Spacehulk Demo

[martineriksen]

Been playing with an idea for implementing a spacehulk'ish game for the Android/iPhone market. Spacehulk is an old boardgame that has been turned into a computer game a few times I think. I made a small demo of the idea and would love any feedback! I am not that happy about it right now and am thinking about what to change. So any feedback is welcome!

Instructions: http://games.martineriksen.net/spacehulk/intro.html

Start link: http://games.martineriksen.net/spacehulk/spacehulk.jnlp

It is just a demo so don't bother commenting on technical stuff but rather the idea.

[Jono]

Nice idea. I played the board game when I was younger, as well as the 1993 computer game. Biggest thing I'd add would be atmousphere - flickering lights, and definitely line-of-sight for showing aliens (maybe replace unseen aliens by radar blips). Next up would be customising your marines, choosing weapons etc.

Won't there be some serious copyright problems with this though? As far as I know, Space Hulk turned into Warhammer 40k, which has IP that is probably going to be protected pretty actively.

[martineriksen]

Good suggestions! True with the copyright. Would call it something else and not steal the models directly.

Games published by our own members! Check 'em out!

[princec]

Space Hulk was a small subset of WH40K. But Games Workshop will kick your ass if you make anything vaguely related to it.

Cas

[strategy]

Same story, different people and they didn't even (originally) try to make money from the idea.

Never, ever make a game on other people's IP unless you really like the grief.

Edit:
Have the free version of your game on my HTC Magic. Fun little game, though I'm too fumblefingered to be comfortable with the controls.

[SwampChicken]

I thought it was ok to use people's IP if money was never involved?

[Jono]

I thought it was ok to use people's IP if money was never involved?

Nope.

They'll have copyright on the artwork. With fair use you could probably use a small sample of in a slide show about their product, or in educational software teaching about aliens (fair use), but not in a game.

They'll have trademark on "Warhammer" and "Space Hulk", and they can kick your arse if you even have a dream about considering to start thinking of whispering them to yourself locked in an airtight chamber. With no money involved. Not to mention that they're obliged to take you to court or they could lose their trademark after a few years.

I'm not a lawyer, so this might not be entirely correct, but it should be on the right track.

[strategy]

What Jono said.

[martineriksen]

Another, more complete, spacehulk remake for your amusement:

http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/alienassault/full-game/33102.html

[Mike]

That's the same as strategy posted I've been playing it for days and can't stop, it's nice to relive my youth

If you're busy with making Games Workshop games I'd love a good remake of bloodbowl with tournaments and leadership boards and so on

Games published by our own members! Check 'em out!

[kevglass]

FUMBBL - http://fumbbl.com/

Blood Bowl.

Kev

[Mike]

I'm behind a firewall and proxy at my work but I'll try that out for sure when I get back home, thanks a ton!

Now, back to spacehulk

[Alric]

Commercial it may be but the new Blood Bowl game is spot on in turn based mode