From what I know, every TAS needs an emulator, and every emulator needs a ROM to emulate. However, since there are several legal problems with obtaining ROMs, nobody is allowed to list where to get them.
I honestly do not want to do anything illegal, but I'd like to try TASing. Is there any way for me to get ROMs in any permissible way? Are there non-commercialized games that can be distributed freely? Do I need to stick to only games that I've bought? If I buy a version of a SNES game that runs on Wii and/or GBA, am I allowed to TAS it on a SNES emulator?
I understand why a lot of this information is banned from asking for, but I can't see how the community can grow, or how new TASers can join. There just isn't enough information to explain how the community is growing, or whether there is any 'best' or preferred way to do this. I know that some of this can count as piracy, but is there any way to be able to TAS without piracy?
I'd like to TAS, but can not do so if it requires piracy.
I apologize to any moderators or administrators if this post is against the rules or needs to be deleted, but I can't find any alternative way to find any info I'd need to join the community. There is no information whatsoever on any website I've seen on how people have been able to use emulators, and I don't know how people have joined this community without this information. There is no information anywhere on whether it is even possible to join legally.
I only TAS games where I have a license to do so (such as NetHack, which has a general license allowing anyone to use their code in that way). In general, DOS/Windows TASing is good for doing things legally, because you can normally just buy a copy of the game and then TAS that directly.
I think it's also legal to TAS if you dump your ROMs yourself (i.e. don't download them, get them directly from a copy of the game you own), but the equipment to do that is difficult.
Most games are probably going to remain forever unTASable for me, though, because I insist on doing things legally.
Wall of text incoming:
Hi, Mediosthenes and welcome to TASvideos. The situation with obtaining ROMs is a tough subject indeed, but for the site, you're just not allowed to post links to copyrighted ROMs or ROM sites on the forum.
As far as the legal situation of obtaining ROMs is concerned, copyright law holds that you're permitted to obtain a ROM if you already own the game legally - as a copy for yourself - under fair use. (In fact, you could even dump a ROM from the cartridge yourself if you have technology.)
However, the law isn't entirely clear on the matter and it probably only applies to the US if at all, so it falls into sort of a grey area overall. If you wish to avoid downloading ROMs, your best bet are free- and shareware games, but they are very uncommon outside of Home and Personal Computers. You mentioned the SNES in your post, for which freeware games are very rare, so if you want to TAS systems like it, I fear you're kinda out of luck.
Do note that the movie files themselves are not subject to copyright, and those are what you end up actually submitting. As long as the movie plays back correctly for the judges, everything is good.
However, realistically it's very, very, very, very unlikely that you ever will get in trouble for downloading ROMs due to their age and small size. (There's also the concept of abandonware, but it doesn't apply for many games, especially with digital distribution of old games becoming popular) And, in practice, nobody ever asks where you got your ROMs from.
I understand it however if you do not wish to violate copyright, and it really is a barrier most people don't even consider anymore. Legally, you quite honestly should have nothing to worry about in any case but if your concerns are ethical, you may want to only stick to ROMs of games which you've bought or games which are freeware.
If you just want to try out some TASing, you can also look for homebrew games like Battle Kid for the NES. While they also are for sale, they usually have free Demo versions which you can use.
Hoping that helps.
Thanks everyone! I'll look into the suggestions.
Just wish they could have stated somewhere on TAS.org that there was purchasable hardware to download ROMs off the cartridges, as that would have saved me some frustration and this post...
My N64 is having overheating problems, so I may just end up finding out lots of new information for which ROMs can sync in emulators.
First of all, welcome.
It's true, ROMs are illegal in most countries. If you have the opportunity to dumb a ROM by yourself of a game you own, you don't need to download a ROM from the internet.
Mostly with older games, companies don't cash with them anymore. So you wont damage the game company.
I'd like to TAS, but can not do so if it requires piracy.
I apologize to any moderators or administrators if this post is against the rules or needs to be deleted, but I can't find any alternative way to find any info I'd need to join the community. There is no information whatsoever on any website I've seen on how people have been able to use emulators, and I don't know how people have joined this community without this information. There is no information anywhere on whether it is even possible to join legally.
http://wiibrew.org/wiki/CleanRip
This allows you to extract iso from GameCube or Wii games that you bought yourself without any of those 3rd party hardware.
I'm sure 99% of TASing is done on ROMs from games you don't own. It's as illegal as downloading a song is, or taping a TV program instead of purchasing the DVD from the store. IE nobody gives a toss really, it's not as though if the government stumbles across this site we're all in for 20 years imprisonment is it? But obviously if people just download free roms instead of purchasing the actual game, it's not good business for the publisher; so it's not the kind of thing we'd directly say how to do.
But it's not as though it's difficult to work out, Google will quite easily guide you in the right direction. I can assure you obtaining roms is not the big deal you're making it out to be.
TASing Windows and DOS games can be done without needing ROMs (because the version of the game you would buy and play normally is the version of the game you TAS).
To dumb down the laws, the ONLY time that you can legally have a ROM is if it was 1) purposefully released into the public domain by the copyright owner, 2) was given or sold to you by the copyright owner, 3) has had its copyright expire (75 years after publication, i.e. no video games until well into this century), or 4) it is an archival copy that YOU created for backup purposes (it cannot be a downloaded copy.
This last one would mean that you would have to own the game, own a ROM dumper, and have the software to be able to manage and create the ROM itself. Now, the technology is coming up to make this last option somewhat cheap, and this applies mainly to anything cartridge or CD based, but like Patashu said, you can do Windows and DOS games without needing an illegal/cracked image.
Now, the technology is coming up to make this last option somewhat cheap, and this applies mainly to anything cartridge or CD based, but like Patashu said, you can do Windows and DOS games without needing an illegal/cracked image.
Or in the cases of Wii/GCN, all you need is the wii, a SD card, and a usb/harddrive to use CleanRip. :P
Well there used to be a site, that claimed to offer ROMs free of copyright/licensing issues (no mainstream stuff of course). Seems to be gone now ("freevintagegames" it was called, haven't checked whether their claim was right).
All syllogisms have three parts, therefore this is not a syllogism.
4) it is an archival copy that YOU created for backup purposes (it cannot be a downloaded copy.
Are you sure about this? Is this US law? I am pretty certain it is not Swedish law, at least...
Why would it matter how a file was created?
And how would anyone know the difference later? The origin of a file cannot be proven, a downloaded ripped file is indistinguishable from a self-made ripped file.
4) it is an archival copy that YOU created for backup purposes (it cannot be a downloaded copy.
Are you sure about this? Is this US law? I am pretty certain it is not Swedish law, at least...
Why would it matter how a file was created?
And how would anyone know the difference later? The origin of a file cannot be proven, a downloaded ripped file is indistinguishable from a self-made ripped file.
Yes, that is true in the US.
Do I need to stick to only games that I've bought? If I buy a version of a SNES game that runs on Wii and/or GBA, am I allowed to TAS it on a SNES emulator?
A gba version of a snes game would be different game, so no. However on wii, they just run the original game in an emulator, so you may extract the rom from there, and play it on any other snes emulator.
