Game that really resemble other games: should you do it?
Mammoth
Member Posts: 640
So Im coming out with a fairly artistic game. Part of me wants to make clones of successful games on the app store. I wanted to get everybody's opinion on the pros and cons of this.
Obviously I would try and find another small mechanic that would make them a little different.
What does everybody think on the subject
Obviously I would try and find another small mechanic that would make them a little different.
What does everybody think on the subject
Comments
Create the game that OTHERS want to clone.
If that happens, then it is likely you'll have made a good game.
When it comes down to it, aren't we all just really playing pong? :P
Shadows Peak is an atmospheric psychological horror that explores the dark side of a player.
There are only so many different game formats but with different graphics and maybe different presentation and added twists, they can be seen to be different. Like how many platform games are there, for instance? A ton and a half; they all follow the "rules" of the genre but are all different in their own ways. Clones are something else, in my opinion, different graphics maybe but resembling or in the same ball park as the graphics of another game, with the gameplay no different.
So I think there's no worry about being inspired by other peoples games and even your graphics and gameplay being heavily influenced by them; just not copying it too closely and try to add your own "spin".
""You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike." - Zork temp domain http://spidergriffin.wix.com/alphaghostapps
Disclaimer: I'm a proudful designer and graphic artist... so.
...until the tweaks for general public :P
if you want to make a similar game just think about where the fun from* the game actually comes from and incorporate that into your own
whether it be the strategic placement, tense quick-fire gameplay or whatever there are a million things you can do once you realise what it is that you enjoy about the game
This is the key. What used to be clones were usually fan-games but now it's mostly clones. With all those developpers that aren't exactly game designers that are trying to make a few bucks by cloning games with a new art pack are investors, not passionnate developpers. I always refused making a game based on another one, but now that it comes to iphone developpement it is getting an interresting option. As you said, you need some sort of tweak to make it a different experience make it worth a buy.
CLONES
Pros:
-Less risky and faster developpement. You basically had someone to do the prototype and experiment gameplay for you. The game mechanic has already proven it's worth. Hell, you can even use templates!
-Sometime you can use the popularity of the original game to sell.
-Don't need quite as much imagination. The mass market doesn't know every game, so most people think Angry Birds, Tiny Wings, Minecraft are not clones but original games.
-It's a great source of inspiration when searching for a concept. You can use a game mechanic for a base and start prototyping tweaks from there.
Cons:
-Can be hard to compete with the original. If you don't bring something new it might just be a downgrade. There might be free better version of the same game available.
-Not as rewarding for a designer. Unless you manage to make it very unique it feels like factory work (a.k.a GameLoft).
This is not an as passionnate effort as bringing the world something really new
ORIGINAL
Pros:
-More chances of standing out of the croud when bringing something new and innovative. Gamers like to play something they never experienced.
-Recognition and respect from the designer communities and reviewers
-When experimenting something new, there is more chances of finding some unexpected and interresting gameplays. A lot of great game mechanics were found by accidents and emergent gameplay.
-Something to be proud of as a game designer.
Cons:
-It is a lot more work of designing, testing, and starting everything over. Longuer pre-production and prototyping phase. Lot more risk that your game is not as fun as expected. There is a reason why a lot of mainstream games are not as innovative as indie developpers and it is this one.
-It is hard to program something entirely new. GameSalad is well suited for physic games, but because of it's lack of flexibility the easiest route is using an existing game mechanic that works well with current functions.
Semi-off-topic, Apple wasn't the first one with the GUI (Graphical User Interface--icons vs. DOS-like operating systems), although they often get credited as if they were. They were able make something kind of unsucessful (past attempts at GUIs) very successful because they did it well.
So, in a way, you might look at it this way: Don't copy/imitate a successful app, because it's already been done. Figure out why a semi-successful/failed app isn't as successful as it could be, and copy/imitate the good, change the bad, so that it is the most successful of it's type.