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  • Attribution for Godot and modules in a game with no text otherwise

As I get closer to finishing my game, I noticed a particular problem I somehow didn't realized before.

According to this: https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/about/complying_with_licenses.html Godot and software used by it requires an attribution in specific ways.

Now my issue is that I'm making a minimal-type game, that does not even has a main menu, or any other type of menus, or even text at all. While I wanted to have a credits screen before where this could go, I decided against it as having only a minimal UI (a few buttons to disable sound and change levels, thats it) works very well and gives a pleasant aesthetics and feel.

The docs above mention that printing the license via print() is ok on most platforms, but not iOS (which I will support) and it doesn't say if it's ok for the third party modules, so I will assume it's not.

Now adding a screen to a game that does not have screens apart from the main game just to show a long license text that (realistically) nobody will ever read is somewhat awkward and does not feel like a great solution... Does anyone has a tip for me how to solve it better, without beeing obtrusive with the minimal-no-menus-design but still comply to the licenses? Which is something I always want to do with all my stuff. I've looked at a few games made with Godot before, and I don't actually remember seeing the license text ever, I don't know if people just ignore it or it is done in another way that is not that obvious?

Thanks for any suggestion!

I put the Godot logo on my splash screen, but reading that page it looks like attribution in text is needed. I would think maybe when you exit the game or beat it, you can have a credits screen, including your name and the Godot license.

Maybe the first time the game is launched on the platform, a credits box could be displayed? A persistent file (e.g., "game_previously_launched") could be created to keep track of whether the game has been launched before. That would avoid the need to change the UI.

According to this, a link to the license is sufficient:

The Godot Engine developers consider that a link to godotengine.org/license in your game documentation or credits would be an acceptable way to satisfy the license terms.

https://docs.godotengine.org/en/stable/about/complying_with_licenses.html#link-to-the-license

My problem is that I don't have a good place to put even the link...

At the moment I don't have neither a splashscreen, nor a credits screen, there is a "game won" screen but since you have to beat the game first to see it, I don't think putting it there would suffice...

I'd really love to avoid make a text screen I don't really need like credits (tbh I think they would look stupid with only one name since I made everything...)

The best solution in my eyes would to be to add a license.txt file but it seems to be only appropriate on desktop... Which actually wonders me a bit, if the output log is ok on android this should be too - you would need external tools to see it in both cases. But I guess on iOS thats even worse unless you can access app files somehow.

The "credits box" I mentioned could just be a Panel, containing a RichTextEdit and a Button, that's in the middle of the viewport. It would be initially hidden and only made visible on the game's first launch.

I think we need to confirm with the "powers-that-be" that this attribution is really needed in this situation, or it's only required when distributing a game's source code.

I mean, the doc page was pretty clear about the legal requirements. I doubt anyone will sue you, and most people don't do it right, but those are technically the guidelines. Maybe the best thing would be just to show the link on the bottom on the first load of the game, it doesn't take up that much space for a link.

The MIT license is famously confusing about attribution. That's why the no-attribution MIT license was made. In my experience, most people just put a text file in the source distribution, and nothing in binaries. If I were a developer, I'd probably be happy if you had a link to their license page on your download page. IANAL

Could you just put it in the game description? I’m not sure if that would count though, but it might?

No text otherwise, so you mean there isn't even a menu?

@Megalomaniak said: No text otherwise, so you mean there isn't even a menu?

No, at least not in traditional sense. There are a few buttons on top of the screen to mute the sound and go to next/previous level, thats it. Game starts directly without a main menu.

Actually there is "text", if you beat the game it says congratulation :)

Maybe consider just making a main menu. Might make your life easier.

The license can be displayed when downloading or installing the game. ("By downloading the game I agree...")

@Nanites said:

@Megalomaniak said: No text otherwise, so you mean there isn't even a menu?

No, at least not in traditional sense. There are a few buttons on top of the screen to mute the sound and go to next/previous level, thats it. Game starts directly without a main menu.

Actually there is "text", if you beat the game it says congratulation :)

You could have a scroll looking icon on a button that would pause the game and bring up a window with a link and a short text warning that pressing the link will switch out of the paused game to end user license agreement and other relevant licenses.

Maybe I should just make scrolling credits like in an old indie game I once played (forgot the name), that had like 150 different jobs listed but all were the same guy - from lead designer to janitor... All done in very serious style with fitting music, like AAA credits. Found it pretty funny back then...