Swing Copters clones, share in here!

o and another question how do you make it look like there legs are moving ??

— Cool, that's really interesting! I wonder what algorithms they base the "Similar" list on. Could it have been the name, or something else?

Thanks for sharing. Good luck with the new game!

I didn't find Swing Copters fun. Way too hard for me

But I made a clone to see how quick I it could be done. Keept my Kim Jong Theme and made "Kim Jong Swing"

But I published the game 12hours ago and I still can't find it on google play nor through the direct link in google play developer. How do I know if the game was rejected or not? Are you not allowed to have Swing in your name now?

Never had to wait over 12hours to publish a game before so I think something is preventing it to show up.

Yup, Google and Apple has taken a special focus on Swing Copters clone due it the wide press coverage. So definitely Dongatory has received special treatment here, when heaps of other clones go unchecked.

I've contacted some google moderators and they say you cannot have similar games with the words swing & copters in the description. They are also filtering out games and flag it on submission if its got these meta.

Honestly I would be 100% FINE and happy if clones weren't allowed. But I am quite annoyed at the double standard and special treatment.

I totally agree. But I would be glad to se all these clones disappear. So you can focus on making creative games and don't have to feel that others just cashing in on clones

But I changed the name of my app now from Kim Jong Swing to Kim Jong Jetpack and removed all swing words from the description. That might do it

So after the name change it came up straight away. So you can't have swing in the title anymore. So here is my version of Swing Copters <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz"> Took about 3hours from start to finnish.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... ongjetpack

[attachment=0:2ox4ujhq]function.png[/attachment:2ox4ujhq]

i cant get the player movement right can you let me know how you did it?

If you are asking me I used this set up. The "kimspeed" is set to 700 in my game.

I used a global variable/bolean that toggles every touch on screen. So if left is true if goes left else it goes to the right

[attachment=0:364cklb1][/attachment:364cklb1]

angellondon

I used to despise cloning too, thats why my Flappy came so late. But it all changed when I was seeing even established studios releasing their own versions, just for fun or to catch that wave...

Noodlecake

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deve ... 0Inc&hl=en

Butterscotch Shenanigans

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deve ... henanigans

And many more.

Here's the thing about your point regarding creativity: Flappy itself wasn't unique. There were games very similar to it, many years before it. Flappy Bird was a flop for many months UNTIL it was promoted by popular youtube reviewers. That got the press going.

Swing Copters isn't unique. It's a derivative of endless jumping games, many of them have lots of obstacles and whatnot. I see no creativity there to be honest with you.

If you, I or other nobody indie devs made the EXACT same game as Swing Copters and released it, nobody would give a shit (pardon my french). But the reason we all know about it and many want to play it ASAP, is because of the press and what it has given Dong Nguyen, fame.

I don't make a clone out of malice, to me, its riding the press wave. All the press want to devote themselves to cover the search term Swing Copters and so the potential free publicity is just waiting, if you don't do it quick, the opportunity is gone. Once the wave dies down, the press moves on to something else.

It took me 5 hours to make starting to online on the store, most of that time was spent hand drawing my own assets (stealing art assets is definitely crossing the line). If it can make me a few hundred $ for that 5 hrs, great, that's another device I can test my big games on. If I did not make any money with the Flappy clone, I would NOT have been able to afford porting games to iOS.

Your point regarding the profile of developers, I speak as a gamer, I don't care about what you've made that nobody plays. I care once you manage to make a hit, for many reasons (a good game itself is not a guarantee to success), and after that, your later games already have a good foundation/fame to start with.

Edit: Do you care that Noodlecake did multiple Flappy clones? I doubt it.

Edit2: Also let's not forget, a new game with a few copy cat is being cloned, but a lot? It's created a new genre. Think Endless runners, jumping, match 3, etc. I had some funny comments from Steam regarding my big game Star Nomad, they were saying "it's just a Space Ranger/SPAZ/Drox Operative clone!".. really, it's a bloody SPACESIM, all the games of this genre are similar.

Edit3: Lastly, regarding your creativity concern, here's my own take on a unique quick tap/puzzle game: https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... rewallfree

I came up with the idea out of the blue. Is it a good game? I think so, as well as everyone who have tried it. The problem is I am a nobody, so no gaming site is gonna mention it (I've tried), so gamers out there don't even know it exists. Now if this game was mentioned and covered by popular youtube reviewers? I bet you it would have heaps of players. Thus, as much as its about creativity, talent and what else, marketing/publicity and pure dumb luck plays a major role. Which leads back to the other major point: Ride the press wave.

