Making a list of Luanti forks for Android and iOS

[Wuzzy]

Hi!
After some discussion on GitHub I heard some complaints that there are some Android Luanti forks flying around which essentially do only changes which strips Luanti of features. See Google Play.
I heard there are Luanti forks which are like Luanti, but with ads.
I heard there are Luanti forks which are like Luanti, but fly mode can only be used after you did an in-app purchase.
But there MAY be also some 100% legit forks. ;-)

What I want to do is to compile a list of these forks. I am however especially interested in “bad” forks, that is, forks which are an obvious downgrade from the user point of view, compared to Luanti. I feel Google Play is a real mess of a jungle, so it can be pretty overwhelming to the user. I do not use Android myself, so I can't test. My goal is then to write all this info down in a wiki page (something like this: http://wiki.minetest.net/Overview_of_Luanti_forks). I think knowing the bad Luanti forks is important so that we can maybe attempt to deal with them later.

If you post a bad Luanti fork, please give the following information (or a part of it):

• Name
• Link to download webpage (e.g. app store page)
• Do you think it is it a downgrade compared to Luanti (i.e. it has bullshit “features” like ads, in-app purchases, etc.)?
• Which other notable differences from Luanti exist?
• Does it appear to obey the license of Luanti? (post proof)
• Where are the sources of the fork?
• If it is not obvious from the screenshots: Proof that the software is indeed a Luanti fork
• Have you tested the software yourselves? (this is much better than relying on random user reviews)

(If you're in a hurry and it is obvious that it is a fork, posting a link or the name might be enough.)


Your help will be very much appreciated! :-)

[EDIT 27/10/2024: Renamed "Minetest" to "Luanti"]

[twoelk]

yessss - badly needed

[Wuzzy]

OK, people, I have just superficially walked through Google Play simply by searching for Minetest. I'm pretty sure you can find even more.
Some apps seem quite obviously to be Minetest forks while other just look similar and it is not clear.
A few apps look legit (Minetest mentioned, sources+license given) while some apps look fishy or their status is simply not clear.

IMPORTANT: The apps I am going to post MAY or MAY NOT be Minetest forks which MAY or MAY NOT be legit. This list is only based on a superficial look on the app description. I have NOT tested any of these.
Especially I do NOT know of any possible anti-features such as ads or pointless in-app purchases. So I am not going to post any of these apps into the wiki page until an Android user can verify this.

If you use Android, please verify these apps and report any anti-features.
If you find source code or license for the apps where I haven't found them, that's even better.

Legit-looking obvious forks
Freeminer
- https://f-droid.org/repository/browse/? ... .freeminer
- License: GPLv3 for code, CC-BY-SA-3.0 for artwork
- Sources: https://github.com/freeminer/freeminer

Worldcraft -- Free Exploration
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... orldcraft2
- License: LGPLv2.1 for code, CC BY-SA 3.0 for artwork
- Sources: https://github.com/FunKetApp/minetest

Obvious Minetest forks which look fishy
PixelCraft — 3D Survival!
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... PixelCraft
- License: LGPLv3 for code, CC-BY-SA-NC 4.0 for game files
- Source: https://github.com/PixelCraft3D
- This looks like Minetest and Pixture got forked here

► MultiCraft ― Free Miner!
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... MultiCraft
- License: “The engine and the game is licensed under LGPLv3 (or higher). Resources games licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0, unless otherwise stated, and also a bit of proprietary code and resources.”
- Sources: https://github.com/MultiCraftProject/MultiCraft
- Proof of fork: README

Crazy Craft on Castle World PE
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... ketedition
- License: Ummm … what?
- Sources: Nope

MultiCraft - Minetest France
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... multicraft
- License: ???
- Sources: Not found

Cartoon Craft: Castle World PE
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... ketedition
- License: ???
- Sources: Not found
- Proof of fork: Written in app description

WorldCraft 2 : Pocket Edition
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... rldcraftpe
- No license or sources found

Voxel Craft : Castle Build PE
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... ketedition
- License: Vaguely specified as “LGPL”
- Sources: Not found
- Proof of Minetest fork: “Minetest” is written in screenshot

Wasteland
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... .wasteland
- Sources: Not found
- License: Not found
- Looks like an exact copy of the Wasteland subgame

World Craft 3D
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... xploration
- No license or sources found
- Proof of fork: Minetest Game textures, uses the EXACT default Minetest formspec style

Squeake Craft PLUS
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... ecraftplus
- License: LGPL (pretty vague)
- Sources: https://github.com/Pipsqueake/SqueakeCraft
- This fork may be legit, but the license is vague

