Tiled Licence Question

Questions
1

Hi

I was thinking of using Tiled for a game that I am creating and I was wondering if there are any license restrictions on using tiled. I was hoping to make this game a commercial product.

2

There are no usage restrictions.

Tiled is free software. There are only some conditions in regards to redistribution of modified versions of Tiled itself, and only to make sure that any modified version of Tiled will be free software as well.

3

Hi, I’m still a bit confused about the different licenses used.

I thought of using a modified version of Tiled as a level editor for my upcoming (commercial) game. Is it possible to distribute it with the game? I guess the modified Tiled must be open source then, right?

Thanks!

4

Yes, if you distribute a modified version of Tiled then you have to do so under the terms of the GPL and this requires providing access to the source code.

5

Thanks! Is it okay to simply include the source code of the modified Tiled version in the game’s (paid-for) download, or does it also have to be freely available somewhere else, e.g. the game’s website? Just want to make sure… :smile:

6

I believe the point of GPL is that the source must be publicly available and users must know about that fact. It is not required to bundle the source code with your app. It just needs to be available for download for free without registration or having to ask for it by email. And a notice (link) ought to be present in the app, for instance in the About box or Credits screen.

So for example it suffices to add a link in your app that points to a level editor web page on your site from where users can download the source code.

7

Well, including the source code when distributing your editor is fine as well. I would personally prefer if you pushed it to a fork on github, but this is not required. To quote from the GPL (version 2):

  3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it,
under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of
Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the following:

    a) Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable
    source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections
    1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,

    b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three
    years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your
    cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete
    machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be
    distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium
    customarily used for software interchange; or,

    c) Accompany it with the information you received as to the offer
    to distribute corresponding source code.  (This alternative is
    allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you
    received the program in object code or executable form with such
    an offer, in accord with Subsection b above.)

There are also some rules about the modified versions itself (point 2 in the license), for example:

    a) You must cause the modified files to carry prominent notices
    stating that you changed the files and the date of any change.

This requirement is automatically met when the source is available from a fork of the git repository, which would make it clear what changes you have made.

8

Thanks for the explanation! We’ll fork it on github, then. :smiley: