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However, as WoW gained in popularity and the subscriber base rose far beyond the numbers posted by the original Everquest, it lost its stats as an “EQ clone”. As a successful game, players can no longer dub the game with a “clone” status, because it has exceeded all of its predecessors in sheer popularity. Now any gamer that has lost interest in WoW or dislikes the ease of play inherent in WoW throws out the term “clone”.

Now, some gamers are taking the “clone” idea so far as to make it the foundation for a predicted success or failure. Recently, a prominent MMOG site posted an editorial where a recently released game, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, was judged a failure – the author uses the word “sucked” – because the developers had adhered closely to the gameplay mechanics in WoW. Besides the fact that the game in question has MANY aspects that are directly counter-intuitive to WoW gameplay, I found it particularly disturbing that the author drew the conclusion that games that were not WoW clones – almost an anti-WoW stance – would succeed where others would fail.

Vanguard's lack of success should not be blamed on any similarities it has to World of Warcraft.

This myopic stance cannot be tolerated, for if a game’s predicted success or failure stems from the similarities the game has compared to a previously released, extremely successful title, how can gamers ever expect to see a standard in the MMOGs that they play? If developers are forced to be “anti-WoW”, how are they ever going to drive forward to further innovations?

In the real world, a foundation of knowledge needs to be established before any innovations can ever be made. Sir Isaac Newton was particularly eloquent when he made reference to standing on the shoulders of giants to gain greater vision, and by doing so he was able to create his theories on physics and mathematics. If every game developer was forced to think of gameplay elements that were completely new, they would be facing a monstrous task that would swallow them whole.

Many of the elements that were so successful in WoW proved to be the standard sort of options that players needed to enjoy the game that they were playing. With these elements in mind, other developers are able to innovate their games in other ways. Instead of worrying about the “basics”, developers can focus on other ways to revolutionize the industry. Perhaps they explore intricate gameplay elements outside of combat, such as the way Vanguard does in the form of Diplomacy and crafting (which are two of the very BEST parts of the game, in my opinion). By asserting that market standards should not be a part of a successful game is like saying a popular computer shouldn’t have a motherboard and instead should come up with a new part that does the work of a motherboard…but better.

The Lord of the Rings Online also borrows heavily from gameplay elements established in previous generations of MMORPGs.

While the author of the article even goes so far as to criticize upcoming games that are not even in beta, it needs to be pointed out that most of the upcoming MMORPGs are NOT WoW clones. In fact, they are taking the standard elements of the WoW gameplay and either expanding upon them or completely changing the way these mechanics operate.Age of Conan appears ready to move towards a new combat system and a more robust PvP frontier area. Warhammer Online and Mythic promise even more of the RvR we grew to love in Dark Age of Camelot and expand it into every element of the gameplay design. Pirates of the Burning Sea is far from the “WoW in Ships” that the author of the article describes and has a setting that is inherently different than any fantasy game currently on the market. Tabula Rasa is also redefining combat, drawing the modern world FPS and the MMOG closer together and blending the two for a completely new experience.

Truly, without a semblance of an MMOG standard format, many gamers would be perilously frustrated with upcoming games. It would be too much like life, with your path completely open before you and your mind entirely unsure what steps to take next. Players also get used to having customizable AIs, progressive characters, and instances; without those “standards” in a game, players often find themselves completely at odds with a new game. Being a copycat isn’t a bad thing, but using the popular standards of the industry, that’s just common sense.

Developers, please continue to stand on the shoulders of giants. Without that added height nor the breadth of vision, we would never see the progressive games we are playing.

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