Apps which MAY BE Minetest forks (i.e. no hard proof)
Modern House Craft
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... e_craft_pe
- License: LGPLv3
- Sources (NOT VERIFIED): drive.google.com/file/d/0B5iU2gEYtPF4MC1Gd21pMWxJcGM/view?usp=sharing
- Suspicion: Tools appear to use Minetest Game textures, not sure

Mine World
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... .overcraft
- No license or sources found
- Suspicion of fork: The feature list contains pretty much everything that Minetest Game has

Buildcraft
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... buildcraft
- No license or sources found
- Suspicion of fork: Identical textures as of Minetest Game

Unknown status
magichet
- https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... t.magichet
- License: ???
- Sources (NOT VERIFIED): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/okgz1phuzotk ... m0yKa?dl=0
- Note: A subgame called “Magichet” was posted in these forums: viewtopic.php?f=50&t=10507&hilit=magichet

Other possible forks (too lazy to check in detail, may be legit or not)
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... .megacraft
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... vivalcraft
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... .minebuild
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... .minicraft
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... worldcraft
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... ketedition

[redblade7]

Hi,

I thought we could create a thread on the forum where we could report Minetest clones and counterfeits. The original plan was to create forks of things on github and have them merged, kind of confusing when you can just use the forum that anyone can reply to and potential players can read. (See the original github idea here.)

Existence confirmed, legal:

* Cartoon Craft - Castle World PE (Pocket Edition) Mobile client. Developer: RZQ Dev. Ads: Unknown. Found on Google Play. Attributions to Minetest and its LGPL code. Lists included Minetest mods on Google Play page. (More info)

* MultiCraft - Free Miner! Mobile client. Developer: MultiCraft Official. Adware. Attributions to Minetest and its LGPL license, includes Creative Commons and proprietary code. Found on Google Play. (More info)

* PixelCraft - 3D Survival! Mobile client. Developer: MultiCraft Project. Ads: Unknown. MultiCraft fork which gives credit to both MultiCraft and Minetest. Includes LGPL, CC-BY-SA, and CC-BY-NC-SA code, though it claims to be open-source on the Google Play page. Found on Google Play. (More info)

* Worldcraft -- Free Exploration Mobile client. Developer: FunKetApp. Found on Google Play, denies affiliation with Mojang, gives credit to Minetest and notes LGPL license (More info)

Existence confirmed, illegal:

* MultiCraft - Minetest France Mobile client. Developer: Salbei. Ads: Unknown. Found on Google Play. Attributes Minetest without license given, but impersonates MultiCraft, and claims "Multicraft" (which one?) is LGPL. "Multicraft is the only application to take advantage of the system Multiserv Minetest France servers." (More info)

Existence confirmed, legality unknown:

* Multicraft Miner Exploration Mobile client. Found on Google Play. Developer: 四川百秦科技有限公司 (I can't read Chinese). Ads: Unknown, "Free (It's FREE in [sic] a limited time!)". Connection to MultiCraft unknown. (More info)

* 我的方塊世界Exploration Craft：模擬生存創造 (Google Translate: "My Craft World: Exploration Survival Creation") Mobile client. Found on Google Play. Developer: 四川百秦科技有限公司 (I can't read Chinese). Ads: Unknown. Appears to be connected to Multicraft Miner Exploration (and is developed by the same people). (More info)

* Voxel Craft : Castle Build PE (Pocket Edition) Mobile client. Developer: Rev of Voxel Dev. Ads: Unknown. Found on Google Play. Looks like it copy-pasted the description of Cartoon Craft - Castle World PE, and replaced a few words, with "Cartoon Craft Pocket Edition" present in one pasted sentence. The screenshot shows unified_inventory. Attributes Minetest properly, but connection to Cartoon Craft PE unknown. (More info)

Existence unconfirmed, legal:

* (none known to exist under this category)

Existence unconfirmed, illegal:

* Counterfeit "Minecraft". A mobile "Minecraft" client containing ads and a "full version". This client was being used on my Creative Gardens server in early May 2016 by an individual who had never heard of Minetest. He had supposedly downloaded this on Google Play, and when asked if it was Multicraft or Cartooncraft, said it wasn't and that it was called "Minecraft". (More info here.)

Existence unconfirmed, legality unknown:

* (Unknown name) This is apparently an unofficial mobile client a user on my new The Valleys server was using. The placement of "three dots" (presumably with the same function and ordering as the official mobile client) on this client was in the bottom right instead of the center left. Clicking these three dots would supposedly cause a crash. Unknown origin of the app, and I have not seen the user since the complaint (and the user didn't speak good English), this may be updated as more info becomes known.

