Falling Balls and Tangerine Panic

Posted on January 23, 2009 by keith

I’ve noticed a few comments on the iTunes App Store mentioning the similarity between my game, Falling Balls, and another game you’ll find around the net called Tangerine Panic.

True, the resemblance is remarkable. And Tangerine Panic was done at least a couple of years ago. So, did I rip it off?

Actually, if anything, it’s the other way around. Tangerine Panic was based on an experiment I did on bit-101.com back on October 26, 2001. In fact, you can still see it in the old lab:

http://www.bit-101.com/blog/?page_id=1164

Or, hell, go right to the SWF: http://www.bit-101.com/content/011026.swf

Or even the FLA: http://www.bit-101.com/flafiles/011026.fla

A couple years back, someone made a Facebook App based on that old experiment. Tangerine Panic:

http://apps.facebook.com/tangerine-panic/about.php

As you can see, they changed the spiky things to orange balls and added in some dialog. The stick figure is EXACTLY the same.

Someone clued me in to this game, I checked it out and contacted the creator and I am now credited on the Facebook app about page.

tangerinepanic

So there you go. I didn’t make a dime off the original experiment, and haven’t made a cent off of Falling Balls. Tangerine Panic is syndicated on a dozen game portals. I’m not saying they got rich with it, but they made infinitely more than I ever did, and I’m not credited on any of those sites, even the creator’s home page. Just on the Facebook app page. I don’t have a big problem with that. Just want to set the record straight in case anyone thought I did something funky there.

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5 Responses to Falling Balls and Tangerine Panic

  1. Nícolas Iensen says:
    January 24, 2009 at 9:06 am

    Hi KP.

    Listen. I’m like a fan of you, I read your book (Making Things Move!), I read your blog, and I really like yours experiments and the way you simulate things.

    In my life plan someday I want to be like you, I’m not talking about the Flash things. I’m talking about innovation, bring new ideas to computer solutions.

    This is what I learned with you, and that is much more important than a Flash game.

    So, don’t worry, there are people like me that will always mention your name when any work have the support of Keith Peters experiments.

    Thanks for all, there were some time that I wanted to say that.

    I really enjoy your work.

    Nícolas Iensen

  3. aaron says:
    January 24, 2009 at 7:29 pm

    There’s no money in RandD, thats why they tell you not to go to art school.

    I’ll look up your book.

  4. Len says:
    January 30, 2009 at 11:58 am

    Hi Keith,

    I’ve been seriously influenced by your experiments, books and work, and I hope you continue to be healthy and successful. With that said I am not surprised that people, even mainstream corporate big heads would sell your ideas and pass them off as their own without proper recognition or even a thanks. I’m still reading your AS3 animation book. I hope I can fully grasped it one day…lol

    Len

  5. Devon says:
    June 24, 2009 at 11:43 am

    Hi, i love this and downloaded the .fla

    i was just wondering how you got the man to move? i cant find the actionscript in the file that does this.

    ta,
    devon.

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