HS/HS2/Koikatsu Game Assets Copyright and Legal problems.

[Aninass]

Hi guys. I am trying to make an Adult Visual Novel with HS2. I have worked with Renpy before (for someone else), and I have also worked in StudioNeo, I can pose pretty well and make great scenes. I also have a story that I have permission to use in my AVN. Now the only problem is the 3D assets and resources. Where do I get those, and those who make these renders using HS/HS2/Koikatsu, where do they get their assets from? Do they make their own assets or do they have permission to use the assets from these games and the thousands of mods that are there? Also, can the modded stuff be used in my AVN? Like the modded accessories, maps, props, and clothes by the people in the community?

I intend to make a bit of money out of this AVN, so what are the copyright and legal problems will I face if I use these resources? If I can't use them, how do I make them on my own?

 

[Tar77]

Far from an expert but I've seen this question enough to know a little.

You can do pretty much anything you want with the mods for Illusion games. Never heard of anyone complaining.

The problem you will have is Illusion themselves. They claim to have rights to anything made with their content and will not allow it to be sold commercially. If you want to sell your game on Steam or other sites in a similar way then you need to avoid them altogether. However if you are interested in just doing the "donation" route you'll be fine. They don't seem to have an issue with the games if they are on Patreon or SubscribeStar. Itch seems to be fine too especially if it's listed as free.

If you pay attention there are dozens of games on here in HS2 using the same mods with the same payment model. I'd recommend getting the latest BetterRepack directly from ScrewThisNoise and using what you want from the many mods already there. Of course you should be making your own characters. As far as selling it from there just follow all the existing devs lead and you'll be fine.

 

[Aninass]

Far from an expert but I've seen this question enough to know a little.

You can do pretty much anything you want with the mods for Illusion games. Never heard of anyone complaining.

The problem you will have is Illusion themselves. They claim to have rights to anything made with their content and will not allow it to be sold commercially. If you want to sell your game on Steam or other sites in a similar way then you need to avoid them altogether. However if you are interested in just doing the "donation" route you'll be fine. They don't seem to have an issue with the games if they are on Patreon or SubscribeStar. Itch seems to be fine too especially if it's listed as free.

If you pay attention there are dozens of games on here in HS2 using the same mods with the same payment model. I'd recommend getting the latest BetterRepack directly from ScrewThisNoise and using what you want from the many mods already there. Of course you should be making your own characters. As far as selling it from there just follow all the existing devs lead and you'll be fine.

I don't plan to sell it on Steam, I want to make it free for all intents and purposes. I want it to have a page in itch.io, and maybe a Patreon if I manage to work out a periodic workflow. And although I have seen many people use those same map resources, won't the mod authors complain if I use their work?

 

[Tar77]

I don't plan to sell it on Steam, I want to make it free for all intents and purposes. I want it to have a page in itch.io, and maybe a Patreon if I manage to work out a periodic workflow. And although I have seen many people use those same map resources, won't the mod authors complain if I use their work?

Again I've never seen any of them say they don't want their mods used. In fact there are quite a few that openly say they can be used for whatever. One thing about these mods is that the modders didn't actually make a lot of them. Many of the maps ect are assets ripped from other games and ported into HS2 ect.

 

[Aninass]

Again I've never seen any of them say they don't want their mods used. In fact there are quite a few that openly say they can be used for whatever. One thing about these mods is that the modders didn't actually make a lot of them. Many of the maps ect are assets ripped from other games and ported into HS2 ect.

Ok, thank you. I made a lot of scenes from those assets, but was afraid that I wouldn't be able to use them. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[Hyraas645]

Far from an expert but I've seen this question enough to know a little.

You can do pretty much anything you want with the mods for Illusion games. Never heard of anyone complaining.

The problem you will have is Illusion themselves. They claim to have rights to anything made with their content and will not allow it to be sold commercially. If you want to sell your game on Steam or other sites in a similar way then you need to avoid them altogether. However if you are interested in just doing the "donation" route you'll be fine. They don't seem to have an issue with the games if they are on Patreon or SubscribeStar. Itch seems to be fine too especially if it's listed as free.

If you pay attention there are dozens of games on here in HS2 using the same mods with the same payment model. I'd recommend getting the latest BetterRepack directly from ScrewThisNoise and using what you want from the many mods already there. Of course you should be making your own characters. As far as selling it from there just follow all the existing devs lead and you'll be fine.

I feel like this is a bit of a stupid question, but can I use Koikatsu cards that have been used in games to create my own? Or extract them from sites like

You must be registered to see the links

where sometimes the authors are anonymous, or from pixiv?

