Starbound

Miscellaneous Topics
#21

The beauty behind games like Terraria and Starbound is that there actually IS lots of crap to do - they’re actual games in stead of somewhat of a game that grew out of a tech demo. IMO Starbound is the same leap up in gameplay from Terraria as Terraria was to Minecraft; the game looks quite awesome especially because it just feels a whole lot less randomized. I’ll be playing it for most of 2014 probably, just as soon as I’ve completely explored the massive Terraria 1.2 update.

As a game that is less sandbox and more game, consider looking at Steamworld Dig.

#22

Because Pong was the first game? It wasn’t :wink:

#23

Even if this page exists: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_video_game

I find it kind of difficult to say what is the first computer game - some of the early hardware was very unlike what we know as computers nowadays, and the games worked differently too.

I’d choose “Spacewar!” as my personal idea of the first “real” computer game.

#24

Ok, everything is a Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device Clone

#25

Ocrap. I did not see that this was in a misc board… I thought mattheus made this solo! :o
Well, I believed it, so kudos mattheus!

#26

Well, I shall soon join the group of ya’ll who’re playing this game. But it won’t be for several days. And then the Ludum Dare shall drag me away to the delight of attempting to get a game done in two days!

#27

Great game that’s for sure, especially after getting friends involved.

#28

yea someone gifted to me on steam, its amazing

#29

Doesnt even make any sense. 2 Paddles, versus, agility and reaction - thats pong. The Sims is not like this at all for example.

There is no such genre. Name 3 games what were satisfy this description that came out before minecraft.

There is also no Terraria genre.

That has nothing to do with it and is the mark of someone with weak arguments - even a hairstylist can criticize games or game design.

I havent created any actual real games. If you’re talking about those that I have posted here on JGO, yes, these ARE clones where I looked at specific games while creating them.
If your game design high concept and gameplay description match - its hard to argue otherwise.

Interesting that you think this helps YOUR case, because I think you just made my point.
Example: Bayonetta is a Devil May Cry clone / sequel. It was also made by the same people. I fucking love Bayonetta and Devil May Cry but that doesnt change the fact. At least Bayonetta changes everything possible without changing the formula.

You may thin a “clone” is overly derogatory - but its not really. Then doom first came out all shooters were called doom clones, even by the press; when mario first came out many platformers where mario clones.
But the truth still remains that a lackluster shooter contributes nothing to the game industry and is made purely for money.

Counter-example: Terraria and craft the world are clones. Minecraft and Gmod are the same genre, but quite different. See the difference ?
Path of Exile (which was enjoyable) IS diablo.

The point is, I find it tragic if you make a make just because you CAN make a clone, you just want to have your own and bring nothing new to the table; Or you do it just for money.
My games are clones, but those are student projects and they never got enough time to blossom =D

Just be a little more critical towards games and movies - or else EVERYTHING will look the same soon
Over 90 % of all hollywood movies made each year are either sequels or remakes.
As the gaming industry gets bigger call of duty and minecraft clones are our biggest problem…

#30

Infiniminer and Dwarf Fortress. These were also the inspiration of Minecraft. The nice way of mixing game elements of both games together is what makes Minecraft so interesting and unique.
Why ‘came out before Minecraft’? Why shouldn’t Minecraft be able to open up a new genre?

I still think Terraria and Craft the world are both still different from Minecraft. I understand what ‘same genre’ means for you, now, but I still think our ideas of clones are different.

What Terraria is in perspective to Minecraft:
Terraria is all about combat and exploration, whereas Minecraft is all about building stuff and mining. Terraria is a completely different game, because it has bosses, stuff like weapon and armor stats and aims at building up a good combination of stat-increasing accessories. Minecraft is almost not at all about combat. It has 4 kinds of swords and thats it. Almost nothing like player stats except for armor and the dungeon / loot chests are mostly about resources not armor / weapons. No special effects on weapons nor armor.

