I don’t care if it’s “copied,” as long as it is done well, and it brings something new to the table. PoP did a fantastic job at making the whole time-control thing feel different enough from Blinx.
If you think about it, every game out there now (with only a couple exceptions, like Katamari Damacy) are copies of other games. Every platformer out there is a copy of Pitfall or Mario, every FPS out there is a copy of Doom, every FP-RPG is a copy of games like Ultima Underworld, etc. etc. Where do you draw the line?
And whoever made the first mech game was copying the idea from Japanese anime, anyway. Hell, even Battletech copied Japanese anime. Most of their original designs were literally stolen from Japan. That’s why they got sued and had to change a lot of their designs.
There’s nothing wrong with standing on the shoulders of giants. Just make sure that when you do, you’re not just copying for copying’s sake. Make sure you understand why the original had that feature or whatever, and integrate it into your own work well. Make it your own.
[quote=“fmalinkevich”]Since when was when was Mechwarrior crap?
I’ve always loved the Mechwarrior games and Universe!
But Gun Metal, yes very crappy![/quote]
The only mechwarrior I own is Mechwarrior 3: Vegeance (or it might have been Mechwarrior 4: Vegeance… I dunno. I defintely came after 2 and had a “vengeance” in there somewhere…). While it wasn’t totally and utterly awful, like Gun Metal, I just didn’t like the way the mechs handled. It might have been better if I had a joystick and throttle, but I thought that way that they had try to make it a mech “sim” was just too clumsy. Having to set your speed and rotate your torso constantly in battle was just a bit too fiddly for me, and often resulted in me running straight in the sides of buildings, and then explosing in my desperate attmepts too slow down and get into reverse while everyone was shooting at me. Maybe it’s a knack, or something.
I have also played some of Mechwarrior 2 (I think) which I thought was better, but I still didn’t like much. I’ve never played the original, so I wouldn’t know if it was any good.
What do I like about robots? I’ll be honest, I have no idea. I just do.
I don’y really expect anything from robot games (except robots, as Arcie said ) I generally prefer the fast-paced ones, like Virtual On, but that doesn’t mean I can’t like one that plays like a sim, I just haven’t been overly impressed by the ones that do.
PS: Add “Battle Engine Aquilla” to the pile marked “crap”.
Well, apparently you draw the line somewhere very distinct, since you’re the one claiming to have issues with mech games being copies, etc. Which is why I’m asking where you draw the line.
I said where I did. If it’s done well enough and with a certain level of understanding (meaning, they understand what they’re doing when they implement whatever feature, etc.), then I’m cool with it.
The original Castle Wolfenstein was a simple old PC action that was very fun believe it or not. It was released in 1983 by a small development house called Muse Software.
The game found success and spawned a sequel released in the same year also created by the same team behind the original called Beyond Castle Wolfenstein.
After doing the Commander Keen series id Software was inspired by Muse’s action game and created Wolfenstein 3D which I guess is considered the first official FPS game.
That really drove the development of Doom whoch launched PC gaming in general. Wolfenstein actually had a sequel called Spear of Destiny. Many games were actaully based solely on the Wolfenstein engine such as Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold which even copied the title image in many respects. That game was the definition of copying an idea in a genre.
However, I don’t think you can say every game is a copy of Doom or what not since now many FPS are so diverse they are even hard to put in the same category. Such as Red Faction II is very different from Half-Life 2 or say Halo 2. Also we now have all these tactical shooters such as the Tom Clancy games.
I beleive we are at the point where games are diverse enough that many bring enough of their own ideas to the table that make them stand out as a mere clone or copy.
Sorry to go so off topic but there is a brief history of Wolfenstein and id Software for you!
But, fmalinkevich brings up a valid point. While Wolfenstein (or Doom or whatever) may have been “the original” and have sparked an entire genre, it doesn’t mean that everything after that is a direct copy. I was using hyperbole to explain that to Gehn, hoping he’d understand.
You can’t say every movie has copied Citizen Kane or Charlie Chaplin’s stuff, any more than you can say Armored Core is a copy of Gundam (well, to be completely honest, all mech design in Japan is very heavily influenced by Macross and Gundam, but that’s not what we’re talking about here). Sure, Charlie Chaplin may have established the shot/reverse shot method of capturing conversations on film, but people have taken that technique and done more with it.
edit: Didn’t realize I was spelling his name wrong…
There is one aspect I didn’t mention.Usually when something new comes and everyone starts to copy it that bugs me.But there is a certain period (years maybe) when it is just took for granted.
It’s okay years after the original but not too close to it.
I’m not kiding or trying to “make” arguments out of thin air but this IS a subjective and psychological matter and that’s how I feel about it.
The problem I have with a few japanese companies is that they take what originaly was a western concept turn it into their own thing than sue the western company who decides to do the same.
For example isn’t the whole card game system pioneered by Wizards Of The Coast for Magic:The Gathering. How come YugiOh or even Pokemon
who use this card system didn’t get the pants sued outta them when poor old Battletech gets the rough end of the deal.
The Pokemon card game was made by Wizards of the Coast (under license from Nintendo), which at least answers part of that question. I guess the other answer is that Yu-Gi-Oh (and all the other current trading card games) are “different enough” to Magic the Gathering; which is of course all down to opinion really, but it seems they’ve been different enough to escape any legal problems so far. Any judgement like this has to come down to opinion in the end…
Because Magic: The Gathering (or even Pokemon, for that matter) did not invent the idea of playing cards, etc. Trumps, for example, which are very similar in concept, have been around for decades.
Battletech, on the other hand, literally used the exact. same. designs. as many popular Japanese anime. And it was actually Harmony Gold and other American companies that owned those IPs that ended up suing FASA, I believe. If a Japanese company created a cartoon that featured Mickey Mouse, do you think Disney would sit idly by? The pendulum swings both ways, my friends.
[quote=“Goonboy Panzer”]
For example isn’t the whole card game system pioneered by Wizards Of The Coast for Magic:The Gathering. How come YugiOh or even Pokemon
who use this card system didn’t get the pants sued outta them when poor old Battletech gets the rough end of the deal.[/quote]
Because Magic, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Duel Masters etc are only fully similar in that they use cards which represent monsters or actions. To use an example, in Pokemon, you had to “charge up” your monsters with energy cards. In Duel Masters, they can attack at any point, as long as they are on the field and not bound by any magic.
) I generally prefer the fast-paced ones, like Virtual On, but that doesn’t mean I can’t like one that plays like a sim, I just haven’t been overly impressed by the ones that do.