XBL Indie Dev Clones Minecraft With FortressCraft

[Doug]

This makes me mad, people shouldnt get away with things like this.
Minecraft is for the PC and xbox live people can get a damn computer and play it on that

In the state that video portrays it ... its an outright rip off. It will probably become a big lawsuit.

Erm, am I the only one who read this in the OP?

After looking into FortressCraft past its exterior, I can say that it might be a game Minecraft fans should look forward to, rather than criticize based on its similarities. There's no doubt that it's taking advantage of the popularity of Minecraft, but there's nothing wrong with taking a game style and adapting it with new ideas, right? In fact, Minecraft creator Marcus "Notch" Persson himself admits that Minecraft was inspired by a very similar title called Infiniminer [http://thesiteformerlyknownas.zachtronicsindustries.com/?p=713]. For a few bucks, FortressCraft could be a fun way to use those skills built up in Minecraft in a different way.

I mean, if you click on that link, its pretty clear that Minecraft has at least a 'passing ressemblance to this InfinityMiner thingy.

As for this FortressCraft, I dunno; I do have some friends on XBLA, and so we might at least have some fun on it. But the video isn't overly encouraging as it seems to have missed the clean, simple graphics of MineCraft for more complex and yet uglier tiles. Though the water at least looks nicer, as do the player avatars.

 

[hilarius117]

Did anyone else check every program in the background after the bleep at the end of video?

Hehe. It was the guys Skype going off. I was confused too

 

[Brian Hendershot]

The only thing stopping me playing minecraft is that my comp sucks. So this is a good way to get more people playing it.

There seem to be 2 types of responses so far. Half of you are saying "OMG EVIL MICROSOFT SUE THEM!"
Or saying this is a good idea.

Meh.

I completely agree with this dude.

Also:


I have Minecraft on the computer and I'll still probably buy this. I mean...one dollar is not that much.

 

[imnot]

Im pretty sure it is out of beta...

it's not.

oops, I mixed up beta with alpha :3

I so bad at the internet.

 

[RA92]

This is as inspired bye" as Windows was "Inspired by" Mac's and that led to a massive out of court settlement by Microsoft. Just par for the course for MS. cut and paste software development.

Bullshit. Apple. Microsoft. All. Bullshit.

Both Windows and Mac ripped off the <url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerox_Alto>Xerox Alto.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Xerox_Alto_mit_Rechner.JPG/450px-Xerox_Alto_mit_Rechner.JPG

In 1979, Apple Computer's co-founder Steve Jobs visited Xerox PARC, where he was shown the Smalltalk-80 programming environment, networking, and most importantly the WYSIWYG, mouse-driven graphical user interface provided by the Alto. He reportedly was not impressed by the first two, but was excited by the last one, and promptly integrated it, first into the Lisa and then in the Macintosh, attracting several key researchers to work in his company.

 

[VitusPrime]

That's...Just fecing...terrible.

Honestly? This is terrible sad that someone needs to copy a game so clearly...sad world...

 

[TheLazyGeek]

Yawn, i already have Minecraft on my PC, why would I want it on XBL? Especially since MC is made in Java. I have respect for whoever can code anything in that god-awful language.

 

[Richard Allen]

Can anyone say breach of copyright?

Eh. You can't copyright ideas. If you could, somebody could likely sue just about every major game developer for ripping off certain genres.
They all have a lot in common after all.

The sad thing is, as the article points out, minecraft itself was 'inspired' by an earlier project...
I just looked at the website for that, and if that doesn't look suspiciously similar to Minecraft...

Yeah, anyway, when a seemingly unique idea shows up, people seem to think it can be defended, yet the evidence of history shows only the most blatant clones can really be sued for anything. (even then... Tetris anyone?)

The whole industry copies and refines ideas all the time. We even expect them to, because what would happen if a company tries something unexpected that works differently to the typical ideas?
Yeah... There'd be complaints about it being 'wrong'.

