Knight Rider: The Fan Game

This forum contains discussions about all things Knight Rider.

Moderators: neps, Matthew, Michael Pajaro

User avatar
Knight Racer
FLAG Special Ops
Posts: 3522
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Brooklyn
Contact:

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by Knight Racer » Sun May 14, 2017 7:58 pm

Anything connected to the show as in the kitt vehicle, any characters of the show, wont be usable. He will need to create completely new characters and a new car. MSKen may not choose this path at all, it's just a suggestion that's being thrown around by fans but he won't be able to make the knight rider game or risk being sued by universal.

AppleMacri1980
Operative
Posts: 133
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 6:26 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by AppleMacri1980 » Sun May 14, 2017 11:39 pm

Msken just find a way to reach Hasselhoff maybe he can help,

User avatar
Knight Racer
FLAG Special Ops
Posts: 3522
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Brooklyn
Contact:

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by Knight Racer » Sun May 14, 2017 11:51 pm

Hasselhoff doesn't own the rights either. He tried to buy the rights but they wouldn't sell it to him.

AppleMacri1980
Operative
Posts: 133
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 6:26 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by AppleMacri1980 » Sun May 14, 2017 11:53 pm

I mean like since he cares about Knight Rider maybe he can do a help out.

User avatar
Matthew
Site Administrator
Posts: 1150
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2002 1:01 am
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982
Location: England

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by Matthew » Mon May 15, 2017 12:56 am

At this point, I think Ken's strict adherence to not profiting from the Knight Rider IP is probably what's kept the project out of NBCUniversal's crosshairs. Also, considering the IP has suffered multiple failures since 1986, another factor to consider is whether it would even be worth it to them, since this game appeals to a very niche audience.

If the Star Trek Axanar lawsuit has illustrated anything, it's that making a profit off these properties is what really gets their attention. After all, the fan films like New Voyages and Continues were being left to do their thing until Alec Peters raised over a million bucks and put it towards the movie studio he intended to run once Axanar had wrapped.

Matt
Welcome aboard the Knight 2000.

Thank you. What's all this, it looks like Darth Vader's bathroom?

Assasinge
FLAG Assistant
Posts: 612
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2016 5:50 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by Assasinge » Mon May 15, 2017 9:26 pm

I wonder if anytime in the future, let's say Ken does go ahead and release the game, maybe publicly or privately to people. If I managed to get my hands on it and suddenly at some point in the future, whenever it is of course, NBC suddenly cracks down on it because they got word of it...wonder what they would do to the people who DO have the game from Ken? Hm...would they issue a warning to delete it or something? Whatever they do, I'm going to backup whatever Ken has already given me so far right now...can't trust anything, anyone these days with their unforeseen circumstances or actions, phew.

User avatar
msKEN
FLAG Assistant
Posts: 781
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Contact:

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by msKEN » Mon May 15, 2017 9:47 pm

I wish the world worked that way AppleMacri1980 but sadly it doesn't. One things for sure, I'm continuing to work on this in private. How it will get released is just going to have be a discussion for another day. Hopefully when things are closer to being finished I can get in touch with the proper channels and perhaps get NBCU's blessing to release it. As Matthew says this game most definitely is only going to appeal to a very small niche audience. This game is made by 2 guys, it's most definitely going to have a home-brew indie feel to it. I hope by now people understand this wont ever be a AAA looking/playing game on an 8k budget, not to say we aren't making a fun game lol.
The Knight Rider Fan Game Project:
http://www.theknightrider.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Assasinge
FLAG Assistant
Posts: 612
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2016 5:50 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by Assasinge » Mon May 15, 2017 9:55 pm

msKEN wrote:I wish the world worked that way AppleMacri1980 but sadly it doesn't. One things for sure, I'm continuing to work on this in private. How it will get released is just going to have be a discussion for another day. Hopefully when things are closer to being finished I can get in touch with the proper channels and perhaps get NBCU's blessing to release it. As Matthew says this game most definitely is only going to appeal to a very small niche audience. This game is made by 2 guys, it's most definitely going to have a home-brew indie feel to it. I hope by now people understand this wont ever be a AAA looking/playing game on an 8k budget, not to say we aren't making a fun game lol.
Sidenote: I'm still available whenever you want me to edit the trailer or whatnot etc. :D

AppleMacri1980
Operative
Posts: 133
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 6:26 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by AppleMacri1980 » Mon May 15, 2017 11:27 pm

well we should tweet and do something.

