Zynga Shamelessly Rips Off 'Tiny Tower' With Canadian Release of 'Dream Heights'
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Re: Zynga Shamelessly Rips Off 'Tiny Tower' With Canadian Release of 'Dream Heights'
#2Just one more nail in the hopefully soon to be completed zynga coffin...
Re: Zynga Shamelessly Rips Off 'Tiny Tower' With Canadian Release of 'Dream Heights'
#3Honestly, this isn't really even that bad. There are a ton of games ripped off of Zynga that are MUCH closer to the Zynga assets.
You could argue Tiny Tower ripped off Sim Tower etc.
The whole thing is stupid. We all stand on the shoulders of giants, even other giants.
Re: Zynga Shamelessly Rips Off 'Tiny Tower' With Canadian Release of 'Dream Heights'
#4this is sad. zynga is sad. specifically, this habitual rip-offery. i won't call them shady, which i think is a popular opinion. not because i don't think they are, but just because i don't want to have to defend that position. i will however defend that it is sad.
Re: Zynga Shamelessly Rips Off 'Tiny Tower' With Canadian Release of 'Dream Heights'
#5Honestly, this isn't really even that bad. There are a ton of games ripped off of Zynga that are MUCH closer to the Zynga assets. You could argue Tiny Tower ripped off Sim Tower etc. The whole thing is stupid. We all stand on the shoulders of giants, even other giants.
I'd agree with you if they were just similar, but the mechanics are the exact same- every aspect of it. There's a difference between "standing on the shoulders of giants" and flat out cloning something- with the first you take an idea, improve it, and make it your own.
Re: Zynga Shamelessly Rips Off 'Tiny Tower' With Canadian Release of 'Dream Heights'
#6Honestly, this isn't really even that bad. There are a ton of games ripped off of Zynga that are MUCH closer to the Zynga assets. You could argue Tiny Tower ripped off Sim Tower etc. The whole thing is stupid. We all stand on the shoulders of giants, even other giants.
Standing on the shoulders of giants generally means you evolve or build upon your predecessor. I haven't played either game, but this looks to be a plain reimplementation of the game right down to the mechanics with little or no change.
Based on other similar news stories in the past, it seems like this is Zynga's general business plan. While it appears profitable and is legal, it's hardly a laudable practice.
Re: Zynga Shamelessly Rips Off 'Tiny Tower' With Canadian Release of 'Dream Heights'
#7If they don't like Zynga re-implementing their idea, they should keep adding features and innovating so their game is better.
You can't be against the patent game the big guys play but for protection against this kind of behavior.
edit to add: If I worked on the blatant copy, I wouldn't exactly be proud of that work.
Re: Zynga Shamelessly Rips Off 'Tiny Tower' With Canadian Release of 'Dream Heights'
#8Honestly, this isn't really even that bad. There are a ton of games ripped off of Zynga that are MUCH closer to the Zynga assets. You could argue Tiny Tower ripped off Sim Tower etc. The whole thing is stupid. We all stand on the shoulders of giants, even other giants.
I don't know. It's like saying that all those *ville are copies of Sim City. Maxis's games were centered on simulation, while this new generation of games are targeted to a much more casual gamer.
And it's bad when a Giant tries to crush a little studio, copying their games, while at the same time, suing others for doing the exact same thing. (Vostu)
Re: Zynga Shamelessly Rips Off 'Tiny Tower' With Canadian Release of 'Dream Heights'
#9This is business as usual for Zynga.
"They would sit and look at competitive products and write down all the features and make it obvious to us," the designer says. One contractor says he was offered freelance work from Zynga, related to mimicking a competitor's application, with explicit instructions: "Copy that game." http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2010/09/zynga_pincus_cop...
Pincus was heard yelling at employees, "I don't fucking want innovation. You're not smarter than your competitor. Just copy what they do and do it until you get their numbers." http://www.sfweekly.com/2010-09-08/news/farmvillains/
More examples: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-zynga-is-just-like-micros...
Re: Zynga Shamelessly Rips Off 'Tiny Tower' With Canadian Release of 'Dream Heights'
#10I've been doing this 30 years and I've never seen a title that didn't have some connection or another to some hit title. Some have it stronger than others.
I always say, when asked sage game design advice, that a hit game is like the center point of a circle. The closer YOUR game is to the center the more likely it's a clone. If it's far OUTSIDE the circle that it's just to far from what people know to be a hit.
The goal is to hit the line of the circle, which makes the circle move to include your game and maybe make it the new center point.