VGMaps

General Boards => Map Gab => Topic started by: sanjuro on January 18, 2011, 04:46:35 am

Title: Duck Tales (NES) Moon lifted from my site?
Post by: sanjuro on January 18, 2011, 04:46:35 am
This is something I noticed a long while ago but I never bothered to contact anyone about it. Well, since I finally registered, I can say it: I think the Moon map of Duck Tales for NES has been lifted from my site. Check them closely:

VGMaps:
https://www.vgmaps.com/Atlas/NES/DuckTales-Moon.png

Mine:
http://www.1up-games.com/nes/ducktales/ducktales_moon.gif

Back in 2005, I made two Duck Tales maps (http://www.1up-games.com/nes/ducktales/plans.html) for fun that I published on my website, Amazon and Moon. While the Amazon map on VGMaps is obviously not mine, the Moon has too many similarities, mostly because of the enemies which are in the exact same position even though they're moving all the time. Besides, if you compare with the other Duck Tales maps by Will Mallia, you'll see Moon is clearly different from his other submissions. I took great care of including every single enemy and fill some background blanks. The only thing that's different is the top right corner, the alignment has been changed, don't know why. Probably a mistake on his part.

So if you come to the same conclusion, I would appreciate if the credit was changed from Will Mallia to my website's name, 1UP, with a link to http://www.1up-games.com. Thanks in advance!

I think I will go post a list of the few maps you can find on my website in the Maps in Progress section so that it won't happen again. I don't mind if some of them end up here on VGMaps, that might be a good way to protect them from theft, but I just want to be credited.
Title: Re: Duck Tales (NES) Moon lifted from my site?
Post by: Will on January 18, 2011, 02:03:55 pm
In order to preserve my legacy in the NES recreation Atlas I have remade the map with a distinctive difference. Hope that solves the dispute.
Title: Re: Duck Tales (NES) Moon lifted from my site?
Post by: Revned on January 18, 2011, 06:15:21 pm
You shouldn't have done that in the first place. I hope you haven't done this with any other maps...
Title: Re: Duck Tales (NES) Moon lifted from my site?
Post by: TerraEsperZ on January 18, 2011, 07:00:14 pm
What I'd like to know is how this "remarkable similarity" came to be. Having the main body of the map looking the same is easily understandable since you're both working from the same stage, but the enemy positions is harder to explain.

I know some people like to take maps from VGMaps and add whatever things they feel is missing on them, which I first noticed while "googling" my username to find an old post of mine and came upon a game strategy wiki talking about using one of my maps and doing just that, though they did mention crediting me. I also recall a controversy on a Metroid forum a few years back where (I think) two teams were working on mapping the game but one apparently took the other's work and simply added the sprites and claimed they had done it all, though some things revealed the theft (same exact parallax background alignment everywhere, same exact transparencies, etc).

Whatever theft or "inspiration" took place, it unfortunately calls into question the authenticity of all your other work, no offence intended. Heck, even looking too close at someone else's maps when you're trying to map the same game call lead you to want to "borrow" inspiration for things that look better than what you wanted to do (something that's scaring me about sanjuro's Solstice maps actually). It's no wonder so many creators refuse to accept any unsolicited work in case it could either influence them or call into question the validity of whatever they might already have made in case it matches a submission too closely.
Title: Re: Duck Tales (NES) Moon lifted from my site?
Post by: Trop on January 18, 2011, 10:55:07 pm
When I map an area that I know has already been done I try to add differences, or improvements, heh.  Since about a year ago I've started intentionally adding what might be considered atmospheric defects.  Having a row of torches in a hall flickering at different levels for example.
Title: Re: Duck Tales (NES) Moon lifted from my site?
Post by: sanjuro on January 20, 2011, 01:29:52 pm
In order to preserve my legacy in the NES recreation Atlas I have remade the map with a distinctive difference. Hope that solves the dispute.

I guess that would solve it if the map was visibly different, yes; except I'm not seeing any difference at all right now. :-\

Have you updated this? https://www.vgmaps.com/Atlas/NES/DuckTales-Moon.png
It looks absolutely the same to me.
Title: Re: Duck Tales (NES) Moon lifted from my site?
Post by: FlyingArmor on January 20, 2011, 02:39:57 pm
Updates usually only happen on the weekends, so you'll need to wait a day or two before it changes on the site.
Title: Re: Duck Tales (NES) Moon lifted from my site?
Post by: sanjuro on January 20, 2011, 04:08:14 pm
Understood! Thank you.