Didn't Valve steal their idea from ...

I played "Prey" over a year ago. Not the best game but it was ok. There was this unique idea of using "portals" to get to different spots on a level, including to get to the ceiling or somewhere. It pretty much made the game.

So why didn't they capitalise on the idea & make the game "Portal" before Valve did?

Even the colours & shape (design) of the portals in "Portal" are the same as the ones enemies appeared from in "Prey". The idea of seeing portals through portals was also there.

Isn't it a bit shameless of Valve or was there a deal made somewhere?

Or perhaps just a case of they never thought of it & Valve did. Which I suppose is fair enough...

The game "Portal" was derived from a game that some college kids made for their senior project. It was called Necabelar drop or something. I can't remeber the first name. Anyway, Valve hired them to make Portal.cd_rom

3DRealms didn't make anything of it long ago when they had the idea. They just put it up for eight years and brought it back out when they probably needed some money. Even then they didn't use the portals to their full potential. Maybe they did for what they wanted to do with them.

Prey's portals are fixed. Portal's portals are endlessly placeable.
foxhound_fox

It's been awhile since I played Prey.....but I don't remember all of the portals being *fixed*. Sure there were some portals already there, but I could have sworn Prey had a portal gun to place your own wherever you wanted. (except on certain surfaces of course). Still, I don't consider it *stealing*

Yes and every shooter stole their ideas from Wolfenstein 3DFragMonkey09

Wolfenstein 3D was based on a tech demo of Ultima Underworld, so I guess that wins by default.

Back on topic, Portal (and Narbacular Drop) were probably the first games to allow the player to create real-time portals.

The game "Portal" was derived from a game that some college kids made for their senior project. It was called Necabelar drop or something. I can't remeber the first name. Anyway, Valve hired them to make Portal.cd_rom

Thats right. And anyway, what do you mean the same 'shape' as the portals in portal? OH! Do you mean circles?

Sorry, it was stolen from Star Trek's "City on the Edge of Forever"...now THAT'S a Portal...no really, I'm JUST KIDDING...(memory jog!);)solartiger

That's one of my favorite episodes. Along with The Menagerie and a few others...

Prey's portals are fixed. Portal's portals are endlessly placeable. Games in the past have always used "portals" to warp from place to place. Portal was the first game (aside from maybe the Translocator in UT) to make mobile interdimensional transportation possible.

You cannot "copy" an idea that has been implimented into so many games it hurts to think about it.
foxhound_fox

I don't remember Prey's and Portal's type of portals being in any other game. In them, you can actually travel and look through them in real-time. Meaning, you can watch yourself through a portal if it leads to the one behind you, you can see where a hidden enemy is through a portal if it leads to one facing toward his hiding spot, and so on. All games I know of have just used portals as thresholds to new areas or levels that have to be loaded in, not spontaneous doorways to areas already loaded in, and in real time, meaning the portals can act as cameras, as well. In that sense, Prey's idea was very original. Correct me if I'm wrong, though.