Is there a possibility that Worms Armageddon will ever get released as freeware/adandonware?

Probably, yes, it'll become abandonware soon enough. But as long as the shops still stock it (and they do) it won't.

Probably, yes, it'll become abandonware soon enough. But as long as the shops still stock it (and they do) it won't.
I don't think so.
AFAIK, there have been working a few out-of-house programmers on the game back in the days, who still hold the copyright to some parts of the code.
And also there are a few different publisher that have the right to it.
Not only Microprose swallowed by Hasbro swallowed by Atari/Infogrames, but also Trymedia/Trygames, Sold-Out Games and Green Pepper.
(and a few more like in Russia & Poland)

Just my €0.02

I don't think so.
AFAIK, there have been working a few out-of-house programmers on the game back in the days, who still hold the copyright to some parts of the code.

True, but that won't stop it becoming abandonware when it can no longer be bought commercially. People will share the game illegally; uploading it to their websites and so forth, but Team17 or their publishers won't bat an eyelid because there will no longer be any money in it for them.

That's how abandonware works.

AFAIK, there have been working a few out-of-house programmers on the game back in the days, who still hold the copyright to some parts of the code.
Surely, though, T17 at least have the distribution rights to the compiled executable? Otherwise they'd have to phone round the programmers every time a publisher wanted to make another budget version.

It already is abandoneware pretty much.
I think most worms games are besides w3d and w4

Nope, it isn't. It's still supported by Team17.

It already is abandoneware pretty much.
This would be some new kind of abandonware that's still for sale and still getting patched, then? Some kind of not-actually-abandonware?

True, but that won't stop it becoming abandonware when it can no longer be bought commercially. People will share the game illegally; uploading it to their websites and so forth, but Team17 or their publishers won't bat an eyelid because there will no longer be any money in it for them.

That's how abandonware works.
And sold-out software would still be selling the game, so they would still care.

And sold-out software would still be selling the game, so they would still care.

You must have been trying to quote someone else's post, because i explicitly stated "when it cannot be bought commercially" and "their publishers won't bat an eyelid"

True, but that won't stop it becoming abandonware when it can no longer be bought commercially. People will share the game illegally; uploading it to their websites and so forth, but Team17 or their publishers won't bat an eyelid because there will no longer be any money in it for them.

That's how abandonware works.
There are already websites that allow you to download W:A for free. I admit, my W:A CD got really scratched over the years and no longer works so I downloaded an ISO and made a burned copy of it :x

I got a download-program-thing, it downloads only the file itself, and it downloads W:A. However, i haven't installed it yet...

I hope its legal, though...

If you havent payed for it it's allegal... don't buy it from try-media...

It's a long time now, since i tried the downloaded W:A, but it was all fake, just a trojan and an Intrusion attempt so i deleted it. The file was WormsArmageddon-dm.exe, i don't remember where i got it from, lol. I'm glad i deleted it that time.

However, i guess it is still possible that W:A may not be abandonware, even though there is no money behind it. Just look at Rise Of The Robots. That game is VERY old, and i had to buy it on eBay. Klingon Honor Guard is also not completely abandonware, and i've seen Carnivores II for sale on the internet. I guess some games just never gets old...However, it would be a pity if W:A never got abandonware.

However, it would be a pity if W:A never got abandonware.No, it's great that it's not abandonware. Team17 is still updating it, and it's being improved. If it was abandoned, we wouldn't get the wonderful updates Deadcode is programming. Deadcode is getting paid for it, too, so there is money behind it.

I think people have a totally wrong misconception about the term "abandonware".
The term doesn't have any legal meaning.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abandonware
Deadcode is getting paid for it
He is getting paid?
In what? Beers? ;)

He is getting paid?That's what I thought. Is it not true? Well, I know somebody's getting paid for the updates, because every time a new update is put on the official site, someone who's getting paid does it.

That's what I thought. Is it not true? Well, I know somebody's getting paid for the updates, because every time a new update is put on the official site, someone who's getting paid does it.
Maybe Lion is still drinking all the beers that should be Deadcode's.

You didn't answer my question.

You didn't answer my question.
I have no idea wheter Deadcode is getting paid or not.

If he gets paid, I guess he can live from it, because then he'd be working on the patches full-time and we'd already have v5.0. :D

dosnt really matter if WA becomes abnadoneware or not. Its really cheap so its not like your losing alot of money if you buy it. Its only really a fiver in all the stores I have seen it in. Better to buy it then to risk that chance of getting trojans and stuff.

Worms 1 on the other hand is abandonware - they never patched it (and reinforcements) to become XP compatible - prsumbaly because Worms 2 and Armageddon offer everything Worms 1 did and then some.

Worms 1 on the other hand is abandonware - they never patched it (and reinforcements) to become XP compatible - prsumbaly because Worms 2 and Armageddon offer everything Worms 1 did and then some.
There is no such thing as "abandonware"...
Team17 have the copyright and the publishers have the publishing rights.
Simply because something is old, doesn't mean you suddenly get the right to distribute it or get it for free...

Besides, Worms United works in WinXp for me without any patches or emulation.

Eh? Someone inform SoldOut, because the packaging specifically says it doesn't work in XP.

