I mean honestly, not every game is like WoW, just because it's a fucking RPG, and it has quests, swords, magic, a hotbar, and instances, DOES NOT mean its a WoW Clone!!!

your thread is pointless and has been done many times before on tnis forum

 technically everything is either a meridian 59 or everquest clone.

not counting muds.....

Originally posted by XanthosX

 I mean honestly, not every game is like WoW, just because it's a fucking RPG, and it has quests, swords, magic, a hotbar, and instances, DOES NOT mean its a WoW Clone!!!

I guess it depends on what features you want to highlight. You can say WoW is an EQ clone, because both are more or less themepark MMO's, with levels, classes, zones, gear to collect, etc.

Of course they are still very different games.

I think when people use the WoW clone  description, they are talking about easy to level, forced soloing in the early levels, quest grind, with raiding at the end.

I think when people use the WoW clone  description, they are talking about easy to level, forced soloing in the early levels, quest grind, with raiding at the end.

Yet none of this was pioneered by WoW, all Blizzard did was take these concepts and put them in a polished package. The reason people call games WoW clones is because WoW is the 500 pound gorilla. Most MMO players got introduced to the genre by WoW and thus its most MMO'ers first MMO game and they will compare any game to it.

It's similar to many other products and technologies. Nowadays every mp3 player that isn't made by apple is "an Ipod clone", even though for example the Diamond Rio was released before it (and the MPMan was technically the first MP3player). No one ever calls a mp3 player a diamond rio clone or an MPman clone. Even the Ipod itself wasn't labelled an MPman clone or Rio clone upon release. But the Ipod would storm the market, become the 500 pound gorilla and the first mp3 player of practically half the world, and henceforth the term "ipod clone" was born.

I agree the hatred for WOW on this forum in my opinion takes away from the credibility of the forum. Saying that AOC,WAR, and LOTRO are WOW clones is like saying that basketball is a clone from soccer (after all the balls are the same shape they both have goals on both ends envolve a bunch of running and you have to get the ball to a basket to score and you have to have the most points to win). The reason why alot of forums seem to be heavily biased against WOW though is simple. The people who like WOW are too busy playing an awesome game.

EQ a theme park MMoRPG?  not the EQ I remember, you had to explore and what few quests there where you had to actually say key words to the correct NPC to even get, there was no mark above thier haeds to tell you to talk to them, you had noway at all of knowing who to talk to or what to say, and then when you did find one of the rare quests  the directions were very vague, the EQ I remember was in no way a "theme park" MMoRPG.

But to the point of the thread...the only reason games are WoW clones is cause most these people know only WoW so anything thats similar in any way is a WoW clone, its kind of like music, there are only so many notes that can be playeed so its inevitable that some songs are going to sound like other songs, does that make them clones of those songs?

Because practically everybody has played WoW, so when a new one comes out and its remotely simular, the easiest way to explain it to the next dude who asks 'what is this game like?' is to tell him 'its like wow', then he gets the general gist of the game in a split second. If you were to go to the cinema and ask what is this movie like? and somebody started a 5 minute description of what it was about you'd get bored and probably ask, so ok which other movie is this simular too? And then he says 'oh its like planet of the apes' and you get the general gist of the movie already. That is my opinion anyway but I take Physcology so I'm always looking at it differently. But of corse then there is the general noob who thinks he is cool cause he typed Wow Clone before anybody else could get in there and then goes and faps over being first post.

Yeah why is wow treated like a catogary rather than a game (a very succesful, well designed game for which I enjoy partaking in)  Though it like every other mmo out there has flaws, but they cant get it right for everbody, every pc, every fanboi or hater.

I aint a fanboi I accept wow for its flaws, like it probably tries to cater for my flaws.

Originally posted by waveslayer

EQ a theme park MMoRPG?  not the EQ I remember, you had to explore and what few quests there where you had to actually say key words to the correct NPC to even get, there was no mark above thier haeds to tell you to talk to them, you had noway at all of knowing who to talk to or what to say, and then when you did find one of the rare quests  the directions were very vague, the EQ I remember was in no way a "theme park" MMoRPG.

But to the point of the thread...the only reason games are WoW clones is cause most these people know only WoW so anything thats similar in any way is a WoW clone, its kind of like music, there are only so many notes that can be playeed so its inevitable that some songs are going to sound like other songs, does that make them clones of those songs?

When I'm playing Falllout 3, there's a quest that will blow up the starter town, I forget the name of the town. You set off a nuclear bomb, and the town is blown to bits, gone, you can't go there anymore, no more store, no more house, no more quests from the people there.

Or, you can decide NOT to do taht quest, and the town stays for the rest of the game.

IMO, THAT is more of a sandbox type of game.

Running around to find the ride because there are no directions to it, still means you get on the ride once you find it. That's just busy work, not a sandbox, IMO. Removing markers for NPC's changes nothing about the game world at all.

I can easily find the NPC so I can give him ten rat tails for a copper piece! I have to hunt for the NPC so I can give him ten rat tails for a copper piece! Same themepark, but one has busy work in it.

There was probably a time in American history when anything with 4 wheels and an engine was considered a Model T clone. WoW is the most recognizable reference people have in the MMOG genre.

It's probably because nearly every MMO to release since WoW has done it's best to mimic WoW with the hope of stealing some of WoW's slice of the pie. WoW didn't originally create many of the features it has, but since it made those features a success, the amount of quality, original games has dropped dramatically, and the number of "standard", WoW like MMOs that attempt to copy the features, accessability, and easiness of WoW has sky rocketed. Since WoW, we have seen few sandboxes, and none that are outstanding.

That is why every game is called a WoW clone. Partially the features, partially because the intent of the developers is painfully obvious.

