Dugeon Stalker : Windows Phone 7

[jonnyvix]

Hello there,
being a DM love since ugh...lot of years (i was about 12 when played it for the first time on the Amiga) I've been lurking this forum since a long time and decided to signup when my game project became a little more than, well, an idea
I'm currently working on a DM-Like game on Windows Phone 7...yep, right, it will be a touch-screen, mobile/portable version ehe You can see some screenshots on my FB page here : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dungeon-S ... 5370554269

The graphics have been done from scratch or by just resizing and repainting original DM resources as well as repaints from other games (such as hexen, eotb etc).

Just some basic info :

- Single character, no 4 party. Each level you get to distribute 3 bonus points in your stats.
- Random loot generated at runtime from common to epic
- Rune casting like system for spells. Heavily "adapted" for a touch screen setup

You're more than welcome to give any feedback or ideas!

cheers

[Gambit37]

Interesting! Is this just for fun, or profit? Does WP7 have an Apps store and is that the only way people can get your game? Or will they download it as a free game from your own website or similar?

You need to be very careful if you're using assets from other games (even redraws) and releasing them through public channels. You don't have the rights to repurpose other people's work without their consent, (even for free) so you're treading on thin ice here. And you definitely can't sell other people's work either.

Custom dungeons that people have made here using assets from other games suffer the same problems. But since this community is small and pretty much self contained, it doesn't really get any exposure on the wider web so is much "safer" in that regard.

Sorry to sound a bit doom and gloom but I wanted to make sure you're aware of this before you go too far with it. That Hexen minotaur is very well known for example, and would instantly get you on the wrong radars if you sold your game for profit... you wouldn't want to become the next Limbo of the Lost.

If you're releasing anything with a wide distribution, the only option really is to generate completely original art.

[jonnyvix]

Thanks for the answer! WP7, much like Apple one, has his own App Store but you can also publish free games on that (you still have to pay for subscribing as a developer tho).

All your points are quite right. Actually the only things that I'm redrawing from base drawing are mobs, the rest is all quite original art.
Hexen mobs are a good resource for that, even considering that the resolution is 800x480 here. I tought they were now public domain but I think I'll
have to check again and be sure to remove all non-original graphics before release

cheers

[Gambit37]

"The source code of Hexen was released by Raven Software in 1999 under a license that granted rights to non-commercial use, and was re-released under the GNU General Public License on September 4, 2008" -- Wkipedia

The game data however, is still protected, so can't be reused elsewhere without permission of Raven games.

I noticed that your floor and walls are not original though, they were drawn by Cowsmanaut of this very forum. Are these just placeholders?

[jonnyvix]

Fair enough then, no way to reuse that drawings as a base. Back to the drawing board then ehe! Yes walls are there to give the idea of size and the lighting for the rest of the items.
Thanks a lot for the infos btw, I'll be sure to update this very topic as soon as I've news!

cheers

[Gambit37]

Sorry to rain on your parade I just wouldn't want you to get through a load of development only to discover you have re-do a bunch of art.

[jonnyvix]

No worries really! As you hint, its better be safe, than sorry! Going back to the art lair..brb (well...soonish eh)

[cowsmanaut]

to make sure you understand, not just those garnered from hexen or eob, or DM.. but those done by the artists here such as myself and Gambit, and so on. simply recolouring them or a few brush strokes over top doesn't constitute enough change to be thought of as original artwork. This is something I need to warn my own students about each year.

indeed, I'm all for helping people out here and there for free projects, but when you start charging for artwork I did, I get a little upset. Even at the low price of $1 per copy. I've seen the numbers the apps on my android phone get and with websites like http://www.bestwp7games.com/dungeon-sta ... -soon.html toting your virtues already, I'm sure the numbers can go quite high.

If you offer the game free, you can continue to use the images I've created, if you sell the game, then you'll need to remove them. They were created for free use of others in this community.

[linflas]

ahhh !! i've seen a white curve effect when using weapons in video ! that's MY idea since 2006 !!!!!

(i really don't care about it if the game stays free)

[jonnyvix]

to make sure you understand, not just those garnered from hexen or eob, or DM.. but those done by the artists here such as myself and Gambit, and so on. simply recolouring them or a few brush strokes over top doesn't constitute enough change to be thought of as original artwork. This is something I need to warn my own students about each year.

indeed, I'm all for helping people out here and there for free projects, but when you start charging for artwork I did, I get a little upset. Even at the low price of $1 per copy. I've seen the numbers the apps on my android phone get and with websites like http://www.bestwp7games.com/dungeon-sta ... -soon.html toting your virtues already, I'm sure the numbers can go quite high.

If you offer the game free, you can continue to use the images I've created, if you sell the game, then you'll need to remove them. They were created for free use of others in this community.

Hi there, I understand what you saying.
If you check back to fb page, you'll se a render of the newly graphics wich I'm currently setting up. I'll be posting a lot more in the next days. None of the graphics in the final version will be taken from anything but completely royalty free sources or made completely from scratch by me!
If you wish to be completely sure I'm willing to send you ( or anybody who sees anything wrong ) my graphics complete resource pack trough PM (a link ofc) for the game so that it can be examined

cheers!