User avatar
Matthew
Site Administrator
Posts: 1150
Joined: Fri Oct 11, 2002 1:01 am
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982
Location: England

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by Matthew » Tue May 16, 2017 6:35 pm

Actually, right now we should do nothing of the sort. As it stands, there's nothing whatsoever to indicate how NBCUniversal views this game, but using social media to raise awareness of its legality (or lack thereof) would be a damned good way of finding out... the hard way.

Matt
Welcome aboard the Knight 2000.

Thank you. What's all this, it looks like Darth Vader's bathroom?

User avatar
jup
FLAG Operative
Posts: 1777
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2002 1:01 am
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982
Location: SD, CA. USA | Web site: http://www.jupircbot.8m.com (jup's KR game project 'ghosts' here)
Contact:

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by jup » Wed May 17, 2017 5:56 am

I'm not a lawyer by any means. But, I definitely say you should do the following to your awesome game. 1) Remove all traces of the Knight Rider copyrights from it. 2) Make the new characters as generic as possible. 3) Definitely change the name of the game.

NOW that your game is free of all traces of Knight Rider copyrighted material and the lawyer threat is nullified, you must 4) Make your game super friendly towards modifications. 5) Have all those amazing Knight Rider characters, missions and such available as a download patch. 6) Host that patch off your main site.

It becomes the responsibility of the player to turn it into Knight Rider: The Fan Game. See what I am getting at, here? Your game can live and it's none of your legal responsibility that the player must put two and two together.

Do you know why console emulation is legal? Because all the game software that is copyrighted is hosted elsewhere and not included in the source material. It is the responsibility of the user to make it run illegally obtained game code.

It's like how Wilton Knight proceeded with his dream. He was far too up front about KARR. The wrong people caught wind (poorly described how) and forced a Cease and Decist upon him. Thus, he hid KARR away with a deactivation over a full on dismantling. KITT (again, poorly described how) had dodged the issues in some poorly mentioned ways. And thus, must your game do the same thing. Your game must be as neutral as possible. It should be more like a GTA clone with a G rated approach. Just some sand lot style game. And if the player applies the patch and turns it into Knight Rider: The Fan Game, that's totally out of your control. And your legal issues.

By making your game generic and free of any copyright materials, there should be no stopping your game from thriving. And, any modifications for a free indie game should go so under the radar that it's probably never going to be any kind of issue for anyone.

Dare I say that a GTA clone with super easy modification options might even develop an underground movement that could go in directions you never expected. You may have wanted Knight Rider. But...this could very well be something far bigger. After all, GTA has such an impressive modding community behind it. And Rockstar doesn't even want them to exist. Imagine the potential what they could do with your game's engine.

After all, your hard years worth of work and dedication shouldn't lead to a shooting star of a game. When it could become the Linux of GTA gaming...with a Knight Rider patch, hidden in some Russian file server.

AppleMacri1980
Operative
Posts: 133
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 6:26 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by AppleMacri1980 » Thu May 18, 2017 9:46 pm

nice idea but still try talking to people see what they think is best.

User avatar
Knight Racer
FLAG Special Ops
Posts: 3522
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Brooklyn
Contact:

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by Knight Racer » Sun May 21, 2017 12:23 pm

I'm not sure if this was thought about yet or not. I've been following this kickstarter for the new Friday the 13th game coming out in a few days.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=schnjiZ0n9c

This wasn't something made by the people who hold the production rights to the Friday the 13th series. It was formed by fans and programmers were brought in who were big fans of the franchise. A kickstarter was formed. Somehow this is getting released and it's somehow legal because they got the permission from the franchise holder or credit is being given, not sure. Is there any way to contact the people who created this game and ask them how they went about making this game legally to the point where it's about to be released legally for purchase?

