Sorry, no nude zombies
[Update: Techland says it did not intend to create “obstacles” for modders. “With the recent patch (1.2.1) on Steam we blocked cheating to make sure the game’s PvP system (Be The Zombie) would not be abused. This, however, had the side-effect of hindering mod-makers from making changes to the game.”
The developer is currently working on “a quick patch that will re-enable common tweaks while stopping cheating in the game’s multiplayer mode.” A representative for Techland added that “[W]e’re still figuring out what this DMCA business is all about.”]
[Update 2: The Entertainment Software Association tells Ars Technica that it was alerted to the “potentially erroneous” DMCA takedown notices this morning. “Upon further review, it was determined that the notices should not have been sent and retractions were issued immediately. We regret any inconvenience and have taken steps to avoid similar situations in the future.”]
With Friday’s Dying Light Patch 1.2.1, Techland has “blocked cheating by changing game’s data files,” which makes it considerably harder to create mods for the game. The patch affects single-player as well as multiplayer, so if you’re looking for the same mod-friendliness that Dead Island had, then you’re out of luck.
The company has gone a step further than just patching files to be harder to mod. Techland, via its partnership with publisher Warner Bros. (an ESA member), is filing DMCA claims against any Dying Light mod they find through MarkMonitor. One user slapped with a takedown request on a mod that disables the film grain effect posted the notice on reddit.
Previously, Techland had embraced the mod community, to the point where it stickied the mod thread on Steam’s Dead Island forums. In fact, Techland’s upcoming Hellraid started as a weapons mod for Dead Island produced by an employee. It seems odd that it would be so opposed to a segment of the community adding replay value to its product.
Techland (Dying Light) using DMCA to take down mods [NeoGAF]