Usually AFTER the original idea has bygone its age. copying ideas as they are...still fresh? to me, paying for this would be like paying some of the modders who make texture packs for minecraft. its kinda silly. aaand i wish this Dev focused on a more fresh and different idea. this way he just gets called a unoriginal douche.

Welcome to the world of modern video games, where creativity is crushed by the safe bet. If people don't like it stop buying CODMW X and MASS effect x and madden xx ect (not saying that to you specifically just in general).

And no ideas are copied immediately, doom was made with in a year of wolfenstien.

Thats AAA. but from the Indie department? Makes no sense other than greed buddy. Triple A games have budgets and risks and peoples with jobs to worry about? But indie devs? They have nothing to lose in trying sth new and fresh. THAT is why i feel this is silly and sad. Because the only motivator to do this is laziness, and perhaps greed.

I'm not saying I like it, but just go look any app store "indie" devs copy all the time hoping to make a quick buck and usually do. All I'm saying, and I think you would agree, if you don't support the practice don't buy. It has nothing to do with AAA or not and yes an indie game can still take thousands of dollars to make. If you have just 2 developers who want ot make a living from that that's $100,000 (lowball) right there. They have just as much to loose as the next guy, mainly their personal income or their new business if they took out a loan to cover costs. So I'd argue that indie devs have just as much to loose if not more. Crappy game as a AAA, oh well it cost us some money, crappy indie game? You might be out of a years work and pay. Small shops have the MOST to loose.

 

[Brian Hendershot]

This makes me mad, people shouldnt get away with things like this.
Minecraft is for the PC and xbox live people can get a damn computer and play it on that

In the state that video portrays it ... its an outright rip off. It will probably become a big lawsuit.

Erm, am I the only one who read this in the OP?

After looking into FortressCraft past its exterior, I can say that it might be a game Minecraft fans should look forward to, rather than criticize based on its similarities. There's no doubt that it's taking advantage of the popularity of Minecraft, but there's nothing wrong with taking a game style and adapting it with new ideas, right? In fact, Minecraft creator Marcus "Notch" Persson himself admits that Minecraft was inspired by a very similar title called Infiniminer [http://thesiteformerlyknownas.zachtronicsindustries.com/?p=713]. For a few bucks, FortressCraft could be a fun way to use those skills built up in Minecraft in a different way.

I mean, if you click on that link, its pretty clear that Minecraft has at least a 'passing ressemblance to this InfinityMiner thingy.

As for this FortressCraft, I dunno; I do have some friends on XBLA, and so we might at least have some fun on it. But the video isn't overly encouraging as it seems to have missed the clean, simple graphics of MineCraft for more complex and yet uglier tiles. Though the water at least looks nicer, as do the player avatars.

Wow...it's very similar. But heaven forbid the internet checks it out.

 

[MikhailGH]

The guy says its ok? It looks like a blatant ripoff if you ask me...

 

[Richard Allen]

sue them, sue them, SUE THEM!!

As I said before not going to happen. What ground would they have to sue them on? You can't copyright game mechanics or look and feel. Unless they stole code or artwork it's fair game.

 

[Blaster395]

It is fine if a game takes some features from another game and adds to it, thats what minecraft did with infiniminer, it is only 1% similar to that game now, however, fortresscraft does not appear to add anything new other than improved graphics, which means it is a blatant ripoff.

 

[Sovvolf]

I didn't mean to make it sound as derogatory as it did.

Don't worry about it matey, I didn't read it as derogatory. I was just explaining that the more console orientated gamers such as my self would easily get used to controlling it like that. It was sort of to address the whole attitude people have given towards this on a console "Ewww, minecraft without a keyboard" ect.

 

[lostzombies.com]

HAHA called this before xmas, fatty notch should have got his shit together and finished the game before releasing useless items such as cake which broke the game then going off for 1 week vacations to accept awards for his unfinished game.

