Preview: Digger

Discussion in 'Upcoming iOS Games' started by SioSae, Feb 14, 2009.

  1. SioSae

    SioSae Well-Known Member

    Feb 14, 2009
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    #1 SioSae, Feb 14, 2009
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2009
    Hi there,

    it's almost done. hopefully apple will review the game soon and it will become available in the app store:

    DIGGER, a remake of an old game I played as a young boy 20 years ago on my dad's KC 85/3.

    Features of the iPhone/iPod Touch version:
    - 230 levels (the 30 from the original game, plus 4 more cave packs with 50 more levels each)
    - the design of the original game
    - introducing new features like more animations (for the ghosts), new treasure ghosts and the amoeba
    - an all new CAVE EDITOR to create your own levels
    - controls designed after the original keyboard of an old KC85/3
    - one savegame for each cave pack
    - replay caves without changing your savegames
    - control the game by multitouch on the buttons or swipe from one button to another with one finger

    - uploading and sharing of cave packs will come with an update of the game later

    here are some screenshots:
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    [​IMG][​IMG]

    YouTube Video

    have fun,
    SioSae
     
  2. pante

    pante Well-Known Member

    Jan 1, 2009
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    i don't know why but almost every single old game rocks.
     
  3. butters

    butters Well-Known Member

    Feb 4, 2009
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    SWEET! BOULDER DASH! :D

    I will be looking forward to that one. :)
     
  4. SioSae

    SioSae Well-Known Member

    Feb 14, 2009
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    updated the link to the YouTube Video: now with better quality
     
  5. pante

    pante Well-Known Member

    Jan 1, 2009
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    my brother waited for boulder dash on iphone so long... he will be happy. :)
     
  6. SioSae

    SioSae Well-Known Member

    Feb 14, 2009
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    Me too. Thats why I decided to make it myself so I can play it again, and on my iPhone everywhere I want to.

    I hope you and your brother will like it.
     
  7. pante

    pante Well-Known Member

    Jan 1, 2009
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    any news when it will be in app store?
     
  8. manolis

    manolis Well-Known Member

    Dec 7, 2008
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    hey its boulder dash. nice. :D
     
  9. SioSae

    SioSae Well-Known Member

    Feb 14, 2009
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    it's still on review state for 4 days now. I dont know how long it usually takes but I check every day.
     
  10. SioSae

    SioSae Well-Known Member

    Feb 14, 2009
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    Unfortunatelly the game wont be released because I decided to try to contact First Star Software and ask them if there will be any violation of copyright by remaking this old east german game.

    And they told me that they would have taken legal action against me if i release the game.

    But for anyone interested in, they also told me that they will release the original Boulder Dash game (Vol.1) and Boulder Dash Rocks soon on the iPhone.

    So everything i did was for the trash can. Have fun,
    SioSae
     
  11. superbad

    superbad Well-Known Member

    Nov 6, 2008
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    CEO. Reviewer. Beta Tester.
    You need to stalk me?
    wow! im sorry to hear that. would have loved to check the game out.

    PS. why wasnt copyright issues the first on to do list even before coding began.
     
  12. Zincous

    Zincous Well-Known Member

    Dec 23, 2008
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    Sorry about the copyright issues....:(

    Can't you just change your sprites and you won't have any issues? Since you added other things that weren't in the original as well..
     
  13. darwiniandude

    darwiniandude Well-Known Member

    Nov 1, 2008
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    #13 darwiniandude, Feb 16, 2009
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2009
    I'm really sorry to hear this, all that effort for nothing. I think if you change the graphics and make it your own, 'inspired by the classic games' and so on, there really should be nothing they can do, at least till theirs is in the AppStore. You haven't called it Boulder Dash after all.

    Now, have a look here:
    http://www.steffest.com/dxboulder/DXClones.htm

    Boulderdash clones:
    54 clones made for PC
    20 or so for Amiga
    and a dozen or more accross other platforms.

