by Teflon Kris on Fri Feb 20, 2009 11:37 am
'Doodle' - the 'brand'
I'm not sure you should abandon the 'doodle' tag - for regular doodle players - it's about simple gameplay - great for quick speed games, small number of territories - pure dice luck really. You've checked and are incorporated 'inspired by' the Doodle Earth author, that's surely enough. He hasn't got copyright on childrens style. The Doodle author is getting credit and whatever happens, Doodle Earth would remain the original and most popular map, being the whole planet etc. Plus, using the 'Doodle' tag could be argued to give even more credit to the original? If someone made a Doodle map and called it something else then it would be like Pepsi pretending not to be anther kind of Coke! Andy and Oak might need to clarify this issue though.
Some people would like more Doodle maps as an alternative so I'm glad you're persevering despite the comments you're getting.
For everyone to be happy, I guess another Doodle map would need to be different in some way, and of course, well presented. Having similarities in detail intensifies the above debate. Just using the Doodle 'blueprint' is much more likely to be accepted (eg. having a statement but a different one).
Comments tend to suggest that you can have a partially accurate and appealing map yet still in a child's style. Children can be careful and re-draft their work and make decent representations they can be proud of if they put time in. .44's Doodle Africa is the kind of outline that might get more backing. A Doodle map is therefore well represented, familiar to the real version yet simplified.
The series
Comments suggest sticking to one map. In theory a Doodle map would be quicker to make, but probably not much quicker to progress through to the forge. If the first is successful then the next one might follow quicker, or a 'pack' may then be able to follow (like the new US pack) .
Choice of map
Up to you but do you want a race with me for Doodle Europe? Two new maps would be better than one though? Oak's idea is great, especially when the current Solar System map is quite complex and tricky - a Doodle version would be a welcome alternative.
Doodles
I'd suggest a few example adding Doodles to your map(s) at this stage. It will help give people in the forum a better idea of what the final product may look like. If you go for the solar system then I guess there are plenty of obvious ones, and using the name Luke would fit nicely. An original statement would be easy too. My son said the other day, "if the universe is so big then there must be life out there somewhere". Africa could have a theme of indigenous religious symbols - totems etc, the kind of pictures a child might find researching in the kind of book with pictures they would (or should) have in schools.
and call doodle a bad drawn map will not become it better..
I think that says something
