A job for someone else?

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mikey · #1 Post by **mikey** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 11:24 am

Recently I was asked this by a friend - who knows what brought him to ask me this, but it's an interesting question. Seen that it's not uncommon for the gaming industry to commission a different team to make a sequel to an existing game, the question was would you agree that some other team would make a sequel to your work - like Black Pencil 2, or Heikou Begins...

At first I laughed, but then I thought about it... and who knows. For myself I can say I'm not entirely against this. Not 100% that is. But then again, there would have to be a very good reason. And as for me, I am more or less against sequels, so that would be a problem as well.

What about unfinished projects then? When someone (you) has an unfinished project knowing you don't want to/can't finish it would you consider maybe making your source files accessible so that someone else may want to pick up on your work? Despite the obvious cons as is the fact that most people have their own stories to tell...

In the gaming industry many times the creator of something doesn't have control over the direction his work will go in a sequel (unless you're Molyneux or Wright). Sure this community is perhaps too little to even be considering such questions, but still. And the question maybe isn't Would you trust someone to do a successful sequel, but Would you want to do it? Because you have a choice.

rioka · #2 Post by **rioka** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 12:19 pm

I would say "yes" but there's some conditions to that such as:
1. The person who will be making the sequel will treat my characters with respect (i.e. not make them into something they aren't unless its plot related)
2. Can make it at least on the same quality that I made the original
3. There's an actual reason for the sequel and not just for the sake of having a sequel.

Otherwise, I would generally say "no" to sequels because more likely, I will already have my own idea for one but if someone really wants to make a "sequel", well, I don't mind fan-made works... ^_^

As for unfinished projects, yeah, fat chance of that happening. I mean, when I start a game, I'll finish it even if it evolves from the original design.

mikey · #3 Post by **mikey** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 12:22 pm

eclipse wrote:Otherwise, I would generally say "no" to sequels because more likely, I will already have my own idea for one but if someone really wants to make a "sequel", well, I don't mind fan-made works... ^_^

You mean something like fan-fic-games? Hmmm...

Yay! A new renaigames soon!

rioka · #4 Post by **rioka** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 12:27 pm

Yes, exactly! Plus, with fan-made games, you can usually make anything you want to considering it's a fan-made work. Of course, if someone does do something like this, I'd expect a disclaimer saying that the work is fan-made and has nothing to do with the actual game.

Why? Thinking of a sequel with Miss B in it?

re Ren'ai Games: Yup! Hopefully, I'll finish it up and have it live sometime this week... Of course, you can see the new look now if you type three little letters differently...

mikey · #5 Post by **mikey** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 12:33 pm

Waaa, no!
I'm not worthy!

Currently I have so much to do, that that question was purely hypothetical. I haven't actually thought about Ms. B, but... I'd say her story is told... or not?

I would still perhaps get a permission from the author before doing that. Well there IS one story that needs a conclusion...

Huh? What's this smallprint??? EDIT: OMG, I got it right on the first try! Excellent!! Feels like hijacking my own thread now ^_^

Megaman Z · #6 Post by **Megaman Z** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 12:34 pm

eclipse wrote:Why? Thinking of a sequel with Miss B in it? ;P

isn't everyone? (no, seriously, who isn't... besides those with projects)

I already have some scenes planned for the later parts my series (Tales of Zeta, if you haven't checked the game dev area... yet... [need to fix thread title...]). I know full well I'm gonna do a sequel regardless of the reception it gets here (probably going to be a triligy at least). that said, I will probably let fan-game makers do a fan-game as long as it doesn't:
A) make my game's characters look really bad.
B) poke fun at 50% (or more) of my game
C) get completed and released without someone on the dev team informing me of it. I'll get a little peeved at this one...

