Hi, I have a dilemma, a judgement call which I hope you forumers can help me make. I am a developer and have written two games for the iPhone. The third game which I am currently developing is based on an idea from a Commodore 64 game made 25 years ago (Bounder). Now while browsing the forum yesterday I happened on a thread about a game called Jump. That game which was released last spring is also based on that game 8 bit game so it will end up being fairly similar. The difference being mostly the graphics (3D vs 2D) and my game being more about collecting objects and frantically solving puzzles while jumping around the screen. The dilemma I have is this: The authors of Jump developed their version before mine and while I got the idea from the original game and not theirs I nevertheless am thinking if I should abandon mine so no to look like being a copycat developer? Or should I simply accept that with thousands of games in the Appstore unintended conflicts are bound to come up and as long as the gameplay is dissimilar enough I shouldn't worry about it? Please help me make that decision.
Go for it, why do you want to abandon that baby of yours for this reason ? There are zillions of TD games with a subtle difference which helps the gamers to pick it or not, there are plenty of flashlights, fart apps - yuck, shooter games, car racing games. Honorable mention - match 3s
Don't quit development just because someone else did it already, unless you feel that your version can't be competitive with their. If you think you have a better product than they do, by all means release it. If, however, you don't think you will be able to make a better product than them, I do suggest trying something where there won't be any competition. Good luck either way you choose!
I own Jump, which never got any huge popularity (and that's pitty). But I'm sure your game will have alot of unique stuff and also perhaps you are lucky to get a bigger audience. So go for it. Would be pitty to abandon your projekt! Thumbs up!
Hats Off to your personal robot (Jump ownr), he can't even Sue you now Hoping to see your game in the App store, also please make a lite version & add touch controls, its an iPod touch for Christ's sake, not iPod tilt PS : zomg did you notice, your post count is scary... 9/11 EDIT : Mods, close this thread Karl, you bettr get back to work, I wanna play this game Aye your personal robot, I lovd your game btw
Errr, I wouldn't be too sure if you should continue your work. No, I'm not trying to discourage you but Imangi threatened to sue a company for making a similar game. It would be nice to see your game in the App Store though, good luck.
I presume you're talking about this game? I also bought this game a while ago and it is really a hidden gem. I think you should continue with your project though, since you'll undoubtedly make it different from Jump and as people have said before there are many similar apps on the App Store. By the way ultimo, I don't think your personal robot meant he developed the game but just that he bought the game. Smaga Bakery developed the game (they also have an account of this forum here). Also Masmo I doubt Smaga Bakery would sue him for the simple fact that both of the games are similar to the original game Bounder and there are many similar apps in the App Store at the moment.
You said that in your game you have to solve puzzles and things like that. This should be enough to make it different from jump, where you basically just have to avoid falling while picking up points. I don't think you should have any problems for just a similar gameplay mechanism. To underline the difference of your product, you may also avoid using a basketball, unless its essential.
Thanks guys. I'll continue developing and post screenshots this weekend in an "Upcoming Games" thread.
I bought Jump too after seeing it described in the forum. Jump is a very polished title but way too hard for me as I constantly fell into every crevice that appeared. The basketball animation is superbly presented. I am hoping though that 2D suits the game better where the tilt movement only affects the ball/character and not the background as usually is the case in the 3D games. It can be a bit disorientating.
Heh.. I looked up Jump out of curiocity and AppShopper says that on Feb 5th the price went $1.99 -> $999.99 for 4 days. Accidental or just plain hopeful?
It was a misguided "marketing" attempt. The developer tried to charge $999.99 for companies to "purchase" logo space within the game. Very quickly, he realized the error of his ways. Initially, I was put off by this because it struck me as a bit sleazy. But I eventually picked up the game and was pleasantly surprised by the quality.