What Craft the world is in perspective to Minecraft:
Craft the world (from what it looks like) is not about playing a specific character but mixes in the elements of RTS’ where you control units to build up stuff. It also mixes in a little bit of Tower defense, judging from the videos online.

A ‘Clone’ for me is a game which has exactly the same game elements as the game it was cloned from. So there are almost 1:1 mario clones (for example ‘Super Tux’ for linux), that simply use different sprites or drawing mechanics and include new levels.

For me a game is not a clone anymore, when it includes new game mechanics. So Craft the world is not a Minecraft clone, because it includes the ‘control multiple units and give commands’ and ‘tower defense strategy’ mechanics. Just like Terraria has the new combat mechanics.

It’s always interesting when new, original game mechanics are found, but it’s also a skill to be able to create games with mixed game mechanics, taken from different games. Notch’s idea was to combine nice game elements from two games together to create something like Minecraft.

#31

Yeah we definitely have a different opinion about what a genre is.

Tetris is a puzzle game. Bejeweled is a puzzle game. Candy Crush is a bejeweled clone.

Basically when you go to wikipedia and open any game on there, there is a genre info. Those are genres.
Sandbox is a genre.

And I kinda reject the notion that Minecraft created a new sub genre, because if that would be true then EVERY game would create its own genre and all games that are painfully similar are within those genre. - Its semantics really, but its all about “lets do something that is already popular, so we will be popular as well”
There are good clones
Its just that I would never get overly excited over a clone; Doesnt matter if they added like 3 new features or whatever

Funny thing is I dont even want overly innovative gameplay or these artsy indie games… D:
But I guess both ends of the spectrum are bad.

Clones and… Flower on PS3 - both bad :smiley:

#32

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If the definition of genre wasn’t so busted, then we’d actually be able to figure out the difference between a game with a similar “genre” and a “clone.”

For me, Minecraft is the ultimate sandbox game. There are mini-games in it, but for the most part you have freedom to move and build whatever you please in the game world. There are also items that you can create and mold, just like there are collectable items in GTA5 or Saints Row. Minecraft, fits in the sandbox “genre”.

As for clones, all the games that have been mentioned here (Starbound, Terrania, Minecraft, Infiniminer) are mostly all games that are part of the Sandbox genre. However, clones are different because they usually come in after the original game became popular, and they have about 90% of the look and feel of the game they are copying. (Just like a lot of the cube world open projects here… even though they were learning experiences, they were also a bit on the clone side of things).

Games leave a lot for personal opinion, however. I think of games a lot differently from “who is copying who”. I usually look at it from the perspective of “what new features are they trying to bring to the genre.” If a game brings enough elements that are different, then it usually gives me enough to go back and play it again. Clones usually don’t do that for me, so I just find no need to play them.

#33

3d starbound

#34

Starbound is a really, REALLY good game though! Minecraft, Gnomoria, Terraria, Starbound… they’re all just fantastic time wasters. Although I slap myself on the wrist to call it a “waste” of time, they’re all games in which you actually build something and thus have something to show for the time invested.

#35

I guess I personally enjoy games the most when they have a strong narrative and story

that why yeah - I do see those games as time wasters
not that I dont play some of them too occasionally…

#36

I got bored watching the Starbound trailer. 1 minute of a guy walking in various terrain that pretty much looks the same? A flashlight. Lighting is cool, but I need more. Some demos of water. People building stuff, with a cluttered inventory. I just didn’t find the trailer compelling. But then, I never got into Minecraft either.

#37

Yeah me neither.

#38

Hey some people like to be told a story, some people like to make up their own story. If we’d all be the same, we’d all be making the same games too. How boring would that be!

#39

The reason I enjoy Minecraft and Starbound is really because you have something to show for the hours played. Sure, I can go play a FPS and kill a bunch of people and show off my new weapons and KD, but its much more fun to me to build something, especially with other people. Even though Minecraft is viewed as sort of a childish game, I still love the idea of it, even if I don’t play many video games anymore.

#40

I do understand that. I loved playing with Legos.
But when you play a good story game like bioshock infinite for example, that is a story I still think about in a silent moment