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[Gainsworthy]

 

I wasn't super-serious. But, really, the comparison is raised a lot. And no, not just here. Thread simply reminded me.

 

[___]

I didn't say it was a Cave Story rip-off, and we all have our influences.

In terms of palette, clouds, architecture and enemy design it bares similarities. There's no reason to get so upset over it. 

Yeah but the clouds are just... CIRCLES!  And I don't really remember the palette I used coming up in any of the worlds in Cave Story.  Grasstown is the only thing I can think of with green grass and blue ground.  I mean I wouldn't be wound up about it if I actually referenced cave story sprites when making the tiles and sprites for Verge, but I didn't reference anything except for a walk cycle image.

Eh, ignore me.  I'm in a terrible mood right now and I shouldn't be posting. 

[increpare]

Yeah but the clouds are just... CIRCLES!  And I don't really remember the palette I used coming up in any of the worlds in Cave Story.  Grasstown is the only thing I can think of with green grass and blue ground.  I mean I wouldn't be wound up about it if I actually referenced cave story sprites when making the tiles and sprites for Verge, but I didn't reference anything except for a walk cycle image.

Eh, ignore me.  I'm in a terrible mood right now and I shouldn't be posting. 

FWIW, I don't think your game significantly cave-story like at all, with the exception of the block-in-terrain placement style, which I was interested in not to the extent that it featured in your game, but as something in and of itself; I guess to that extent it was off-topic; maybe I should have posted it elsewhere; CS is a pretty toxic topic, to be sure.

[Hayden Scott-Baron]

That's the thing, the gameplay is very different and I think the comparison is a discredit. It's hard when a game popularises techniques like life-bars above the heads of enemies. I really what you did with the visuals on this, and equally I really enjoyed the three-colour sprites of Bonesaw.

[mirosurabu]

I don't understand people yelling "Cave story rip-off" unless they are making a joke.

But, really, there is no similarity between Verge and Cave Story to justify yelling. In fact, I see no similarities between these two with exception of that they are retro platformers.

I could say that Eversion rips Super Mario and From Primordial Egg rips Toy Story from Sega Genesis if we follow such rule. Meh.

[Hayden Scott-Baron]

I am pretty surprised when people can't see any similarities at all, like this.

[Alec]

The retarded thing is that Cave Story is the only game that things are compared to around here, when Cave Story itself took influence from a larger number of games. Its not like Cave Story is a beacon of originality.

Also, there are many other games that you could compare Verge with and find similarities - potentially even more similarities than with Cave Story?

I think its part of the human brain's sorting ability - it just tries to simplify everything. Eventually the truth is lost, because simple labels have overwritten the reality. Its like how some folks still can't understand how two different 2D underwater could exist in the same universe - they must be exactly the same! (even if the dolphin has legs and arms in one of them)

[JLJac]

I think there are both similaritys and differences. The retroish sound and the art style has a bit of a resemblance, which I think is a good thing because I really like those, both in cave story and in Verge. But it's not a rip-off, not at all. The game as a whole has it's own atmosphere and feel to it, and that's a rather good atmosphere and feel if you ask me

Thing is, the world is big and the internet is even bigger, and whatever you do some parts of it has been done before. When you do something like this you will have to think of it a bit like making a collage, using bits and pieces of art that you like. A collage is of course the work of it's artist, not at all a rip-off. If you then can also add something truly original, like in this case the water surface life/death thing, that's even better.

I think this game is good and innovative, and in it I can find small similarities with other games I know, which I find charming rather than annoying. Think of it like small and subtle tributes if you wish. When I made one of my projects I was inspired by geometrywars, when I made another one that's in this forum I was inspired by cave story and maybe a little fallout, and in the project I'm currently working on I take inspiration from everything between halo and YMM's an untitled story. This is how art is made!

[brog]

"What's Firefly?" "It's a show about some people living on a spaceship, the-" "Oh, just like Star Trek."

"Board games?  You mean like Monopoly?"

"You're studying maths?  What do you do - multiply really big numbers together?"

People not familiar with a subject do tend to unfairly lump everything together, often in a quite ludicrous way.  And then they close up their mind and refuse to be shown any different.  It's a quite unfortunate aspect of human nature.
So pixel-art indie platformers are "like Cave Story".  Finer distinctions don't seem to matter to some people.  Probably the same people would spend 13 pages arguing that Halo is not the same as Gears of War, or something.  It's not so bad - at least Cave Story is good, unlike the three examples I listed above¹.  If people are classifying something as "like Cave Story" they'll probably be more keen to try it than my friend was to try watching Firefly.

¹ Disclaimer: Star Trek and multiplication have both had their moments of brilliance.  Let's please not get sidetracked here.

[Eclipse]

cave story didn't invented anything, there are a lot of games on the nes using a similar style

Actually, one of the things I associate cave story with is the scattered placement of square blocks within a slightly smoother landscape.  Are there nes precedents for this technique?

8bit platformers barely had any non blocky collision method (i can remember only kirby having several degrees of slopes) so i don't think there's a game with smooth landscapes and such, with or without square blocks inside it...

The things that pisses me off is that nowadays all the indie platformers with "standard" pixel art graphics are tagged as cave story like, and the ones with minimal graphics are knytt like. Ok, The underside ripped off badly a lot of cave story graphics but i never had that "wtf it is a cave story mod?" feeling in any xerus games, he's a darn cool guy 

I think its part of the human brain's sorting ability - it just tries to simplify everything. Eventually the truth is lost, because simple labels have overwritten the reality. Its like how some folks still can't understand how two different 2D underwater could exist in the same universe - they must be exactly the same! (even if the dolphin has legs and arms in one of them)

OMG YOU'RE ALEC! the creator of Aquaria!! i really loved that megadrive game back then 


joking aside, it's normal than a good pixel art platformer can resemble another good pixel art platformer, they would feature both awesome hadcrafted funny animations, fluid controls, even maybe the same resolution and a similar shading.. maybe even what, grass and stones?

[Cheater‽]

So guys, you are really bad at catching jokes, eh?

[Phasma Felis]

Actually, one of the things I associate cave story with is the scattered placement of square blocks within a slightly smoother landscape.  Are there nes precedents for this technique?

Square, stone or metal blocks, often connected by narrow struts in the foreground or embedded under the ground.

It's a neat little graphical tic, it makes me go "Hey, that thing! Cool!"

[Melly]

Shut up with the useless rip-of discussion people. Now.

It gets us nowhere. Talk about the fucking game's merits and flaws, not what it looks like.

[Cheater‽]

Also, jumping physics? Bonesaw ripoff.

[___]

Also, jumping physics? Bonesaw ripoff.

NO WAY The jumping in Bonesaw sucked it was all floaty and controlling the jump height was too hard.

[WiL]

CLEARLY an Ecco the Dolphin ripoff

[BMcC]

IN GAME MAKER?!?!

[Alec]

OMGyoujumpthroughaplanethisgameisEccotheDolphinwhycan'tanyoneelseseethisthegovernmentiswatchingusallwhydoyoudenythetruth

[Avnas Ishtaroth]

I adore this game, great idea, great execution and beautiful graphics, but I got stuck early on so I couldn't get very far.

[Laremere]

I threw a game of Risk last night and when we were getting close to finishing a few people had been eliminated, and needed something to do while the game finished up.  I started verge up and for a little bit the whole party was just watching the game being played.  Great game.