Don't hate on FortressCraft just on principle. Please.

[the clockmaker]

Notch Defense Force:

Minecraft is very different than Infiniminer. It has ______, ______, and especially ______, that Infiniminer does not. I very much enjoyed innovations such as _________ and __________, which have revolutionized the genre.

Herpy derpy derpity doo.

FortressCraft is happening, folks. No matter how much you scream and shit your pants in defiance, it is happening.

Accept it, and be spared. Deny it, and be trampled underfoot.

I seriously don't care about either game, I don't have either and don't really intend to get either, being too much of a luddite to buy things online, but mate, did minecraft kill your parents or something? I ask this because you sound more like one of the beider-meinhoff gang than a fan of an unrealeased game.

I'm hoping that you are trolling, because to someone who, I say again, couldn't give two shits about either game (although it does look like a rip off to me) this thread looks like this.
-OP
-'I don't really like this, it is too blatant a copy'
-'I understand that, but it will open up a new audiance'
-'I understand that, but it will keep minecraft on its toes'
-'No matter how much you shit your pants, this is happening'

Do you see how one post there is not like the others, because its kind of worrying.

Also, 'be spared' 'trampled underfoot', please tell me that you are mucking about, or that you made fortress craft, or that you have this thread mixed up with one about overblown political speeches you heard once, anything that tells me that you aren't taking this that seriously.

 

[senataur]

I have a few issues with this video, lets run through them quickly:

1) He seems to imply that if you play a console you wont be a PC gamer. I own a 360 and still game on my PC because different systems work better for different things. RTSs etc are just better on a PC whilst I prefer consoles for more precise platforming type games. The "one or the other" type statement bothers me somewhat.

2) He passes off all dissenters as "PC elitists" which is just ridiculous and a spurious generalisation.

3) He claims to call "a spade a spade" but this game really is a bit of a rip off. I won't argue that it is probably a sound business investment but it is still blatantly a rip off.

4) More obscure, he repeats points far too often and tries to defend his standpoint at every turn. I got sick of hearing him apologise to "regular" PC gamers and explain that he was only bashing the "elitists" first time. Second time it was just painful.

5) He plays the tough guy "bring on the hate then elitists" but has taken down the ability to rate the video. Not fully sure why that bothers me but it does.

I should probably add that I don't play Minecraft, the idea never really appealed to me. I'm not really creative enough for that kind of game and generally lack the time for something so lacking in structure. I can see how it could be fun but it's just not for me.

^what this guy said.

It's an almost direct rip off in concept with some graphical 'improvements'. Improvements that clash drastically with existing retro quaint blocky theme of minecraft and imo look awful.

I'm not sure how international copyright laws play out and I kind of get the idea that Notch wouldnt be the kind to sue but if Minecraft had been developed by a studio owned by EA, Activision or any other larger company then this mob would be swimming in cease and desist notices.

Did anyone every play Crossbows and Catapaults as a kid. It was a plastics blocks game where you could build a little fortress and then took turns hurling projectiles with the aforementioned weapons and see who could build the best fort and who could knock the other down. When I saw the name of this I was hoping someone had ported that idea to a Minecraft game. Alas not, it's a cheesy blatant rip off trying to muscle in on Notch's success.

And while I'm at it. The reason PC gamers get shirty at their games being ported to consoles is because the input scheme's and even the games themselves are often dumbed down in order to be easily ported to both platforms.

O, and nice avatar btw webby

 

[tautologico]

Who cares? If it's just a ripoff, it probably won't be as good as minecraft and so won't achieve a fraction of its success. If they bring something new and interesting to the table, it will find a market and will survive, maybe even thrive. Just let it be released and wait, no need to waste energy on internet discussions.

TL;DR Kids, stop bickering, get off my lawn and go home do your homework!

 

[Samechiel]

anything that tells me that you aren't taking this that seriously.

*rides the clockmaker around like a pony*

RAWHIDE, HYAAAH!

