I'm not sure how to ask formally go about requesting/suggesting this, but I think it would be nice if the source code could be released at some point in the future (The game's 10th anniversary in 2012 or the franchise's 20th in 2014 could be used) like the old id engines (Doesn't id share a parent company now?).

The source code id has released comes from engines they've developed in-house. Morrowind uses NetImmerse as it's base so I don't see this happening.

Then again...

Emergent game technologies, the makers of Gamebryo and Netimmerse engines, is on sale now. Something can be done to secure some rights so the source codes for Oblivion and Morrowind can be released in future. It is time.

Interesting. Curious to mention, reminds me a lot of Blender and a couple other projects. Funds were started and collected by the public and community and pooled, and ended up buying the software rights, releasing it as GPL making it open and free. Perhaps something similar?

Assume, it would cost $250,000 to buy rights (just a guess, could be a lot lower like $50k), and everyone was willing to put the money to buy the game again, which i assume would be say $50. So, if 5000 people chipped in, that would be enough.

But, the engines and bethesda are not the same thing. So i guess it would be to ask Bethesda what the requirements would be to release the code. Who knows, they may release the code for arena/daggerfall as well while they're at it. I know i'd love to play daggerfall more in depth when the DaggerXL project is a little more mature.

i was about to say, they havent released the source for daggerfall, done all in house, as i understand it. morrowind uses third party stuff, so i dont see it happening.

I wouldn't get my hopes up either. Also, the Oblivion engine is being used by Fallout, and both games are still on shelves. Morrowind's engine would be possible, since sales are probably pretty low, but with all of the third-party IP, it would be a nightmare.

Daggerfall, while technically interesting, is so behind the curve now that I doubt it would be of much use. Open-source games have already advanced beyond it.

Nope,I am holding out hope for OpenMW instead. If they can correctly implement the current MW game on a open-source engine, then we will have a real winner there.

it'd be nice to fix bugs and implement the half-complete or scrapped things.

We really don't need the source. OpenMW has shown that Beth won't mind if the engine is re-created using Beth assets as long as no-one is making money from it. The source needs to be re-written any way to incorporate new technologies. I can't wait for it to be finished. We'll be able to implement so m many more things than we currently on every front.

that clashes with the "nono" of morro-blivion.

they dont like us using assets from two of their games we have purchased in conjunction with each other, but they dont mind us porting their data to other engines.

some of us are also "purists"

you know, the guys who break out old consoles to play old games rather than booting an emulator.

I suspect a large part of that is that they don't necessarily own all of the rights to the models and textures, and it's easier to say "don't use anything" than it is to hand out a list.

Also, morroblivion is still quite alive, you just can't discuss it here. That's fine, it's gamesas's forums, it's their rules. However, beyond dropping the hammer on discussions in this forum, they don't really seem to have taken any action against the team. At least I haven't heard of any C&D's sent their way.

Besides, practically every model and texture from MW has been updated by third-party modders. Rocks, trees, buildings, NPC models, etc. Eventually, it may very well be possible to implement the mod without using any of Bethesda's models - only the landmass shape itself.

Morovir is right - the ban on MB had to do with the various third-party licenses and what not and IIRC the different nif models were under different licenses. Better to all than go through a rigmarole like that.

I understand the purists POV, I'm like that with SNES and N64 games. An interesting point - in the Water Ruin level of Jet Force Gemini on the emulated version the sun doesn't display at certain angles which completely broke the experience for me as, like many others, I have quirks I like in particular games. I like to simulate a sun rise from the landing pad rocks at the crescendo of the score for that level and without the sun it just isn't the same. Its the little things that make original platforms better.