We need more originality

... Clones and knockoffs are challenges to program...?

They can be good for practice but people need to start coming up with there own ideas.

I do agree, although Clones and stuff give you an idea of what to program and all that, I feel that Id respect you more for a new idea. There are 0 Visual Novels on SB (To my knowledge) so I wanted to make one. I do suppose though that Takeoffs are better because they give the player an idea of what to expect, but instead of an exact copy you get new design and else wise. Bottom line, I'd love to see more original blood on this site. I might not be one to talk because my new project is "Nekopetit", but these are just my two sense.

Yeah, originality is much to be desired. If you want to make a game similar to another game, be my guest, but too many people just straight up copy stuff and try to publish it with maybe a slight name change and sprite change. It's good for practice, but the amount that there is is what I think the problem is.

Exactly my piont.

Let's be honest here. There is absolutely NO problem with someone recreating a game until they try and distribute copyright material. And here is where the problem lies. Who doesn't want to show off the hours and hours of work they just did? Are you going to make a friend with a ds buy a game they don't want, download petit modem and scream the game to his ds? Or are you going to post a public key and let as many people as you can see your work?The first option is perfectly legal file sharing here in Canada and wouldn't break any laws. So, really it's not a matter of "don't copy games" it's more a matter of "don't distribute copyright material"

Let's be honest here. There is absolutely NO problem with someone recreating a game until they try and distribute copyright material. And here is where the problem lies. Who doesn't want to show off the hours and hours of work they just did? Are you going to make a friend with a ds buy a game they don't want, download petit modem and scream the game to his ds? Or are you going to post a public key and let as many people as you can see your work?The first option is perfectly legal file sharing here in Canada and wouldn't break any laws. So, really it's not a matter of "don't copy games" it's more a matter of "don't distribute copyright material"

All SmileBASIC users are binded under the laws of Japan, not Canada. So...

I'm gonna be completely honest. In the industry, programmers are not creative people. They implement other people's ideas. Ever see a programmer at Microsoft? They don't say, "hey I think it'd be cool if I added this!" They say, "okay boss I'll have it done by the end of the week." The only exceptions are indie developers. Creating clones in SB is probably the closest you'll get to real-life programming. The original game is the concept given to you, and your goal is to recreate it as closely as possible.

In my opinion, this isn't about copyright, just about new ideas and otherwise.

I agree, but I also understand why so many people spend there efforts on ports and clones. Making a port of a game on the 3ds sounds like such a cool idea! However, it often never becomes a reality, often because the scope of the project goes beyond the scope of SmileBASIC, or just because it's too big of a game for one person. SmileBASIC is made for you to learn about programming and create your own games. And in response to Persson, we all are indie developers on SmileBASIC. Most of the time we all work separately, occasionally in small groups. We all have great ideas. Lets make more of those a reality instead of working on a hopeless port of whatever it is. I know we are capable of making some really original and fun stuff.

Hi! I want to create an original game! Thought I'd just mention it.

We all are indie developers on SmileBASIC. Most of the time we all work separately, occasionally in small groups. We all have great ideas. Lets make more of those a reality instead of working on a hopeless port of whatever it is. I know we are capable of making some really original and fun stuff.

This may technically be true, but personally, I'm practicing for a career of software development. Thus, I want practical application. Spending my time on story development for a game is not going to help me in the field I'm entering.

This may technically be true, but personally, I'm practicing for a career of software development. Thus, I want practical application. Spending my time on story development for a game is not going to help me in the field I'm entering.

That is a perfectly viable pursuit. I myself have focused more on utilities and extensions to SmileBASIC (though my repertoire is rather small at the moment) rather than game development. What I am saying is that people who are making games to stop setting unrealistic goals by making ports of games, only to find that they can't, and they've let down the community to whom they promised a release. We don't need slow, half-finished ports, we need real programs that make sense and that we can use, even though they might not be as huge as a game or program created by professional developers.

People who are making games to stop setting unrealistic goals by making ports of games, only to find that they can't, and they've let down the community to whom they promised a release. We don't need slow, half-finished ports, we need real programs that make sense and that we can use, even though they might not be as huge as a game or program created by professional developers.

This I heavily agree with. Great wording. The PTC Wikia is littered with unfinished ports and projects *ahem* Minecraft DS lol *ahem*.

I think the argument for setting goals and design of your own programs inside the limits of what you can code is a very important, but overlooked idea. I am only just starting out and I find that when I have an idea in mind for something really cool, I have to take time to plan out if that is possible with what little I know. I know I have hit a few walls of "I have no idea how to do that." And had to stop completely where I was. I would love to make that new and original game that I would love to see, but I know I have to keep things small and very simple because I am just a beginner. (Also I'm not an AAA studio, with a huge BUGET) So I just have to pluck along and look up a new thing or two every time I have an hour or two to spare on learning the ropes. (Some of the source code on other people's work motivate me to learn something new) That trading card game that is in my head won't be easy to do, and needs to be put off until after I make (and understand) a standard card game. That new point and click adventure might never happen if I don't take the time to learn and understand the basics. (And yeah I probably should get around to doing a tutorial soon) Even if I use TEXT graphics there is still a bunch of things I would need to learn. But I have been having a good time messing around with the things I know how to do. And I too look forward to new and interesting programs from others in the community.

Of course clones are fine for people who are starting and SmileBASIC is intended to be used by beginners. Good ideas don't come out of nowhere. You need to have some experience. What we DON"T need though is people coming here saying they're gonna do some fantastic port of a famous game when they can barely code enough to print text to the screen.

Of course clones are fine for people who are starting and SmileBASIC is intended to be used by beginners. Good ideas don't come out of nowhere. You need to have some experience. What we DON"T need though is people coming here saying they're gonna do some fantastic port of a famous game when they can barely code enough to print text to the screen.

Agreed

Making a clone/port of a game is almost never worth it; it's very difficult and will never be as good as the original. However, I can never think of good creative ideas for a game, so just I never end up making any games...

mostly true story

While making a game, I wanted to include WAV music, but the I didn't like the existing WAV player so I made my own. Then I wanted to make a nice instruction manual for it. I liked the idea of PTML but wanted to make my own version. (Never really finished) The code started getting messy, so I updated my auto indenter... I don't even remember what the original game was lol

Making a clone/port of a game is almost never worth it; it's very difficult and will never be as good as the original. However, I can never think of good creative ideas for a game, so just I never end up making any games...

mostly true story

While making a game, I wanted to include WAV music, but the I didn't like the existing WAV player so I made my own. Then I wanted to make a nice instruction manual for it. I liked the idea of PTML but wanted to make my own version. (Never really finished) The code started getting messy, so I updated my auto indenter... I don't even remember what the original game was lol

I think the goal should not be to emulate previous games, but to instead build or expand upon the ideas in them. Also it’s important to not compare the work of one person to that of an experienced development team. It’s not very productive or psychologically healthy. Make what you can, and enjoy the process. BTW: The color maze was cool. :)