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Re: Rip-Off!!
Posted By: REBDate: 1/30/02 7:20 p.m.

In Response To: Re: Rip-Off!! (Hamish Sinclair)

: Ok now hang on a minute. There's a big difference between 'inspiration' and
: 'stealing". At least in my book. What's the backstory to "Lost
: Tomb"? Wandering around a pyramid/maze finding and killing stuff
: isn't exactly an uncommon game theme. I certainly would be interested to
: know more about this game and the backstory (if any). What's the games
: objective? Does the player actually parachute into the jungle at the
: start? Let's get some feedback going. Thanks.

: Cheers
: Hamish

A Brief Description Of Lost Tomb

There's no background story, you just land on top of the pyramid. The game consist of finding a key chest and exit the room where you are before time runs out. When that happens, the walls start shooting while the whole level is shaken by an earthquake. Walking over a regular chest resets time and environment, plus you get supplies (bullets, whips, points.) There are essentially 2 kind of designs for the 80+ rooms you'll have to cross to exit the pyramid. As you go deeper, the rooms become harder and harder, with more foes (spiders, scorpions, bats, zombies) and earthquake triggers.

What's Unique About This Game

After the first level, you're presented with a map of the pyramid that you must use to plan your route to the next stair that let you advance one level. Each level consist of several rooms; the deeper the level, the more rooms it has. When you reach a stair you must choose between 2 doors. If you go the wrong way (and trust me, you will) you can go back and take the other door. The state of the rooms you've visited is not saved, except for royal chambers.

Parallels Between Lost Tomb And PiD

  1. The player arrive on a parachute
  2. The pyramid's deep in the tropical jungle.
  3. The use of the term Lock and Load (on PiD it's Lock & Load)
  4. Being able to go back and forth between rooms/levels.
  5. Earthquakes.

Conclusion

The same idea behind Lost Tomb is present on PiD. Some things are changed (the player's parachute doesn't opens, the pyramid is in Yucatán, the earthquakes are caused by Ghasts instead of time limit, etc...) while other elements are completely new - or not based on Lost Tomb.

Copy Or Influence?

I say copy. Anything based on the same idea as another previously released work is a copy - no matter what an american lawyer may say. An influence is an idea so popular, so accepted by a group or individual, that it changes the perception of certain things.

Like the invisible man: the novel was so popular, than the idea of somebody becoming invisible by artificial means became part of the scifi community. That's influence.

Light sabers, on the other hand, are only seen on the StarWars universe. Any other scifi movie that includes light sabers are copying StarWars.

Copying without asking permission first is stealing!

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Pre-2004 Posts

Replies:

Rip-Off!!REB 1/28/02 7:46 p.m.
     Re: Rip-Off!!archon 1/28/02 9:14 p.m.
           Re: Rip-Off!!Vid Boi 1/29/02 4:40 a.m.
                 Re: Rip-Off!!Djof@School 1/29/02 7:25 a.m.
                       That's what's so mysterious about it! *NM*Vid Boi 1/29/02 1:29 p.m.
                 Re: Rip-Off!!D-M.A. 1/29/02 11:20 a.m.
                       You must watch too much of the show '1st Wave'...Ernie 1/29/02 12:47 p.m.
     OMG!! Why hasn't Hamish found out about this yet?Vid Boi 1/29/02 4:42 a.m.
     Re: Rip-Off!!Hamish Sinclair 1/29/02 11:59 a.m.
           Re: Rip-Off!!M-Class 1/29/02 4:34 p.m.
           Re: Rip-Off!!REB 1/30/02 7:20 p.m.
                 Re: Rip-Off!!archon 1/30/02 7:43 p.m.
                       Re: Rip-Off!!REB 1/31/02 7:37 a.m.
                 Re: Rip-Off!!Hamish Sinclair 1/31/02 1:06 a.m.
                       Rip-Off, Revisited...Beer Can 2/4/02 12:42 a.m.
     Re: Rip-Off!!Dan 6/10/02 1:37 p.m.
           Re: Rip-Off!!REB 6/10/02 6:42 p.m.



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