Clone - Revision history

Carney: /* Comprehensive Clone List */ restored direct link, updated archive link

2025-02-06T17:07:26Z

Comprehensive Clone List: restored direct link, updated archive link

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:07, 6 February 2025
Line 51:		Line 51:

	==Comprehensive Clone List==		==Comprehensive Clone List==
	*[https~~://web.archive.org/web/20240222162135/http~~://www.lcurtisboyle.com/nitros9/clones.html Clone List] at [[L. Curtis Boyle]]'s site. (~~Link points~~ to ~~archived~~ page, ~~since~~ the ~~site is down at the moment)~~.		*[https://www.lcurtisboyle.com/nitros9/clones.html Clone List] at [[L. Curtis Boyle]]'s site. (Also, here's a [https://web.archive.org/web/20241224144012/http://www.lcurtisboyle.com/nitros9/clones.html link to the archive version] in case the page goes down.) Note that it's still a work in progress, missing the various closes of Pac-Man, etc.

	==CoCo '''NON''' Clone Examples==		==CoCo '''NON''' Clone Examples==

Carney: /* The clone experience: Cons and Pros */

2025-02-06T17:01:24Z

The clone experience: Cons and Pros

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:01, 6 February 2025
Line 25:		Line 25:
	The upshot was that, in looking at the overall CoCo game library, the paucity of big-name brand-name titles makes the CoCo seem much more marginal and unpopular in the market than being the large retail success it really was. Morale and the validation of having brand-name titles is a big part of the experience of owning a given platform, and unfortunately CoCo owners had to suffer the demoralizing effect of not having the official ''Pac-Man'', ''Donkey Kong'', etc.		The upshot was that, in looking at the overall CoCo game library, the paucity of big-name brand-name titles makes the CoCo seem much more marginal and unpopular in the market than being the large retail success it really was. Morale and the validation of having brand-name titles is a big part of the experience of owning a given platform, and unfortunately CoCo owners had to suffer the demoralizing effect of not having the official ''Pac-Man'', ''Donkey Kong'', etc.

	Again, though we did have the compensating benefit of the gigantic retail presence of Radio Shack ~~in contrast to~~ Commodore and Atari owners never ~~being~~ certain what random department or mom-and-pop electronics store might carry the title they wanted. And many clones were so good that, other than the prestige of morale-boost of the actual brand name title, CoCo owners got to enjoy the same action and other fun.		Again, though, we did have the compensating benefit of the gigantic retail presence of Radio Shack, while Commodore and Atari owners could never be certain what random department or mom-and-pop electronics store might carry the title they wanted, or repair their equipment. And many clones were so good that, other than the prestige of morale-boost of the actual brand name title, CoCo owners still got to enjoy the same action and other fun.

	==CoCo Clone Examples==		==CoCo Clone Examples==

Carney at 19:19, 30 September 2024

2024-09-30T19:19:50Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:19, 30 September 2024
Line 50:		Line 50:
	\|}		\|}

			==Comprehensive Clone List==
			*[https://web.archive.org/web/20240222162135/http://www.lcurtisboyle.com/nitros9/clones.html Clone List] at [[L. Curtis Boyle]]'s site. (Link points to archived page, since the site is down at the moment).

	==CoCo '''NON''' Clone Examples==		==CoCo '''NON''' Clone Examples==
Line 74:		Line 76:
	\|}		\|}

	~~etc~~. ~~etc~~.		Curtis Boyle also has a list of [https://web.archive.org/web/20231201202111/http://www.lcurtisboyle.com/nitros9/originals.html authorized ports].

	[[Category:Software]]		[[Category:Software]]

Carney: /* Cloning vs. Piracy */

2024-09-15T00:30:33Z

Cloning vs. Piracy

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:30, 14 September 2024
Line 9:		Line 9:
	==Cloning vs. Piracy==		==Cloning vs. Piracy==

	Clones were NOT pirated. Pirated games are directly copied (like Xeroxing a book and selling that copy). Sometimes the pirated ~~came~~ was entirely identical to the original but sometimes a pirated game has had to be "cracked" -- meaning its source code has been altered to remove or otherwise defeat anti-pirating features of the original code, such as commands to disable copying ability, or requirements that the user answer questions from the authorized version's printed manual, etc.		Clones were NOT pirated. Pirated games are directly copied (like Xeroxing a book and selling that copy). Sometimes the pirated game's code was entirely identical to the original but sometimes a pirated game has had to be "cracked" -- meaning its source code has been altered to remove or otherwise defeat anti-pirating features of the original code, such as commands to disable copying ability, or requirements that the user answer questions from the authorized version's printed manual, etc.