 

[The Blue Mongoose]

FortressCraft is very different than Minecraft. It has a mob system in which groups of enemies follow you around, a more "survivalist" and "simulator" approach where you HAVE to build a fortress (hence the name "fortresscraft") in order to defend yourself from the mobs and build up the resources within, and especially the fact that you can recruit NPCs to help you, that Minecraft does not. I very much enjoyed innovations such as a more streamlined user interface and simpler gameplay that's more user-friendly, as well as the addition of the use of your own customized avatar (which is your xbox avatar).

satisfied?

Had the guy in the video said this, I doubt people would have argued. Most of the people arguing for Fortresscraft have basically said: "But it's not Minecraft" without explaining why. So, thank you kind sir, you have educated me and I appreciate that.

As for whether FC is a "rip off". Even if Fortresscraft was just a HD Minecraft for consoles, if the blokes who made it used their own code and didn't actually copy any of Minecraft other than the style of game, that would be not only totally legal, but also pretty ethically fine.

I seriously dislike the method of argument and communication used in the video. He accuses people of being elitist or fan boys, to me that's weakened his position already. Not to mention the fact that apparently FC is really different and he didn't raise any of these points. I really don't like that video

 

[Azaraxzealot]

minecraft is not a genre.

You sir, just lost your whole arguement towards me when you said this.

If Minecraft was a sort of genre, then I would care less that fortresscraft was being created. I watched a portion of the video, and lost interest when the guy became condescending. As you are with this post.

Minecraft ISN'T a genre though, it's a game that someone quit their job to create and such. Maybe, if the game wasn't a carbon copy with a few different details, and had a name that WASN'T reminiscent of Minecraft, then sure, but what they are doing is basically taking someone elses game, slapping a similar label to confuse people on it, and calling it their own. I'm not saying its a huge deal, as likely the people who will buy fortresscraft don't play games on a PC, but that doesn't make it any better, even if it only effects, lets say 100 sales.

Legally, whatever, but personally, I feel fortresscraft is more or less stealing, and is the start of a soon-to-come strip mining of the game's whole basis. This will lead to Notch's possibly million-dollar-money-maker becoming a simple game that won't be worth keeping updated. Its been done a million times in the past and is bound to happen again if people DON'T retaliate. If you want to play fortresscraft, fine, but don't complain when in a few years there's about 5, 6 different versions by different companies of the same game.

The difference between minecraft and its predecesor that it was based on, is that minecraft is NOT the same game. It uses a basic concept, and expands in a whole new direction.

Right, rage-fest is over now.


EDIT: Besides, Notch was planning to release it on consol after the complete version was made. The reason he didn't start beforehand was because of the scripting not being compatible.

i never complain when i see that a game is being "copied", in fact, i LOVE spiritual successors or individuals remaking a game in their own image, it lets me be able to take in a new perspective on the game, and who knows? maybe they'll have made a groundbreaking improvement to the game as a whole.

Half-Life started as a Quake Mod, why not let FortressCraft have the same effect? Besides, it's not like he's ripping people off here. c'mon, 3 dollars? (probably 1 dollar a part, because it's supposed to have multiple parts)

when listening to the guy in the video talk about the guy making fortresscraft, it seems like its just some really big fan of the game who wants to re-make it in a way that he likes.

it just so happens that he already likes a LOT of it, so he's not changing the fundamentals. it'd be like if you took a game you liked (say... Portal) then re-made it from the ground up (seriously, bought all the textures and scripted everything on your own, knowing only about how to play the game not necessarily how to re-create it) and then improve upon it with some things that YOU wanted to see in the game that you're not content to just sit around and wait for.

this guy is making the game for himself, mostly, and the fact that he's selling it to the public is a secondary objective.

