• adarza@lemmy.ca
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    12 days ago

    These primarily cover throwing an object in a specific direction to either summon a battle character or to capture a creature in the field - mechanics Palworld shared with Pokémon at launch.

    sounds like a mechanic found in a number of video games.

    • catloaf@lemm.ee
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      12 days ago

      Like what? I can’t think of one off the top of my head.

      • stinky@redlemmy.com
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        12 days ago

        in minecraft you throw eggs to hatch chickens

        ghostbusters, throwing trap to catch ghosts

      • Shiggles@sh.itjust.works
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        12 days ago

        You could argue against anything involving throwing a net to capture something, like monster hunter for the small fauna. Ark has “cryo pods” that function basically like pokeballs.

      • iheartneopets@lemm.ee
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        11 days ago

        They should go after Rockstar for the mechanic of throwing a rope at an animal to catch it, if this is the criteria. Ridiculous.

        • catloaf@lemm.ee
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          12 days ago

          You don’t throw an object for that, you cast a spell, and I don’t remember being able to target it, but then I never really used those spells.

          • figjam@midwest.social
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            11 days ago

            It is a spell but iirc the animation is a little ball that goes where you point it.

      • FartsWithAnAccent@fedia.io
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        10 days ago

        Uh, nets IRL for starters, but there are shitloads of games with capture and summon mechanics ranging from Ghost Busters to ARK to Ratchet and Clank to fucking Skyrim.

        Edit: Downvote all you want, but don’t ask the question if you don’t want the answer.

      • Bilb!@lem.monster
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        11 days ago

        Interesting, every example people have given you in response is pretty weak. (I’m not saying I agree with Nintendo have any exclusive claim here.)

    • JackbyDev@programming.dev
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      11 days ago

      That’s the weird thing. It doesn’t seem to matter. The patent was filed after PalWorld was released. I’m guessing this is some quirk of Japan’s patent system I’m unfamiliar with.

      • Focal@pawb.social
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        11 days ago

        Erm, acktchually! I think Nintendo is pretty cringe here, not based!

        (Sorry, I couldn’t resist)

          • Focal@pawb.social
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            11 days ago

            Ok, I’m outta here.

            All jokes aside, I would like to weigh in and say that I find the whole patenting of game mechanics to be absolutely appalling. I genuinely don’t get how this is legal, even in Japan. They filed this patent way too late for it to even make sense.

            You could’ve made an argument if they patented it back in 1996, but even so… Fuck this. Imagine patenting a screen transition or something?

      • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
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        11 days ago

        It’s still somewhat protected in the US. The big one in table top gaming was tap mechanics from Magic. That expired in 2014 though. In video games the Nemesis system from Shadow of Mordor/war is also patented.

  • dumbass@leminal.space
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    12 days ago

    Make it so you launch the ball thing from a sling shot, that’s not throwing the object and it fits the universe

  • Lvxferre@mander.xyz
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    10 days ago

    If Palworld devs were as petty as I am they’d probably make a Pal that looks like an obese and hostile Pikachu with a Mario hat.

    • Name: Renjiyu / レンヂユ; after a really shitty Mandarin joke with Nintendo’s name (basically calling it hell’s company).
    • It would make a noise that sounds a lot like uttaeru / 訴える “to sue, to complain” with an incredibly whiny voice
    • Drop: meat and sulphur (the in-game sulphur looks a lot like fool’s gold)
    • “Utility”: when it’s running around your base, Renjiyu makes your pals drop whatever they are doing to listen to its ramblings. As in, negative utility.

    Bonus points if the logo in the hat resembles a pokeball from a distance.

  • DoucheBagMcSwag@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    11 days ago

    This game is still in early access so I hope this is only temporary and they will retool this to not be similar to Pokemon. There’s no way this will be final right…?? No summon animation at all??!

