Is Warcraft a "ripoff" of Warhammer?

[Boogums]

I'm making this thread to merely funnel the clowns from this thread who can't stop arguing about whether Warcraft is a Warhammer ripoff.

Personally, it's not a ripoff, mainly because of what the definition of what a ripoff is. Does Warcraft borrow from Warhammer? Sure. Warhammer borrowed from Lord of the Rings, Lord of the Rings borrowed from ancient English folklore and legend, everything's a remake, not matter how you slice it.

Here's a fun link to read if you'd like:

http://kotaku.com/5929161/how-warcra...that-saved-wow

I don't plan on actually participating in this thread, again, it's merely here to keep the arguing about whether or not X is a rip off of Y out of the thread above.

[But I Hate You All]

I read an interview with Blizzard back in the mid-late '90s (post WC1, pre-WC2, iirc) in a gaming mag where someone from Blizzard said more or less exactly the same things, specifically:

1) "We wanted to do a Warhammer game but couldn't work out a deal with GW"

and

2) "We were very heavily visually influenced by the Warhammer universe"

I've brought this interview up a few times over the years, and thought it would be uncontroversial (as the Patrick Wyatt himself says, the similarities are pretty obvious), but people have insisted that Blizzard would never, could never, have said such a thing, that the similarities are pure coincidence, and particularly that suggestions that Blizzard was ever interested in Warhammer were pure internet-wank, not memories of them actually saying it. That the art style was pure coincidence and anyone asserting that it was obviously somewhat derivative of Warhammer was just being a hater. Also, of course, that I had either made up or hallucinated the article, because they couldn't find evidence of it on the internet, which automatically means it never happened!

[Boogums]

Yes.. yes it is, its based on it :P
But yes, it diverged far away from it nowadays.

warhammer is... a lot "bigger" in most aspects.
But many of the base ideas for races come from it.
Then again, everything is based of something.

No, they call games "WoW clones" because the follow the basic premise gameplay wise. Warcraft is a video game, Warhammer is a tabletop game. That's like calling Warhammer a Monopoly clone because they both use dice and game pieces that you move.

Does the Warcraft story borrow elements from Warhammers? Sure, but that's not what a "Warhammer clone" is. If someone made a giant table top wargame using Star Wars pieces and used all the same rules from Warhammer's table top game, then that would be a Warhammer clone.

[TEHPALLYTANK]

I wouldn't be surprised by it being influenced by it but it is most certainly not a ripoff.

[But I Hate You All]

No, they call games "WoW clones" because the follow the basic premise gameplay wise. Warcraft is a video game, Warhammer is a tabletop game. That's like calling Warhammer a Monopoly clone because they both use dice and game pieces that you move.

Does the Warcraft story borrow elements from Warhammers? Sure, but that's not what a "Warhammer clone" is. If someone made a giant table top wargame using Star Wars pieces and used all the same rules from Warhammer's table top game, then that would be a Warhammer clone.

Wow follows the basic premise gameplay as everquest did.

So wow would be a "everquest clone" under your logic

[Kaleredar]

Initially? Maybe. But it's hardly a "ripoff" anymore.

I don't know that much about warhammer, but I'm assuming that it and warcraft don't share too much in common beyond the initial foundations of the first games.

[Deleted]

Depends how you define ripoff.. It is hugely influenced by it. and if they could come to an agreement back then, it could as well has been Warhammer the RTS... That said it is 2 completely different worlds and stories

[Boogums]

Wow has the basic premise gameplay wise as everquest.

Yes, but when someone wants to compare something to something else, they usually compare it to the best that's around. Wow is and will always be better than Everquest. If a game comes out tomorrow that BLOWS WoW out of the water (let's call it Super Awesome MMO), if SAM comes out tomorrow and everyone quits WoW to play it and it gets 100 million subs and maintains them for 3 years until it starts to trickle, and it does everything WoW did only BETTER, then people would take any game that came out afterwards in the same style as SAM and call it a SAM clone.

[KrazyK923]

Kotaku lost credibility years ago, and this piece from July just shows why its idiotic.

It exists to post inflammatory articles with little substance in order to drum up "drama," which then, in their minds, will have more people visit their site to see what the hullabaloo is about.

Ta da.

This article.

As to the "question" (And what a ridiculous one it is) "rip off" very often (most of the time, actually) has a nefarious connotation. Its clear that early Warcraft (Although more Starcraft really) was inspired by Warhammer, for the reasons stated.

But ripoff? No.

[Narfwak]

It basically is Warhammer. They were contracted to make RTS games for GW, but GW broke contract and left Blizzard with unfinished projects. Why do you think hydralisks look so much (or, rather, exactly) like Tyranids?

That's not to say, of course, that Warhammer is better than Warcraft. Generally, GW makes shit, and Blizzard shits gold.

[But I Hate You All]

Yes, but when someone wants to compare something to something else, they usually compare it to the best that's around. Wow is and will always be better than Everquest. If a game comes out tomorrow that BLOWS WoW out of the water (let's call it Super Awesome MMO), if SAM comes out tomorrow and everyone quits WoW to play it and it gets 100 million subs and maintains them for 3 years until it starts to trickle, and it does everything WoW did only BETTER, then people would take any game that came out afterwards in the same style as SAM and call it a SAM clone.

Wow is and will always be better than Everquest and you base this off what?

That wow has more subs?

[cFortyfive]

Ripoff seems the wrong term. Inspired by their artwork though seems fitting.

[Karadros]

At this point in time I think it's safe to say that Starcraft is more of a ripoff of WH40K than Warcraft is a ripoff of Warhammer. Largely because Warhammer is neglected in favour of 40K.
For the best, in my opinion.

[Boogums]

Wow is and will always be better than Everquest and you base this off what?

Sales figures, sub numbers, gameplay, graphics, and critical reception, just to name a few things. How about this, how is Everquest better than WoW?

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Inspired yes Ripoff? No not really.

Wow is and will always be better than Everquest and you base this off what?

That wow has more subs?

Yeah and it's been very successfull.

[Boogums]

It basically is Warhammer. They were contracted to make RTS games for GW, but GW broke contract and left Blizzard with unfinished projects. Why do you think hydralisks look so much (or, rather, exactly) like Tyranids?

That's not to say, of course, that Warhammer is better than Warcraft. Generally, GW makes shit, and Blizzard shits gold.

So wait, Warhammer asked them to make a Warhammer fantasy game, but then broke the contract, and that's why we have Starcraft units?

[But I Hate You All]

Sales figures, sub numbers, gameplay, graphics, and critical reception, just to name a few things. How about this, how is Everquest better than WoW?

I would say it comes down to option on that. Everquest is still around after 14 yrs.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

I would say it comes down to option on that. Everquest is still around after 14 yrs.

Clearly, I don't think anyone is saying "EVERQUEST SUCKS11111" That's up to debate. Better then WoW? Likely not but meh..and your avatar...it's creepy...

[Dreogan]

It basically is Warhammer. They were contracted to make RTS games for GW, but GW broke contract and left Blizzard with unfinished projects. Why do you think hydralisks look so much (or, rather, exactly) like Tyranids?

Wrong. Starcraft predates the updated Tyranids. When starcraft came out, WH40k tyranids were limited to the human genestealer cult.

Sorry, had to let my neckbeard out for a second there.

[But I Hate You All]

Inspired yes Ripoff? No not really.




Yeah and it's been very successfull.

Well you really can not say a game is good off of the number of subs. yes 10 million subs sounds good for marketing but lets be real how many of the 10 million are pay to plays from the east.