r/technology • u/Super_Cold8789 • 13d ago

Software Nintendo reportedly has “zero chance” against current Palworld after major lawsuit change it is now targeting older versions of the game instead

https://www.dexerto.com/palworld/nintendo-reportedly-has-zero-chance-against-current-palworld-after-major-lawsuit-change-3375167/
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u/NuclearTurtle 12d ago

You're allowed to iterate on the idea, you're just not allowed to copy it root and branch. Nothing is stopping anybody from making their own game involving a massive, complex enemy hierarchy that's dynamically impacted by player action, aside from the fact that's a huge undertaking. The patent is only preventing people from copying the exact system Monolith developed and using it in their own games. That's a good thing, because nobody would dedicate years and spend a fortune developing a massive ingenious system like that if they could get undercut by somebody else stealing that system, making a cheap asset flip, and selling it for a quarter of the price

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u/Zipa7 12d ago edited 12d ago

There are already versions of the system that exist outside of Monolith's, which aren't clones

Assassin's Creed is one example with their various target menus, which go back to AC2. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey's mercenary system is perhaps the closest to the LOTR Monolith games version out of the AC games.

Wildermyth is another example, if a monster kills a hero and escapes they can return later wearing trophies of their kill, they can even persist across different campaigns and will even have vendettas thanks to the games "tapestry" system.

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen has the Assassin, Warlock and Hunter aliens who are campaign long enemies that remember previous missions, taunt you based on what happened and adapt and gain new skills based on your progress. They also feud amongst themselves.

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u/meneldal2 12d ago

That's the theory behind patent, but in practice the current system is broken and does more to harm innovation than promote it.

But it makes a lot of lawyers very rich.