by Cody Bye on Jun 18, 2007
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.
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.
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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