* Mineworld Page went down so I can't look it up. But I do remember it being Chinese and having a servers.mineworld.com which mirrored ours, and a forum of its own. Not to be confused with Mine World, a separate game on Google Play, whose developer's home page is now a redirect to scareware PCKeeper.

Unrelated apps with similar names, legal:

* Mine Test: Minecraft Quiz A quiz on the game Minecraft. (More info)

Unrelated apps with similar names, illegal:

* (none known to exist under this category)

Unrelated apps with similar names, legality unknown:

* (none known to exist under this category)

[sorcerykid]

Here are illicit clones of Minetest for the iPad.

Buildcraft by Playstarz Inc.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/buildcr ... 72768?mt=8

Worldcraft 2 by Playstarz Inc.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/worldcr ... 53132?mt=8

Worldcraft Pocket Edition by Playstarz Inc.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/worldcr ... 49324?mt=8

Exploration by Jingjing Feng
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/explora ... 42020?mt=8
(this one is particularly amusing because the first screenshot is of spawn on JT2 server)

[redblade7]

Here are illicit clones of Minetest for the iPad.

Is that what one of the mobile interfaces look like, with the Chevron logo in the middle? Then there are plenty more on Google Play. I don't play the mobile, it's too hard for me to do anything but jump around until my tablet gets hot and the game crashes.

[Wuzzy]

How can you NOT mention Freeminer and Voxelands? :P

[redblade7]

How can you NOT mention Freeminer and Voxelands? :P

I was just going by pictures I was familiar with. I don't remember the real mobile interface because I only played with it once or twice. Add more info, that's why it's a thread and not github.

[red-001]

Here is a list of all the iOS apps that I know for certain are based on minetest, there are two more that I'm fair certain about but these are the only ones that I'm completely certain about.

Code: Select all

Zombie Survival World / Zombie Survival 1.3 by Orz Games 
Worldcraft Survival 2 / Worldcraft2 3.1 by Playstarz Inc. 
WorldCraft & Exploration Craft 3D / WorldCraft Lite 1.07 by YuBo Chen
Starve Game / Starve Game 3.01 by
Skyblock - craft your island / SkyBlock 1.4 by Playstarz Inc.
Freeworld - Multiplayer Sandbox Game / Freeworld 3.0 by Orz Games
FreeCraft Survival / FreeCraft Exploration 1.42 by Jingjing Feng
Exploration Pocket Edition -- multiplayer sandbox building game with survival / Exploration 1.293 by Jingjing Feng
WorldCraft Survival--Best Free Sandbox Game / Exploration 1.62 by TUIJUN FENG
CubeStory -- Free sandbox voxel game with multiplayer and great maps! / CubeStory 1.07 by YuBo Chen
Buildcraft - Multiplayer Block Game / Buildcraft 4.1 by Playstarz Inc.

[sorcerykid]

Hmm, four of those iPad clones I'd just mentioned already :P

[red-001]

My bad I already had the list so I just copy and pasted it.

[redblade7]

"MultiCraft Free Miner" is incompatible with unified_inventory. The game crashes with an error message when the user tries to access the inventory screen. unified_inventory_lite is used on my servers.

[MineYoshi]

There is a considerable amount of threads like this in the forum (like this one viewtopic.php?f=3&t=16020)

But by far i've seen you are at least trying to classify these clones and see if they are obeying to the license.

Pretty good project! +10

[iprdn]

You are not right to calling them clones - them just similar. No one clones MT, as far as I know.
Here another one to this list - Mythruna.com, it has one of the best and promicing graphics of all others. Unfortunately, author abandodnded it due to real life tragedy, as far as I figured out on game forum.

[Wayward_One]

You are not right to calling them clones - them just similar. No one clones MT, as far as I know.
Here another one to this list - Mythruna.com, it has one of the best and promicing graphics of all others. Unfortunately, author abandodnded it due to real life tragedy, as far as I figured out on game forum.

No, these are actual forks of Minetest itself, using actual Minetest code. There are many people who fork Minetest for their own purposes. Mythruna does not count, as it is completely different (different language, different mechanics, etc.) and, other than being another voxel game, completely unrelated to Minetest.

[rubenwardy]

You are not right to calling them clones - them just similar. No one clones MT, as far as I know.

There is a Minetest clone - it's called Hexahedra: https://github.com/Nocte-/hexahedra
The author was inspired by Minetest.

All the games above are forks, however.

[sorcerykid]

I don't know if you realize it, but on iOS there are apps called WorldCraft, BuildCraft, and WorldCraft2. They all originate from a publisher known as Playstarz Inc.

