When you browse the archives here at Cemetech, or the expansive directories at TiCalc, what do you notice most? As an avid programmer, I notice a common flaw in many programs: they derive off of other, pre-existing ideas. I address this problem of originality to the community today.
Too often, we programmers look at something that already exists, and try to duplicate it on our own systems. I encourage using external sources as inspiration, but repeatedly we go to the extremes with that idea. We try to merge the Ti’s capabilities to match a game or program. I see this as a lack of creativity, having to code someone else’s idea to fit your device. Instead, we should devote more of our attention to expanding what the Ti can already do. We should make new, fresh, and original games and programs to suit our needs. Elsewise, the World will continue to see the Ti as the big, ridiculous, expensive calculator that no one cares about.
As it is, we will go nowhere with our current situation. How can we become better by climbing somebody else’s ladder? Let us make what only our creative minds can design.

Um. Exactly what world to you live in? Not meaning to be harsh, but most of the world sees the TI83+ -TI84+ As THE Standard in graphing calculators. If the entire world did not care about it, we would not have such a mass number of schools making it a requirement. Not too mention if the world did not care, we would not have such a great population here at Cemetech.net and at Omni. And there are original programs out there, they are few and far between because so much exists already. As a challenge, lets start a list of who can come up with an original idea that has _nothing_ based on something that already exists.

Not too be rude, I just love my calculator. and an original idea is very hard to find these days.

you dont find original ideas. they come from your head.

also, i think you should ask the people who are younger, not adults.

I am 18, and i know they come from your head, but in the MASS of stuff that already exists, there is very little left oringinal. Something is always going to look like something else. Its like music, even an original piece sounds like something else, has simliar runs as something else, because the Mass of music is already created.

and when i spoke about originality, i didnt mean completly new.
i just mean different so only the big dissenters would find comparabilities.

example:

non-original: recreating mario (although that is fun to play)
original:making a platformer with different story.

maybe i should have mentioned this earlyer.

Aes_ actually is one of our younger members, as far as the general spectrum goes. Anyway, let me see what my thoughts are on your post. I agree that many of the popular games are derivative, particularly in the past few years. We have a lot of games that are directly or indirectly inspired by smartphone and handheld games. I've also seen a lot of "inspiration" among the many Axe games created. However, I don't believe that the entire community is inherently derivative. I believe many of the ports are made because those are the games that the masses want to play on their calculators, not because programmers can't find new ideas. I've certainly seen my fair share of new and exciting ideas that started as calculator programs, which in turn spawned calculator or computer-side clones.

Kerm, its different coming from you--

i have never seen something that wasnt 80%+ original that you made.

also, this was for an english class and i couldnt think of anything else to write. what would you grade this as?

Speaking of, I should really pick up programming that game again... Just takes so much time. =(

And i royally suck at sprites.

Hmmmmmmm. What to do next.

Please keep in mind that Everything is a Remix.



As Newton said:

Every great idea you or anyone else has ever had has been by "climbing somebody else's ladder". Hell, tirades about creativity are as old as creativity itself (there're few things more trite than someone in a creative community complaining about a lack of creativity). Some of the remakes for the TI's have been awesome (Alien Breed, Phoenix, PuzzPack, zTris are all classic examples. Fruit Ninja stands out as a recent game that's a port and an excellent one). DoorsCS is certainly not the first shell, and the mouse and icons thing isn't new (no offense, of course). Taking an existing game, and porting it to the calculator is a great lesson in the limitation of the platform, a great way to learn more about programming, and a creative endeavor (have to make new sprites, make maps make sense, maybe even change core mechanics or get really creative in implementation).


So if someone made a platformer with the exact same gameplay as Mario, but gave it a different story (instead of a plumber you're an apiarist, instead of rescuing a princess it's your daughter, bowser is a terrorist, and instead of flower plants you get bees!) then it's original? It might have a semi-original story, but it's just a Mario clone--it's not that interesting unless you add some unique gameplay elements (you can can fly with the power of bees and place honey-traps or something, I dunno). And even that's not a bad thing. Maybe you have some really cool sprites and writing, and AWESOME level design that really sets it apart. You've still got a Mario clone, but an awesome one. So what if it's derivative, everything is.

I feel that this is due in part to the fact that many programmers are indeed still learning; the best way to learn is by example. For higher-level programmers, you can see a branching off from the norm because they have the ability to do so.

If I follow your way of thinking, I'd say that Kerm's Gossamer isn't an original idea since a lot of web browser already exist on computers or smartphones. So, still following your mind, Kerm made something that wasn't 80%+ original.

But don't you realize what it was ? a web browser on a shitty z80 processor ! That is incredible, don't you think ?

People are not coding on their calc to make brand new original programs but to push the calc's limits or challenge themselves. For example, porting a iDevice game on the 83+ shows how much the iDevice could do better. And once Kerm made a web browser on a 84+, what do you think he can do with a computer ?

As we were saying on IRC, I definitely wouldn't say that my projects are 80% original, at least in original concept. As you say, Hayleia, I'm not the first person to make a web browser, or a GUI-based shell, or a networking stack, but the implementations themselves are what made them new. Hayleia, thanks for that last sentence.

For an example lets use "Minecraft" minecraft itself wasn't original but a clone/copy of infiniminer. After a while it got pupular and its now one of the best games out there. Good ideas are not always original.

Btw, the creator of infiniminer is probably kickin himself right now:lol:. [/b]

I think that you meant that profitable ideas are not always original. I'd say that the good ideas were from the creators of Infiniminer I don't know if I'd call Minecraft a good or a bad idea, although the fact that it's getting kids (and adults) to be creative, form alliances, build things, learn about circuitry via redstone, and use their imaginations certainly is a good thing.

Speaking of Minecraft and calculators, though, I feel like there are many programs and games that make sense to port to calculators in one form or another. However, many other games, in my opinion, don't fit the calculator quite as well. Still other games fit the calculator if ported by a skilled programmer (Minecraft being an example) but seem like pandering for downloads through name recognition if an unskilled programmer just throws something together. Same with that BASIC "Mario" game on ticalc.org.

IMHO the main issue with calc unoriginality is when people releases dozens of number guessing games, Snake/Worm, BASIC tunnels and Phoenix clones that barely even add anything that others lack. Those games were done nearly 100 times on calcs.

That said, people have to start somewhere and they all often do the mistake to upload their own Snake clones to ticalc.org, expecting their IRL friends will find them coders cool for having released a calc game on the Internets. In some cases, a few years later, I read stuff about those people willing to ask ticalc.org to remove their author profile or people who want to start a new profile away from their redundant programs.

Pretty sure no one has done this on comps: