That's why I suggested they go the Quake route, forcing you to own a copy of the game legally for you to dissect the map/asset files, but also not blocking you from performing rudimentary research on the engine if you so desire. They didn't release the source so that other people could compile their own versions (although ostensibly you could), but moreso to encourage people to read the code and learn how such a large, interconnected system functions. You can still buy Quake 1 and 2 on Steam, and they'll probably run just fine (Windows support is shaky these days). They're the same as they were 20 years ago, so nobody is really getting gypped when they pay for it. I personally think it's the best way to distribute game source.
Unfortunately the industry norms have moved in the opposite direction. It's rare to even get modding tools these days. Publishers view modding tools as a support burden and potential source of competition to their DLCs.
> You can still buy Quake 1 and 2 on Steam, and they'll probably run just fine (Windows support is shaky these days).
Aren't there various actively-maintained forks of the engines that will run perfectly on modern Windows?