*looks at topic review...*
is that an edit I noticed, eclipse? I didn't see that small text before...

rioka · #7 Post by **rioka** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 12:42 pm

Good point MMZ. I would be interested to know if someone is going to make and release a fan work if it's based on something I created. What's wrong with parodies? I'd totally laugh if someone explains why Randel leans a bit, for example... XD

Yes, that was an edit, and I added a bit more to clarify what I'm talking about. =)

mikey · #8 Post by **mikey** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 12:44 pm

What's with completely different personalities or mood?

Take Mission Impossible - Brian De Palma's work, a hi-tech action thriller and Ethan Hunt is a good guy who has to learn to mistrust people. Mission Impossible II - by John Woo is completely different, the lone rogue-like agent much more emotional and in love. Both are great movies (if you're a fan), but they feature an entirely different Ethan Hunt.

Would changing a personality like this be still okay?

Taleweaver · #9 Post by **Taleweaver** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 2:24 pm

Definitely not with me. I'm totally against OOC fanfics too - I was once a huge fan of Star Trek Fan Fiction, until I ran into a gazillion of slash where essentially EVERYBODY is homosexual and/or in love with an annoying Mary Sue. So if anybody were to do "MetBlues 2" (maybe featuring the new character that is revealed in the true ending?), I would be VERY annoyed to see a She that is totally different from the one at the end of MetBlues. Okay, bad example, but I generally would want all characters in a sequel game to be easily identifiable as the ones from the original, not just in art but also in behavior.

gekiganwing · #10 Post by **gekiganwing** » Tue Jul 26, 2005 4:18 pm

The quote in my subject line is from Roger Ebert. It can certainly be applied to games. Any game that uses the same story/system might just be a cash-in... but maybe not.

Few games of any genre/category that continue a story are notable. Going back a few years, Lufia 2 was pretty good, even though it was (gasp) a prequel. Sadly, I had no time for Arc the Lad 2, but I heard many good things about it.

And unfinished ideas...? Well, I wrote down the notes from Ijima High back when it seemed to be the most promising project. It had several characters and a very loose set of goals/locations. So the vagueness of what was written might make it more useful for someone fishing for ideas...

So says the Taiyaki Fan, who's glad Media Blasters licensed Sukisyo TV. Hoping for the Air anime...

Taleweaver · #11 Post by **Taleweaver** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 12:43 am

Hoping for the Air anime...

Oooh yes. It's GOOOOOOOOD!

Chuck · #12 Post by **Chuck** » Wed Jul 27, 2005 12:45 am

Taleweaver wrote:
Hoping for the Air anime...
Oooh yes. It's GOOOOOOOOD!

But yet so sad. T_T

Glasskitten · #13 Post by **Glasskitten** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 5:43 pm

I have never made a game in my life, but my personal answer to

mikey wrote:What about unfinished projects then? When someone (you) has an unfinished project knowing you don't want to/can't finish it would you consider maybe making your source files accessible so that someone else may want to pick up on your work? Despite the obvious cons as is the fact that most people have their own stories to tell...

is *deep breath* nuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
*gasp* uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
And so on. I panic when anyone tries to alter the products of my creativity in even the most practical, insignificant ways. I am not making up stories...I am telling them the way I witnessed them in my head.

I guess if it were an impersonal commercial thing to begin with, and I was only a contributor to a shared vision, it would not matter as much if someone made a sequel. I would just quietly obsess over what they did wrong for the rest of my life. =^x.x^=

mikey · #14 Post by **mikey** » Fri Jul 29, 2005 6:48 pm

I really believe you. The more personal the message, the more you treasure the work you expressed it with.

bookie · #15 Post by **bookie** » Sat Jul 30, 2005 5:30 pm

The only time I have a problem with people using anything of mine is if they pass it off as their own. As long as they don't take credit for my part of the work, I really don't care if they do whatever with my stuff. I'm the same way with visual art, writing, etc... I've gotten into trouble for suggesting that there's no harm in using something someone else has made to make something else.

I can understand the idea of wanting control over your own creative work. I just never had that want I guess. Even if someone took my game and recycled the art into something else entirely, I'd say go ahead, I don't mind at all.

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