Our Stance on MBUltra and MBSuper

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Written by: Aayrl

Category: News

Published: 19 June 2015

Hits: 2258

Hello Marble Blast Community,

Today, we will be discussing a rather sensitive topic in the Marble Blast Community, but we feel it is necessary for us to publicly announce our stance on certain variations of Marble Blast Modifications and why we have chosen our methodology.

Many have asked us regarding the Marble Blast Ultra "PC Port", and why we do not make it available on our website. Just to make it clear, Marble Blast Ultra has never been supported by any members of the Platinum Team. While the Platinum Team have interacted with the "PC Port" to examine the scripting capabilities and engine support, it was ultimately decided it would be impossible to modify to meet the current requirements of the Platinum Team to further develop and enhance the versions of Multiplayer provided in Marble Blast Platinum.

The next topic we must discuss is the team behind Marble Blast Super, which is also behind the Marble Blast Ultra "PC Port" project. We were informed by the Marble Blast Super Team that they were not pleased with the default textures of Marble Blast Ultra. Instead, they purposefully circumvented multiple layers of security protecting PlatinumQuest files located in the Marble Blast Platinum directory, with the intent to access the PlatinumQuest textures and designed similar copies for use in Marble Blast Ultra as well as Marble Blast Super. Members of the Platinum Team arranged a meeting with the senior members of the Super/Ultra team, where the Platinum Team indicated this content must be removed from Marble Blast Ultra and Super immediately. It is worth noting these actions are strictly prohibited and a direct violation of the Marble Blast Community's Terms of Service. Members of the Marble Blast Super/Ultra team have "acknowledged" the Platinum Team's requests, but instead have chosen to ignore them and have claimed the whole of their work as "their own content", keeping the material in their most recent game client. Adding insult to injury, their team members wanted to add an encryption system that is similar to that used in Marble Blast Platinum so that users do not copy their content.

Additionally, some community members argued the points raised in the Marble Blast Super thread posted by members of the Platinum Team. We would like to remind these members that the Community as a whole had made identical comments two years ago on the Old Forums, where members of the Platinum Team attempted to provide constructive criticism on how it could be improved. Several community members even suggested ideas and directed the Super team to examples that would make their mod better. Unfortunately, while some members of the Super team finally took action, the senior members of that team chose to persist in its old ways, and aforementioned examples set to prove that this infringement continues even today. Due to these actions, we cannot formally support or back Marble Blast Super or the Marble Blast Ultra "PC Port" project. Nonetheless, we are not in control over any user who wishes to obtain Marble Blast Super or the Marble Blast Ultra "PC Port", but we are not liable for any consequences caused to any user who obtains these. Furthermore, we will not enforce sanctions against any member who wishes to use these mods.

It is in our best interests, as members of the Community, to follow the guidelines and regulations listed in the Terms of Service and the Rules enforced on the Marble Blast Website and Game Client(s) to ensure the integrity and sustainability of the Community. Our staff will spend countless hours debating topics such as these, and while some may view the ultimate decision(s) that come to pass as unfair or unjust, the conclusions reached must always benefit the protection and longevity of the Community. We hope you understand our reasoning behind this announcement. It is our hope that we may continue to encourage many more of the inspiring minds in our community to fashion new, original and exciting content for all of our members to enjoy for many years to come.

Best regards,
~The Marble Blast Community Staff.