FortressCraft is very different than Minecraft. It has a mob system in which groups of enemies follow you around, a more "survivalist" and "simulator" approach where you HAVE to build a fortress (hence the name "fortresscraft") in order to defend yourself from the mobs and build up the resources within, and especially the fact that you can recruit NPCs to help you, that Minecraft does not. I very much enjoyed innovations such as a more streamlined user interface and simpler gameplay that's more user-friendly, as well as the addition of the use of your own customized avatar (which is your xbox avatar).

satisfied?

Had the guy in the video said this, I doubt people would have argued. Most of the people arguing for Fortresscraft have basically said: "But it's not Minecraft" without explaining why. So, thank you kind sir, you have educated me and I appreciate that.

As for whether FC is a "rip off". Even if Fortresscraft was just a HD Minecraft for consoles, if the blokes who made it used their own code and didn't actually copy any of Minecraft other than the style of game, that would be not only totally legal, but also pretty ethically fine.

I seriously dislike the method of argument and communication used in the video. He accuses people of being elitist or fan boys, to me that's weakened his position already. Not to mention the fact that apparently FC is really different and he didn't raise any of these points. I really don't like that video

same here. i agree with most of what he says, but his delivery is where i have a problem

 

[Varitel]

I'm a console gamer almost completely, but I absolutely love Minecraft. When I first heard about Fortress Craft, I did think hey this sounds like a cheap cash-in, but now that I've seen screenshots, I have to say it looks pretty solid.

P.S. Did anyone else think the guy in the video came off a bit agressive? He seemed to be hating on the haters. Engaging haters directly is dangerous ground, lest we risk becoming haters ourselves.

 

[tautologico]

It would like if I were to create a game that's called "Only a third-Life", where you play a character that's called "Morgan Dreaman" who is an "mathematics expert", who works at a secret base called "Light Mesa" and is located in "Old Mexico" which is then invaded by aliens from another dimension. You then find out about this weird all powerful guy that's called "the F-man", and appears to know more then he is admitting. You then wake up 11 years later in a city that is called "City 16", that is controlled by the evil "Zorgbine". The game is not ripping of Half-Life however, because the protagonist in Half-Life (Gordon Freeman) has a beard while the one in "Only a third-Life" does not. Completely different!

Man, don't slam Only a third-Life. It's "White Mesa", not "Light Mesa". And Old Mexico is just regular Mexico. Completely different.

 

[lacktheknack]

I only have two issues with this...

1. Notch CAN'T take them to consoles, because A. it's incomplete, and B. it's done in Java, speaking of informing yourself...

2. Absolutely everything I saw in the trailer looked like a copy/paste. A mean, a minecart going down a track made of bookshelves? That's not inspiration, that's plagiarism. I don't mind this bit very much, though, because everyone knows where it came from.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

I only have two issues with this...

1. Notch CAN'T take them to consoles, because A. it's incomplete, and B. it's done in Java, speaking of informing yourself...

2. Absolutely everything I saw in the trailer looked like a copy/paste. A mean, a minecart going down a track made of bookshelves? That's not inspiration, that's plagiarism. I don't mind this bit very much, though, because everyone knows where it came from.

it LOOKS like a copy/paste, but you got to think about for a bit... this guy had to build the game ALL OVER AGAIN from scratch. he didn't just "copy, paste" the code since it was scripted in Java, he had to take all the elements and put them in himself using his own code to re-create it.

it's not plagiarism if you're not copying it word for word, or in this case... "line of code for line of code"

 

[Alphakirby]

watch this video

Nah it's a rip-off. You can't dress it up. It's just a rip-off. It's near-identical.

I don't think Notch should sue anyone, and I don't even care more or less, but to say 'oh it's not a rip-off' is just dumb.

The whole Infiniminer argument is retarded, MC is way different to IM.

You have a point,Notch seemed more inspired by Infiniminer than to steal it,Fortresscraft couldn't be trying harder to rip off Minecraft unless the tools didn't look like things I would see in a friggin Quake mod,and if he wasn't charging $3 per update

 

[Chibz]

I'm going to buy this when it comes out on 360. Notch ALREADY got my $20, so no sale lost here.

