Is Warcraft a "ripoff" of Warhammer?

[Needonboots]

The original concept of Warcraft was pretty much a ripoff. Or maybe closer to a "heavily inflluenced by and paying homage to" kind of dealy. Over the years though it has become it's own thing. I've played and enjoyed Warhammer for a long time, and I enjoy the Warcraft universe. Warcraft is its own thing now, and both remain great franchises.

[Kevyne-Shandris]

my guild for 5 years and the people i regularly play ARE a community.

It seems that you don't understand what a community actually means.

I'm speaking of the community not as your friends playing or what your guild mates are doing...but the general community as a whole.

Be it in trade chat. In Stormwind. When you first get into the game and walk to Goldshire.

The community spirit isn't there in WoW, unlike other games that emphasis it.

Ghettos are ghettos, they aren't the whole game.

[Verdugo]

I'm speaking of the community not as your friends playing or what your guild mates are doing...but the general community as a whole.

Be it in trade chat. In Stormwind. When you first get into the game and walk to Goldshire.

The community spirit isn't there in WoW, unlike other games that emphasis it.

Ghettos are ghettos, they aren't the whole game.

Can you please stop talking about Everquest?

[Sting]

The original games were based on a Games Workshop universe, GW races, GW everything, but since that time Blizzard has gone their own direction with it. It's not a ripoff...anymore.

[Kryos]

No. They're all rip-offs of Lord of the Rings.

And Lord of the Rings is a rip-off the northern European literature, myths and languages and the strong influence of Norse mythology, especially from the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda. And those came from old Norse religion that can be traced back until 2300 BCE.

[BeerWolf]

While I don't very much care, Blizzard shamelessly DID rip off from Warhammer.

This is a cover pic from 1987: ... 7 years before Warcraft even existed, a decade before Starcraft [while not strictly Warcraft, that picture alone should prove that Blizzard's Starcraft 100% ripped off from it, the looks anyways.].

[Linzo]

I'm speaking of the community not as your friends playing or what your guild mates are doing...but the general community as a whole.

Be it in trade chat. In Stormwind. When you first get into the game and walk to Goldshire.

The community spirit isn't there in WoW, unlike other games that emphasis it.

Ghettos are ghettos, they aren't the whole game.

oh please, spare me that " Oh u can't FEEEEEEEEEEEL the community " Garbage.
that's not a real argument or a valid criticism.

also if u think everquest is so much better, play it.

i dare u. ditch WoW (again, u already quit like 26 times this week) and go play EQ.

[Kevyne-Shandris]

Any way things being drawn is an "art style"...

Correct.

WoW went for the anime look, EQ2 went for a high fantasy look.

WoW uses a Day-Glo color scheme, EQ2 uses a neutral earth palette.

Those liking the anime comic book style would prefer WoW.

Those liking high fantasy art with a natural palette would prefer EQ2.

[sibut]

It's kind of like Warhammer, only good.

[Verdugo]

It's kind of like Warhammer, only good.

Maybe as a game, but lore? Really?

[Kevyne-Shandris]

oh please, spare me that " Oh u can't FEEEEEEEEEEEL the community " Garbage.
that's not a real argument or a valid criticism.

No one said anything about feelings, Linzo, that's something you pulled from thin air, and looks like something said on some playground.

Keep playing to stereotypes. The more you guys act out like this the more it displays what players have long said about WoW's community...it stinks.

That's what I knew about WoW before anything about the game (the community's lack of reputation proceeded it), and from playing WoW, I can attest 4chan would be proud of it.

[Wildtree]

Geeeeeeesh. guys.. hold your horses...
First of. The OP has the term "rip-off" in quote marks for a reason. He could have used heavily influenced instead. Cause that's how I read it.
And yes, it is heavily influenced. GW managed to bring the genre away from the pen and paper tradition onto a new level.
They certainly influenced an army of products. Just as D&D influenced significantly.
WOW got influenced by those two, heavily even.
And down the road a whole amount of other games got influenced by WoW.
That's not a bad thing at all, it is a good thing.
A rip-off would be an outright copy, and such never existed in that case.

[Xothic]

Maybe Warcraft was a rip off/heavily influenced/whatever we are calling it, from Warhammer when it was first released, but after a couple of decades of games I can comfortably say that Warcraft is most certainly its own animal now.