AppleMacri1980
Operative
Posts: 133
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 6:26 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by AppleMacri1980 » Sun May 21, 2017 4:30 pm

Knight Racer us fans can look in to that that maybe a possibility i mean look how Data in "Star Trek" looks in things maybe we can do the same?

User avatar
jup
FLAG Operative
Posts: 1777
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2002 1:01 am
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982
Location: SD, CA. USA | Web site: http://www.jupircbot.8m.com (jup's KR game project 'ghosts' here)
Contact:

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by jup » Mon May 22, 2017 3:32 pm

Not really sure on that. Though, if I were to speculate, I would suspect it's all based on whom owns the copyrights and how willing they are to let this or that happen to their franchise(s).

Knight Rider does seem like it's in the same boat as Friday the 13'th...more or less. After all, who knows where Jason may pop up, next. Wherever a horror guest star is needed, I suppose. Same boat as the KR characters. After all...Michael Knight is the franchise property of Universal Studios. Yet, he is now the (imaginary) surrogate father to Star Lord in the Disney owned Guardians movies. (Probably paid for on rights to use...probably.) And, the whole franchise recently popped up in that add-on game from Lego Dimensions. It's really a wild card of possibilities.

Personally, I feel that going under the radar is the best move, possible. If MSKen goes in with questions about the legality of his game to those whom own the license, there is a chance he may get full rights...as long as no profits are made. Also a chance he will be turned down. And he has invested way too much time, personal money and such for such an easily spoken set of words to kill it all.

However, if the ones whom he already spoke with are no longer associated with said rights, then it is probably far better to avoid stirring up a hornet's nest and rework his game into a generic, NO Knight Rider-type of sandbox game. With nothing inside the core engine, Ken is in the clear. After all, if any inquires of a legal nature come down the pike, it's what the core game has got that is going to be investigated.

And, like I said, if some underground patch that turns this generic game into Knight Rider: The Fan Game is a separate entity, (and said code becomes as hard to trace as BitCoin creators) Ken is still in the clear.

Now, this bit is for MS Ken...concerning those hundreds of CG cars you've put work into. Those aren't Fords, Chevy's, Toyotas and such...right? They're Feurds, Chewies, Toy-Ottas and such. *Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge* Because, that is what even the high priced, commercial games do to avoid licensing rights and fees.

Assasinge
FLAG Assistant
Posts: 612
Joined: Fri Jul 15, 2016 5:50 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by Assasinge » Mon May 22, 2017 3:35 pm

jup wrote:Now, this bit is for MS Ken...concerning those hundreds of CG cars you've put work into. Those aren't Fords, Chevy's, Toyotas and such...right? They're Feurds, Chewies, Toy-Ottas and such. *Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge* Because, that is what even the high priced, commercial games do to avoid licensing rights and fees.
Referring to the last paragraph here, GTA games and their cars are great examples of this.

AppleMacri1980
Operative
Posts: 133
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 6:26 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by AppleMacri1980 » Wed Jun 06, 2018 7:04 pm

what is the story with the game?

AppleMacri1980
Operative
Posts: 133
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 6:26 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by AppleMacri1980 » Wed Jun 06, 2018 7:08 pm

what is the story with the game?

User avatar
jup
FLAG Operative
Posts: 1777
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2002 1:01 am
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982
Location: SD, CA. USA | Web site: http://www.jupircbot.8m.com (jup's KR game project 'ghosts' here)
Contact:

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by jup » Thu Jun 07, 2018 9:23 pm

It comes when it comes. And every Knight Rider fan should be thankful for when it comes and not press for a release date any sooner then when it comes.

