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2048, success and me

gabrielecirulli.com

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Re: 2048, success and me

#31

Post by saraid216 »

spiek wrote: post #20
iambateman wrote: post #14

I added that thing to my homescreen and played it as an "app" for weeks. The only problem is 2048 gets really boring once you have a framework for how to do it. It's nice to see the background of how he was feeling during that time. The (relatively muted) outcry of "derivative" never felt fair to me. His game is more fun to play than Threes. Millions of people agree.

It's funny that you say that 2048 "gets really boring" after a while, but that it is "more fun to play than Threes". It's interesting that the balance and effort that went into Threes resulted in a game that (to me) is more complex and possesses more staying power. However, it is still regarded as not as good as a game with more immediate gratification and significantly less staying power. edit: for clarification.

> It's interesting that the balance and effort that went into Threes resulted in a game that (to me) is more complex and possesses more staying power. However, it is still regarded as not as good as a game with more immediate gratification and significantly less staying power.

You have summed up the entire game industry in a nutshell.

Re: 2048, success and me

#32

Post by napolux »

IMHO It's to late for the "official" apps. So many clones out there (let's call them clones, even if they're maybe based on the original code).

I think that this is a big missed opportunity for him (even if he had enough "success" from the original game alone)

Re: 2048, success and me

#33

Post by higherpurpose »

For authors/creators that feel themselves in situations like that, should see this talk, it might help:

http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_gilbert_success_failure_a...

I hate seeing people quit because they've been too successful all of the sudden, like the Flappy Bird guy, too, and not necessarily because "they've made it" and don't want to work anymore, but because they're freaked out about launching a "failure" next (at least in comparison with the previous breakout success).

Re: 2048, success and me

#34

Post by zodiac »

notatoad wrote: post #5

it's kind of sad that so many people insist on a native app. 2048 has always worked great on my nexus 7 just using a browser, there's no need for an app. Developers shouldn't be forced to put in extra work porting webpages to native code just to ensure they don't get overrun by cheap clones in various platform's app stores.

What about those without data plans? Wouldn't it let them play 2048 when without Wifi?

Re: 2048, success and me

#35

Post by tannerc »

pdeuchler wrote: post #27

A couple of OT thoughts... 1) It was very odd seeing something go from the HN "new" page, to the front page, to seeing people talk about it on twitter, to hearing about it from friends who have no idea what a "github" is, to my mom asking me to help her download this new game all her friends are playing. I still don't know how I feel about it. And yes, for some reason I feel like I have some sort of ownership simply…

I feel that your second point is vitally important for creators (particularly new developers) to spend time thinking about.

For a long while I was caught in the trap of believing that I wasn't any good because none of my work had "taken off" as much as the work I would hear about on HN or TechCrunch, etc. It's a dangerous place to be, particularly because it can lead to a lack of motivation and ultimately debilitating depression. But it's also a myth, to believe you're not producing the same caliber of work as others (though you may not be, that's a discussion for a whole new thread).

I think it's important for us to acknowledge just how much _luck_ plays into the success of creations like 2048. Granted, the game is stellar and beautifully crafted, but there was a lot of luck involved in the wave it got to ride, from the timing of release, to the time it was posted to HN, to the people who tweeted about it, and so on.

Re: 2048, success and me

#36

Post by MrScruff »

The difficulty for the Threes guys was that they spent a lot of time polishing what was a very simply concept. Nothing wrong with this, but it made their game straight forward to clone. If someone was releasing Tetris for the first time in the current climate they would have the same problem.

Re: 2048, success and me

#37

Post by junto »

I've been playing the mobile web version daily since this hit HN. It is a great little game for those times when you are standing in a queue or waiting to see someone. Who cares who came up the idea first. Yours is very mobile friendly. Credit goes to Gabriel for that.

Re: 2048, success and me

#38

Post by tannerc »

swalsh wrote: post #11

He seems so worried about taking someone else's credit, that he's missing the value HE brought to the table. He made the game approachable. The visual style of the game made it more fluid, which made it more approachable. At least to me, the two games he derived his own from don't seem to pull me in the same way. The app has a similar appeal. In games, there's a lot of value in visual design... he got the visual desi…

Exactly, without his version of 2048 I would have never gone on to try Threes. The aesthetic of 2048 alone prompted me to pursue better looking mobile alternatives than some of the terrible clones in the App Store.

Re: 2048, success and me

#39

Post by taiki »

prezjordan wrote: post #22

Really enjoyed this post. As someone who has been on the "Threes! was there first!!!!" train since 2048 took shape, I think I agree with both parties. Threes! is a polished game that people can pay $2.99 for in the App Store and enjoy. 2048 is a free web game that's insanely approachable (it's free) and people "get it" immediately. They both provide immense value. I see where the Threes! devs are coming from because,…

I'm just happy he's willing to give credit where it's due.

That to me, speaks volumes towards the dev's character.

Re: 2048, success and me

#40

Post by chrisBob »

I don't understand the concerns about theft and ethical issues about profiting from this. The license on GitHub says I am welcome to copy the source, modify it, and sell copies. Maybe I take that too literally, but if you see a popular game that people are willing to pay for, and there isn't already one in the app store I think you should take advantage of MIT licensed code and put it up for people to enjoy. Anyone who doesn't like the idea is welcome to make a better version and offer it for free.

I am strongly against blatant copies of apps someone is basing a business on, but I support making apps based on open source code, and making fun games available to as many people as possible.

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