	By contrast, clones do not make use of the original game's source code. Either the clone authors can't see or get to the source code because of copy protection, sometimes the source code is physically unavailable (being de facto locked away inside an arcade cabinet), sometimes the authors are just being careful to avoid being sued. Instead, their code is written from scratch, in an often-laborious effort to re-create the entire experience of the original game. Sometimes clone authors end up writing code very similar to the original because that's just the best or even only way to do it, but sometimes they find new and different ways to accomplish the same task.		By contrast, clones do not make use of the original game's source code. Either the clone authors can't see or get to the source code because of copy protection, sometimes the source code is physically unavailable (being de facto locked away inside an arcade cabinet), sometimes the authors are just being careful to avoid being sued. Instead, their code is written from scratch, in an often-laborious effort to re-create the entire experience of the original game. Sometimes clone authors end up writing code very similar to the original because that's just the best or even only way to do it, but sometimes they find new and different ways to accomplish the same task.

Carney at 00:15, 15 September 2024

2024-09-15T00:15:32Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:15, 14 September 2024
Line 2:		Line 2:

	The term is sometimes derogatory, implying a lack of originality, but clones can be anything from a pure "ripoff", to a derivative or improvement on the original, or even a homage to it.		The term is sometimes derogatory, implying a lack of originality, but clones can be anything from a pure "ripoff", to a derivative or improvement on the original, or even a homage to it.

			==Legality==

	Given the newness of the software market in the 1980s, making a clone of a game was not illegal, provided there was no outright copyright violation (such as re-using copyrighted source code) nor trademark infringement (such as re-using the original's exact name). But as the gaming market grew, large developers felt the need and ability to sue the developers of clones which were too similar to originals [http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=2712]. These "look and feel" lawsuits, such as ''Apple v. Microsoft'', are not common, but remain an option for developers who feel their franchises are at risk.		Given the newness of the software market in the 1980s, making a clone of a game was not illegal, provided there was no outright copyright violation (such as re-using copyrighted source code) nor trademark infringement (such as re-using the original's exact name). But as the gaming market grew, large developers felt the need and ability to sue the developers of clones which were too similar to originals [http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=2712]. These "look and feel" lawsuits, such as ''Apple v. Microsoft'', are not common, but remain an option for developers who feel their franchises are at risk.

	In contrast with its competitors like the Atari 800 line and the Commodore 64, the CoCo market often lacked authorized ports of major brand-name titles (especially games) and had to make do with clones instead. This was the price CoCo owners paid for having the unique convenience and reassurance of the vast network of thousands of Radio Shack stores and hundreds of Radio Shack Computer Centers offering CoCo repairs, upgrades, software, and accessories. Because Tandy mostly refused to let independent "brick and mortar" computer and department stores sell Tandy computers like the CoCo (with the exception of the short-lived [[TDP-100]] experiment), those non-Radio Shack stores then did not want to sell CoCo accessories or software either, since those stores wanted to be able to sell you a computer AND the software for it. That meant the only available large-scale retail outlet for an authorized CoCo port would be Radio Shack stores, forcing big-name third-party software developers who wanted to do a CoCo port to ask Tandy to give it a Radio Shack Catalog Number and actually publish the title. That meant Tandy taking an additional chunk of the revenue even beyond the retailer markup. And ''THAT'' was if Tandy were even willing to allow its limited catalog and retail space to carry the title.		==Cloning vs. Piracy==

			Clones were NOT pirated. Pirated games are directly copied (like Xeroxing a book and selling that copy). Sometimes the pirated came was entirely identical to the original but sometimes a pirated game has had to be "cracked" -- meaning its source code has been altered to remove or otherwise defeat anti-pirating features of the original code, such as commands to disable copying ability, or requirements that the user answer questions from the authorized version's printed manual, etc.

			By contrast, clones do not make use of the original game's source code. Either the clone authors can't see or get to the source code because of copy protection, sometimes the source code is physically unavailable (being de facto locked away inside an arcade cabinet), sometimes the authors are just being careful to avoid being sued. Instead, their code is written from scratch, in an often-laborious effort to re-create the entire experience of the original game. Sometimes clone authors end up writing code very similar to the original because that's just the best or even only way to do it, but sometimes they find new and different ways to accomplish the same task.

