Zeth
ZEQ2 Programmer
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 Sunday, April 01, 2007
THE ZEQ2 PROJECT
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ZEQ2 is an interactive anime research experience that used the Dragon Ball Z series as its standard base. The project was built on a passion for accuracy and mimicry towards anime concepts at a level unheard of in any interactive software in existence. Graphics and mechanics alike, even the most trivial details were preserved and escalated by unique, yet accurate methods.
On May 25th or thereabouts, the ZEQ2 site/forums went offline due to potential legal complications caused by a DMCA request allegedly filed by Funimation's legal team to our former webhost. This potentially could have escalated into a full blown project level Cease and Desist. To prevent a Cease & Desist scenerio, ZEQ2 removed all offending media, complied fully with the DMCA request, publically announced our discontinuation, and hovered in limbo for a short time while matters were discussed fully.
Due to the nature of the DMCA request occurring regardless of our low profile, it was determined that one of the three events had taken place : we had struck a nerve with the legal department as a viable threat regardless of non-profit attempts, we had been reported specifically by someone anonymous and Funimation had not thoroughly reviewed what the site/project was actually offering, or that the letter itself was elaborate ruse by a misguided individual. The third scenario was very unlikely given the confirmed authenticity of the legal address, and the impact it had on our previous hosts' lawyers. Either way it went, we weren't taking any legal risks that could endanger a project we had so passionately devoted ourselves to.
Although the ZEQ2 project had announced our public demise to avoid an undetermined legal affliction, the project continued to flourish behind the scenes as many more areas were explored. Over the months however, the time devoted towards the project silenced to a low hum as the team became involved with other minor affairs in life -- regardless progress creeped along.
After some time several members of the former ZEQ2 development team spurred off on another venture and established a separate project known as the Zios engine, a project soon to be crucial to developers everywhere.
THE ZIOS ENGINE
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The Zios engine is a seperate unique project aimed at allowing inexperienced or non-trained users to create their own commercial quality grade applications and games without the need for expensive tools or time-costly training. The engine abstracts and modulates to a level unheard of in the industry.
On an end-user front, this allows even a young novice with no coding or design experience to quickly jump in with his/her imagination and create results FAST. If he/she has no media (3D, sounds, etc.) available for the project, then they are free to use the engines extensive and user extendable media library, which will be filled with templates for easily creating application types and game types, 3D meshes, sounds, textures, materials, user interface elements, animations, etc. Virtually any component of an application or game will be included as part of the library.
On a technical front, the engine is fully segmented for 3D rendering, 2D display, sound, physics, network, etc. as unique library modules separate from the engine core. Any number of these modules may be replaced with completely alternate libraries, removed, or added without effecting the application or games ability to operate and without requiring ANY changes to it. This is accomplished by using a default design path and standard interface naming scheme for all binded modules in the engine.
THE AFTERMATH
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Its been almost a year since ZEQ2 closed its public doors, and it's time for a change. Ironically enough, without the community spurring on the project, efforts and inspiration did eventually begin to decrease, more and more. This is where decisive action was called for. It's time to open the doors once again. It's time to show the public that we're not truly gone.
Although the possibility for a Cease and Desist from Funimation still exists, it's a necessary risk to take to preserve the project's work efforts and to escalate inspiration overall.
Several project precautions are now in place to ensure anonymity in the event of personal legal distress :
- Anonymity
The site/forums are now hosted on a offshore Malyasian webhost with fully anonymous domain registration information and host registration information. This server is offshore, so please respect any delays in load-times and random page display errors as we go through a "trial" stage of dealing with such a distant server. All team members contact information has been removed and the only viable means of contact will be through a forwarded domain email.
- Project Stance
The ZEQ2 project has now taken on a defining role as a research project aimed at anime, in general. In the event of a Cease and Desist, this generalization ensures our rights to easily alter our focus to any other anime or general-anime concept without strife.
- Legal Definitions
A legal thread has been created that explains ZEQ2's legal stance in all aspects and strictly reserves trademarked aspects to their respective owners. This also explains and heavily exaggerate the non-profit and research project stances.
- Registration Seclusion
The project's official forums that show media are now only accessible to those who are registered on the site. New registrations will proxy through the legal thread whereupon agreement is made that the terms are understood fully.
- Contingency Plan
In the event of an actual Cease and Desist, the ZEQ2 project will FULLY comply. Since we've taken up a stance as a research project aimed at anime in general, the restrictions as a DBZ only project are tossed aside. We will remove all offending trademarked material, and continue as a generic anime project or other focused anime project with a licensee that is less obtrusive to it's own fans.
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