OK to 'steal' someones idea if they are doing a crap job of it?

Started by
21 comments, last by LorenzoGatti 10 years, 9 months ago

Sure, if you like features that cause your device to reboot, or simply do not work like a 'name change', then you would love it (amongst heaps of other things - all bugs).

I have tried to discuss this on his board and am yet to recieve a single reply.

The only single reply the developer has ever made to anyone is a single word 'Acknowledged', in the year or two the board has been running.

I am probably over reacting by using the word 'steal'. Hehe.

My version of the idea would end up completely different (this guy's app would be just a source of initial inspiration to get me started). I have been tapping away at code for years trying to come up with an idea that would keep me entertained enough to actually bring to completion.

I think it's fine to see something, and decide you can do better.

Though for the original buggy game - remember that what seem like disastrous bugs to a user may be things that a developer has not seen or cannot reproduce, and especially for an individual developer, they may not have access to many devices to test on. A reboot sounds particularly bad, but that also suggests a bug in the OS to allow that to happen. One can't really expect much support at all for free, though I suppose if he's plastered it with ads, it's no longer completely free. But yes, nothing wrong with trying to do better.

http://erebusrpg.sourceforge.net/ - Erebus, Open Source RPG for Windows/Linux/Android
http://conquests.sourceforge.net/ - Conquests, Open Source Civ-like Game for Windows/Linux

Advertisement

Must be an INTP. Maybe you would like to reveal the game in question?

Perhaps in a PM?

I have found a couple RTS's that rock on Android and the rest aggravate me.

If you couldn't rip off other games, there wouldn't be genres :)

Dune2 started the modern RTS. Everybody swapped the actual units and lore out, but the basic gameplay components have become largely unchanged.

My advice: strip the game down to its essence (why you think its good on paper).

Then build a new game from the ground up based around this concept.

Ship it, and make it grow.

Watch and profit!

Pac-Man on XBLA forces you to use your left hand to play, alienating 85% of their potential customers!

It would be fun to create an exact copy which forced you to use your right hand ... and win in court!

At least Demos mean I don't have to financially support muppets

'Stealing' an idea is almost meaningless in this context. Everything is a copy of everything else on some level.

It's called competition. If one person makes a game/app/whatever, and does a poor job of it (regardless of the reason, be it inexperience, lack of motivation, whatever), and someone else takes the idea and provides a much better implementation, why is that such an issue?

I know I wouldn't like it if someone took my idea like that but I would just have to deal with it. Someone else did a better job than I did, that's my problem, not theirs.

Just my humble opinion.

-Lead developer for OutpostHD

http://www.lairworks.com

If you couldn't rip off other games, there wouldn't be genres smile.png

Dune2 started the modern RTS. Everybody swapped the actual units and lore out, but the basic gameplay components have become largely unchanged.

My advice: strip the game down to its essence (why you think its good on paper).

Then build a new game from the ground up based around this concept.

Ship it, and make it grow.

Watch and profit!

This means war!

Did it first. Probably dozens of other homebrew games before it.

Started coding the server side today ;)

The challenge is on smile.png



My version of the idea would end up completely different (this guy's app would be just a source of initial inspiration to get me started). I have been tapping away at code for years trying to come up with an idea that would keep me entertained enough to actually bring to completion.


Started coding the server side today ;)

The challenge is on smile.png

The Business forum is not the right place to post progress reports on your clone or not-exactly-a-clone of the crap guy's idea. Please post progress reports in Your Announcements.

-- Tom Sloper -- sloperama.com

Hi Tom,

This wasn't posted in the 'Business Forum', it was posted in 'GDnet Lounge'. If it is now in the business forum, then a moderator put it there.

Must be an INTP. Maybe you would like to reveal the game in question?

Perhaps in a PM?

I have found a couple RTS's that rock on Android and the rest aggravate me.

What is an INTP?

This topic is closed to new replies.

Advertisement