I have been playing around in UE4 from the initial subscription release days. But, sadly I have never been able to produce anything completed yet. This is mainly due to a lack of time, and a serious case of dreaming too big.
When playing Q.U.B.E 2 yesterday, I came to the conclusion that perhaps I should start by making a game that I could make right now, and not necessarily the game I ultimately want to make.
After doing some basic testing today, I found that implementing some of the game mechanics found in puzzle platforming games, like QUBE, Portal, and Antichamber, would be possible for me to produce.
Which brings me to my question:
How many, or which of the game play elements in these games, would I be able to use in my own first person puzzle platformer?
I have also noticed some basic overlap in game play elements between these puzzle platforming games. But, I would like to know is there a plagiarism line, and what would constitute crossing it?
Or is using the various game play mechanics fine, as long as my game is thematically unique?
Just as in other art forms creating something completely original isn’t very easy. Having played 1000’s of games I can positively say that many many ideas are reused over and over. It’s the approach to and combination of these ideas along with art/story that make each game unique. Just get as many ideas from as many of the type of game you want to make and incorporate them the way you think they should be it is after all YOUR game. Have fun with it.
Copying mechanics is fine, but that and visuals and/or names are another thing. If you think on Fortnite, there are already several games that mimics the mechanics or features, but you can without a doubt see each one and know there are not the same, because they don’t share the look (visual).
You could literally copy Pokemon’s battle system and it would be fine as long as you dont use assets from the game. Many games have similar mechanics and can do well