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The Daily Grind: What makes an MMO a 'WoW clone'?
Eminent MMO designer Raph Koster inspired today's Daily Grind with his recent article titled When is a Clone, in which he discusses the difference between clones, reskins, variants, families, genres, and other words that gamers often use interchangeably when debating the merits of their favorite games. Specifically, he lays out a "recipe" for inventing a new game as opposed to just cloning one; for example, he suggests that developers might model a new scenario mathematically or alter the physical dimensions or major goals of an existing ruleset. But the truth is that gamers, especially MMO players, will probably never stop using the word clone when we mean iteration. We wield the word as a curse, knowing that a game isn't a literal clone but choosing to employ hyperbole to make a point about the sameyness of so many MMOs that slap a fresh coat of paint on World of Warcraft and expect praise. Today, we're asking you: What, exactly, makes an MMO a WoW clone? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The best -- or the worst -- of the WoW clones
You've probably heard the term "WoW clone" applied to nearly every MMO out there, because as WoW borrowed ideas from older games like EverQuest, so newer games borrow from WoW. And any game with WoW-like features -- by which we mean nearly any MMO -- might get branded with the label "clone," no matter how good it is. However, some of these myriad WoW clones strike us as particularly... well, let's call it familiar. Now don't get us wrong -- these aren't bad games, and every game builds on its predecessors in an attempt to make something better. But if you're looking for something that's distinctly different from WoW, none of these are going to fit the bill. However, any of them may be an entertaining change of pace or just an amusing venture into what some of the other MMOs on the market are doing.
The Soapbox: Give MMOs a chance
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. The very first Soapbox was penned by our Editor-in-Chief Shawn Schuster, who posited that MMOs have an hour to grab his attention -- or he was gone like the wind, baby. I understand where he was coming from and mostly agree with his sentiments, especially as someone who deals in many MMOs over the course of a year. Devs should work their butts off to give us a gripping and intuitive experience from the get-go, but lately I'm wondering if even the best beginning is enough for the community. At the risk of over-generalizing, I see signs that there's a chunk of MMO players that will never, ever be satisfied. These are the players who fully judge a game before it even releases, who perhaps relent to give 15 minutes of their precious attention before logging out and trashing the title all over the place, or who never let any past "failure" or perceived slight go so as to give the game another try. To them I want to say: Give MMOs a chance. A real chance. Do this, and you might just be surprised at how these games can delight you.
ZeniMax: The Elder Scrolls Online's real-time combat 'is all pretty much new'
If ZeniMax seems a bit defensive about The Elder Scrolls Online, you can hardly blame the company. Since its announcement this spring, the upcoming MMO has been met with a steady chorus of fan disapproval due to perceived similarities with other themepark fantasy MMOs. In a new interview with Kotaku, ZeniMax head honchos Matt Firor and Paul Sage attempt to accentuate the positive and differentiate TESO from its genre competitors. "When people sit down and play it, they'll realize it's different. Like our whole real-time combat system of blocking and dodging is all pretty much new," Firor explains. Firor also comes out swinging vis-à-vis the notion that TESO is nothing more than a World of Warcraft analog. "Making an MMO is making an MMO. I worked in the industry before World of Warcraft, so I can tell you that World of Warcraft had a lot of influences from a lot of games. Our priority is to make a great game and not to make a clone of anything," he says.
Free for All: Why the term Facebook game should fade
Last week, in the comments section of one of my other columns, a player described Glitch as "kind of like a non-violent, Facebook version of EVE Online." I was confused by the Facebook part, so I had to ask him about it. He responded by saying that it was "sort of like saying a themepark MMO is very 'World of Warcraft-ish'. So the meaning is likely going to vary from person to person and cover a lot of things: browser-based, more simplistic." He makes a few good points. (I have the smartest readers!) At the same time, his truths shine light on a couple of very disturbing trends. Click past the cut and let's discuss them!
The Game Archaeologist uncovers Shadowbane: The battle-scarred blogger
I've long since enjoyed doing this column because, to me, it feels like the next best thing to having been there back in the day, playing these games. No one MMO player can occupy all titles at once, so experiences are bound to pass us by. Fortunately, the gamers who were there have long memories and are often more than willing to share a story or two if given half the chance. After last week's initial foray into our Shadowbane retrospective, I fished around for a hearty veteran of the minotaur wars who was willing to step up and answer a few questions without succumbing to post-traumatic stress disorder. Within a minute, my good friend Grimnir bit into the topic, and I reeled him in as he flopped and gasped for air. At some point, this metaphor got away from me, but no worries. Hit that jump and let's cast our nets down memory river and see what we can dredge up!
The Road to Mordor: Four more years, four more years!