			==Why did the CoCo market have so many clones?==

			In contrast with its competitors like the Atari 800 line and the Commodore 64, the CoCo market often lacked authorized ports of major brand-name titles (especially games) and had to make do with clones instead. This was the price CoCo owners paid for having the unique convenience and reassurance of the vast network of thousands of Radio Shack stores and hundreds of Radio Shack Computer Centers offering CoCo repairs, upgrades, software, and accessories. Because Tandy mostly refused to let independent "brick and mortar" computer and department stores sell Tandy computers like the CoCo (with the exception of the short-lived [[TDP-100]] experiment), those non-Radio Shack stores then did not want to sell CoCo accessories or software either, since those stores wanted to be able to sell you a computer AND the software for it. That meant the only available large-scale retail outlet for an authorized CoCo port would be Radio Shack stores, forcing big-name third-party software developers who wanted to do a CoCo port to ask Tandy to give it a Radio Shack Catalog Number and actually publish the title. That meant Tandy taking an additional chunk of the revenue even beyond the retailer markup. And ''THAT'' was if Tandy were even willing to allow its limited catalog and retail space to carry the title. As a result, the CoCo got fewer ports of major titles than Commodore, Atari, Apple, etc.

	Sometimes Tandy itself published and sold clones. It's not always clear whether Tandy did this to simply cut out the licensing fee necessary to pay the rights-holders of the original game, or because the rights-holders had refused to permit Tandy to sell an authorized port out of not wanting to give Tandy a chunk of the revenue.		Sometimes Tandy itself published and sold clones. It's not always clear whether Tandy did this to simply cut out the licensing fee necessary to pay the rights-holders of the original game, or because the rights-holders had refused to permit Tandy to sell an authorized port out of not wanting to give Tandy a publisher's chunk of the revenue on top of the retailer markup.

	Other times, small independent software houses, much smaller than the giants that had written the originals, would do the clone and sell it through the vital channel of mail-order, advertised in [[Publications#Magazines\|CoCo magazines]].		Other times, instead of Tandy, it was small independent software houses, much smaller than the giants that had written the originals, who would do the clone and sell it through the vital channel of mail-order, advertised in [[Publications#Magazines\|CoCo magazines]].

	The upshot was that, in looking at the overall CoCo game library, the paucity of big-name brand-name titles makes the CoCo seem much more marginal and unpopular in the market than the large retail success it really was. Morale and the validation of having brand-name titles is a big part of the experience of owning a given platform, and unfortunately CoCo owners had to suffer the demoralizing effect of not having the official ''Pac-Man'', ''Donkey Kong'', etc. Although, again, we did have the compensating benefit of the gigantic retail presence of Radio Shack in contrast to Commodore and Atari owners never being certain what random department or mom-and~~-pop electronics store might carry the title they wanted.~~		==The clone experience: Cons and Pros==

	~~Some examples~~ of CoCo ~~clones:~~		The upshot was that, in looking at the overall CoCo game library, the paucity of big-name brand-name titles makes the CoCo seem much more marginal and unpopular in the market than being the large retail success it really was. Morale and the validation of having brand-name titles is a big part of the experience of owning a given platform, and unfortunately CoCo owners had to suffer the demoralizing effect of not having the official ''Pac-Man'', ''Donkey Kong'', etc.

	~~''Donkey Kong''~~		Again, though we did have the compensating benefit of the gigantic retail presence of Radio Shack in contrast to Commodore and Atari owners never being certain what random department or mom-and-pop electronics store might carry the title they wanted. And many clones were so good that, other than the prestige of morale-boost of the actual brand name title, CoCo owners got to enjoy the same action and other fun.
	*''[[The King]]''
	*''[[Dunky Munky]]''

	~~''Donkey Kong Jr.''~~		==CoCo Clone Examples==
	*''[[Junior's Revenge]]''
	*''[[The Return of Junior's Revenge]]''