 

[Tar77]

I feel like this is a bit of a stupid question, but can I use Koikatsu cards that have been used in games to create my own? Or extract them from sites like

You must be registered to see the links

where sometimes the authors are anonymous, or from pixiv?

Short answer, Yes.

Longer answer, generally still yes. People are making those cards public so that other people can use them. They don't really have to ability to control if it's only for certain things after that. I could be wrong but my understanding is that because Illusion claims rights all the assets, it's hard for anyone else to then claim rights to it too. But again they made it public for others to use. I've seen a lot of those cards specifically say you're allowed to do whatever with them including making games. On top of that odds are the reason you're seeing cards for characters in games is not because the person that made the game also made the card and released it. It's almost always because the person that made the game got the public card too. So it's certainly a common thing.

If you don't want to risk offending anyone you can just look for cards that say you're allowed to use them in games but personally don't think it's an issue. You could also just tweak them a little. Of course none of this changes the fact they can't be used on Steam and similar sites.

 

[DumpTruckLover]

I feel like this is a bit of a stupid question, but can I use Koikatsu cards that have been used in games to create my own? Or extract them from sites like

You must be registered to see the links

where sometimes the authors are anonymous, or from pixiv?

In fact, if you manage to obtain them somehow, you could even use the cards/maps sold for hundreds of dollars on Patreon without permission. Of course, this would be one of the most disrespectful things to do, but legally, you wouldn't face any issues because everything included in games like Koikatsu or Honey Select or other similar games belongs to the company Illusion, not to a second party. Copying and selling these assets is illegal. This is why games made with Koikatsu or Honey Select cannot be sold on platforms like Steam or Epic Store. Still, I recommend modifying the cards you want to use, even slightly. That way, it feels more like your own creation.

 

[Hyraas645]

Short answer, Yes.

Longer answer, generally still yes. People are making those cards public so that other people can use them. They don't really have to ability to control if it's only for certain things after that. I could be wrong but my understanding is that because Illusion claims rights all the assets, it's hard for anyone else to then claim rights to it too. But again they made it public for others to use. I've seen a lot of those cards specifically say you're allowed to do whatever with them including making games. On top of that odds are the reason you're seeing cards for characters in games is not because the person that made the game also made the card and released it. It's almost always because the person that made the game got the public card too. So it's certainly a common thing.

If you don't want to risk offending anyone you can just look for cards that say you're allowed to use them in games but personally don't think it's an issue. You could also just tweak them a little. Of course none of this changes the fact they can't be used on Steam and similar sites.

Thanks for clearing up my doubt, I was just afraid that it would be taken badly that I used a card in my game that was already present in another, thx

 

[Hyraas645]

In fact, if you manage to obtain them somehow, you could even use the cards/maps sold for hundreds of dollars on Patreon without permission. Of course, this would be one of the most disrespectful things to do, but legally, you wouldn't face any issues because everything included in games like Koikatsu or Honey Select or other similar games belongs to the company Illusion, not to a second party. Copying and selling these assets is illegal. This is why games made with Koikatsu or Honey Select cannot be sold on platforms like Steam or Epic Store. Still, I recommend modifying the cards you want to use, even slightly. That way, it feels more like your own creation.

Thx

 

[Insomnimaniac Games]

Thanks for clearing up my doubt, I was just afraid that it would be taken badly that I used a card in my game that was already present in another, thx

So many daz games use the same models it's ridiculous, so I wouldn't worry about that. I'd at least credit the card maker though, and if possible ask if it's okay to use it in your game.

 

[Hyraas645]

In conclusion, can I use cards/maps/mods/etc that have been published on any page, even if those cards or maps were made for a specific game, in order to create my own game.

choosing to modify those resources to have a cleaner creation and not look like plagiarism, in addition to whether it is necessary to put the credits of those resources that you use?

 

[Insomnimaniac Games]

In conclusion, can I use cards/maps/mods/etc that have been published on any page, even if those cards or maps were made for a specific game, in order to create my own game.

No one could stop you, but expect people to call you out on it. Especially if they're original characters specifically from another game.

choosing to modify those resources to have a cleaner creation and not look like plagiarism, in addition to whether it is necessary to put the credits of those resources that you use?

Credits aren't strictly necessary, but at the very least show that you care enough to do the bare minimum of giving a shout out.

Honestly though, unless you're making a parody style game, making your own characters isn't really that hard with HS or KK. Learning how to do it yourself will give you much more freedom with character designs.