For this rant I’ll be using Stonehearth for an example.
Warning: There will be a large wall of text ahead, so brace yourself.
After watching @Generikb’s new video about Stonehearth, I took a brave decent to hell, otherwise known as the Youtube Comments. Now I shouldn’t expect much from one of the internet’s great sources of hate, but I was amazed how much hate comments were there, ranging from how it looked exactly like T&S and was a rip-off, to ones where people ripped the game apart because it sounded too much like Hearthstone, an AAA game, as well as a card game.There were even a few comments that said it was a rip-off of a certain block game where you survive in a world full of large deformed spiders and little green men that explode when near cough Minecraft cough. Yeah I know there were a lot of good comments as well, but that’s not the point of this rant. Anyways, now how does this relate to the title? Well, whenever there seems to be a new game that just got a lot of attension, especially indie games, they get some really get some biased hate. If it’s a voxel-game, it’s a rip off of Minecraft. If it’s game mechanic is based around controlling multiple people, it’s a rip off of Dwarf Fortress. If it’s a RPG based around fantasy, it’s a rip off of The Elder Scrolls. Yes there are some games out there that are plain awful and deserve to get all the hate it gets, but that’s also not the point of this rant. You see where I am getting at? I’m not usually a mean guy. I’m just a humble gamer, but when I see a game get ripped apart for no good reasons, I get pissed off. If your going to criticize a game and rip it a new ***hole, at least provide some good reasons, not dull, overused, biased reasons like how the game is awful because it’s name sounds like an AAA title or some card game not many people care about.
I think I am done with this rant. I think I finally got it out of my system.
Well, it’s kind of expected for YouTube comments to be a cesspool of immaturity and stupidity in general. However, the problem is now that people think they have a valid reason to say that Stonehearth ripped from Minecraft because we’re getting to the point that you can’t have new genres for gaming opening up. The real estate is all used up, so now it’s more of a recreation than anything. Stonehearth is a reimagination of Dwarf Fortress, but not a rip.
I hear ya, man. YouTube comments are a dark and dangerous world, rife with hate and bias and trolls and it’s just you and your shopping cart in a post apocalyptic world of despair. That said, I took a look at @Generikb’s video and I loved it. He is so happy with the game and sees the potential and laughs at the bugs which is exactly the spirit of the Alpha I think
I wouldn’t hate on these people in his comments. They either don’t know enough about the game or maybe it’s not their thing which is fair. From a distance, they have a VERY valid point: Stonehearth DOES sound like Hearthstone and it has a lot in common with Timber and Stone. That’s okay. Stonehearth doesn’t need to fight any of those battles. In time, it will be on it’s own two feet and prove what it really is about.
No need to be angry with those people; they just don’t know better. That’s ok We’ve got our own little community here and everyone’s pretty cool.
I think it’s completely fair to say Stonehearth got it’s idea of voxel graphics from Minecraft. Credit where credit is due! And Minecraft was so original and huge that you can’t blame people for making that association when they see Stonehearth. They just don’t know what we know…no? Nothing wrong with that. I’m happy they took the time to watch the video at least!
I hear you and Radiant is lucky to have a fan like you. But don’t let it ruin your day. Stonehearth will prove itself when it’s ready and will win all those battles worth winning : )
honestly, enraged comments dont phase me in the slightest… it seems to me, more often than not, that the individual making the over-the-top statements simply enjoys the waves his or her comments will cause in that particular community…
and quite frankly, i am amazed at how little we’ve seen in the way out outright tirades about alpha 1… i was fully expecting to be on flame patrol for a solid 48 hours… but the internet gods have shined down upon our little SH and blessed it with an almost universally approving audience…
what little negativity ive seen (and keep in mind, i have not dared to look at Steam or Reddit) has been mostly well formed constructive criticism…
sometimes, every so often, the internet makes me happy…
Okay, here are some of the completely immature comments that have surfaced in the Cauldron of Stupidity that is YouTube comments section:
“A very well thought title for this! Sarcasm
No, they probably saw Hearthstone, and though, “NO ONE IS GOING TO NOTICE WE CHANGED THE ORDER OF THE WORDS!”.
This so called “Stonehearth”, has too much of a similar name, as we have already seen, in the pretty recent Hearthstone… Lack of original graphic (Looks like Cubeworld).
