This is gonna hurt.... Zanda: Linked Swords

ChunkypixelsChunkypixels Member Posts: 1,114
edited November -1 in Miscellaneous
Well I think this is probably gonna be the worst incident of Template publishing we'll have seen so far....

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/zanda-linked-swords/id463235140?mt=8

..and its already starting to build a strong backlash over on TouchArcade...

http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=106765

Its a real pity. Its a great template, with lots of really useful bits to learn from... but again, its obviously just too tempting for the morally corrupt to abuse.... I think the app description is obviously making things even worse... check it out.

I buy quite a few of Darrens templates, as like i say, theyre great to learn from.... but for Deep Blue Apps sake, GameSalads sake, and the sake of all the honest purchasers of the templates.... Darren, youve got to stop giving the templates such a polished finish. Your making it just too easy for things like this to keep happening.
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Comments

  • icanmakeicanmake Member Posts: 466
    Dammit! i am so pissed at the people who do that. it is worthless
  • JohnPapiomitisJohnPapiomitis Member Posts: 6,256
    well what do you expect when the description to buy the template basically says you can publish as is. Like Chunky said its up to Darren to do something about it
  • IsabelleKIsabelleK Member, Sous Chef Posts: 2,807
    GS should ban people doing stuff like this, to prevent them releasing next games.
  • MagoNicolasMagoNicolas Member, PRO Posts: 2,090
    On touchracade forum, they say that is the same thing of the template, then you enter to the cave, and game crashes....

    How Apple could approve this App?

    Its not Darren fault for sure. I love when they released extremely polished and complete templates.

    But I think the should include the Images, that should solve part of the problem.

    Or include them as learning purpose, but with watermarks or something like that. Just my opinion, Love Darren Templates :D
  • BazookaTimeBazookaTime Member Posts: 1,274
    I love the DeepBlueApp templates but it would be nice if they required some changes to be made prior to releasing to the app store. Any decent person would try to make the template some what original but we aren't talking about decent people.
  • NesesitaGamesNesesitaGames Member Posts: 160
    Absolutely appalling. How did this EVER get past Apple?
  • WyrdGuitaristWyrdGuitarist Member, PRO Posts: 91
    Lazy, lazy, unoriginal and out for quick money. I bought this template and think it's great, but it's appalling that people would use it in this way, Grrrrrr!
  • GamersRejoiceGamersRejoice Member Posts: 817
    I agree, Darren's templates are very good, and I've learned a lot from some of them. The only way this would stop is by watermarking the crap out of all the artwork. Even then, some might try and submit, but it would be harder to get approved. It seems like most people who buy the templates actually want to make the game their own anyway with their own artwork.
  • olster1olster1 Member Posts: 396
    The sad thing is is that he probably made some good quick cash...

    just wrong
  • RumiRumi Member, PRO Posts: 343
    ARGH! IT BURNS!
  • StormyStudioStormyStudio United KingdomMember Posts: 3,989
    the fault lies with Apple for approving very incomplete games
  • NesesitaGamesNesesitaGames Member Posts: 160
    "Award winning game of 2011"???
  • StormyStudioStormyStudio United KingdomMember Posts: 3,989
    if you look from the UK...it has 9 reviews with 5 stars.... thats not at all suspect.
  • quantumsheepquantumsheep Member Posts: 8,188
    stormystudio said:
    if you look from the UK...it has 9 reviews with 5 stars.... thats not at all suspect.

    5 reviews with 5 stars in the US.

    It's obviously an award winning game! :D

    I'll have more thoughts later. Be warned though, as Chunky put it, 'this is gonna hurt'...

    QS :\

    Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
    Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
    Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io

  • StormyStudioStormyStudio United KingdomMember Posts: 3,989
    well with reviews like that I"d better buy it for sure...
  • AddictiveGamesAddictiveGames Member Posts: 105
    this is damaging GS's rep :(

    why not just have video of templates and remove all art?
  • DZTECHDZTECH Member, PRO Posts: 216
    I especially hate this because I am in the middle of working on a game with this template however unlike him I added tons of my own art as well and I also am working onnan Aditional 20 levels.
  • jonmulcahyjonmulcahy Member, Sous Chef Posts: 10,408
    Yea, I've thought for awhile people who make such complete templates should not sell them as working packages, I ruins it for everyone else who buys the template. Not to mention it just tarnishes the gamesalad name.

    Send and Receive Data using your own Server Tutorial! | Vote for A Long Way Home on Steam Greenlight! | Ten Years Left

  • DZTECHDZTECH Member, PRO Posts: 216
    I just downloaded the game just to see exactly what it is. It is the template no changes and it is selling to
  • SingleSparqSingleSparq Member Posts: 1,339
    I've bought a lot of Darren's templates usually because A) they're great and B) it sparks an idea in me to what I can do with it.

    For instance I have been working hard, some times 4-5 hours a night on Suburban Grand Prix (based on Darren's racer template) and even though I've replaced 98% of the graphics and sound I still feel terribly guilty for using any of it!