 

[creonto]

it's not plagiarism if you're not copying it word for word, or in this case... "line of code for line of code"

what i love about this is just how completely wrong you are. thats like saying that if I took lets say Twilight(just because its well known) and wrote a story about "Stella" who loves "Ned"
but cant be with him because he is a zombie and constantly wants to eat her brains but there is another boy who... and so on its like saying that isn't plagiarism. granted, it isn't directly stealing the exact wording but for all intents and purposes it is plagiarism.

 

[Scars Unseen]

While I could care less about FortressCraft, you have proven his point if this is the only way you can respond.

It was crude and ultimately unproductive, I will admit, but in my defense he didn't really have a point. At this stage in development, the FC/Minecraft to Minecraft/Infiniminer parallel is virtually identical.

And this is why I really don't care one way or another about FortressCraft. If it ever becomes something more than a (slightly altered) Minecraft clone, then that's awesome. I don't think that many people will complain when that is the state of the game. I didn't pay any attention to Minecraft until late Alpha. Is it really surprising that someone like me isn't particularly enthusiastic about a game that, at the moment, appears as little more than a cashgrab with less potential (since the chances of us being able to mod a XBox Arcade game are pretty slim)?

Let me know when the game is in a playable state. Then I'll take a look and decide whether or not I care.

 

[LinedGoat]

I fully support FC. People who are saying that Minecraft didn't rip Infiniminer off because it's changed too much while FortressCraft is ripping Minecraft off because it's just like it are pretty ignorant IMO. FC isn't even released, so how can one say that it's just like MC without even letting it have any time to prove itself? Give it time and see how it develops, if it's like MC after 3 months call again and I may agree with you.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

it's not plagiarism if you're not copying it word for word, or in this case... "line of code for line of code"

what i love about this is just how completely wrong you are. thats like saying that if I took lets say Twilight(just because its well known) and wrote a story about "Stella" who loves "Ned"
but cant be with him because he is a zombie and constantly wants to eat her brains but there is another boy who... and so on its like saying that isn't plagiarism. granted, it isn't directly stealing the exact wording but for all intents and purposes it is plagiarism.

well they made a book called "Nightlight" which basically parodies everything about twilight and uses basically all the same names.

this guy obviously is making a kind of "tribute" to minecraft and just didn't want to wait for a console port or for the updates he wanted in the game, so he built the whole thing himself and added the features he liked

he's making the game for himself, and selling it to people is more like a secondary thing.

 

[GamingAwesome1]

I have Minecraft on the PC. I play games on PC AND Console (Unheard of!?!).

The thing that intially rubbed me the wrong way about FortressCraft was that it doesn't actually try to hide the fact that it's a shinier MineCraft port (at least, that is the vibe I'm getting so far, if he wants to make improvements on the existing formula then I'll withdraw my statement.) the name itself just sort of automatically screams "MineCraft rip-off" doesn't it?


I don't actually have anything against FortressCraft, I think it's great that the people who were unable to play before now have a chance at the next best (or maybe better.) thing!

 

[Zaik]

I started out this thread with the usual "fanboys are retarded, fortresscraft is fine" post, but then it hit me.

I don't ever see people here at the Escapist complaining about Fortresscraft, outside of a small few who do inside of threads made about not complaining about Fortresscraft. Ever.

At this point, the only reason I can think of for these threads to keep popping up about some sort of mythical oppressive fanboy army marching on the XBLA with torches and pitchforks that doesn't exist is that this is secretly some sort of sneaky ass-backwards advertising campaign.

It's just like the "Fox News says Bulletstorm could make you a rapist" thing on a smaller scale. If you make a falsified enemy that looks absolutely ridiculous(like fox news, or console elitists) people would opt to "support" the product in question against it's non-existent enemy.