User avatar
AFTON ROBOTICS
Recruit
Posts: 32
Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2016 9:10 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by AFTON ROBOTICS » Sun Jun 10, 2018 9:26 am

jup wrote:
Thu Jun 07, 2018 9:23 pm
It comes when it comes. And every Knight Rider fan should be thankful for when it comes and not press for a release date any sooner then when it comes.
To be honest the entire thing looks long dead

I don't think we should expect a release until it's even confirmed that this game is even still alive

User avatar
AFTON ROBOTICS
Recruit
Posts: 32
Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2016 9:10 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by AFTON ROBOTICS » Sun Jun 10, 2018 9:27 am

jup wrote:
Thu Jun 07, 2018 9:23 pm
It comes when it comes. And every Knight Rider fan should be thankful for when it comes and not press for a release date any sooner then when it comes.
To be honest the entire thing looks long dead

I don't think we should expect a release until it's even confirmed that this game is even still alive

User avatar
jup
FLAG Operative
Posts: 1777
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2002 1:01 am
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982
Location: SD, CA. USA | Web site: http://www.jupircbot.8m.com (jup's KR game project 'ghosts' here)
Contact:

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by jup » Mon Jun 11, 2018 4:26 pm

While this may be very possible, I also know that MSKen has been with this idea for a very long time. He's funding it out of his own pocket and available hours. Something to this amazing degree is comparable to RockStar. They seemingly have endless wallets and endless personnel to make their limitless games possible with. So...it may take a lifetime to complete this game.

I once tried making a KR game, too. Nowhere near to this degree. (It was more of an attempted match to that little KR handheld, actually.) It was overwhelming. And, my game project is officially dead. But, if MSKen can create his dream game, more power to him.

On a different note, it's known that there is something going on with this website's CGI Bin. (Or something processing related.) Postings are being recorded. But, the page refresh command is partially failing. If the page refresh is taking way too long, I recommend highlighting your whole message, copying to your personal clip board, then manually refreshing the page to see if the post truly has been saved. Helps against these dual/triple posting issues.

User avatar
AFTON ROBOTICS
Recruit
Posts: 32
Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2016 9:10 pm
antispam: No
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 1982

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by AFTON ROBOTICS » Thu Jun 14, 2018 5:23 pm

jup wrote:
Mon Jun 11, 2018 4:26 pm
While this may be very possible, I also know that MSKen has been with this idea for a very long time. He's funding it out of his own pocket and available hours. Something to this amazing degree is comparable to RockStar. They seemingly have endless wallets and endless personnel to make their limitless games possible with. So...it may take a lifetime to complete this game.

I once tried making a KR game, too. Nowhere near to this degree. (It was more of an attempted match to that little KR handheld, actually.) It was overwhelming. And, my game project is officially dead. But, if MSKen can create his dream game, more power to him.

On a different note, it's known that there is something going on with this website's CGI Bin. (Or something processing related.) Postings are being recorded. But, the page refresh command is partially failing. If the page refresh is taking way too long, I recommend highlighting your whole message, copying to your personal clip board, then manually refreshing the page to see if the post truly has been saved. Helps against these dual/triple posting issues.
Thanks for the advice on the dual post problems. Might also be just because i'm not used to this older type of forum system since i most of the time work on a other KR forum.

I mean yea they have been working on it for a long while and they have been pouring A LOT of money into it

BUT

Have not been able to talk to MSKen since mid 2017 since that one time where he showed me Season 5 K.I.T.T.
Since then everything has been dead.

And the thing that bums me out about this is the fact that without any actual feedback by the fandom on actual gameplay and everything this project could REALLY easily go down the *?$#.

On the topic of making your own KR game: I'm making my own KR game actually
It's a story driven one which is set in 1981.

User avatar
msKEN
FLAG Assistant
Posts: 781
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Contact:

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by msKEN » Fri Aug 31, 2018 2:17 pm

I apologize for the silence from my end. I've just made a blog post on theknightrider.com explaining what's going on. Yes the game is still making progress. We just recently completed a major milestone we've been trying to achieve for over 2 years. It took a year swapping to the Unreal Engine to accomplish this but hey we got it done finally!

Thank you Jup, have always appreciated your support.
The Knight Rider Fan Game Project:
http://www.theknightrider.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

User avatar
Knight Racer
FLAG Special Ops
Posts: 3522
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2002 1:01 am
What year did the original Knight Rider start: 0
Location: Brooklyn
Contact:

Re: Knight Rider: The Fan Game

Post by Knight Racer » Fri Aug 31, 2018 11:50 pm

Great to hear you've reached a milestone in developing the game and that it's still alive. How soon until we can all play a demo of it? any new videos showcasing the new stuff you're working on or the status of the game?

Post Reply