I notice you included apps with the same names here under three different categories no less, but I suspect they are one in the same for Android as their iOS counterpart, just released via a different corporate pseudonym.

[red-001]

Isn't there already a topic for this? I remember posting a list of iOS forks.

[red-001]

Tested magichet and it seems to work as expected, you need to set up a few things manually otherwise you get a segfault on start up.

[LaserJet]

i am not doing what you guys are doing but i took screenshots of the Apps on googleplaystore that uses the same multiplayer servers as minetest does i cant show you screenshots but i will

[Wuzzy]

Seeing the list so far, it makes me wonder: Is there actually a single Minetest fork for Android or iOS which does not violate license terms or contain anti-features like ads or even in-app-purchases?

I'm really not impressed by the forks I've seen so far. Everything except Freeminer seems to suck.

Yesterday I had a player on JT2 complain about a video ad every 10 minutes or so. I was not aware of how awful this really is. Basically the player was unable to play or talk in chat everytime an ad showed up. It's that awful.
And yes, this player was of course on one of the Android forks (I forgot its name, however). I dutifully led this player to Minetest, but I don't know if I succeeded.
Can someone please put some research into this and make some screenshots of such a knock-off (including its ads) just so we can see what we're dealing with?

I would like to see screenshot of the buy screen as well. I wonder who is actually stupid enough to pay money for this. :-(

We should probably try much harder in educating the players about the real thing (Minetest) and about the crappy forks which infest Google Play.
I'm not at all opposed to forking Minetest, but these crappy knock-offs really tick me off, they just ruin the player experience.
This directly affects our community as well, since the players of the crappy ad-infested knock-offs are joining Minetest servers, but they are basically handicapped due to PvP.


I also recently learned that people started to turn Minetest into a “freemium” scheme:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/explora ... 42020?mt=8

Hold on, I have to puke for a few hours …

[TumeniNodes]

Would it be possible to request that any Minetest clients on Play, which are not the official build, be labeled or tagged as "non-official"?
I ask, because I am not up on AppStores and whether they are willing to work with groups this way, which would possibly help curb use of unofficial clients a bit?
Just a quick label stating it is unofficial and a brief summary such as, "not guaranteed to work properly" and no support for unofficial clients?

IDK, there must be some way to control this a bit, If players using unofficial clients are the cause of some issues, and also people being ripped off by such unofficial apps, then I would think it would be Google's obligation to take measures to protect users

And, if someone has the ability to dev for Android, and wishes to make some $ through Play, then it should be looked over and approved by official devs before it is able to be put up for $. And then it could be a potential as an official build, etc..
I see nothing wrong with someone competent enough developing for Android wishing to put it up for like $0.99 or $1.00, it would definitely motivate them to keep it up, and maybe the community could donate a few $ to them per year?

I'm babbling at this point (just ideas hit my head too fast) and there is a lot of garbage to filter before something plausible gets through

[Wuzzy]

Well, for starters it would be good enough if they at least become free software themselves, like Minetest.

It is important to remember that nobody requires our explicit approval as long they stay free software themselves.
This also includes paid apps, although I think the “free to pay” bullshit has to die.

[sorcerykid]

Seeing the list so far, it makes me wonder: Is there actually a single Minetest fork for Android or iOS which does not violate license terms or contain anti-features like ads or even in-app-purchases?

I've long been wanting to introduce a multilingual survey on JT2, asking new users about their experience including

• Which app are you using to play on this server?
  [] Minetest [] Freeminer [] WorldCraft [] BuildCraft [] FreeCraft [] Multicraft Free Miner [] PixelCraft [] Other
  
  What type of device are you playing on?
  [] Phone [] Tablet [] Laptop [] Notebook [] Desktop [] Mainframe
  
  Did you pay to download and install the app?
  [] No, it was free [] Yes, I had to pay
  
  How often do you see popup ads in the app?
  [] None [] Once a Day [] Once an Hour [] Constantly

These, of course, are just a sampling of possible questions. The feedback provided by such a survey could be invaluable in the development and marketing of Minetest as well as for authors of subgames and mods.

[Wuzzy]

Sorcerykid, that's a great idea! Especially since you run one of the most-visited servers. You should definitely get in touch with the core devs.
I don't think it strictly has to be multilingual, but it might help.

Also, I would also tell all players after taking the survey (or declining it) that Minetest is the real thing without ads, payments and other bullshit. I think more players need to be educated about this, players don't deserve to be subjugated to a video ad every 10 minutes.

It would also be nice if you could publish the source code of the survey mod, so that other server operators could use it.
By the way, where's the source code for JT2 anyway?