he's very good. And we sometimes take textures from the community. I don't see that as conflicting with what I said, because texturing is separate from programming, and because Gruk can make better textures than I can.)

Secondly, consistency. A single developer means the mod can enjoy a great deal of consistency. There are unfinished things here and there, and some factions have more content than others, but overall, I think you'll agree that most new additions just seem to 'fit in' well. And that comes from a consistent vision and a consistent approach to developing the mod. Having said that, the consistency isn't just down to there being one developer, but also the same consistent group of people discussing things.

Thirdly, if I were to open up the mod to pull requests, I'd have to review them all. I'd have to check that whoever made them didn't miss anything important out, and correct it if they did. I'd have to ensure that they were consistent with how other things were done, lest the source code devolve into a complete mess. I'd also have to take time to test them. And I just don't want to spend my time doing that. When I have time to spend on the mod, I want to be creating, not acting as a reviewer and manager half the time.

This isn't to say that I'm the best programmer in the world - of course not - but I do have the best knowledge of the mod's code. And believe me, it's not simple. There is enough to learn with just Minecraft and Forge, but the LOTR mod doesn't only make use of that code - there are some parts that are almost independent. So, even if someone very talented came along, I'd have to spend quite some time helping them, explaining how parts of the code work, answering questions, recommending ways to do things - and that doesn't seem appealing to me, when I can be creating instead.

And finally, if the mod were open-source, someone could easily make a fork, change some things, and create another similar mod based on another fantasy world or real-life scenario. And I don't like the thought of that. I'm not talking about addons to this mod, but about entirely separate creations which are different on the surface but make use of the same mechanics underneath.

Is that hypocritical, given that this is itself just a mod of a game? No, I don't think so. As I said, this mod isn't just things copied and pasted from the Minecraft code. It's an addon, and a great deal of original and independent work has gone into it. (An analogy would be if someone took Minecraft, and retextured and renamed and rebranded things for a 'futuristic' setting, while leaving the vast majority of the game's inner workings unchanged. Of course, that would be very illegal, so the point is moot.)

Is it selfish? Perhaps. But I think anyone who's ever spent years creating something will be able to relate to it.

Basically, it's a creative outlet for me, not a task to achieve perfection in as quickly and completely as possible.

I would like to add, though, that if I do ever stop developing the mod, or I disappear somehow, I have made arrangements to allow the rest of the mod team to pass on the source code as they see fit, to whoever they deem capable, or not at all.