While four years is not a nice round number -- or even a halfway number like five -- it's a substantial milestone for any MMORPG. Debuting in early 2007, Lord of the Rings Online introduced something we'd never seen before: a fully realized 3-D virtual Middle-earth where we could not only enjoy a deep MMO but explore the lands and meet the people we'd only read about before. It might not be a universal truth that all LotRO players are big Tolkien fans, but I'm sure enough that it's a sizable chunk of the playerbase. There's something special about the IP that gives a weight and richness to the game, especially when a long-time reader of the books is given leave to actually go on adventures through Eriador, Moria and Mirkwood. It's a giant sight-seeing tour of lore, a thrill with every brush one has with the source material. It's heady to consider that four years ago we were but starting on this journey, feeling out the mechanics of combat, crafting and pie-running. Four years later, LotRO has emerged to be one of the most significant MMOs of the past decade, growing strong with no signs of slowing down. Hit the jump as we reminisce about the ups, the downs, and the off-the-beaten-path hikes of our beloved game as it celebrates its fourth anniversary.
Celebrate EQ's 12 years with a look back and an interview with John Smedley
Time grows many layers, and this is especially true in MMORPGs. After all, not only are new quests, stories and chunks of content added to a game as it goes along, but the players themselves add their own memories and experiences to the mix. MMOs truly are virtual worlds, and they change over time and become richer. EverQuest is no exception. After 12 years of adventure, danger, and story-telling, the game shows no signs of stopping. What is planned for the game? How will the last 12 years affect the decisions for the next 12 years? EverQuest has been one of the flagships of the genre, but how does a game of its age maintain any type of market visibility? Massively sat down with SOE President John Smedley, EQ Assistant Lead Designer Alan VanCouvering, and Associate Producer Harvey Burgess to find out. We'll also be taking a look back at the long history of Norrath and will even throw in some nuggets about EverQuest Next. Click past the cut and let's take a look!
BioWare: WoW is the "touchstone" for The Old Republic
Debate has raged long and hard in fan circles as to whether or not BioWare's upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG is a "WoW clone." Speaking on the keynote panel at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas, BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk added a bit of fuel to that particular fire by outlining how SWTOR is treading the path laid down by the current king of the genre. "It [World of Warcraft] is a touchstone. It has established standards, it's established how you play an MMO. Every MMO that comes out, I play and look at it. And if they break any of the WoW rules, in my book that's pretty dumb," Zeschuk said. Zeschuk also addressed the social gaming trend, saying that triple-A projects are still alive and kicking thanks to Blizzard's success. "Bigger does work. Big has worked and frankly, WoW is the biggest. On a pure revenue basis it's probably the biggest game ever by a country mile. It generates so much revenue it's an incredible international business unto itself," he said.
Free for All: An insight on indie from Alganon
Recently I decided that I wanted to ask different indie developers how their world revolves and what it's like to exist within that world. Development is a funny thing and often much more difficult than many of us will ever know. In my experience, the budget doesn't change the basic goings-on in the development studio, but it can effect what developers are willing to talk about. I would never expect certain mainstream developers to ever open up to certain questions, while many indie developers seem more than willing. Last time, I asked the developers of Istaria what they thought, which you can read here. This time, I decided to send some questions to Quest Online, the maker of Alganon. I received my answers from Derek Smart, president of QOL. Alganon has been one of my surprise favorites of the last year, so I was eager to ask some questions -- after all, he says exactly what's on his mind.
Rise and Shiny recap: Alganon
We have all heard of the controversy surrounding Alganon. Essentially, it breaks down into a few basic points: it is a "WoW clone," and it is being run by Derek Smart, a say-it-like-you-mean-it development bad-boy. Many claim he looks for negative attention and enjoys arguing with players. To be blunt, I don't care what people think about Derek Smart. I have said it before: I actually believe that he reacts to negative attention the way other developers wish they could. I don't keep track of his battles, though; I keep track of what he has done in gaming. All I know is that before he was with Alganon, I did not enjoy the game. After he became involved, the game got better. Concerning the "WoW-clone" issue: If I had a gold piece for every time I've heard that, I could afford that incredible level 50 mount! (*snort*) If I took a moment to break down all games that have similarities to WoW, this article would be much, much longer than it needs to be. WoW was successful, and the industry takes cues from success. WoW took its own cues from other games before that. Still, does Alganon take more from WoW than, say, Lord of the Rings Online? Read on, and let's discuss it.
Massively interviews Alganon's Derek Smart
Amidst the recent flurry of GDC announcements, it's possible for people to miss what's been coming out of some of the smaller studios. That being said, almost everyone with some game industry knowledge took notice when it was formally announced that Derek Smart would be taking charge of Alganon. It helped that Mr. Smart, well-known for his vocal nature and not shying from controversy, almost immediately took the opportunity to set the record straight regarding the management change. (And then set it even straighter.) Naturally, Massively asked for an interview. Mr. Smart was kind enough to answer a number of questions from us, ranging from future plans for the game to his place within the overall structure of development. Love or hate Alganon, his responses should be of interest to almost anyone with some knowledge of the game or the man himself. Check on past the cut for everything he had to say regarding the game, its present, and its future.