	''Space Invaders''		{\| class="wikitable"
	*''[[~~Space Assault~~]]'' (Radio Shack ~~title)~~		\|+
			\|-
			! Clone !! Clone of !! Publisher !! Year !! Catalog # !! Palette
			\|-
			\| ''[[Space Assault]]'' \|\| ''Space Invaders'' \|\| Radio Shack \|\| style="text-align:center;"\|1981\|\| 26-3060 \|\| Green Red Blue Yellow
			\|-
			\| ''[[Polaris]]'' \|\| ''Missile Command'' \|\| Radio Shack \|\| style="text-align:center;"\|1981\|\| 26-3065 \|\| Various
			\|-
			\| ''[[Donkey King]]'' \|\| ''Donkey Kong'' \|\| [[Tom Mix Software]] \|\| style="text-align:center;"\|1982\|\| \|\| Black White Red Blue
			\|-
			\| ''[[Buzzard Bait]]'' \|\| ''Joust'' \|\| [[Tom Mix Software]] \|\| style="text-align:center;"\|1982\|\| \|\| Black White Red Blue
			\|-
			\| ''[[Junior's Revenge]]'' \|\| ''Donkey Kong Jr.'' \|\| [[Computerware]] \|\| style="text-align:center;"\|1983\|\| \|\| Black White Red Blue
			\|-
			\| ''[[Trapfall]]'' \|\| ''Pitfall'' \|\| [[Tom Mix Software]] \|\| style="text-align:center;"\|1983\|\| \|\| Green Red Blue Yellow
			\|-
			\| ''[[Sailor Man]]'' \|\| ''Popeye'' \|\| [[Tom Mix Software]] \|\| style="text-align:center;"\|1982\|\| \|\| Black White Red Blue
			\|-
			\|}

	~~Missile Command~~
	*''[[Polaris]]'' (sold at Radio Shack)

	''~~Popeye~~''		==CoCo '''NON''' Clone Examples==
	*''[[Sailor Man]]''

	The CoCo did got some official authorized titles. ~~Examples~~ of non-clones are:		The CoCo did got some official authorized titles. Just a few examples of non-clones are:

	* ''Arkanoid''		{\| class="wikitable"
	* ''Frogger''		\|+
	* ''Pooyan''		\|-
	* ''Rampage''		! Name !! Publisher !! Year !! Catalog # !! Palette
	* ''~~Super~~ Pitfall''		\|-
	* ''Tetris''		\| ''[[Arkanoid]]'' \|\| Taito \|\| style="text-align:center;"\|1989\|\| 26-3043 \|\| Various
	* ''Zaxxon''		\|-
			\| ''[[Frogger]]'' \|\| Sega \|\| style="text-align:center;"\|1983\|\| 26-3065 \|\| Green Red Blue Yellow
			\|-
			\| ''[[Pooyan]]'' \|\| [[Datasoft]] \|\| style="text-align:center;"\|1983\|\| 26-3048 \|\| White Cyan Magenta Orange
			\|-
			\| ''[[Pitfall II]]'' \|\| [[SRB Software]] \|\| style="text-align:center;"\|1985\|\| 26-3287 \|\| Black White Red Blue
			\|-
			\| ''[[Tetris]]'' \|\| Academy Soft-ELORG \|\| style="text-align:center;"\|1987\|\| 26-3163 \|\| Various
			\|-
			\| ''[[Zaxxon]]'' \|\| [[Datasoft]] \|\| style="text-align:center;"\|1983\|\| 26-3062 \|\| Black White Red Blue
			\|-
			\|}

	etc.		etc. etc.

	[[Category:Software]]		[[Category:Software]]

Carney at 17:15, 14 September 2024

2024-09-14T17:15:10Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:15, 14 September 2024
Line 11:		Line 11:
	Other times, small independent software houses, much smaller than the giants that had written the originals, would do the clone and sell it through the vital channel of mail-order, advertised in [[Publications#Magazines\|CoCo magazines]].		Other times, small independent software houses, much smaller than the giants that had written the originals, would do the clone and sell it through the vital channel of mail-order, advertised in [[Publications#Magazines\|CoCo magazines]].

	The upshot was that, in looking at the overall CoCo game library, the paucity of big-name brand-name titles makes the CoCo seem much more marginal and unpopular in the market than the large retail success it really was. Morale and the validation of having brand-name titles is a big part of the experience of owning a given platform, and unfortunately CoCo owners had to suffer the demoralizing effect of not having the official Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, etc. Although, again, we did have the compensating benefit of the gigantic retail presence of Radio Shack in contrast to Commodore and Atari owners never being certain what random department or mom-and-pop electronics store might carry the title they wanted.		The upshot was that, in looking at the overall CoCo game library, the paucity of big-name brand-name titles makes the CoCo seem much more marginal and unpopular in the market than the large retail success it really was. Morale and the validation of having brand-name titles is a big part of the experience of owning a given platform, and unfortunately CoCo owners had to suffer the demoralizing effect of not having the official ''Pac-Man'', ''Donkey Kong'', etc. Although, again, we did have the compensating benefit of the gigantic retail presence of Radio Shack in contrast to Commodore and Atari owners never being certain what random department or mom-and-pop electronics store might carry the title they wanted.