Eh? Someone inform SoldOut, because the packaging specifically says it doesn't work in XP.
It doesn't work for everyone. I guess I'm lucky.

its still getting updates from team17 so i dont think itll go abandonware/freeware i think wwp has more chance of that tbh

Worms 1 on the other hand is abandonware - they never patched it (and reinforcements) to become XP compatible - prsumbaly because Worms 2 and Armageddon offer everything Worms 1 did and then some.
NO IT IS NOT! Sold Out Software still sells it.

abandonware/freeware
It won't get freeware, because too many different people have copyrights to the games or parts of the code ("external programmers").
And why would they give it away for free?

There is no such thing as "abandonware".
Only because something is old, doesn't make it free for all.

There is no such thing as "abandonware".

There is; it's just not legally recognised

There is; it's just not legally recognised
Have you heard of "Bonziware"?
It's legal to freely download it if I say so.
It isn't legally recognized either though.

"Abandonware" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abandonware) gets 3 million google hits; if you're trying to argue it doesn't exist then you've got quite an uphill battle.

The only thing to argue about is its definition - and by the the link's definition, abandonware most certainly does exist.

"Abandonware" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abandonware) gets 3 million google hits; if you're trying to argue it doesn't exist then you've got quite an uphill battle.
In fairness, "God" gets five hundred million.


So was Monkey Island abandonware before LucasArts demanded it be removed from abandonware sites? And if not, how can you ever assume that anything is abandonware?

What happens if a company who abandoned some of their IP are bought out by another company who decide they want it taken off abandonware sites? Does it stop being abandonware? Do you have to delete it if you already have it?

As the link says, Abandonware has no legal significance

But abandonware is still "software that is no longer supported/sold by it's copyright-holder" (or whatever, that's probably close)

The concept of God exists.

Nobody wants to say "software which is no longer supported by its copyright holder" when we can just use the blanket term "abandonware" instead.

That's what, y'know, words are for. Words have meanings. Some words can be substituted for a larger number of words. I'd suggest a good book on what words are for, but it being a book you might get confused.

;)

No doubt, abandonware exists. But i think some abandonwares are agreed by its author to be distributed freely, since the author doesen't make any money by selling it. And as long as there are no longer money in it, they don't give a ****, they just make a newer game, which will be twice as fun, making people delete the old one and buy the new "super-game" they made...

But about W:A i don't know for sure, people is still playing massively, and if the game still is amoung the "great" games by being sold, the game could be sold for lots of years. Some games are just never abandoned, cause they are always fun, especially like multiplayer games...

I hope Team17 makes a greater game that makes W:A look like ****, cause then W:A will maybe be released for free for real...

Team17 have given approval to Dream17 to distribute all the old Amiga games.
So I'd say, those have been officially been abandoned.

This is not the case with Worms Armageddon.

Team17 have given approval to Dream17 to distribute all the old Amiga games.
So I'd say, those have been officially been abandoned.
Well, not really. That provesd they haven't been abandoned. If you put those ROMs on your website they'll probably ask you to remove them.

Why would they do that? If they're freely available from Dream17, what's the problem with making them freely available anywhere else? It just doesn't make sense.

Why would they do that? If they're freely available from Dream17, what's the problem with making them freely available anywhere else? It just doesn't make sense.
The BBC broadcast programmes for free and then charge for DVDs. If you copy the DVD they get rather cross with you, and arguing that you could just as easily have videoed it at transmission won't hold much sway with anyone at all. It's no different to that. I've written games before and I'd be annoyed (and slightly chuffed) if people started putting them up on their websites without asking me. I'd ask them to remove them and link people who want to download them to my site instead. It's perfectly reasonable, and more to the point, it's thier IP and they can do what they like.

Well, not really. That provesd they haven't been abandoned. If you put those ROMs on your website they'll probably ask you to remove them.
Oops, my bad. You're right.
I remember seeing Amiga Worms games on various pages years ago, but nowadays they all links to Dream17.

My point was that T17 have allowed Dream17 to distribute those games (after S2K has asked i guess).
This is not the case with all the other "abandonware" games.

In my opinion, WA is so good it's only likely to become abandonware when T17 win $1 billion from powerball or similar and decide selling it for an extra $5 is not worth it.

Then they can spend all their time sculling beer instead of working.

Seriously, I can't imagine WA being abandoned.

Then they can spend all their time sculling beer instead of working.
They are doing that all the time.
That's why they still have to sell all their old games.
I wouldn't wonder if they soon charge S2K huge amounts of money for hosting the old Amiga games. :D

In my opinion, WA is so good it's only likely to become abandonware when T17 win $1 billion from powerball or similar and decide selling it for an extra $5 is not worth it.
...and when Sold-Out Software win $1 billion also.

...and when Sold-Out Software win $1 billion also.
Their contract must expire someday. I can't imagine T17 would sign away the perpetual distribution rights for what is probably their most successful game ever.

WA probably won't be freeware for a long time to come. For one thing, Deadcode's still working on updates for it and will hopefully release the much-anticipated Version 4.0. Another thing is that it's still being sold in stores like Gamestop and EB. I got my copy about a year ago at Gamestop in the Worms Triple Pack, which is an excellent deal at 13 or 14 US dollars.

WA probably won't be freeware for a long time to come. For one thing, Deadcode's still working on updates ...

But what if, say, one day he'll quit working on them for any reason?

I got my copy about a year ago at Gamestop in the Worms Triple Pack, which is an excellent deal at 13 or 14 US dollars.

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