@Kevyne: You know, after looking through your folder of screenshots that you linked from photobucket, I just genuinely feel sad for you. Because you clearly used to genuinely enjoy WoW, whether or not you'll admit it, and now you can do nothing but spit vitriol. I'm not saying this to be snarky or passive aggressive or whatever, it genuinely makes me sad.

[Kevyne-Shandris]

Maybe Warcraft was a rip off/heavily influenced/whatever we are calling it, from Warhammer when it was first released, but after a couple of decades of games I can comfortably say that Warcraft is most certainly its own animal now.

Yes.

But it's a reminder, especially for those who scream "XYZ is a WoW clone!!!", that it isn't true.

Each game brings in something from other games as it's culture/art style/story has something to be admired.

So when folks suggest features from other games -- like player housing -- would be a good thing for WoW, it does have merit, as it is a popular feature in MMORPGs (and by the looks of it in RIFT's next expansion, they went truly overboard with it!).

[Wildtree]

Everything new borrows from stuff that has been successful in the past, this is how we progress. It isn't just true for games but also music, movies, novels, technology - there is no such thing as being truly original.

Amen.....
By the logic of some ppl here, a Ferrari is but a rip off of the first wheel invented.
Highways are a rip-off of the old roman strada's...
and computers are a rip-off of the old abacus...

apparently the concept of progress doesn't seem to be clear to some, or less clear than to others.

---------- Post added 2012-12-24 at 10:31 AM ----------

So when folks suggest features from other games -- like player housing -- would be a good thing for WoW, it does have merit, as it is a popular feature in MMORPGs (and by the looks of it in RIFT's next expansion, they went truly overboard with it!).

Housing becomes closer to exist in WoW too, with the next patch.

[JimmyHellfire]

I'm speaking of the community not as your friends playing or what your guild mates are doing...but the general community as a whole.

Be it in trade chat. In Stormwind. When you first get into the game and walk to Goldshire.

The community spirit isn't there in WoW, unlike other games that emphasis it.

Ghettos are ghettos, they aren't the whole game.

Ever wondered why nobody hugs you and calls you by the name in the middle of the streets of New York? Because it's a friggin' metropolis and not the 1000 souls village you were raised in, dude.

And also: who said I ever WANTED to read some drivel from you or some random guy as soon as I set foot in Goldshire or move around Stormwind? Wow, the community.

[Wildtree]

Ever wondered why nobody hugs you and calls you by the name in the middle of the streets of New York? Because it's a friggin' metropolis and not the 1000 souls village you were raised in, dude.

I'm not getting a hug in NY? That's heartless....
Never been there, and I dunno why, but that is now less encouraging to change that.

[Kevyne-Shandris]

Housing becomes closer to exist in WoW too, with the next patch.

Closer, while RIFT has it coming wholesale...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKeXqsLoKp8

It's interesting they're taking concepts from EQ2 (like the ability to scale/move/rotate objects in their homes). It becomes very necessary to do things like that for aligning books on bookshelves one at a time (as you can see behind my toon)...

http://s970.photobucket.com/albums/a..._Came_Home.jpg

(And no funny Havoc physics that keeps pushing/falling books off the shelves...Oblivion anyone?).

Scaling is needed to adjust the size of pictures/banners/tables/chairs/rugs to fill space. Rotating objects are needed to align those objects the way you prefer.

[Eorayn]

No way.
Warhammer doesn’t have copyright on any fantasy-related stuff.

[Spriggs]

Closer, while RIFT has it coming wholesale...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKeXqsLoKp8

It's interesting they're taking concepts from EQ2 (like the ability to scale/move/rotate objects in their homes). It becomes very necessary to do things like that for aligning books on bookshelves one at a time (as you can see behind my toon)...

http://s970.photobucket.com/albums/a..._Came_Home.jpg

(And no funny Havoc physics that keeps pushing/falling books off the shelves...Oblivion anyone?).

Scaling is needed to adjust the size of pictures/banners/tables/chairs/rugs to fill space. Rotating objects are needed to align those objects the way you prefer.

I know it's Off-topic, but out of curiosity, what purpose does Rift housing serve? As that is what Blizzard said needs to be in housing in order for them to put resources into such a feature.