Escape from EXODRON

[Einar Saukas]

I just noticed something weird.

These are examples of MK1 logo in other games:





Now compare with this:



What's missing?

[Lethargeek]

I just noticed something weird.
These are examples of MK1 logo in other games:
What's missing?

wait, do you mean this was not two separate logos combined?

Spoiler

[Einar Saukas]

MK1 official logo (at the bottom of page):

https://github.com/mojontwins/MK1

[Lethargeek]

MK1 official logo (at the bottom of page):

https://github.com/mojontwins/MK1

well i see that some of the MKx games do not have any logos nor mention mojons in the title pic
and there's at least one (and relatively recent) game that looks like does not have these at all:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... esperación

btw 2 of 3 earlier games of the same (Exodron's) author did mention mojons & churrera:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/list?label_id=16483

[Einar Saukas]

well i see that some of the MKx games do not have any logos nor mention mojons in the title pic
and there's at least one (and relatively recent) game that looks like does not have these at all:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/entry/3 ... esperación

AFAIK the MK1 license doesn't require a logo in the loading screen. It's enough to put it somewhere visible, for instance outside the game in the instructions manual or tape inlay.

My point is, if certain authors forgot to put this logo somewhere in the distribution package of their games, they are wrong but at least that's a mistake I can understand. However I cannot understand someone taking the time to erase "Mojon Twins" from the logo intentionally. It suggests a deliberate effort to avoid crediting them.

btw 2 of 3 earlier games of the same (Exodron's) author did mention mojons & churrera:
https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/list?label_id=16483

His other games look fine, including T54 that was released about the same time as EXODRON.

That makes it even harder to understand what happened here...

[R-Tape]

It suggests a deliberate effort to avoid crediting them.

It's all rather odd, but I can't believe it's that. He gives it a credit on the game's info page:

Para ello he usado el motor MK1 de los mojón twins

And going by all other recent and past games by Pixelsoft which do show the full logo, I can't help but think it's a stylistic choice rather than anything ungentlemanly. It's a departure from the previous cartoony inlays and loading screens (even though it's not his screen!).

A few oversights that have got out of hand? I hope the game gets released again.

[Lethargeek]

AFAIK the MK1 license doesn't require a logo in the loading screen. It's enough to put it somewhere visible, for instance outside the game in the instructions manual or tape inlay.

...and the game i linked doesn't have it anywhere
...but the 1st on in the series did - in the title pic

[Einar Saukas]

I can't help but think it's a stylistic choice rather than anything ungentlemanly.

A stylistic choice doesn't make a lot of sense, considering that "Mojon Twins" was erased from an area of the screen that was simply left empty.

Even so, I also think it was a (long!) series of bad decisions, not bad intention.

A few oversights that have got out of hand? I hope the game gets released again.

Me too!!!

There's a lot of good original content in his game. It would be a shame to waste it.

It would be easy to replace the "borrowed" content and enough people have offered to help already. It's up to him now.

[Lee Bee]

There has to be something just a little weird about anyone who chooses to make games for a computer that came out 42 years ago. We're all a little quirky, to say the least.

[Einar Saukas]

There has to be something just a little weird about anyone who chooses to make games for a computer that came out 42 years ago. We're all a little quirky, to say the least.

Perhaps some of us really like to create games, but don't have enough time to work on larger projects for modern platforms.

And the challenge of producing something not supposed to be possible in such a restricted machine makes it even more fun.

[Einar Saukas]

GOOD NEWS!

This game is now back online, after the author took all received complaints seriously!

Because of this, the new loading screen doesn't have any similarity whatsoever with @redballoon's game title logo:



The story presentation doesn't borrow anything from Impossamal anymore:



And the death screen is now a brand new 100% original idea:

[R-Tape]

All itch page comments deleted and the MK1 logo removed from the game entirely and only seen on the inlay. The Pixelsoft PR dept clearly advised to double down!

[Einar Saukas]

All itch page comments deleted and the MK1 logo removed from the game entirely and only seen on the inlay.

Mojon Twins had posted very polite comments, considering the circunstances:



Instead of answering, these posts were simply deleted (along with other people's offer to help):



The next day, comments were disabled to avoid displaying a list of deleted posts.

The Pixelsoft PR dept clearly advised to double down!

The PR dept is exercising a damage control tactic inspired by ostriches.

[Lee Bee]

I don't think the deleted the comments are a "cover-up", I just think the author heard the complaints, tried to do the right thing, updated the release, and cleaned up the outdated comments for a fresh start. I'd probably have done the same thing myself. His lack of communication is probably a combination of not knowing what to say, avoidance of confrontation, and a little embarrassment. I really don't think his copying was malicious, just very naive. Though an apology to Juan J. Martínez would seem in order.

[highrise]

I admire the faith in humanity that some of you have, but the guy has been part of the homebrew scene for a decade. He gave no credit at the start, thus passing it off as his own work, and then gave no apology at the end. That is more than a little urinary extraction if you ask me.

[Einar Saukas]

He got a complaint about copying the entire loading screen from The Return of Traxtor. So he replaced the lower part with a scanned image, but kept the upper part with the copied title logo.

He got another complaint about copying death sequence, font, score panel, menu, story presentation style, and sounds from Impossamall. So he replaced the font and added a white border, but kept everything else.

Does it seem like someone that acknowledged making mistakes and got concerned about fixing them? Or someone just trying to get away with minimal effort? I cannot read minds but unfortunately it doesn't look good.

[Lethargeek]

don't get the fuss about the death sequence though, seems trivial, did similar effects like 30 years ago myself

[Einar Saukas]

I doubt the Mojon Twins would mind if he had only copied the death sequence, or only the font, or only the score panel, or only the menu, or only the story presentation style, or only the sounds...

[Lee Bee]

The reason I don't see this guy as some kind of modern "Harry S. Price" (rip-off merchant) is that it's a free game, and in this day and age, there's no way he could have ever expected to get away with such audacious plagarism without anyone noticing. So it surely has to be a case of ignorance, naivety, or lunacy!?