— Sorry for my late reply, I'm back at work after a long weekend <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile">

Thanks for sharing your views, they were well articulated and interesting to read. You raise a lot of good points; I think I understand it a bit better, now.

Not condoning either Flappy or Swing Copters as original or creative titles, they're clearly not. By suggesting that it's okay to clone games that aren't creative though, it sort of suggests that it's not okay to clone games that are creative. It's hard to define what counts as "creative" and "not creative", and "original" and "not original" actually. Where do you draw the line? Is there a line to draw? Or is this a totally irrelevant question, and the question is more about what the cloner could gain from it?

If I were to clone a game to ride the wave, gain publicity and make a quick buck, I would feel worried for the profile that I was creating for myself. Would I make a name for myself that I wouldn't want to have? As a "cloner", as being "greedy", as one who "steals others' ideas". Is it the right sort of attention and publicity to draw towards myself if you want to raise your profile as a creative person, let alone as a games developer? I'm not sure.

I do care about the number of clones on the store, and that Noodlecake made so many of the same game. I think it's pretty crazy! I'm trying to understand it, beyond the financial gains to be made.

I empathise about the visibility problem. This has plagued my career in games so far, I've worked on PSN, XBLA and iPhone titles that were just buried because of poor visibility. We actually had press reviews in major online gaming sites, took the games to conventions, plugged them everywhere to everyone that would listen... still not enough. It's frustrating as all hell.

At all the games conventions/conferences I've been to lately, all the suits on the podiums have been telling mobile game/app developers that the only way to break through this problem is to buy players. That each audience member you could buy could potentially cost you between $5-7. And they have all these formulas for calculating the revenue you can "extract" from your players and how to retain their interest through cheap tricks and behavioural conditioning and all this and that... I don't have an answer. I don't know if they're right. When asked "but how can a new developer break in, if the only way to be seen is to buy players?", they replied "get a loan."

I wish you every success with your Firewall title, nonetheless. It looks like a fun game, and I'll download it at lunch break <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile">

Edit:

Honestly I would be 100% FINE and happy if clones weren't allowed. But I am quite annoyed at the double standard and special treatment.

Yeah, I saw this over the weekend. I don't understand the special treatment either; I think that's bullsh**. Either ban them all or ban none.

DUTOIT is right, if you haven't learnt it yourself, you will never get experience. One Idea with couple of events can be branched to make other ideas, and events. So with the right experience you can make almost any game. Just THINK , TEST , then WORK. Hope it helps ashar

If you are asking me I used this set up. The "kimspeed" is set to 700 in my game.

I used a global variable/bolean that toggles every touch on screen. So if left is true if goes left else it goes to the right

[attachment=0:3i4erxlk][/attachment:3i4erxlk]

thats is simple move left / right by touch the screen

but if you see the swing copter particularity that when you change direction, there is a little decceleration effect that make the game difficult and addictif then , in the same game , you have to avoid obstacles and by touching the screen not on any moments , but on special moment that make the player not colloide with the obstacles or you die

> If you are asking me I used this set up. The "kimspeed" is set to 700 in my game.

>

> I used a global variable/bolean that toggles every touch on screen. So if left is true if goes left else it goes to the right

>

> [attachment=0:23009o4f][/attachment:23009o4f]

>

thats is simple move left / right by touch the screen

but if you see the swing copter particularity that when you change direction, there is a little decceleration effect that make the game difficult and addictif then , in the same game , you have to avoid obstacles and by touching the screen not on any moments , but on special moment that make the player not colloide with the obstacles or you die

I know. I didn't enjoy swing copters and don't know anyone who do so I didn't put so much time on the clone. But if you want to include the swing effect you can do this by messing with the angle of the sprite on tap or by using sine.

Here is an example using sine. It is not perfect but with this method and some tweaking you should be able to recreate the exact feeling of swing copters <img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_smile.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile">

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/100 ... Swing.capx

I've just published my clone / variation Swingy Angie on Google Play and Opera Store. I'm waiting for approval on three other appstores.

I made one too, with Doge... It's a way easier than the original

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... dogecopter