	Some examples of CoCo clones:		Some examples of CoCo clones:

Carney at 17:13, 14 September 2024

2024-09-14T17:13:42Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:13, 14 September 2024
Line 9:		Line 9:
	Sometimes Tandy itself published and sold clones. It's not always clear whether Tandy did this to simply cut out the licensing fee necessary to pay the rights-holders of the original game, or because the rights-holders had refused to permit Tandy to sell an authorized port out of not wanting to give Tandy a chunk of the revenue.		Sometimes Tandy itself published and sold clones. It's not always clear whether Tandy did this to simply cut out the licensing fee necessary to pay the rights-holders of the original game, or because the rights-holders had refused to permit Tandy to sell an authorized port out of not wanting to give Tandy a chunk of the revenue.

	Other times, small independent software houses, much smaller than the giants that had written the originals, would do the clone and sell it through the vital channel of mail-order, advertised in ~~the vital channel of~~ [[Publications#Magazines\|CoCo magazines]].		Other times, small independent software houses, much smaller than the giants that had written the originals, would do the clone and sell it through the vital channel of mail-order, advertised in [[Publications#Magazines\|CoCo magazines]].

	The upshot was that, in looking at the overall CoCo game library, the paucity of big-name brand-name titles makes the CoCo seem much more marginal and unpopular in the market than the large retail success it really was. Morale and the validation of having brand-name titles is a big part of the experience of owning a given platform, and unfortunately CoCo owners had to suffer the demoralizing effect of not having the official Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, etc. Although, again, we did have the compensating benefit of the gigantic retail presence of Radio Shack in contrast to Commodore and Atari owners never being certain what random department or mom-and-pop electronics store might carry the title they wanted.		The upshot was that, in looking at the overall CoCo game library, the paucity of big-name brand-name titles makes the CoCo seem much more marginal and unpopular in the market than the large retail success it really was. Morale and the validation of having brand-name titles is a big part of the experience of owning a given platform, and unfortunately CoCo owners had to suffer the demoralizing effect of not having the official Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, etc. Although, again, we did have the compensating benefit of the gigantic retail presence of Radio Shack in contrast to Commodore and Atari owners never being certain what random department or mom-and-pop electronics store might carry the title they wanted.

Carney at 17:13, 14 September 2024

2024-09-14T17:13:02Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:13, 14 September 2024
Line 1:		Line 1:
	In the computer and video game industry, a '''clone''' is a game or game series which is very similar to or heavily inspired by a previous popular game or game series. Some genres are founded by such archetypical games that all subsequent similar games are thought of as derivatives.		In the computer and video game industry, a '''clone''' is a game or game series which is very similar to or heavily inspired by a previous popular game or game series, and lacks the official permission, blessing, or endorsement of the rights-holder of the original game it resembles. Some genres are founded by such archetypical games that all subsequent similar games are thought of as derivatives.

	The term is sometimes derogatory, implying a lack of originality, but clones can be anything from a pure "ripoff", to a ~~legitimate~~ derivative or improvement on the original, or even a homage to it.		The term is sometimes derogatory, implying a lack of originality, but clones can be anything from a pure "ripoff", to a derivative or improvement on the original, or even a homage to it.

	In the 1980s, making a clone of a game was not illegal, provided no outright copyright violation or trademark infringement ~~was involved, but~~ as the gaming market grew, large developers felt the need and ability to sue the developers of clones which were too similar to originals [http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=2712]. These look and feel lawsuits, such as Apple v. Microsoft, are not common, but remain an option for developers who feel their franchises are at risk.		Given the newness of the software market in the 1980s, making a clone of a game was not illegal, provided there was no outright copyright violation (such as re-using copyrighted source code) nor trademark infringement (such as re-using the original's exact name). But as the gaming market grew, large developers felt the need and ability to sue the developers of clones which were too similar to originals [http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=2712]. These "look and feel" lawsuits, such as ''Apple v. Microsoft'', are not common, but remain an option for developers who feel their franchises are at risk.

