you should probably add an error popup when webgl is disabled
it's black screen for me
Show HN: Lazy Tetris
131–140 of 157 posts
Re: Show HN: Lazy Tetris
#132This is good as a "Level -1" for small kids .
Re: Show HN: Lazy Tetris
#133Earlier quoted context omitted.
What they go after is not just the name, but the shapes. But I think you are fine as long as you do not monetize or get popular.
Which is crazy, because the shapes are just an idea, and you can't copyright ideas. They also couldn't be a trademark infringement (IANAL, though) if you don't use them in your branding.
> you can't copyright ideas
They can go after you for anything. Whether or not that would hold in court is a separate question, but they count on the fact that you would be probably unwilling to test it.
Re: Show HN: Lazy Tetris
#134Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thats why I never mention the T word once on my variation https://ihopethisisfun.franzai.com/
What they go after is not just the name, but the shapes. But I think you are fine as long as you do not monetize or get popular.
I could imagine the specific combination where the shapes colors match the original could get into trademark territory, as the colors have no in-game requirement to be those specific values.
Re: Show HN: Lazy Tetris
#135Earlier quoted context omitted.
The Tetris mark as a whole has an amazing history. It's a mark that was created from the ashes of a state that didn't allow trade and was involved in conflict and is kind of a marvel at the amount of cooperation that needs to happen for something like this. It's basically all edge cases. Going after "clones" that have similar gameplay is wrong and they should (and likely do) know better. This has been resolved with H…
AIUI it's some weird legal sleight of hand where they don't (and can't) actually own the Tetris gameplay mechanics, but they have successfully argued in court that the appearance of the game constitutes their trade dress, and in practice you can't really implement the Tetris mechanics without the result looking like Tetris. TTC is the gaming version of Oracle in that one meme[1], 90% of their raison d'etre is just to…
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Re: Show HN: Lazy Tetris
#136Earlier quoted context omitted.
AIUI it's some weird legal sleight of hand where they don't (and can't) actually own the Tetris gameplay mechanics, but they have successfully argued in court that the appearance of the game constitutes their trade dress, and in practice you can't really implement the Tetris mechanics without the result looking like Tetris. TTC is the gaming version of Oracle in that one meme[1], 90% of their raison d'etre is just to…
Not just 'Tetris' (and *-'tris') trademark and Lanham Act trade dress, but they have also successfully argued in court [1] that the 'look and feel' of Tetris constitutes its copyrighted expression. In that case, Tetris Holding argued (and the judge agreed) that even the use of the seven one-sided tetromino playing pieces was part of their copyright. Here's the description of the only Tetris gameplay mechanics the jud…
Disclaimer: I chose the colors from first principles and drew the graphics for Xio's version from scratch in Photoshop without any reference (as a volunteer; it was my friends' company), had to sit through depositions about this, etc.
In theory the Tetris Company is incorrect on the merits (the features they claim as "trade dress" are clear aspects of the game rules, not ornamentation, and in Xio's game had quite notable gameplay differences, especially in its multiplayer variants, and significant graphical style differences) and a discerning judge should see through the argument and find against them.
In practice judges often make a snap judgment based on personal prejudices (in this case, that the appearance amounted to "wholesale copying" that "pilfer[s] another's creativity" "without offering any originality or ingenuity of its own" and that such features as the way the pieces move falling from the top of the screen and the dimensions of the game board are "expression" rather than gameplay, and "Xio was also free to design a puzzle game using pieces of different shapes instead of using the same seven pieces used in Tetris." etc.) and ignore the letter and spirit of the law, filling in the decision starting from the conclusion. It has to date been too bothersome for someone with deep pockets to contest this to the appellate level.
Re: Show HN: Lazy Tetris
#137I love this! It really allows you to examine the role of time pressure in gaming, and why tuning it is so key -- having too much time makes it significantly easier, to the point where it wasn't fun for me. Which is brilliant!
Re: Show HN: Lazy Tetris
#138Nice job, fun and relaxing
Re: Show HN: Lazy Tetris
#139Earlier quoted context omitted.
I made one once which was just like normal Tetris, but you could fight against gravity and move the pieces upwards. It actually doesn't change the gameplay that much, because eventually you progress far enough that you just can't push 'up' fast enough, and gravity wins.
>but you could fight against gravity and move the pieces upwards I love that idea, sometimes you just need a little time to figure out where you want to move/rotate it to.
Pressing 'p' to pause the game basically gives me the same cheatcode :-)
Re: Show HN: Lazy Tetris
#140Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thats why I never mention the T word once on my variation https://ihopethisisfun.franzai.com/
What they go after is not just the name, but the shapes. But I think you are fine as long as you do not monetize or get popular.
The name is the most important part, as it gives them a way to look for games that have their name but aren't theirs. But you're mostly right that they actually go after any game that has the same gameplay and is relatively popular, but only when they can easily issue a DMCA takedown. It's not like they ever said that this was their policy but you can see it bear out time and again.
TETR.IO and Jstris are insanely popular games that have been up for years with no action against them since they aren't hosted on another platform/marketplace.
This is also why Apotris got 2 DMCA takedowns on both Github and itch.io 3 months apart from each other, but after hosting the game on my own site, they haven't taken any further action in the past 2 years while it has continued to grow in popularity.