Decided to let Mateen reskin Danger Cats! and bring it to the top of the charts ;-(
firemaplegames
Member Posts: 3,211
Everyone's favorite GS developer Mateen Pekan has reskinned my first GameSalad game, Danger Cats!, and is using his magical marketing tactics to make it rise to the top of the charts like the rest of "his" games.
Fox Rescue
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fox-rescue/id846585885?mt=8
And Danger Cats! if you'd like to compare:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/danger-cats!/id344925240?mt=8
Oh well.
Regards,
Joe
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Wow, he even copied some of your description, what a piece of garbage.
Maybe it's an April Fool's?
QS =(
Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io
Nice of you to let him reskin it Joe
I'm sure he will do well with your game.
Darren.
Isn't this exactly what template copies of other people's games encourages ?
He seems to target only GS games for his rip-off scams, can his ability to publish not be revoked by GameSalad ?
@firemaplegames sorry to hear that Joe... your original was still one of my wife's favorites games for months. On the upside, it got you to call by the forum :-)
@Socks
It's been raised before and argued but GS normally say he's not actually breaking any of their terms and conditions and if they ban him, he could easily set up a new IP address, account and continue.
@Socks Templates are a foundation for the user to build on to the core mechanic and not complete games, they're a lot different to whats happened here m8. If you have something to say i'd rather take it to a private PM and discuss.
Jungle Bug rock n roll was our game originally, noticed he has that on his list with zero art changes but i did sell it a while back, maybe he bought it from the guy i sold it too…just maybe.
Darren.
was danger cats ever a template? or just available on the old arcade?
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Sorry to hear that too Joe.
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@firemaplegames,
Would it be worth your while buying it and leaving a 1star review pointing out that it's a poor rip off of the far superior Danger Cats?
You might at least steal some of his prospective customers.
It’s not a bug – it’s an undocumented feature
send the info here, let them do another article on the app store and scammers.
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/19/how-one-scammer-manipulated-apples-top-charts-to-earn-tens-of-thousands-daily-using-a-10-gamesalad-template/
I noticed that an apps name doesn't have to be unique as mentioned in the image capture of the article. I released my game Breaking Eggs and figured when I submitted the name that it wasn't taken yet. I didn't do my research enough because there are more games with that name. It doesn't bother me to much bit I would have chosen another name if I knew...
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See I tried to tell you letting someone else clone your game and splitting revenue was a good move. Now this turd is gonna keep all the dough.
Surly you can send a dispute to apple about it right?
This thread is confusing Me.
@BBEnk I believe @firemaplegames was somewhat sarcastic when he said he allowed Mateen to do this. Mateen has a history of stealing others work and pitting it on the store.
I still don't understand how this guy does it... That's crazy
The problem is that people (some people) don't build anything onto that core mechanic and instead simply change a few sounds and images and upload 'their' game to the App Store.
I appreciate that this is not what has happened here but I still maintain that the sale of templates based on existing games is an invitation to rip off other people's work, it's practically a counterfeit kit, it feels like someone is saying: "do you know that game that's doing really well in the App Store ? Well here's a complete copy of the game that allows you to make a clone and cash in on its success (and the hard work of the game's originator)".
And even if people do build on the core mechanic, add a few bells and whistles, new sounds and a different title, these clone games are still largely riding on the coat-tails of someone else's creativity, craft and hard work.
@jonmulcahy: All of my GS games were available on the old arcade. From which you could simply hold down the Option key and download the entire project, art assets, code - everything. You got a fully-functioning GameSalad project.
Which I was always fine with, since that's how I learned to make stuff. By deconstructing old Flash games and digging into the code, it's how I got better.
This is a little different, as that is my actual Danger Cats! file that he is using. He didn't remake the game from scratch. He's using my actual file.
There was a security hole a few years ago (which I assume has now been plugged) that allowed a few people to steal every single GS game that ever passed through the GS publishing servers. Hundreds of games at the time.
Some of us old timers remember this, as the thieves approached a lot of people by email offering to sell us all the game files.
The files were unadulterated. They had fully usable GS project files with all art, music and sfx included.
There was a spate of games getting "republished" back then. I know quantumsheep and tshirtbooth and many others got ripped off.
@goliath: I have no idea how he is getting up to the top of the charts, I am sure it is underhanded in some way. Hopefully he paid a lot of money and will get caught someday, but I doubt it!
It's not worth my time to chase down scammers and thieves. Especially this kid. Life's too short.
@StormyStudio: I am always lurking ;-)
Can't speak for former GS employees, but what I've said was that in regards to past accusations against Mateen is that I have no actionable evidence. I can't do anything based on a link to a he-said, she-said forum post. Especially in cases where a template or IP sale has gone bad. "User X stole my money" is not something I can validate or verify.
Now, "User X illegally reverse-engineered my project file and republished my game with different art without my consent"? That's actionable. We can compare the project files and determine if they've been republished.
Steps I recommend?
1) Complain to Apple that your rights have been violated: http://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/appstorenotices/
2) Send us a DMCA takedown request: http://gamesalad.com/terms (section 22).
Actually write a letter and sign it, but you can scan it in and email it to us at that email address. Make sure you explicitly state that you did not sell your project to the infringer, nor did you grant them permission to republish your works.
Send us screenshot comparisons and your original project file, if possible.
Dan
Dan Magaha · COO · GameSalad, Inc · danm@gamesalad.com
very good to hear.
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@firemaplegames I figured that's what happened, I never remembered you offering it up for sale or anything else. This might be the first time Mateen has tripped up and actually stolen something that was never offered for sale anywhere else (where he had some form of deniability)
as @dgackey, you should at the very least send apple some email about how they reverse engineered your game and store it. They should pull it down and maybe even revoke his account. Here's to hoping anyway
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I doubt that it's the first time.
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I just don't understand why this guy doesn't just pay someone to make him a game and then upload that and do whatever he does and I bet no one would even notice.
Some people just don't know there is a better way. They are on the dark side.
Lump Apps and My Assets
Guy is Scum! Sorry to see this Joe!
@firemaplegames - Like all others I understand your frustration but by doing nothing more than starting this thread you are letting him win... For the benefit of the whole community, please do as dgackey suggested.
Agreed!
Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Quantum_Sheep
Web: https://quantumsheep.itch.io
Up 100 places from yesterday to #58
I do believe one of the last things he said was "keep watching the top of the charts".
Darren.
Apple needs to investigate this. This harms us all. No one should be able to trick himself to the top like this.
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Except me.