  • Uninvited Guest@lemmy.ca
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    11 days ago

    How do Japanese patents differ from USA/CAN? My general understanding of patents is that they expire after 20 years - Pokemon is older than that. Do Japanese patents have a longer duration? Did Nintendo patent a game later than the originals?

      • Uninvited Guest@lemmy.ca
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        11 days ago

        I’m not patent savvy - of they are only granted this year (as a point of origin for the patents’ eventually expiry), wouldn’t the years of previous Pokemon games invalidate these patents due to prior art?

        • ryathal@sh.itjust.works
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          11 days ago

          If they were related to the original games, yes it would. The patents were about 3d worlds though. I believe the palworld beta was before these patents were filed, so there would be a strong case to invalidate them. It probably won’t happen, because Nintendo’s proposed damages was basically pocket change compared to a legal battle.

  • iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works
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    12 days ago

    I am not usually in favour of big companies bullying smaller companies with the law, but it’s pretty egregious how much they were ripping off Pokémon.

    Edited to add, apparently this was a really hot take. I am not saying that the gameplay between the games was similar, but I saw a comparison of several of the designs of the creatures for the first time when this whole kinda started kicking off a bit ago and it was the first time I realized how blatant the designs were lifted right from popular Pokémon. Combined specifically with the pokeball-alikes and like… I don’t know how people can defend it. There’s homage and then there’s IP theft.

    • hex@programming.dev
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      12 days ago

      The game itself isn’t ripping off anything. Pokémon is such a direct “rip off” of digimon, too, then. Except it doesn’t matter, cause that’s what stuff is. Stuff is made up of other stuff and oftentimes there will be similarities!

      • iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works
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        12 days ago

        I mean, for one I was talking about the designs of the creatures and the specific ball mechanic/theme, but also Pokémon came out before Digimon anyway.

      • iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works
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        11 days ago

        For one, I didn’t say you could patent an art style. But distinguishable character can be IP. You’re like the fifth person to mention Dragon Quest and I’ve never heard of that comparison before, do you have any examples?

    • JackbyDev@programming.dev
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      11 days ago

      I’d be more willing to agree if Nintendo was going after them for similar art styles. They went after them for fucking throwing balls of all things. This is going to set a horrible precedent for the game industry.

      So either Nintendo didn’t believe the monster designs were rip offs, or they didn’t feel it was a proper violation because they’ve shown themselves as willing to litigate.

    • Noxy@yiffit.net
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      12 days ago

      I disagree with your premise but even if I agreed that any IP theft has occurred, why do you care? surely you’re aware that nintendo aggressively invests in IP lawyers and lawsuits?

      • iAmTheTot@sh.itjust.works
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        12 days ago

        Well, yes, that’s why the lawsuit was happening. I’m not sure what your point was. I care because I think that IP theft is wrong.

    • theneverfox@pawb.social
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      10 days ago

      They’re both based on the same source material - various mythological creatures and real animals with a twist

      I used to think Pokemon was super original - but a lot of it just seems they way because we don’t learn much about Japanese or asian folklore overseas.

      Like take Magikarp. There’s a Chinese proverb about a carp leaping through the dragons gate (an actual waterfall) turning into a dragon (meant to describe how with diligence a common person could become powerful through the civil official exams)… The weak magic carp, if diligently leveled, can become a Chinese dragon that looks exactly like the ones they use in parades.

      Meouth - a wealth giving cat, many asian shops have a cat figure with a gold coin for luck. And Persian is just a lioness (a bigger cat) with the same design.

      Vulpix/Ninetails - nine tailed fox

      Ekans - snakE. Arbok - kobrA. Pidgey - pigeon. Pigiotto, pigeot? Reminds me of fire, fira, firaga, firaja naming scheme from final fantasy

      Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan - Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan

      Noticably, most of these puns and references to actual people are not copied, instead it is things like wolves and mythological creatures

      If anything, it’s the style of the art that makes them so similar - but copying aesthetics is how art grows and develops. It’s not like they were the first or only ones to copy the style either