Comments on: Snakes on a Grid http://grandtextauto.org/2006/08/15/snakes-on-a-grid/ A group blog about computer narrative, games, poetry, and art. Wed, 19 May 2010 01:52:58 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: nick http://grandtextauto.org/2006/08/15/snakes-on-a-grid/comment-page-1/#comment-92408 nick Wed, 16 Aug 2006 16:32:52 +0000 http://grandtextauto.org/?p=1266#comment-92408 I think indygamer's article on "clones" may have been making fun of the way that the term was used in the Bizarre Creations takedown email. I agree, though, Greg, that it doesn't make sense to call games with similar mechanics and some related visual elements "clones." <i>Geometry Wars</i> itself might be a clone of the 1980 Atari <a href="http://www.arcadeathome.com:8080/snap/spacduel.gif" rel="nofollow"><i>Space Duel</i></a> by that standard. The games in the indygamers list do have more in common than just being shmups, though: They use dual-stick controls for movement and continuous firing (athough <i>Grid Wars 2</i> can also be played with a mouse, like Jeff Minter's <i>Gridrunner++</i>) and they are highly abstract (although <i>Mono</i> doesn't have a "vector graphics" look, the way the others do). "Highly abstract dual-stick shmup," maybe? I think indygamer’s article on “clones” may have been making fun of the way that the term was used in the Bizarre Creations takedown email. I agree, though, Greg, that it doesn’t make sense to call games with similar mechanics and some related visual elements “clones.” Geometry Wars itself might be a clone of the 1980 Atari Space Duel by that standard.

The games in the indygamers list do have more in common than just being shmups, though: They use dual-stick controls for movement and continuous firing (athough Grid Wars 2 can also be played with a mouse, like Jeff Minter’s Gridrunner++) and they are highly abstract (although Mono doesn’t have a “vector graphics” look, the way the others do). “Highly abstract dual-stick shmup,” maybe?

]]> By: andrew http://grandtextauto.org/2006/08/15/snakes-on-a-grid/comment-page-1/#comment-92407 andrew Wed, 16 Aug 2006 15:57:43 +0000 http://grandtextauto.org/?p=1266#comment-92407 <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=shmup">shmup</a> — I had to look that one up. I was hoping it was meant to spelled <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=schmup" >schmup</a>, i.e. Yiddish, perhaps a variant of schmuck, perhaps meaning "copycat", but nope. shmup — I had to look that one up.

I was hoping it was meant to spelled schmup, i.e. Yiddish, perhaps a variant of schmuck, perhaps meaning “copycat”, but nope.

]]> By: Greg http://grandtextauto.org/2006/08/15/snakes-on-a-grid/comment-page-1/#comment-92404 Greg Wed, 16 Aug 2006 13:04:03 +0000 http://grandtextauto.org/?p=1266#comment-92404 I think it quite unfair to call these "Geometry Wars clones". They are shmups. Shmups have been with us at least since Galaga. Geometry Wars is not a lot different from, say, nullpointer's Endless Fire. Geometry Wars is a well-executed instance of the genre, but it is hardly original. I think it quite unfair to call these “Geometry Wars clones”. They are shmups. Shmups have been with us at least since Galaga. Geometry Wars is not a lot different from, say, nullpointer’s Endless Fire. Geometry Wars is a well-executed instance of the genre, but it is hardly original.

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