Awkward Angry Little Bird

RattleheadRattlehead Member Posts: 485
edited November -1 in Non-GS Game News
Wow.... what do you not want to happen during your Q&A session at GDC? How about someone stepping up and asking credit for implementation of the physics engine...

Warranted?

http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2011/02/28/creator-of-angry-birds-physics-engine-calls-out-rovio-for-not-giving-him-credit/

Comments

  • SlickZeroSlickZero Houston, TexasMember, Sous Chef Posts: 2,870
    He wouldn't have done it if it hadn't sold so well. Although, what better way to make a name for yourself than causing a scene like that? If he came to them behind the scenes, nobody would have know who he was, and who knows how they would have treated him. This way, everyone is talking about him, and will know who he is, and from what I understand, he is the one that made the engine. Again, I don't think he would have made a spectacle of himself like that if it hadn't done so well. I agree with the responses.
  • AsymptoteellAsymptoteell Member Posts: 1,362
    I should make a scene too! After all, I'm the original angry bird. Rrrrrrr errrrr tweet tweet rrrrrrr!

    Well maybe not angry, but I sure am mad.
  • firemaplegamesfiremaplegames Member Posts: 3,211
    The person who stood up and said that was Erin Catto, creator of the Box2D physics engine. The same physics engine that GameSalad is built upon.
  • jamesmunro2jamesmunro2 Member Posts: 130
    I was slightly moody bird... but I think I might have been the inspiration.

    The question I have is had he contacted Rovio before this conference? I wonder if they ignored his request for a little love to boost his career/esteem/wallet/chick-appeal and didn't get it.

    It is probably in Rovio's best interest to keep the inner workings if their game a secret, but in the this day and age that may be impossible.

    (Can't wait for the Gamesalad people to crash my panel discussion requesting recognition... Ahhh that will be the day.)
  • RattleheadRattlehead Member Posts: 485
    firemaplegames said:
    The person who stood up and said that was Erin Catto, creator of the Box2D physics engine. The same physics engine that GameSalad is built upon.

    I was pretty surprised that Erin did that as he always has seemed to be in it for non-altruistic reasons (not to say that is why he did what he did). I wonder if there were discussions with Rovio prior to him making his way into that session...?
  • EatingMyHatEatingMyHat Member Posts: 1,246
    It was not awkward, it was a panel, he asked the question on his turn. There was no angry or upset note to it. Big companies should give credit to open source to keep the community going.
  • RattleheadRattlehead Member Posts: 485
    Gabbyr said:
    It was not awkward, it was a panel, he asked the question on his turn. There was no angry or upset note to it. Big companies should give credit to open source to keep the community going.

    You're telling me that it wouldn't feel awkward (read the tagline from the article; that is where I got that from) and that something like that is to be expected? LOL! It wouldn't really matter how the question was raised, IMO.

    I totally agree that any size company should give credit to their use of open source technologies.

    You make it sound like you were there for the panel; how has GDC been this year overall?
  • EatingMyHatEatingMyHat Member Posts: 1,246
    I'll let you know when it is over, can't say based on day 1. For me it's just a lot of booth duty anyhow.
  • DizkoDizko Member Posts: 498
    It's dumb. Box 2D is an opensource API, anyone and everyone can use it. It was NEVER a secret that not only Angry Birds uses it, but so does damn near every other physics game on the iPhone. The licence agreement for Box 2D even states that you DO NOT HAVE TO give credit. This Erin fellow, while awesome for creating Box 2D, seems butthurt that someone has had great success using the API he made. What he doesn't understand is that the popularity of Angry Birds has little to do with the physic engine, as in that respect it's nothing special.

    Personally, this is a example of immaturity at its worst. He makes it seem like Rovio hired him to make a physic engine and then didn't pay/give credit where it was due, this is far from the case.
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