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[EddieBytes]

There's no teleport through wall skill in mari0 as far as I know, and besides, mari0 is not a metroidvania.

[whilefun]

- a dungeon crawler like wizardry, with the same mechanics and graphics style, but set in the future instead, with appropriate changes to the monster design, character classes, weapons/items, etc.

- a shmup like gradius or life force, but with "ghosts" that do exactly what you did in your previous life (after you die) to help you

- a platformer like ghost and goblins, but where double-jumping takes up resources that you need to collect, so that you have a limited number of double-jumps in a stage

...or a version of frogger where you control the traffic and aim to kill the frogs...which is something I really want to make!! :D

I am of course no expert, but I think some combination of analysis and playing through great games along with cloning aspects of the games is a great learning tool. Looking at why something works, or why it's fun is a great process. Even if you don't reap any immediate rewards from it, you'll probably get something out of it eventually. Or you'll have a lot of fun which on its own makes it worthwhile

[harkme]

Our works our merely our take on the world around us. There is no point in making an exact clone since you could simply play the original instead. Impart a piece of yourself into each of your games. That's one of the advantages of indie development. You have far more creative control and so your style oozes into your games more apparently.

You have the right idea about making games that are very personal to you. To see what works and what doesn't work, nothing beats trial and error. Of course, you don't have infinite time, so use trial and error with heuristics. Make sure to experience more things. Don't only program or play video games, try out other activities and gain inspirations. The further you reach for inspiration, the more creative and unique your games will seem. You're still taking ideas from other places and adapting them to your style, but you'll be making combinations and twists that may not have been approached before.

[Stib]

My first game, since taking game development seriously, took me 8 months. It turned out well but the development time was ridiculous because I didn't have a proper process. I didn't really create a design document. I just jumped in and then pulled out my hair as I had to chop features and change things a million times. Noob mistakes I admit.

Now I am creating clones. This week I have created a super simple breakout clone and I'm getting ready to work on a simple space invaders clone. I understand that these games are boring to almost all of us but I think they serve an important purpose. I'm learning to fully describe and design a game. The flaws in my design documents are quite obvious when I start programming as well (I have to stop and think about what to code next instead of looking my my psudeo-code). And after I've created 5-10 clones, I'm going to have a better idea of how to attack a new idea that I create from scratch. I'll know when a design document is finished or flawed (hopefully  )Note: this isn't 'design' practice at all but design doc and programming practice, which is important trust me.

All that said everyone does it different. That's why game design is an art. But I highly recommend this video series (especially episode 2 or 3). Eddie mentioned it

http://www.everythingisaremix.info/

Good thread...

[cliffski]

What does YOUR play/program ratio look

Probably 90%+ coding and 10% playing.  but there again, I spent a huge amount playing games between 1980-2000, so it probably all balances out eventually.
I do think that one reason so many games are so samey is that a lot of game developers never do anything but just play games. There's lots of inspiration to be had from the real world.

[Graham.]

The correct answer depends on what skill you'd like to sharpen first.

Making your own game will sharpen your design and production skills (and pretty much everything else).

Cloning will make you a better programmer, make you more familiar with tools, and give you a better look into why a good game is good.

Which one suits you? The easiest recommendation is to do both. Holy shit! Then, wait for it, you can switch between the two at your leisure . The best way to clear boredom and creative blocks is to work on something else. Doing both at once may actually make both more enjoyable, _and_ you get the freedom. Yess.

Game development is just like the opposite of a woman. The more you do whatever you want with it, the more it loves you back.

The first game I ever did - 8 years ago (high school project) - was a clone. Never done that again, because now I'm a boss programmer, I study good games more quickly with my big-brain analytical skills, and working with my own shit is more liberating (also, my own ideas). The real value of cloning is for confidence building. What I really recommend is doing your own thing, then whenever you cry like a little baby, pop back to your clone, and be like, "I invented MegaMan, bitch." Just remember, I invented it before you.