Hammerhead
a mario.
If you can't make a port without asking permission, you shouldn't be able to archive the mod without the creators permission either.Is this about preservation, or preference? Isn't the point to appreciate something from the past? By saying it has to be updated for you to want to play it, aren't you admitting that it's about changing it to meet your preferences, and not preserving it? Do you want to preserve mods from older versions, or do you want more mods to play in current versions?
If you can play an older version of the game, then you don't need to port it to preserve it. You don't port something to modern versions, changing it in the process, to preserve it. That's like saying the Star Wars Special Editions were preserving the originals for updating them to contemporary standards when they notoriously weren't.
If you want to preserve something, you archive it, not change it. And yes, you HAVE to make changes, however small, to something in order to port it due to differences between major releases. Saying "But I prefer to play on new versions" only further clarifies that it's not about preservation, you want changes to be made to update them to the modern versions. That's like saying all black and white movies HAVE to be updated to color to be preserved just because you don't like watching films without color.
If you care about preserving the past, you will embrace the past. And so if someone says "Please don't port this without my permission," and then you cannot get that permission, archive it. You'll preserve the past and make it just as possible to play in 2023 as it was in 2013. You don't need to port anything to do that. As such, if you truly respect a work, you'll respect the wishes of the person who made it too.
"As game hardware and software become obsolete, older games can become inaccessible to players. Porting games helps preserve classic games by adapting them to modern platforms so they remain playable and appreciated by future generations."