Lack of original gameplay (Looks like Stone and Timber). Lack of original name (Looks like Hearthstone).
I hate these indie games that has surfaced the last few years. Why? They lack originality. So many games that think that if they use the Minecraft “blocky” world, they will have as much succes as Mojang had. By “copying” the looks, “copying” the gameplay isnt enough to sell the title. At least for me. Id prefer new content. I dont want different games, with similar gameplay, similar looks, similar graphics. TRY SOMETHING NEW! GET CREATIVE! Seriously…
Remember this is all my opinion, yours may vary. I respect your opinion, i only ask for you to respect mine.”
-kaare1992
“Both Stonehearth and Timber and Stone are using ideas from Towns, which came out long before either of them…silly short term memory people…”
-MrGusandWill
“So Dwarf Fortress voxel clone?”
-DEL673
“omg minecraft ripoff”
-Walrus
That’s all I could list before my brain started hemorrhaging.
I kind of feel bad for the guy who wrote the super long paragraph one, I wonder how worked up you need to get in order so say so much false accusations.
Unless you actually want an angry tirade. I will humbly oblige.
You call THAT a tree? There’s no leaves! insert angry tirade over description of a tree
How come there’s no micro-transactions in the Alpha!! I have to actually WAIT to be a carpenter?!
There are bugs. I want my money back. I want extra money for my time.
How come they don’t share beds?! What’s Radiant’s stance on traditional family relationships!?
WSAD. YOLO.
@EpicDwarf Yeesh. Well that’s good old fashion ignorance. Keep in mind that anyone foolish enough to listen to them has to face the harshest punishment of all: not getting to play the game. (Or playing the game secretly but not telling anyone so they don’t look wrong.) I’m not too worried; great games tend to not stay secrets
No use absorbing someone else’s anger. Don’t let it frustrate you : ) You’re too nice a guy. Let’s all watch Uncle Phil clips instead and weep
I do admit I was saddened to see the comments, however there were some good ones. The quote I keep seeing about people saying “it has a very similar name to a certain AAA title” had been replied to with someone (thankfully) pointing out that Stonehearth has been around for much longer. And because of comments like that, I was actually pleased; it showed people did know about the game, or had gone away to find out about it. Which is great!
Personally, I think that the people who reply with comments such as the ones displayed above are too blinded by the success of bigger and older games to see the light in new ones… It doesn’t hurt to have an open mind when it comes to discovering new games? Right?
@EpicDwarf I hear ya. But as Shakespeare once said: haters goin’ hate. What can we do? It’s just people who don’t know better. Tom and Tony and the team will win everyone over!
I can appreciate your intentions but the reason I’m in here posting so often is I don’t want to water the weeds, so to speak. There’s a lot of cynicism out there and its only harming itself. No sense bringing it into our house. And for every handful of ‘unaware’ commenters on @Generikb’s page, he’s pretty happy to help raise awareness and I’m sure that video will reach thousands of his subscribers. I don’t want him coming across this thread and see any angst against his community that he built. They’re entitled to their opinions and if it’s not someone’s thing, that’s okay.
I for example, am a HUGE Coldplay fan. I am well aware of being excited about things in small groups since they get so much hate and I have to deal with splash hate for liking Coldplay. Oh well. I’ll enjoy the music and to each their own : )
Just on a note, I’ll join your little group Viva La Vida particularly is just…I just could never complain at hearing it, and its awfully fun thumping out the strings part on the piano
But a good point, I’m sure GenerikB wouldn’t want to feel like he’s fuelling hate, as it would be completely wrong as I’m sure all of us here appreciate him making a video which will spread to the masses.
But yeah, these types of people exist, they’re just brought out in Youtube comments, and sadly for them, they’ll never experience the fun of Stonehearth. Their loss.
I’m sure there’s an interesting social commentary in all of this which I’m also sure I’ll look at in greater depth over the next coming months.
Comments like this are somewhat inevitable, there will always be someone somewhere posting negative remarks, there just will be.
In all honesty I think we’ve only seen a handful of things like this, and it’s remarkably low really!
The proof is in the game, and I firmly believe that Radiant’s vision for it will take Stonehearth on it’s very own journey that situates it as something starkly original.
Besides, what’s not to love about the cutesy visuals eh?
)
Viva La Vida particularly is just…I just could never complain at hearing it, and its awfully fun thumping out the strings part on the piano 
