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[princec]

I don't care whether it's free or not or what your business model, I don't care that it's the same or not, in fact, I'm flattered. You might have noticed that TA is free up to a point too. We give away a huge part of it. To date we've racked up 691,807 plays of the free version of TA in a total of 14.6 years of free play time and that's just the free version ones we managed to log.

Cas

[princec]

Valter, can you see the difference between adding 20 new ideas to a game with 9, versus copying all 29 of them? The game is greater than the sum of its parts. You don't just find them lying in the street ready made.

Cas

[mirosurabu]

It may just as well be a coincidence. It's also possible that he was influenced by your game in some way, but that he is not aware of that. Further, it's also important that design details these two games share are unique to your game and not done in any way before. (which by reading this thread does not seem so).

(I haven't compared them yet, will do that when I get some free time)

[moi]

It's difficult finding a shit flash portal game that doesn't ripp something or the other off anyway.

[princec]

You guys have a pretty odd grasp on probability to be thinking it's a coincidence! Play the pair of them side by side.

I didn't want to stoop to offering any more public evidence but seeing as it's been shouted at me on K.:

And incidentally, you have claimed that we did not “add anything new”. You also highlighted add-ons. Our add-ons are nothing like Titans. Yours are a multiple, mimicking the main shot of the tank. We have a missle pack, a scud, and the laser – which not only looks completely different, but plays in a completely different manner to anything in Titan (from what I’ve played at least, I think I only got to level 15, correct me if I am wrong). Our bosses are totally different too.

Of course, if he claims to only have got to level 15 he wouldn't know that our bosses are totally different would he. But of course he did get to level 15, in fact he got to level 20. And of course the addons in Titan Attacks are not totally different, seeing as they also comprise a rocket launcher and a laser. Incredible coincidence.

It's kinda painful to watch someone lie in public but so long as he cuts his nose of to spite his face I'm going to make an example of him.

Cas

[Farmergnome]

Okay dude im out for the night, im sick of watching you publicly self own yourself, I hope you get better man, seriously.

My email is [email protected] if you want to talk about anything man, just hit me up, ive actually done a certificate in mental health at tafe, so yea, offers open if you want it man, otherwise night.

edit: that came off as sarcastic, but its not.

[Lynx]

Just a thought, no one really wants to admit fault here, but maybe a compromise like say, 'If you enjoyed this game, you might also enjoy other game' might suffice.

[princec]

Spot on Lynx, that's all we would have liked.

Hardly owning myself am I Farmergnome eh? I'm just not going to become another Puzzloop loser, another Bettys Beer Bar. We designed that shit, it's our hard work went into it, and we demand the right to be recognised for it.

Cas

[team_q]

Wait, which one is Observe and Report, and which one is Paul Blart Mall Cop?

[Μarkham]

I'm going to go ahead and bold the game mechanics found in the TI-83+ clone of Galaga.

Titan uses 9 of those mechanics, and adds a further 20:

A score multiplier, increased every level you take no damage, reset to zero if you get hit; money for kills to use elsewhere; ships that fall from the sky for bonus points [not 'fall,' per say, more like Galaga attack pattern]; aliens parachuting for bonus money; escape penalty if you fail to capture aliens; powerups dropped from the saucers [various Space Invaders/Galaga clones had this even in the 90's]; a challenge stage every 7 levels for bonus points and prizes; a boss stage every 10 levels; a shop between levels; shields instead of lives; increasing cost of shields depending on how many you have; smartbombs which increase in cost permanently; addons to your ship; upgrades to speed, fire rate, and damage; different alien movement patterns; different alien weaponry; varied backgrounds telling a story of destruction and war; 5 different sets of backgrounds and aliens (worlds); online hiscores; and last but not least, mouse control.[oh, come on, it's a casual Flash game.  Almost all of them have this.]

If they're really saying that they didn't base it off any other existing Space Invader's clone and came up with those concepts USSR-Iron-Curtain-style, then yes, they're lying.  Otherwise, it's just another clone of a clone of a clone of Space Invaders with features that most other said clones have.

After typing this, I played your game.  It hardly looks anything like the other graphics-wise more than they do any other SI clone, and it plays a lot like the Galaga clone mixed with a little more Space Invaders, and requires that you fire with the mouse, which isn't the best control scheme on a laptop.  If we weren't dealing with Space Invaders clones, then it would be a lot more clear if he was copying your game, but right now, it looks like you've both copied modern-ish Space Invaders clones.  The only case I can find is that sometimes aliens fall out of the spaceships, which I'm pretty sure there are other 80's arcade games that had this.
[edit 4/7/09: It was not my intention in the last sentence to be a minor thing.  It is really the main evidence towards the claim, and I intended to mean that I wouldn't be surprised if it was similar to a mechanism used in another arcade-type game in the same era]

Again, if he claims that he came up with all this in his head, and you can quote him on that, then yes, it is possible that he is ripping off your game.  However, if you also claim you came up with all this yourself, than I have a hard time believing you as well.

(although, hehe, nice choice of colours, no?)

Seriously?  You're accusing him of using colors with similar hues?  I'm pretty sure the guy's job description from the programmer was "make graphics for a space invader's clone," not "make graphics for a clone of this space invader's clone."

[Problem Machine]

I'm amused that he keeps appending a  to his posts in an attempt to not look like a tool and it's completely not working

[princec]

That's been my sig for nearly 20 years Kobel, you cocksucker 

Cas

[Problem Machine]

You've been trying that long? 

[princec]

Meh.

Cas

[Μarkham]

Well, aren't we so mature and grown up now, aren't we?

[raigan]

>Does pixel freak out every time someone makes a freeware cave story clone?

The difference is that those people acknowledge that their games are "inspired by Cave Story"!

Having played TA a lot, I would consider the flash game VERY similar.

I guess I could entertain the notion that it's some sort of bizarre coincidence, but that would really be a stretch considering the combination of aesthetic and gameplay similarities. Did the authors know about TA before hand or not? If so, why wouldn't they have tried to differentiate their game more? If not, why are they so clueless?

Really though, it doesn't matter because the flash version has a really boring-ass style rather than the awesome style of the original. I also don't really understand why anyone would bother with a Space Invaders clone unless they made something markedly better than Titan Attacks, since it has sort of set the bar for SI clones.. it would be like making a BrickBreaker clone that's not as good as BreakQuest/Mr.Bounce -- what's the point?!

[genericuser]

Another thing  dude, Space Mutants from Space was made for free, no sponsors, no ads, we aren't making any money on it (well apart from kongs ad revenue - woot beer money) , we just wanted to make a kickass space invaders game for free for people to play, thats it.  I think you are spinning this shit a little bigger than it needs to be.

Does pixel freak out every time someone makes a freeware cave story clone?  HOLAY SHIT THE WORLD ENDS  

No, Nicalis freaks out, and it's most likely "HOLAY SHIT THE INDIE BRAWL ENDS" 

[Evil-Ville]

[TeeGee]

:D

We need a popcorn emote by the way.

[Mipe]

Well, I understand how he feels, though... how would you feel if after years of hard work found out that someone released a game with basically the same concept, only tinted differently?