Why are there no Half-Life or Counterstrike clones?

[TAdamson]

...

You've gone very quiet. I repeat. CoD has the Search and Destroy game mode that is similar to CS.

There is also the Counter Strike "Gun Game" which is copied almost verbatim by Black Ops.

 

[Vivi22]

You've gone very quiet. I repeat.

It's called not being on my computer 24/7. I'm not avoiding responding to you or anything.

CoD has the Search and Destroy game mode that is similar to CS.

Similar, but still plays quite differently since most maps in COD (or at least COD4, the last one I played extensively) are a lot more open than in CS where the major maps have some open areas, but a lot of tight choke points and pathways as well. And of course regenerating health also changes the dynamic as there is far more benefit to retreating to heal then reengaging in COD than in CS where the only reason to retreat is to try for a better position on the map, but losing health still leaves one at a disadvantage in future encounters.

There is also the Counter Strike "Gun Game" which is copied almost verbatim by Black Ops.

Gun game started as a community mod for CS: Source which was added into Black Ops. But that's neither here nor there since, again, gunplay handles completely differently in COD than in CS so I doubt gun game plays quite the same in COD as in CS (I haven't played the COD version to know). For example, running and gunning is far more viable in COD than it is in CS because the accuracy drop off is so huge in CS.

Again, you're picking one or two points of comparison where the games are similar then arguing that they're almost identical, but in doing so, you're ignoring other aspects which are every bit as crucial to how the games play. An FPS is more than just some movement controls and gun stats.

 

[Brendan Stepladder]

You can't clone Half-Life because a major part of Half-Life's success was its ability to tell a story. You can't write a good story on a knock-off game budget.

 

[GoaThief]

Also, any competitive FPS[footnote]i.e. games that refer to themselves as competitive FPSs[/footnote] could be considered a "clone" of Counter-strike.

Say what? You think the first competitive FPS was Counter Strike?

The Escapist forums never fail to humorously deliver golden nuggets of incorrectness.

 

[WanderingFool]

Also, any competitive FPS[footnote]i.e. games that refer to themselves as competitive FPSs[/footnote] could be considered a "clone" of Counter-strike.

Say what? You think the first competitive FPS was Counter Strike?

The Escapist forums never fail to humorously deliver golden nuggets of incorrectness.

Considering how its always talked about as such, can you blame someone who really couldnt give a fuck one way or the other...

 

[GoaThief]

Considering how its always talked about as such

Talked about as such by whom?

 

[TAdamson]

You've gone very quiet. I repeat.

It's called not being on my computer 24/7. I'm not avoiding responding to you or anything.

CoD has the Search and Destroy game mode that is similar to CS.

Similar, but still plays quite differently since most maps in COD (or at least COD4, the last one I played extensively) are a lot more open than in CS where the major maps have some open areas, but a lot of tight choke points and pathways as well. And of course regenerating health also changes the dynamic as there is far more benefit to retreating to heal then reengaging in COD than in CS where the only reason to retreat is to try for a better position on the map, but losing health still leaves one at a disadvantage in future encounters.

There is also the Counter Strike "Gun Game" which is copied almost verbatim by Black Ops.

Gun game started as a community mod for CS: Source which was added into Black Ops. But that's neither here nor there since, again, gunplay handles completely differently in COD than in CS so I doubt gun game plays quite the same in COD as in CS (I haven't played the COD version to know). For example, running and gunning is far more viable in COD than it is in CS because the accuracy drop off is so huge in CS.

Again, you're picking one or two points of comparison where the games are similar then arguing that they're almost identical, but in doing so, you're ignoring other aspects which are every bit as crucial to how the games play. An FPS is more than just some movement controls and gun stats.

Again with the "arguing that they're almost identical". I'm not arguing that at all.

You were picking on rules before and asserting that these caused fundamental differences. But Cod steals game rules from CS.

I agree they play differently (They have discernibly different kinaesthetics) and while the default rules for each game promote different behaviour they both come from the same place and their core mechanics and aesthetics are the same.

They're not the same game I admit that, but it would be the work of a week to make CS feel like CoD (ignoring kill streaks) and Vici Versa.

You're arguing that because I say they're from the same branch of the gaming evolutionary tree I think that they're identical. No. That is not what I am arguing.

 

[CaptainMarvelous]

When you look back through gaming history, you can't help but notice that the biggest games get countless knock-offs and clones. Most of us that are at least in our twenties remember the surge of Mario and Doom clones from back in the day, and even the younger ones can list off notable Unreal Tournament and Halo clones. Today, it's CoD and WoW that's being mimicked all over the place and I've even heard that TF2 had a poor-man's knockoff with Brink (though I haven't played that one).

While I may be new to PC gaming, I can't help but notice that no game out there seems to try ripping off Half-Life or Counterstrike and wonder why. Normally publishers and devs jump all over copying whats big, so how in the world did two of the biggest PC franchises in history go without a plethora of wannabes? Maybe I just don't know about them, but that's the way it seems to me. Anyone got any answers to this?

Captcha (after 2 refreshes because screw ad-captchas): jump the gun

EDIT: When I say clone, I mean a game that copies most or all the original game's main features. Half-Life may have started the whole "storytelling in FPS" thing, but I don't see many games out that actually play and feel like Half-Life. Many of the other iconic mechanics and design choices from HL don't seem to get copied nearly as much. On the other hand, quit a few games have been released in the past few years that one could be genuinely mistaken for a Call of Duty or Activision game.

Watching gameplay of Counterstrike: Global Offensive is actually what inspired this thread, since outside of CS I couldn't think of another game that plays like it. CoD games in particular feel radically different from CS, with the former's mechanics creating a focus on mindless Rambo gameplay that discourages strategy while still making players incredibly sluggish during combat - it's basically the opposite of Counterstrike gameplay-wise.

On Half Life terms at least, any game with a decent physics engine is copying it to an extent. Off the top of my head, Crysis felt a lot like Half Life when it came out engine-wise and had a similar enough plot that I'd count it.

Problem is how you define something being a clone cos there's scales. Not everything is Zynga level obvious, somethings are about your POV.

 

[Awexsome]

Cause they're both older games with more outdated mechanics and features (or lack thereof) that most people nowadays wouldn't enjoy anymore compared to the crispness and polish of current gen games like CoD.

For some people that truth will hurt.