Incredible idea but minecraft failed due to piss poor management by notch. Shame but its dog eat dog in the video gaming world, wish he had just knuckled down and got his game finished in a reasonable time frame.

 

[draythefingerless]

Can anyone say breach of copyright?

Eh. You can't copyright ideas. If you could, somebody could likely sue just about every major game developer for ripping off certain genres.
They all have a lot in common after all.

The sad thing is, as the article points out, minecraft itself was 'inspired' by an earlier project...
I just looked at the website for that, and if that doesn't look suspiciously similar to Minecraft...

Yeah, anyway, when a seemingly unique idea shows up, people seem to think it can be defended, yet the evidence of history shows only the most blatant clones can really be sued for anything. (even then... Tetris anyone?)

The whole industry copies and refines ideas all the time. We even expect them to, because what would happen if a company tries something unexpected that works differently to the typical ideas?
Yeah... There'd be complaints about it being 'wrong'.

Usually AFTER the original idea has bygone its age. copying ideas as they are...still fresh? to me, paying for this would be like paying some of the modders who make texture packs for minecraft. its kinda silly. aaand i wish this Dev focused on a more fresh and different idea. this way he just gets called a unoriginal douche.

Welcome to the world of modern video games, where creativity is crushed by the safe bet. If people don't like it stop buying CODMW X and MASS effect x and madden xx ect (not saying that to you specifically just in general).

And no ideas are copied immediately, doom was made with in a year of wolfenstien.

Thats AAA. but from the Indie department? Makes no sense other than greed buddy. Triple A games have budgets and risks and peoples with jobs to worry about? But indie devs? They have nothing to lose in trying sth new and fresh. THAT is why i feel this is silly and sad. Because the only motivator to do this is laziness, and perhaps greed.

I'm not saying I like it, but just go look any app store "indie" devs copy all the time hoping to make a quick buck and usually do. All I'm saying, and I think you would agree, if you don't support the practice don't buy. It has nothing to do with AAA or not and yes an indie game can still take thousands of dollars to make. If you have just 2 developers who want ot make a living from that that's $100,000 (lowball) right there. They have just as much to loose as the next guy, mainly their personal income or their new business if they took out a loan to cover costs. So I'd argue that indie devs have just as much to loose if not more. Crappy game as a AAA, oh well it cost us some money, crappy indie game? You might be out of a years work and pay. Small shops have the MOST to loose.

I dont know how you think indie devs actually go out and try and make their primary bread n butter out of their games...thats not true. indie games are MOSTLY developed as a secondary income, hobbie. SOME indie games take some more to make, but thats a fake indienism(i just made up that word). and i didnt say this was the first or last case of blatant shame in indie gaming. i know exactly hwo app stores are. That doesnt make it less shameful and sad. What i said applies to anyone who decides to make a cheap copy of angry birds or something else.

 

[marsvin]

Gee an XBox game that's a complete and utter rip off of other people's work? That's so unlike Microsoft. Normally they are so innovative.

 

[natster43]

I may buy it. It looks cool and since I don't have an actual good computer to run minecraft.

 

[Richard Allen]

This is as inspired bye" as Windows was "Inspired by" Mac's and that led to a massive out of court settlement by Microsoft. Just par for the course for MS. cut and paste software development.

Bullshit. Apple. Microsoft. All. Bullshit.

Both Windows and Mac ripped off the <url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerox_Alto>Xerox Alto.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Xerox_Alto_mit_Rechner.JPG/450px-Xerox_Alto_mit_Rechner.JPG

Agreed. But to defend apple and ms just a bit, xerox was sitting on it for years and told the group that came up with it, that is was stupid. Had it not been used by them we might not be sitting on this site today

 

[Dana22]

Indie developers should focus on making new, creative, innovative game experiences like Notch already did with Minecraft, not blatantly copying each other for profit.

If you read whole article, you would found info about infiniminer, which minecraft is a copy of.