Help Design the FortressCraft 2D Zombie Sequel

Thirteen1 - DJ Arcas is a name many will be familiar with, being the first person to create a game grossing more than one million dollars on Xbox Live Indie and all. For the few that don’t: DJ Arcas made FortressCraft, a wonderful little game about building anything you could imagine. But fifteen months on, what is he up to now? Aside from still providing free updates for FortressCraft, of course.

The answer is FortressCraft2D: Zombie Survival, a 2D, base-building, zombie-splattering slice of fun which is generating buzz by having its entire design process open and critique-able.

[Snookies12]

So.... They ripped off Minecraft then decided to rip off the 2D ripoff of Minecraft, Terraria? Lol sorry, just kinda made me laugh a bit.

[MadLad]

The man is a joke. Every once in a while he will make a few intelligent statements, sort of getting you to see things from his perspective. Other times, he shows just how much of an ass he is.

This is one of those times.

Can't wait to see him start slamming everyone on the internet and saying how this is totally different and not at all inspired, to say the least, by Terraria.

[djarcas]

I'll skip over your personal insults at me, and express a little confusion at your digs.

First of all, have you played it? It's available at http://underground.indiecit... and has been for quite some weeks now.

Secondly, did you read the design document? It's linked in the article, but in case you missed it : https://docs.google.com/doc...

I mean, I know full well you haven't looked at either of those before decrying it as a 'Terraria clone', and even going so far as to indicate I would deny any inspiration?

I guess you still believe Notch, who managed to convince the world that I didn't credit Minecraft in my previous game, FortressCraft; despite it being in the, you know, credits. For 18 months.

Let's have a quick look at the first line of the design doc :

“Terraria meets Borderlands, with a million zombies, and lots of Tower Defence”

Hmmm. No denying of inspiration there! However, if you actually drill down into the game itself, you'll find it doesn't really have much in common with Terraria. Or, rather,it doesn't have much in common with Terraria that it doesn't ALSO have in common with Super Mario Bros. You know, a 2d platformer, made up of blocks, with jumping and dying and mobs to kill, and bosses.

In fact the only thing that springs to mind there is NPCs; tho to be quite honest, Terraria's NPCs were more like mobile shops.

If anything, FortressCraft2D has a LOT more in common with Soldat, or Cortex Command. However, both of those are pretty obscure, which must be why you weren't accusing me of ripping those off?

And just one little comment for 'Snookies12'; did you *really* just call Terraria a "rip-off of Minecraft"?

Wow. I'd love to see you attempt to justify that little piece of vitriol!

Replies welcome!

[AlanWithTea]

Agreed. Setting aside the whole FortressCraft debate which I'm sure you're heartily sick of by now (I know I am), the rest of the accusation makes no sense.

Anyone who has played Terraria - you know, actually sat and PLAYED it rather than just reading a short blurb and looking at a picture - knows its similarity to Minecraft is limited. It's like saying Halo is a rip off of Contra. There are similarities but they're generic, not specific.

Further, anyone has bothered to check out FC2D at all can see that there's a world of difference between 'influenced by' and 'copied from'.

[IQUITN4G]

arcas, we live in a society of people that are beyond educating and so you're only wasting your time here. I personally would just take heart in knowing you'll do just fine in life from now on in with little of the usual worries that most people posting this nonsense will. Sensible people the world over know that influence is what makes everything and this is just the way it is- this regards to both your mentioning of Notch in the credits and creation itself of everything by everyone

You are now where you are because of an obvious talent and hard work which is also how it works in this world. Most of those that spew this rubbish are doomed to lead a pointless likely miserable life anyway , much of which will be because of how they've choosen to be. I honestly wouldn't bother trying to educate a whole nation of people unable to either think for themselves or are too stupid to even bother checking what they're bashing

Some of the things said are unfortunately because the concept of something seeming the same can't also be something quite different too. A bit like how people would have surely bashed on the second game to use scrolling. Dumb and not worth your time