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Honestly, 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.
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I think they are. WoW, Farmville, all use a skinnerian model - different reward types on variable, regular and random schedules designed to make sure that you get that next dopamine buzz just right in time. leastI don't doubt that some of these games need someone to take a look into them. Likely we need legislation such as that which covers the gambling industry or rules such as those that cover the slot machine indu…
Well, the lumping together of WoW and Farmville is pretty bizarre and makes me think you have no idea what these games are actually like. Reminds me of Tipper Gore. Then you go on to say "we agree the gambling industry needs checks and balances", which is pretty damned presumptuous. Have you completely failed to notice the strong libertarian bent of HN? In many ways, I'm practically a socialist, but I cringe outwardl…
The reward schedules, which is what he's talking about, are exactly the same.
Why would it be ok to just copy other people work and enjoy it, while creating something similar to something else is not ok?
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I know it was just an example, but Tiny Tower is nothing like Sim Tower. Sim Tower is an elevator/people flow simulation. It's also much more fun than Tiny Tower.
Thanks for posting this - I was having enough nostalgia for Sim Tower that I started looking around for this Tiny Tower. Unfortunately there's almost no information from the developer other than the iTunes download page, so I put it off. Now I can properly procrastinate by figuring out how on earth to run Sim Tower on a 3-month-old Mac. Thanks again!
It is funny that some of the same people that claim that using and sharing other people work is ok and that copyrights and IP are evil also think that what Zynga did in this case is "stealing", "rip off" or immoral, at best. Why would it be ok to just copy other people work and enjoy it, while creating something similar to something else is not ok?
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Thanks for posting this - I was having enough nostalgia for Sim Tower that I started looking around for this Tiny Tower. Unfortunately there's almost no information from the developer other than the iTunes download page, so I put it off. Now I can properly procrastinate by figuring out how on earth to run Sim Tower on a 3-month-old Mac. Thanks again!
VMware + windows can do it. Also look for yoot tower, the sequel.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. As long as Zynga is not directly using digital materials from Tiny Tower, I don't see the problem. The game industry is a massive fest of copying each other. How many Doom clones are out there? Or the Pacman variety? Or the Breakouts? Space Invaders?
I am in the process of saving private $$$ for a game project that I think will break even in the long run. If there was a good chance of being cloned before that happens, I wouldn't bother.
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I see where you're coming from but I'd have to disagree. Battlefield and Call of Duty are both in a pretty much generic first person shooter genre. The game made by Nimblebit looks like a fairly specific and deliberate Sim type game designed in a specific way for mobile devices. I think the screenshots chosen are good enough to come to the conclusion that it's a clone.
I'm not denying that it's a clone. I'm saying that Zynga's "ripoffs" have gone from literal feature-for-feature clones to progressively more "innovative" titles in the last 5 years. Back in 2007, my game was the second game Zynga ever copied. I've been there, I know what it feels like. It sucks. What I'm saying is that Zynga is aware of their past and is moving towards less copy and more creativity. I think their act…