    Surely they can't have taken legal action against all those?

    I'd modify it a little, maybe modernise the graphics a bit, even making it look better. The key pad style looks great, would probably work well for this game.

    Worse case, they complain, and you remove it from AppStore, big deal.

    Don't throw away your work.

    EDIT:

    Also as you have a finished game, and polished, contact them and offer to split the profits. Not the best for you, but better than wasting your work. You could be able to pay them a license fee per unit sold, they get money with no coding work, everyone wins.
     
  14. SioSae

    SioSae Well-Known Member

    Feb 14, 2009
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    #14 SioSae, Feb 16, 2009
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2009
    i checked with the original programmers of the game and got their permission. yeah, maybe because they didn't have actually the rights on making a game that looked like boulder dash. you know, the game was made back in eastern germany before the wall falls. and i dont mean the one with the bulldozer, thats what first star software thinks, that i name it like this one but usind boulder dash grafix.

    I also tried to contact the company 10tacle who had got lisenced for building new doulder dash titles and i didn't got any answers from them. now i read that the company doesn't exist anymore. thats why i contacted first star software.

    i dont know if it will be enough to change the sprites because they referenced also to physics and gravity used in the game (what you can do and dont in the game) so i think it would be even a copyright violation if i change the grafix.

    and also, the grafix arn't the ones from boulder dash, i mean they look like and i get the point: the customers will maybe confused (like first star software said) but even if i change them, a stone will always somehow look like a stone and a diamond like a diamond and even if i change them completely, i think everyone recognize it as a kinda boulder dash game.

    i thought there are so many different games out there for free or to buy that are kinda boulder dash games. i dont know

    the last thing i have done is asking them if there is any chance to lisence the interlectual property i "violated" but i dont think so, because they will make their own games for the iphone... EDIT: ("...We have two Boulder Dash titles in development right now for the iPhone/iTouch and if you were to release the game depicted in the YouTube video in any manner; but especially, on for iPhone/iTouch, that would cause us to suffer financial damages. Further, it would cause confusion in the minds of the public and we must, as above, therefore insist that you not move forward in either the completion nor the release of the game...")

    anyway, have fun,
    SioSae
     
  15. SioSae

    SioSae Well-Known Member

    Feb 14, 2009
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    about changing grafix: how much do i have to change them, i mean, my stones look different, but how different do they have to look like, the same with diamonds, the ground, the walls, the ghosts doesn't even look anything but familiar with the fireflies and butterflies. the filter, exit everything but the main character, ok, maybe thats the one they after...
     
  16. Skywardsgames

    Skywardsgames Well-Known Member


    My game Digga (iDigger from 1.1.4 iPhone) was removed from Appstore by inquire of Firststar inc. They too do not give me any right to publish my Digga in Appstore because at this moment (august 2008) they already make Boulder Dash under iPhone.
     
  17. pante

    pante Well-Known Member

    Jan 1, 2009
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    have you seen how many games are based on qix for example? try checking it, making your way... don't put your game, and all the effort you made into the trash.

    all the best.
     
  18. SioSae

    SioSae Well-Known Member

    Feb 14, 2009
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    you see, changing grafix doesn't work. unfortunately. what i dont understand, is there really such copyright of the kind of game itself, i mean, could it be? because is there one developer who get lisence fees from every ego shooter or racing game? i mean grafix ok, but the rest? anyway, i dont know that much about copyright and from us copyright even less so i stay out of this. just one question, i mean you did release the game digga with a company rand not by yourself right? what was there opinion?
     
  19. pante

    pante Well-Known Member

    Jan 1, 2009
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    or there is bomber online... something different than bomberman. check out what you can change. try adding some extra points, maybe. bonus levels. change graphics a bit.
     
  20. markx2

    markx2 Well-Known Member

    Dec 28, 2008
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    I would just publish. At best you get some money back, at worst they insist you remove it - and while it is published work on some small changes.

    You asked, they answered but you don't know they are even telling the truth.
     

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