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Comment by dvt | Hacker News Reader

Been following Moonman for 2 years :) I am a relatively quiet lurker on TIGSource but I can't wait until Moonman is finally out (as in.. out out). The playable demos so far have been amazing.

Unfortunately, the start-up community is more cynical than the indie gaming one (blah blah Terraria clone). But, I for one, wish you good luck sir!

I love the indie community because it fosters creativity over success; the process over the end result. Unlike the start-up community (where the exit is what really matters). I dabble in both. The realism on HN keeps me grounded but the naivete on TIG keeps me dreaming.

View on HN

Thanks, glad you've liked it. Yeah I know this isn't really HN material and my game is fairly niche already. Nevertheless it seems there are some gamedev people on here, which is great to see. :)

Honestly, I think this is HN material. You built something awesome, that at least should inspire others here to get cranking on some of their own, "crazy" ideas.

This looks great. I wish you the best with Moonman.

Thanks!

> The realism on HN keeps me grounded but the naivete on TIG keeps me dreaming

Spot on! Balance is key :)

Terraria is a clone itself. Also it's probably a separate genre already.

Similarly to the startup community, where everything's been done, "clones" are OK in this sense. Dissimilarly, you don't have to be the best with an indie game, you just have to have some fans.

What is Terraria a clone of?

I guess minecraft.

Terraria takes inspiration from Minecraft, but it is not a clone of it.

Zynga's "The Ville" is a clone, for reference. [1] Terraria is what happens when a dev sees a neat game mechanic and thinks "Oh wow, I know what I can do with that" and extends it, which is to be embraced. It's how whole genres are launched and how we got some of the greatest games in the industry.

1) http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/08/10/clone-wars-z...

Which itself clones many attributes from dwarf fortress. Frankly, if they are fun games and "different enough" then I don't care.

Minecraft is a clone and evolution of Infiniminer.

Notch has stated that he originally wanted a game like Dwarf Fortress in tone before he stumbled upon Infiniminer[1]. I think you are right in that it's more correct to say Minecraft is a clone and evolution of Infiniminer, but was heavily inspired by Dwarf Fortress.

  [1]: http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2010/09/building-a-hit-one-block-at-a-time-the-creation-of-minecraft/

Oh definitely. I didn't really mean to say it wasn't, even if it sounded a bit like it.

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