DDR Freak obtains amended complaint document

Wolfman Jake · Trick Member Joined: 13 Sep 2002

I'm still amazed that so many people continue to complain "You can't patent DDR's gameplay mechanics! Roxor will win!" and completely fail to realize that Konami HAS in fact patented several of those gameplay mechanics, which is why they can actually bring this kind of suit against Roxor, RedOctane, and Mad Catz in the first place. It's not like any other game genre rivalry out there, because those companies did NOT get patents for tournament fighters or first person shooters or survival horror games, etc. Stop and THINK. Information about Konami's DDR patents has been floating about the dance game community since LONG before this lawsuit even came up. There is no "can't" about what Konami has done.
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Wolfman Jake

act deft

Bolt-Edge · Trick Member Joined: 01 Sep 2004 Location: Mayfield, OH

Just out of curiousity, but where do you guys get this stuff? lol
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I hear it's amazing when the famous purple-stuffed worm in flap-jaw space with the tuning fork does a raw blink on hari-kiri rock! I need scissors! 61!

Joel Stud?! · Trick Member Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Location: The ILSTU

Yes Konami will win, and sadly. I think that it's sad that Konami can't deal with a little competition. Really, no one is going to stop playing DDr brcause of ITG. Konami is just making DDR worse and worse. It was good back in the MAXX series, and even Ultramix 1. But they continue to use new formats and systems which just take away from the fun of the game. I mean, Extreme and Ultramix 2 were fun, but just not the same at all. With Ultramix 2 they butchered the fun layouts, replaced it with busy electronic mess, and made the game setup completely different from aany game before it. Not only this, but they keep going with a worse song base. Which is disappointing.

Konami should learn a lesson from Roxor, if not even join forces with them to make an even better game. But right now they're just acting like a bunch of babies. Really now, ITG isn't going to destroy DDR. Konami is. People will continue to play it if it's good, and won't if it's not. ITG won't change that. If they let ITG alone, then it will either burn itself out, or do good alongside DDR, still not interferring.

The only thing that Konami should sue for is the refitting of their machines. That was wrong. But I'm sure it won't happen again.

helacious_me_06 · Trick Member Joined: 15 Apr 2004 Location: ferndale, mi

helacious_me_06 · Trick Member Joined: 15 Apr 2004 Location: ferndale, mi

helacious_me_06 · Trick Member Joined: 15 Apr 2004 Location: ferndale, mi

Same · Trick Member Joined: 19 Mar 2002 Location: Lucas, Ohio

They didn't.
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Why do you need Konami original steps?

Goggles · Trick Member Joined: 02 Mar 2002 Location: Burbank, CA

How can you compare Konami's songbase to ITG's? Most of the ITG songs (from ITG 1, haven't heard ITG2 yet) are any combination of repetitive, low quality, or just plain dumb. Konami songs, though, are being mainly geared towards their chief audience (the Japanese) and as a result, not everyone in America will understand what they are going for. Home versions are targeted towards Americans, yes. That's why they have all these poopy songs in them. Because America's songbase as a whole sucks. Just listen to anything mainstream and you'll know what I'm talking about. Granted, they are trying NEW things, but that doesn't neccessarily mean they are all bad. New interfaces are a must every now and then. They add diversity to a game's look, plus there's no other way to find out if people will like them unless they take a chance and display them to the public in a working game.

And one huge pet peeve of mine regarding Konami vs. Roxor:

When people ignore the fact that Roxor used Konami's dance machine, made lots of money, THEN made their ITG sequel and published the home version. That's not being a baby. Konami is taking a stand for what they believe is right. The patents exist. They were breached. That part is simple and at the same time, just under the system we all know to be law. But the part that triggered all of this was the "refitting" part. That wasn't right. It's not like the people who made Halo 2 took the original code from Doom and just added bits and pieces and took other sections out. No way. They started from scratch. This was the mistake that Roxor made. Roxor simply stole Konami's well designed machine and erased "Konami/DDR" and put "Roxor/ITG" on it. Sega didn't rub off the word "Nintendo" and used their machine design. They made their own. Why do so many people miss this part? poopy.
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DDRguyKAOS · Trick Member Joined: 04 Jun 2004 Location: Next up

TheRealJaHooty · Trick Member Joined: 14 Jun 2005 Location: Palm Bay, FL

I'm gonna have to agree with Konami ont this one. After reviewing that document I'm saying ITG and MCGROOVS are totally violating Konami's rights. If those games are basically the same exact format then all they are are cheap bootleg copys. Bootleg means fake. Excel is different it's corner buttons. I like ITG but, they don't have the right to make the game without Konami's permission. That would be like me making a website called "Groove Freak" and having the same basic layout of this one. I'm pretty sure the contributors and people who worked on this wouldn't like that. They did all the work to come out with the set up and I just steal it without asking. Same with ITG, it's just not right. They should have tryed to become a branch off of Konami's company and make dancing games. Now I hope they get their asses sued.

kahuna · Trick Member Joined: 04 Jan 2005

Synaesthesia · Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 8:22 am Post subject:

Zonic · Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 8:28 am Post subject:

Owwww, I think my damaged is brain.....

Yes, dat is wierd dat those pics have arrows in boxes & are scrolling down & those characters that we've never seen......Maybe they'll be in Extreme 2 &/or Ultramix 3

diddrstrait · Trick Member Joined: 01 Jan 2004

silec · Trick Member Joined: 08 Jul 2005 Location: Chicago

I'm seeing a lot of people claiming that this whole thing is a result of Konami being whiney or just plain scared of competition. Then there's the inevitable "that's just like -game of particular genre- suing -similar game of same genre-! outrageous!" I think if Konami were just out to get anybody who might be taking sales away from them on the basis of better and more original gameplay, they would've done something about this way earlier than 6,7,8, etc. mixes.

Personally, I've never really been able to get into ITG, since the closest machine to me is way out in the suburbs, but from what I've seen online, it looks like somebody installed a souped-up version of Stepmania into a DDR box.
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peepsluvr · Trick Member Joined: 09 Jan 2005

Oooo, they mention DDR Freak on page 3.

Username Disallowed · Trick Member Joined: 18 Oct 2004 Location: Hi

Well I think Konami's just doing this to get a piece of the pie that they let rot on the windowsill. With all the various Bemani starting to trickle down to America finally (WHERE IS POP'N DAMN YOU!) they are trying to strongarm everyone else out of the genre.

It looks to me like Konami is going to force settlements. If Roxor/Madcatz/RedOctane lose the suit they are DONE so they'll be working hard to settle.

With the legal might of a Konami it's possible/probable that they will win big. I don't know anything about the law though maybe we can hire somebody for $300 an hour to give us some odds. I got three fitty on Konami.

Edible Bondage Tape · Trick Member Joined: 26 Jan 2002 Location: Kerri

tortoise · Posted: Wed Jul 13, 2005 12:39 pm Post subject:

This is just stupid. If Konami released another mix every arcade in Japan and America (that's buying dance games) would buy it. If Konami then put that mix on the PS2, everyone would buy the home version.

The existance of ITG is not hurting Konami at all. If anything, ITG has come out when DDR is in a lull and is interesting more people in dance games so the userbase is even larger when the next DDR hits (if it ever does).