Hiya, Just a quick pondering upon cloning of gameplay. In practical terms, do you have a problem with cloning existing games in your designs? Is it a requirement of a good game designer to create original gameplay? I ask only because at times I struggle with this issue myself. I try to be original in my ideas and designs, but sometimes when I mentally play through my ideas, I start to find things that make the idea less appealing; limitations in capability, over-complex ideas, overly abstract, etc. I start to wonder at times whether it is better to simply clone an existing game and make gradual changes rather than trying to revolutionise the industry. Then, from time to time, I see a nice original game idea (such as Strange Attractors which I recently played; fun, original and simple) and I wonder if perhaps it's best to innovate, perhaps making 5 games that (may or may not) suck, but are innovative in order to make that 1 game that breaks the mould and really works. I'm coming round to the mentality of just making something I enjoy, even if it is a clone and in trying to innovate in small steps. Perhaps then, the inspiration for a ground-breaker will hit me in the process! What do you think? Cheers, Steve

I would never clone another game's gameplay

however I can use it as a base for a game...I mean I can inspire my gameplay from another game, but I'll have to add some features and do things differently at some points, or else I'll feel like I'm losing my time...

I would say unless you are trying to make a commercial game, it is fine to clone gameplay. Obviously, if that is all you do it is not good, but sometimes it is good to learn how to implement an idea without creating it in the first place. For example if you want to focus on a particular part of game dev, say AI, it might be easier to copy say diablo and then implement your AI rather than having to create an original idea at the same time. If you are making a commercial game or one that is planned to be released to the masses, then unless you have a specific reason to copy it, say the last supported platform was the 2600, it is better to either be original, or failing that to at least break the mold in some way or another.

Make something that you enjoy and implement in small steps. At least then you'll know that you are implementing in the right direction.

Thanks for the responses so far :) food for thought!

I should clarify however, I am not condoning ripping off other people's work. My line of thinking is that sometimes in trying to create original ideas, it can lead to games that are too far abstracted from what people know. When a game becomes something other than second-nature to play, are we not detracting from the fun of the experience?

I remember reading in an article once, something along the lines of the more familiar a player is with a game experience, the more they will intuitively understand the game. That is to say a game with (for example...) a clearly defined enemy in a first person shooter is more familiar to a player than one in which they must make more abstract choices such as what flavour of food will cause their pet alien to evolve to the next level. Sorry, it's a poor example, but my memory doesn't serve me well and I can't recall where I came across the article :P.

I think though, that the point being made was that familiarity with a situation makes the choices more obvious and more meaningful in a game. Not that it is necessary to make everything true to real life, but that there should be a familiar goal, something the player can relate to in some respect from experience or existing knowledge.

I should also mention that I'm not really talking from a commercial perspective, I'm talking more from my own perspective which is as an aspiring professional. Relating the question to myself, I've been mulling over 3 different ideas, each slightly different.

I've always liked RPG's, though I realise it's a big undertaking for one person, so an alternative I've considered is a sort of cross between an RPG and a Collectable Card Game (to drastically simplify the explanation!) as I'm also pretty good with Paint Shop Pro and a graphics tablet which could help me showcase some artwork too. Now I hate just mixing genres and calling it a great idea, but I think it is fresh and I have some original ideas for it that I wont go into depth about here. The idea is however somewhat abstract and I worry it may be too abstract for the average gamer.... is it wise to start what may be a large undertaking for something that might just be too abstract and therfore have a narrow target audience?

I've also considered creating a Mario Kart style game, this would represent my choice of a clone... I would certainly make the game original and give it it's own twist, but one Mario Kart style game is always going to work out pretty similar to another at the end of the day. I'm happier that if I eventually decided to go into shareware that it is something people would want to play, but there is competition out there in the form of Mad Tracks and Trackmania which have a similar base idea.

I've also considered a revamped Road Rash clone, again with a few fresh ideas to make it my own. I've had many other ideas for side projects too, most of them suffering the fate of indecisiveness due to the very reason this topic addresses (among other more minor issues).

So, I guess really the question has the underlying motive of wondering what direction I should personally head in, but I'm still interested in general opinions too :) Perhaps my problem lies in not carrying through my original ideas when in reality they would do well, or in not being up to the task of being original, I am after all more of a programmer than a designer (though I may have thought otherwise in the past!).

Perhaps a good move would be to get on a team that already has a design so I have a focused objective rather than try and run a one man show... what do you think!?

Cheers,

Steve