	~~Some examples~~ of games ~~cloned by~~ CoCo developers ~~include~~		In contrast with its competitors like the Atari 800 line and the Commodore 64, the CoCo market often lacked authorized ports of major brand-name titles (especially games) and had to make do with clones instead. This was the price CoCo owners paid for having the unique convenience and reassurance of the vast network of thousands of Radio Shack stores and hundreds of Radio Shack Computer Centers offering CoCo repairs, upgrades, software, and accessories. Because Tandy mostly refused to let independent "brick and mortar" computer and department stores sell Tandy computers like the CoCo (with the exception of the short-lived [[TDP-100]] experiment), those non-Radio Shack stores then did not want to sell CoCo accessories or software either, since those stores wanted to be able to sell you a computer AND the software for it. That meant the only available large-scale retail outlet for an authorized CoCo port would be Radio Shack stores, forcing big-name third-party software developers who wanted to do a CoCo port to ask Tandy to give it a Radio Shack Catalog Number and actually publish the title. That meant Tandy taking an additional chunk of the revenue even beyond the retailer markup. And ''THAT'' was if Tandy were even willing to allow its limited catalog and retail space to carry the title.

	~~Pac~~-~~Man~~		Sometimes Tandy itself published and sold clones. It's not always clear whether Tandy did this to simply cut out the licensing fee necessary to pay the rights-holders of the original game, or because the rights-holders had refused to permit Tandy to sell an authorized port out of not wanting to give Tandy a chunk of the revenue.

	~~Donkey Kong~~		Other times, small independent software houses, much smaller than the giants that had written the originals, would do the clone and sell it through the vital channel of mail-order, advertised in the vital channel of [[Publications#Magazines\|CoCo magazines]].
	*[[Dunky Munky]]
	*[[~~The King]]~~
	*[[Junior's Revenge]]
	*[[The Return of Junior's Revenge]]

	~~Space Invaders~~		The upshot was that, in looking at the overall CoCo game library, the paucity of big-name brand-name titles makes the CoCo seem much more marginal and unpopular in the market than the large retail success it really was. Morale and the validation of having brand-name titles is a big part of the experience of owning a given platform, and unfortunately CoCo owners had to suffer the demoralizing effect of not having the official Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, etc. Although, again, we did have the compensating benefit of the gigantic retail presence of Radio Shack in contrast to Commodore and Atari owners never being certain what random department or mom-and-pop electronics store might carry the title they wanted.

	Popeye		Some examples of CoCo clones:
	*[[Sailor Man]]
			''Donkey Kong''
			*''[[The King]]''
			*''[[Dunky Munky]]''

			''Donkey Kong Jr.''
			*''[[Junior's Revenge]]''
			*''[[The Return of Junior's Revenge]]''

			''Space Invaders''
			*''[[Space Assault]]'' (Radio Shack title)

			Missile Command
			*''[[Polaris]]'' (sold at Radio Shack)

			''Popeye''
			*''[[Sailor Man]]''

			The CoCo did got some official authorized titles. Examples of non-clones are:

			* ''Arkanoid''
			* ''Frogger''
			* ''Pooyan''
			* ''Rampage''
			* ''Super Pitfall''
			* ''Tetris''
			* ''Zaxxon''

			etc.

	[[Category:Software]]		[[Category:Software]]

Polluks: Category

2015-09-11T11:41:21Z

LeoO at 19:40, 27 June 2006

2006-06-27T19:40:23Z

New page

In the computer and video game industry, a '''clone''' is a game or game series which is very similar to or heavily inspired by a previous popular game or game series. Some genres are founded by such archetypical games that all subsequent similar games are thought of as derivatives.

The term is sometimes derogatory, implying a lack of originality, but clones can be anything from a pure "ripoff", to a legitimate derivative or improvement on the original, or even a homage to it.

In the 1980s, making a clone of a game was not illegal, provided no outright copyright violation or trademark infringement was involved, but as the gaming market grew, large developers felt the need and ability to sue the developers of clones which were too similar to originals [http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=2712]. These look and feel lawsuits, such as Apple v. Microsoft, are not common, but remain an option for developers who feel their franchises are at risk.

Some examples of games cloned by CoCo developers include

Pac-Man

Donkey Kong
*[[Dunky Munky]]
*[[The King]]
*[[Junior's Revenge]]
*[[The Return of Junior's Revenge]]

Space Invaders

Popeye
*[[Sailor Man]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:41, 11 September 2015
Line 19:		Line 19:
	Popeye		Popeye
	*[[Sailor Man]]		*[[Sailor Man]]

			[[Category:Software]]