Thoughts on more games for older fandoms? For example BtVS or ST:TNG.

[BiggySmall]

The newer generation is learning coding and game development so they make games that appeal to their generation.

But if you hope to get Patreon supporters why not tap into the bank accounts of the past generation by making good games about properties we like.

buffy the vampire slayer call of the siren came out in 2002 and was good for it's time but modern software can do it better.
Star Trek ToS may appeal to some but that Troi/Beverley yoga scene was a classic. Add in Yar, Vash, Robin Lefler, the Duras sisters, etc... You won't run out of girls any time soon. Add in Ds9 or Voyager in later updates.

Babylon 5, Futurama, I'm sure there are lots of 80s and 90s shows with more then 1 attractive female. Remember Bionic 6?

Just tossing the idea out there.

 

[262177]

I loathe Patreon because <reasons that cannot be openly discussed> so I hope you won't mind if I keep it all out of it.

I agree with this. Not just older parodies, but also older game genres as well as older game standards. Pixel art is not only valuable to some, but it's also really lightweight and cross-platform friendly. Same for palette sprites.

While Unity isn't exactly palette-friendly (and I don't give a damn because I don't want third degree burns every single time I run anything made with Unity regardless of the hardware I use), many modern engines allow for B&W/2-color (1 bit) to 256-color (8 bit) palettes.

But yes. Devs should definitely tap into the "older" franchises. I'm quite old so Futurama actually is pretty modern to me.

 

[UpAfterTen]

I suppose the big issue is with copyright. I could see flying under the radar if you did something where you filed the serial numbers off, or you made something that was in the same spirit of those shows. The instant you start playing around in someone else's intellectual property playground, though, particularly a massive entertainment conglomerate with deep pockets and lawyers with nothing better to do, then you're going to have a hard time making money without running into more DMCA takedown notices than Sideshow Bob stepping on rakes.

 

[Guntag]

Not as well known as the shows you mention, but the Dollhouse tv show could make a great game (or even 2 different games, one from a doll point of view, an other from a Dollhouse manager point of view). You wouldn't even have to use the characters, just use the concept. But I guess that Westworld, being better known and similar in concept, would appeal to more people.

 

[fitgirlbestgirl]

The instant you start playing around in someone else's intellectual property playground, though, particularly a massive entertainment conglomerate with deep pockets and lawyers with nothing better to do, then you're going to have a hard time making money without running into more DMCA takedown notices than Sideshow Bob stepping on rakes.

Akabur literally made a living out of Disney and Harry Potter parodies, so that doesn't really seem to be the case.

 

[UpAfterTen]

Akabur literally made a living out of Disney and Harry Potter parodies, so that doesn't really seem to be the case.

Can someone fly under the radar? Sure. Is a cease & desist always going to be a Sword of Damocles hovering over their income? Definitely.

 

[262177]

There are legal articles and blogs about this but all of them unanimously agree that it's pretty much a grey area. What 'protects' Akabur is the platform proxy handling imo.

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Not a lawyer and this is a bit old so doesn't cover the more recent trends with proxy handling.

I'd like to believe that J.K. Rowling is lenient (as a writer herself) but the Disney company seems to be a whole other story.
Not all massive corporations are like this but most of them tend to be.

Stealth edit: Failed. 10 seconds too late.

 

[arcaos]

I think one other challenge is the properties you’re describing are live action without much fancy costume design. Animated properties are easier to replicate because all the characters are drawn in a way to make drawing them repeatedly very easy. They often have only a few elements in their design and that makes them easy to recognize. When you think about Avatar the Last Airbender, the kid character design is so basic that they’re even color coded by nation.

To make a Buffy in Daz, you’d need to be a very talented character creator to make her recognizable, and that comes down to the ever-challenging face design. Alternatively you could try a hand drawn, caricature method, again requiring a lot of work and talent. Either way, Buffy is just a normal girl so unless she’s next to a vampire. You need to put that much more effort to sell the parody. Compare that to Harry Potter where you can give any brunette a black robe and call her Hermione.

I would also speculate that while r34 is a universal truth, it is more popular for exploring characters or objects that are not seen as being sexual. The Star Trek cast gets laid pretty regularly, so it might not be as taboo/interesting to show that. Just a guess though...

 

[262177]

Compare that to Harry Potter where you can give any brunette a black robe and call her Hermione.

If I wasn't allergic to the reaction system, you'd get one here. Fuck, that gave me a much needed chuckle.

I would also speculate that while r34 is a universal truth, it is more popular for exploring characters or objects that are not seen as being sexual. The Star Trek cast gets laid pretty regularly, so it might not be as taboo/interesting to show that. Just a guess though...

Yup. I think you're onto something here - if it already happens in the 'real thing', then it's pretty much expected. You can also drown the audience in disclaimers.

I wouldn't exactly try to make a game involving Steve Purcell's Freelance Police. Drawing them shouldn't exactly be an issue as there is a metric fuckload of furry yaoi of them around for those with that kind of fetish, but a game is asking for it.

Nintendo and Blizzard don't automatically crack down on every porn pic from their games and free work that vaguely resembles them,

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...

Can someone fly under the radar? Sure. Is a cease & desist always going to be a Sword of Damocles hovering over their income? Definitely.

Exactly this. Nothing is safe - and that's including own stuff if you happened to accidentally hand over your own rights to it and 'shit went south' with it so you now also pay for damages.

Edit: Had a Candlejack moment or something.