Now ive brought this monumentally morel problem in to question because ive just looked at the spell list in my design doc for my new rpg and realized ive got more than one final fantasy reminiscent spell or skill. So i ask you good people, how far can you go in making your next game the next big game by taking adaptations of other peoples games such as final fantasy''s game elements and using them in your game? I''m not looking to make a fan game in my rpg but my slogan is "Final fantasy; how it should have been." so naturally I''m using a lot of final fantasy things such as my magic system is made of crystals ala meteria from final fantasy 7 however the difference is expanding the idea by adding in combo spells like "fire + wind = fire wind" {not the names of my spells btw just an example} and a total revamp on the elements such as my game currently has 15 elements, not the 10 or so from final fantasy 7 and I''m not finished yet. Anyways the question is, how far can you copy an idea off of a popular computer game before people start calling you a thief in your opinion?

When you talk about an idea on such a base level as using items for magic I don''t think you need to worry about people accusing you of stealing everything. The idea has been used before Final Fantasy used it, and it will be used again... games tend to build upon one another, and the important thing is that your game offers a unique experience for the player, regardless of whether or not pieces of it have been done before.

It has to be 30% different (I think) not to infringe copyrights, although I''m not entirely sure.

quote: Original post by SantaClaws
When you talk about an idea on such a base level as using items for magic I don''t think you need to worry about people accusing you of stealing everything. The idea has been used before Final Fantasy used it, and it will be used again... games tend to build upon one another, and the important thing is that your game offers a unique experience for the player, regardless of whether or not pieces of it have been done before.

I agree with you there, the meaning of adaption is to take someone Else''s work and alter it slightly into a an adapted piece of work but some how where rpg magic and battle systems are concerned it seems like your cheating by using something like an adaption of meteria.

If you have good lawyers you can copy everything down to the graphics and sound.

On a serious note: The only thing copyright protects is the actual code, graphics, sound and other assets of the game. Ideas, gameplay, rule-sets, etc ARE NOT COPYRIGHTABLE. Names are protected by Trademarks.

Want to make a game where this critter eats dots and is chased by these other critters? Go ahead, but to be safe don''t use a funny yellow thing for the good guy and ghosts for the bad guys. Also, you probably shouldn''t call it Pac-Man. That name''s covered by the trademark.

aldisd has it right, I think.

Fun Fact: I actually saw a direct rip-off of Pac-Man as freeware (It might have been shareware, but I never paid for it) some years ago. Even the maps were identical, but they made it two player and entitled it "BITE MEn". The ghosts were upside down and described as "killer paper bags" and the actual hero characters were given little pointy teeth and named "Bite Man 1" and "Bite Man 2". It was for the Mac, and I haven''t seen it since about 1995, when I deleted all my games to avoid flunking out of school. That and Dubbelmoral, though I doubt I spelled it properly.

Back on topic, don''t sweat spell systems or even more sophisticated elements of gameplay. Unless you start to rip off graphics, code, or actual names and places, you''ll be on the friendly side of the law.

NOTE: I''m not a lawyer, and do not pretend to be. If you get nailed and say, "But Iron Chef Carnage said it was legal!!!" I will crap directly into your hat. Or not. That was a vague threat, not a binding contract. I reserve the right to refrain from crapping in your hat at my discretion.

Iron Chef Carnage > Lol @ last thing. :D

quote: Original post by aldisd
If you have good lawyers you can copy everything down to the graphics and sound.

On a serious note: The only thing copyright protects is the actual code, graphics, sound and other assets of the game. Ideas, gameplay, rule-sets, etc ARE NOT COPYRIGHTABLE. Names are protected by Trademarks.

Want to make a game where this critter eats dots and is chased by these other critters? Go ahead, but to be safe don't use a funny yellow thing for the good guy and ghosts for the bad guys. Also, you probably shouldn't call it Pac-Man. That name's covered by the trademark.

right now then, baring in mind my story will not be a single thing like ff7 hear is a list of some of the independent crystals ive got so far.

As I'm using a Crystal system which is built from ff7's meteria system i have to use some of the same types of crystals ff7 used like independent crystals:

how i have it on my note pad doc is: FF7 Name followed by my Adapted name followed by effect.

back stab Back Stab pre-emp physical attack
cover Human Shield protect other characters
long range attack Long Range same attack strength at long range
counter P-Counter counter attacks enemy
enemy lure Lure Orb attracts more enemies
speed plus Speed Orb increases speed
MP plus M-Bank increases max MP
HP plus H-Bank increases max HP
luck plus Luck Orb increases luck
magic plus Magic Orb increases magic
gil plus Gold Orb increases gil at end of battle
pre-emp Alert increases rate of pre-emp attack
exp.plus Exp Orb increases exp.gained at end of battle
enemy away Hide Orb decreases rate of battle
HP<-->MP Switch switches MP with characters HP
mega all Total All "alls"every attack
underwater Air Orb allows breathing underwater

unfortunately i cant do much about the display hear btw.

Anyways these are some of the offes ive got so far built off ff7s system, i am slightly worried that it might seem like i siphoning too much off of ff7 which i don't want to appear like that because i believe it will taint my work.

Btw a lot of the meteria in ff7 which give skills like steal wont be in my crystals, I'm going to find some other way to give the player access to them.

[edited by - Siolis on March 9, 2004 2:49:18 PM]

[edited by - Siolis on March 9, 2004 2:51:40 PM]

quote: Original post by aldisd
On a serious note: The only thing copyright protects is the actual code, graphics, sound and other assets of the game. Ideas, gameplay, rule-sets, etc ARE NOT COPYRIGHTABLE.

They''re patentable, though.

<- Cow Soft, free software I''ve made
"Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall." - Grizwald

I'm not entirely sure what your metaphysical system is like, but why not just eliminate any orb effects that might be had just by training? If the orbs are magic, then perhaps they should be used to give people superpowers, instead of just teaching them how to stick a knife between a guy's shoulder blades.

Messing with things like your speed or how much XP you get after a battle or how strongly enemies are attracted to you is right on the money for magical effects. On the other hand, being able to counter-attack seems like something a character would be able to learn without supernatural rocks whispering in his ear.

I think that the best thing to do is to divvy your skills and superpowers up so that you have a group that are granted by crystals and a group that are dependent on character skills. This isn't to say that crystals can't affect the character skills, but maybe you'd be better off with a "backstab orb" that boosts your agility and dexterity for that purpose alone. I remember Fallout had perks like "Smooth Talker" that would raise your intelligence level by 1 point, but only for the purpose of unlocking dialogue options. Other things that used intelligence were unaffected.

The point is that while having a knife with a magic stone set into it might make you a better human shield, it probably shouldn't be a pre-requisite for being able to throw yourself in front of a flaming arrow.

Just a thought.

P.S. - My comments aside, I doubt you're in violation of any laws with that design. Heck, Square stole most of their skill lists and such from D&D, anyway.

[edited by - Iron Chef Carnage on March 9, 2004 3:06:47 PM]

Hmm. Something like this has been bothering me and I figure here is as good ''a place to put it as any.

A friend of mine recentl brought The Languages of Tolkein''s Middle Earth (Ruth S. Noel) to school. I borrowed it and wrote down names and such to base characters off of. The first character I came up with was named Morsereg, which is a combination of the Sindarin words "black" and "blood." Would it be wrong for me to use this character as my own in a game or any other form of media since I used words from a language created by someone else?