WoW Clone 2.0
Allods Online. Earth Eternal. Alganon.
Three recent titles that were unapologetically slapped with the “WoW Clone” label before they were finished baking. We vary quite a bit on what the definition of a WoW clone is, but generally it refers not only to the style of MMORPG but also the visual theme — the UI, the stylized semi-cartoony art. In the above examples, each of these more or less are the Ramora clinging to the belly of WoW, sharing the same direction and blood.
Not that that’s bad, nor does that mean they lack their own unique properties that differ them from WoW.
But my thought for the day is this: if you’re looking to draw heavily on WoW for a new MMO, why oh why are you doing fantasy? A WoW fantasy game has been done already; more is redundant. So why not do a WoW clone in a completely different genre?
I mean, really, if someone — even Blizzard — transplanted all of WoW’s UI and design and art style into a scifi setting, I’d probably gobble it up. Space marines and star assassins instead of warriors and rogues? Sure. Laser rifles instead of swords? Why not!
Or what about a WoW clone in the Wild, Wild West? Survival Horror setting? Pure steampunk? Cyberpunk? Time Travel? Post-Apocalyptic? Corporate intrigue? High school?
I’m just saying, if you’re already shameless enough to completely rip off WoW, then why not have a bit of fun with it instead of trying to create a lesser photocopy of the game you’re copying?
- Posted in: Allods Online ♦ World of Warcraft
YES!! Clone the interface or wow, the look, the game systems…but offer a substantially different setting! Please!
I seen a shirt for sale, “Department of Redundancy Department.”
They need to order a bunch.
I started playing Allods earlier, and I was wondering about that too… It looks liike a pretty solid game once the bugs are killed, but it doesn’t do anything different.
I have to disagree with the above post about Allods. While it shares many aspects with WoW, there is enough about it to set it apart as a significantly different game.
The main difference, in my opinion, is in the end-game.
Similar interface, yes.
Similar graphics, yes.
Similar color pallets, yes.
Similar Genre, yes.
Similar class structures, not quite other than the holy trinity.
Similar end-game, nope.
Similar Tree Specialization, vaguely similar.
So while I can accept the “Wow clone” badge that many have stamped on Allods, I think that the game has enough about it that is unique to let it stand on it’s own. You’ll still see people comparing the two, but I feel that Allods will actually come out on top of most of those comparisons. Especially if you do them properly and compare them when both are in the same age of development/release. Allods will most likely release with a better in-place end-game than WoW had, and after years of polish & development I think it will be the superior of the two games.
Just My Opinion of course.
Asia’s way ahead of you. Granted, they’re not exactly WoW clones, but it’s only a matter of time.
Wild Wild West – Priest (http://www.gamepriest.com/english/index.asp)
Survival Horror – Requiem: Bloodymare (http://www.playrequiem.com/)
Post-Apocalyptic (sort of) – Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine (http://megaten.aeriagames.com/)
High School – Yogurting (no english site)
Wow, space game? Sign me up, I’d play Starcraft Online!
Interesting points but I would put Allods seperate from the other ‘WoW clones’ as it does seem to be bringing its own ideas to the table.
I think the main thing I’ll be interested with in Allods is whether or not it can shake of the f2p ‘stigma’.
It looks fine and from what I hear plays well but I for one just dont buy into games which are purely supported by ‘cash shops’, the funny thing is if it was a subscription based game then I’d propably give it a couple of months to see what its all about.
@ Slymie – unfortunately you cant really compare it to WoW of old and say ‘after years of polish & development I think it will be the superior of the two games’ – do you honesty think blizzard will just stand there and do nothing to WoW? The Cataclysm expansion will be bringing up all the old zones to scratch both graphically and gameplay wise.
I like the space idea, someone should do that. Maybe Warhammer 40k will be the remedy.
I’ll also chime in to note that Allods isn’t a mere clone. It’s certainly not the unabashed ripoff that Alganon presents.
That said, the weakest parts of Allods is where it is like WoW. It has ships, unique class talent trees and a world lore that are well worth digging into and unlike anything WoW has to offer, but the Same Old DIKU leveling grind and design ethos (more EQ than WoW, anyway) that it uses is definitely a retread of old overused game design.
I definitely wish it would have embraced its unique aspects more, especially the ships… but then, would the mass market, weaned on WoW, bother with it? We always hear people whining for something new, but then, when they get it, they whine that it’s not WoW. Allods seems poised to straddle the issue, with a WoW-like early experience that later branches out into its own flavor of MMO gaming. I think that they did that deliberately as a way to cater to the market; they are offering something new, but wrapping it in comfortable old trappings.
Time will tell if they manage to carve out their own identity without playing like a bait and switch… while still managing to be a game worth playing. I hope it will, but I’m far too jaded to believe in any Great MMO Hope and Change.
(And wouldn’t it be ironic if the Next Best Thing in MMO gaming was Allods, a subscriptionless MMO out of Russia? In Soviet Russia MMOs play you, indeed.)
I’m not saying that Allods is a mere clone or that it lacks anything distinctive or different, just that it is recognized as looking very WoW-like (and WAR-like in a way) with a pretty typical WoW-like interface. It’s not like I’m the first person to nudge it into the WoW clone category.
Oh, Allods certainly borrows heavily from the design and art aesthetic of WoW. It’s not doing anything bold and innovative, like breaking away from the DIKU mold or anything like that.
Calling it a clone in the same way that Alganon is a clone is a bit of a disservice, though… but yes, many people will do so. That’s just the reality of the market, unfortunately.
I still want a MechWarrior MMO. Maybe it’s time to write up a design document for one…
Tesh, take a look at Perpetuum Online – it’s in dev by a group of european ex-EVE players, and it’s certainly EVE-inspired.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2009/12/21/hungarian-robo-biff-perpetuum-online/
Allods does draw pretty heavily interface wise, and graphic style wise from WoW but that’s really where the similarities end. Everything else was present in the genre before WoW was unleashed upon us. I remember when I was beta testing LoTRO, so many people were calling it a WoW clone based solely on the UI. After release and people actually experiencing the game, I don’t think I’ve heard anyone refer to it as a WoW clone since.
Assuming people give Allods a chance and don’t just write it off as a f2p trash mmo (of which I was almost guilty of doing). I think the game will do very well. It will be interesting to see how Allods fares, given the state of some of the recent AAA titles that have launched. If Allods can pull it off (and I think they can/will) it could change the way a lot of people look at mmo’s.
Also @Tesh I would dearly love a mech (Gundam themed or otherwise) mmo, so you have my utmost support.
Would a WoW UI even work with those though? KTR quests are bad enough in fantasy, but I can’t see a space marine doing it, or a gunfighter. Or why in a survival horror game we are all using meelee weapons instead of guns.
I think fantasy is chosen because it works well for close ranged, non-dynamic meelee centered combat.
I’ve pointed out before on masssivley that if you ould make WoW steampunk it would be Allods. That’s not a bad thing actually. That is, it uses WoW’s style to build it’s own universe….and maybe do something more interesting with it.
That being said, I will only give Allods a passs if it has a premium service similar to DDO. Because no matter how good they look, I just can’t trust F2P’s with cash shop as far as I throw Bill Roper’s shoes in a confined small apartment.
@ Rybnik, I prefer Euraka 7…where you can ride your mechs on surfboards.