    Hopefully karma will take care of those who think they are getting away with it but I too wish threre was a better way to stop such blatant rip offs.
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  • DZTECHDZTECH Member, PRO Posts: 216
    It's not an award winning game he made that up and the reviews could be family or friends or paid reviews. Plus it is just the one scene from the template no changes. I just gave it a 1 star review
  • pixel_knightspixel_knights Member Posts: 50
    AddictiveGames said:
    this is damaging GS's rep :(

    why not just have video of templates and remove all art?

    I fail to see how this damages GS' rep tbh. If anything it's improving it's rep as it goes to show how easy it is. The only rep being destroyed will be the developer for just releasing a half finished game.
  • UtopianGamesUtopianGames Member Posts: 5,692
    This has happened with most of our templates but it will only come back and hurt the devs reputation.

    We make these templates for users to learn from not to be shipped straight to the store.

    With some user effort we've had a number of our templates hit N&N and front page.

    Devs making a fast buck is not why we spend time doing these templates so something will have to change.

    Darren.

    image
  • TheHooglerTheHoogler Member Posts: 102
    Here's an idea. In the shipped out GS file, include art that is totally mismatched and awkward. Or watermarked. Either will should be an indication to Apple, or failing that, buyers will see the compromised art in the screenshots and think twice.
  • DigiChainDigiChain Member, PRO Posts: 1,288
    It's irritating - but they won't sell many once a few people have posted bad reviews.

    The guys who released this aren't developers anyway. They have no creativity, no ideas and no talent. The only way they can possibly make any cash is by piggy-backing on those who do have talent (and unfortunately are perhaps a bit too trusting in what they hand out in their templates).

    As for GS reputation - not worth worrying about it. Seriously, no one who buys games has a clue who or what GS is. Only a handful of people on Touch Arcade enjoy bashing GS, and everyone else just plays on oblivious.

    Rant over.
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    It is irritating. And in the description it says "Award Winning Game of 2011"

    SERIOUSLY?!?!

    It would be a great game if you extended the template about 20-30 times it's current length. And wrote a creative storyline to go along with it. That would make a very good game that might land N&N on the App Store.

    But people who publish unfinished templates are really ruining what reputation (if any) GS holds with game reviewers like TouchArcade.

    Their quick bucks have been made, but their reputation is dirt now. Oh well…

    Sincerely,
    A fellow ticked off GS dev
    -Matt :D
  • SingleSparqSingleSparq Member Posts: 1,339
    Nice support link they have going to here: http://www.na.com/corp/
    How is this related to game support? (probably not even their site). Yup they got "shyster of the year" written all over them.
    Warning There was an error rendering this rich post.
  • AddictiveGamesAddictiveGames Member Posts: 105
    pixelknights said:
    I fail to see how this damages GS' rep tbh. If anything it's improving it's rep as it goes to show how easy it is. The only rep being destroyed will be the developer for just releasing a half finished game.

    .."half finished" he hadn't even created 1 full level!!!!

    This damages Gamesalads reputation in 3 ways:

    1) The word "Gamesalad" features half a dozen times in the above TouchArcade Post on this game. This is a very negative post about a game that was compiled with GameSalad and has conned them out of their money. People are angry and all they now see today is the name Gamesalad and warnings saying Do Not Buy. This is terrible PR for Gamesalad as i'm sure most experiences devs and marketers would agree. There are still a lot of review sites that won't touch a Gamesalad game and this is part of the reason why.

    2) It dilutes the effectiveness of the great template. Imagine if you were about to release your RPG game tomorrow that was made with the above template but different art. There will now be a huge amount of sceptical players who will say "oh its another gamesalad rpg template" and beware etc. Trying to promote a game like this on TouchArcade now will be mighty difficult.

    3) Apple will not be happy with Gamesalad. Sure, they should never have allowed this "game" template to be released in the first place but once they start getting complaints and refund requests someone will look into it. If this keeps happening I worry about Apple and Gamesalad's relationship. We don't want our GS community to be associated with such rubbish.

    I really like Darren's (and Wayne's) templates but to not replace/watermark the art is just lazy in my opinion. This sort of thing is happening a lot but is completely preventable. A youtube video showing all the art in glory is enough to sell the template. I hope this can be resolved shortly, we should all be working to improve Gamesalad's image. And finally, to Pixelknights, we don't want to encourage more lame developers because its all competition for our games in an already overcrowded App store :(
  • DreamLabDreamLab Member Posts: 2,127
    DZTECH said:
    I especially hate this because I am in the middle of working on a game with this template however unlike him I added tons of my own art as well and I also am working onnan Aditional 20 levels.

    Can you tell me why you hate this again? because last time I checked, you did the same thing.

    http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jump-ninja-jump/id452601507?mt=8

    and many others.

    Just saying...
  • BlackbirdStudiosBlackbirdStudios Member Posts: 493
    DreamLab said:
    Can you tell me why you hate this again? because last time I checked, you did the same thing.

    http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jump-ninja-jump/id452601507?mt=8

    and many others.

    Just saying...

    Ha, thats laughable. There are about 5 versions of that same game on the app store.
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