So by your definition Imotep WoW is a sandbox game, take the Icecrown zone for instance..Crusaders pinicale and shadow vault, if you do the quest line they are takin over by friendly forces if you dont they stay in enemy hands....WoW is not a sandbox game.

A sandbox game is one that is open to explore and has very little in the way of hand holding, in a sandbox game you make your own story , EQ was far more like that then Fallout 3. Lots of people claim SWG pre change was the pinnicle of sandbox games so far and it had a handfull of quests, just becuse there is an occasional quest dosnt make a game a theme park style game just as being able to change something does not make it a sandbox game. 
 

I don't know others, but I call "WoW clone" to games that use the gameplay system of WoW, and are tryiing to repeat the sucess of WoW.

WoW is casual friendly, so any WoW clone as to be casual friendly.  This removes FFA games with fullloot like Darkfall.

WoW is based on lots of Quest with some history.  This removes almost all F2P korean grinders, wheres theres something like "go kill me 300 bunnys"  and nothing more.  These are not WoW clones. A example is Dekaron.

WoW is based on stylized toy-story-ske graphics,  bright color, like playschool toys.  Games like WAR use that graphic style, others like Age of Conan use a different style.  A true "WoW clone" must use that style.

NOT ALL ARE WOW CLONES, you are wrong here, but lots are, because these stupid investors don't really understand that theres only one WoW allowed.

Originally posted by XanthosX

 I mean honestly, not every game is like WoW, just because it's a fucking RPG, and it has quests, swords, magic, a hotbar, and instances, DOES NOT mean its a WoW Clone!!!

Seems like WoW did what you just did, "Oh wow John, that is a good idea, lets I'm gonna use it and try to make it a little better!" Only difference is, WoW succeeded, and you didn't.

Maybe a better question would be, "Why is es every MMORPG released a "WoW Clone"?

While the term is certainly over used, and I myself would avoid it, all they mean by that is that the game lacks the innovation that particular player is looking for.  They're burned out on WoW, like myself, and they want to be able to try something fresh and original.  Unfortunately for those of us in that situation, too many companies are simply trying to mimic WoW, hoping that the huge subscription numbers will follow.

The good news?  These so-called "WoW Clones" are failing.  The development companies are realizing that if someone wants to play a WoW clone, they'll just stick to  the original.  It is the companies that innovate and bring something new to the genre that are going to succeed.

I mean honestly, not every game is like WoW, just because it's a fucking RPG, and it has quests, swords, magic, a hotbar, and instances, DOES NOT mean its a WoW Clone!!!

Eve isnt a WoW clone. Not by any definition.

You're exaggerating. Not every MMO released after WoW is, or was, labeled a WoW clone. Just the ones that are WoW clones. Most notably LOTRO and WAR.

I would call cartoony grindy MMOs WoW clones. Aion comes to mind.

Originally posted by Grenadier

There was probably a time in American history when anything with 4 wheels and an engine was considered a Model T clone. WoW is the most recognizable reference people have in the MMOG genre.

Most likely blizzard will come out with the next decent mmo--a custom model T hotrod?  Other than that we're waiting for another developers to get their act together and give us something like a "56 Mercury custom".  When that happens I don't think you'll have to worry about people calling it a model T clone.  People calls it like they sees it my friend.

http://fp.images.autos.msn.com/Media/580x348/58/5875F0ED74A148EDBE647D03DD49A096.jpg

Or read just read this: http://www.mmorpg.com/showFeature.cfm/loadFeature/3070/Throw-Out-The-Rulebook.html

Originally posted by brostyn

You're exaggerating. Not every MMO released after WoW is, or was, labeled a WoW clone. Just the ones that are WoW clones. Most notably LOTRO and WAR.

I'll second that.

Its because before World of Warcraft...75% of the people that play mmorpgs now never knew what a mmorpg was.  Admit it. I have a few guys that I work with that quit playing World of Warcraft saying, i'm doing with mmorpgs.  I asked them what other mmorpg they played and they said none.  lol.   I saw on a forum somewhere and someone was calling Anarchy Online a World of Warcraft clone...rolf.  Anarchy Online came out in 2001.  Its rather silly that people think that world of warcraft was the first mmorpg although it did help kick start the genre 10 fold.

Originally posted by Brain-dead

I would call cartoony grindy MMOs WoW clones. Aion comes to mind.

This is nonsence. There have been many MMO's released before wow that where cartoony, toontown, final fantasy 11 and city of heroes comes to mind. Also WoW was actually the least grind intensive game when it was released, compared to games before it the effort to reach end-game was minor. Games like Final Fantasy 11, Lineage and everquest had far more grind and where released before wow.

The only reason you are calling these things a WoW clone is because you never played any other game before it, or you would have known that WoW never pioneered these elements.

Can we pack a few more over used BADLY misused words into this thread? 

THEMEPARK  -  go look up its original meaning. Learn it and stop using it incorrectly.

WoW clone  -   Stop using it altogether because there is no way in hell you turds can wrap your head around it. Lotro is not like wow at all   Books  alone  should shut you up. War is... more like WoW than lotro but still lets be serious  keeps  should again shut you up.

A clone doesn't have a few similar features  it has all the same features.

My experience is that people call every MMO a WOW Clone for one or more of the following reasons:

1. Boredom

2. Lack of intelligence

3. To provoke a reponse from other forum posters

I have seen WoWClone posted in almost every single forum thread on some MMO sites. Even in threads regarding games that are obviously nothing like WoW. It's pretty ridiculous and I have to say I am pretty sick of it. But I never respond, it's best not to. You only satisfy them by provoking them. 

Marcus