Underground DC Developers Strike Back: Feet of Fury

frohike writes "After reading the recent article about game non-originality, I'm pleased to say that there's another entry to the Dreamcast's innovative game lineup, and this time it isn't coming from one of the Big Publishers but the underground: Feet of Fury! This independent music beat game includes player vs player gameplay and a Typing of Fury mode. It was developed by us on a $0 budget using Linux, Gimp, and various other free tools over the past few years, and it uses the BSD-licensed KallistiOS toolkit as its base. (This is the same toolkit which most homebrew developers have written the emulators and such with.) We've used a number of neat free software technologies such as Ogg Vorbis in the game itself, and we contribute a large chunk of our code back to the community in the hopes that others can follow in our footsteps. There is even a publisher ready to help you get your ideas to fruition and sell them for you, so what are you waiting for? Now's your chance to be a console developer too. Let's make some great new innovative Dreamcast games!"

Comments

Original?

[Quarters]

The game mechanic is from, "Dance Dance Revolution". How is this an original product?

Re:Original?

[nvrrobx]

The idea isn't original, but the tools used to create it could fall under the innovation category.

Groups of "hackers" got together and wrote their own ways to develop for the platform instead of the licensed software development kit you would get from Sega.

"Typing Of Fury", while not a new idea (combining "Typing Of The Dead" with "DDR"), but a combination of existing ideas is innovative, I think.

Re:Original?

[Buzz_Litebeer]

The thing is, can you find a game idea that is original?

Ok heres a game idea, lets make a game thats like a trippy roller coaster ride through sewers, except you have a gun and you have to kill the sewer life. All of this takes place in an apocalyptic future, and if you can survive this insane roller coaster ride you get to watch a fat dude rolled down a hill in a tire!

oh, wait that was a game!

I mean seriously, there is almost nothing i have thought of that hasnt been done. And everything I have thought of that hasnt been done, would be done, except that it would require shitloads of money, and be MMORPG version of games that already exist.

Even puzzle games have almost been worn out. I saw someone extolling the virtues of this game called "snord" calling it "innovative" but the thing is I had seen that game like 10 years earlier in an arcade, just oh it looked different but had the same goal nad required chunking quarters in it.

These guys arent too bad, they made an interesting game in a genre that hasnt been totally smacked around and devalued. Yes I know you could bring up britney spears dancing etc, but hey it is a relatively rare gametype, and I propose thats really all you are going to get.

i even doubt that when we move into 3d VR games (sometime in the future) that you are going to find anything that isnt really just a derivation of previous work.

Just because something that was done before, or was trying to be done before, now has technology that can do it better, does not make it unique. If that were so, if i invented tomorrow a way of transmitting data across time and space, then millions of companies could start patenting things that already exist, except that they hadnt been done before in my new ether communicator..

Just becuase you are doing something in a new medium doesnt make it unique, and i dont think there are going to be many unique games out there in terms of how the game is played.

I think the biggest thing is if you make a game have a good story, and enjoyable in terms of standard games, and for puzzle games you need to make them challenging in a new and unique way. But it in no way would really be unique in the term that it would be something "so new" that you had never been challenged similarly, or seen something like it before.

There's no way.

[WereTiger]

Dreamcast is a dead console, if I'm going to put work into developing for a console at all would I be better served to work on one that has a future?

And there's just something wrong about open-source games.

Re:There's no way.

[2nd Post!]

Sure it applies.

Developing a game is developing a game, regardless of architecture. It means learning the basics of good algorithms, good story design, good interface, optimization, perhaps some marketing and research.

Specific tools may be different, sure, but that's like saying, "Is it worth learning to program on Linux if you're going to be working on Mac/Windows/Solaris/AIX?"

The answer is yes. Skills are skills, while experience is experience, and you need both.

ummm....

[sinergy]

There have been games like this since the days of the NES games console.
How is this in any way original? Just because it uses OGG and was developed by "Open Source" people does not mean it is revolutionary.

Re:if your interested in homebrew on teh DC

[David_Bloom]

Definately be sure to read the forums too - most new releases hit there before the main page. Plus, you can read about the progress of future Dreamcast homebrew apps.

Re:Hohum - not so original perhaps

[Upaut]

Large established target-market? No. Who owns a dreamcast?
-The Dreamcast was a fantastic system, and it is safe to say that it died before its time, due to a low amount of introductory games caused by the early release date, as well as a shoddy ad campaign. I mean, really "Dreamcast... It's Thinking". Nothing like an add that states nothing about the product. They had a chance to belittle their newest competition, and blew it. I would of bought a Dreamcast that Christmas if I knew what living H311 it was going to be to "try" to obtain a PS2. Who out there would not of preferred Sega's system if they had just said "Dreamcast... We ship on time"
-One more thing, I think it is a wonderful idea for people to still be developing for this console. I am surprised that many third party game developers for the PS2 and other systems do not port their games to the dreamcast. Think of it... There are thousands of people who still own and use their Dreamcasts. With the relative ease that one can program for it, a quick, stripped down port of a PS2 game would make a wonderful demo, and secure the support of gamers on a budget (for, let us all face the fact, this system is a quarter of the cost of a PS2, and not that all worse.) thus getting more people to buy the product, allowing better games to be developed for the more powerful systems.
-Another point that few people have considered is that the Dreamcast is a good system that, frankly, the original producers have abandoned. Why had there not been a surge of self mod books released to improve upon this console, free of any wrath of Sega? If the Xbox and PS2 punish those that wish to improve upon their own system, why go through all the angst, just start using your Dreamcast again. Sony will not release a new system until 2006-2007, there is still time to "revive" Sega from its grave.
-And now, in parting, I shall speak those three words that drive those who still support this system to not loose all hope: "Long-Live-Seaman"

No way, d00d

[Atario]

Dance Dance Revolution is totally a Simon ripoff. Which is itself totally a "Simon Says" ripoff. Totally, d00d.

What I don't understand about the dance games.

[Anonymous Coward]

Dance clubs have shown a decline in patronage, even dancing as a diversion has declined as well. Yet these games come out, and people are plopping down $2 for 10 minutes to do what can be had for free (or a small cover charge) all night by dancing to a song?!?!?

Re:DIFFERENT MODERATIONS

[snarfymonster]

No and Yes.