How to Build a Better WoW Clone
Blizzard’s World of Warcraft was released on November 23, 2004 and now has over 12 million paying members world wide. It’s no surprise that other studios have been eager to capitalize on WoW’s success. This frenzy has lead to a series of MMORPG releases that are popularly referred to as ‘WoW clones.’ It is a growing MMO segment that encompassing both pay-to-play and free to play games. Some of these titles have succeeded while others have barely gotten off the ground. Some games deny being WoW clones while others embrace the connection. For all the developers out there planning on releasing a WoW clone and for all the publishers currently services one, here are a few small pieces of advise.
Make it Free to Play
World of Warcraft’s greatest barrier to entry is its recurring fee. Players are expected to not only purchase a retail or digital copy of the game but also to continue to pay out for as long as they want to play. This monthly expense can be difficult to justify for those on a tight budget, especially during a recession. Fortunately, many publishers have taken up the task of offering a WoW alternative with no upfront costs and no subscription obligations. Of course these games don’t operate for charity, premium items such as experience boosting scrolls can be purchased for cash. WoW inspired MMORPGs that have opted for the traditional pay to play (p2p) method must battle Blizzard’s giant head to head. Games like Alganon have chosen this route though there is a free trial available for players to try before purchasing the game.
A Quest for Progress
Gates of Andaron, formerly known as 4Story, was one of the first WoW clones on the scene and it has done a great job of recreating the atmosphere and interface set by World of Warcraft. The classes are similar, the terrain looks familiar, and progression is heavily quest based. Before WoW came along most Asian MMORPGs had little use for quests and so grinding for hours on end was the only real method of progression. The Korean studio that developed Gates of Andaron managed to seamlessly implement quests into the game. Questing is now a staple in every modern MMORPG. Rather than dealing with quests on special occasions such as class upgrades, MMO gamers can’t go one level without a dozen questions available.
Copy, but Innovate
Runes of Magic was officially released on March 19 2009 and is a great example of how MMORPGs can be modeled on WoW but still be original. The look and feel may be nearly identical but Runes of Magic brings a lot of new features to the table. The most impressive of these is the duel-class system which opens up many new possibilities. Rogue/Hunters are deadly DPS dealers while Mage/Warriors can lob fireballs from afar or fight toe-to-toe with shield and sword. The fact that every player is given their own private home to decorate is another great feature that helps Runes of Magic stand out from the game it tries to emulate. The first free expansion has been released for RoM which added a new playable race, the Elves, and a whole lot of new content to explore.
Create New Worlds
Perhaps the most exciting WoW clone to date is the soon to be released Allods Online which is currently in closed beta testing on Gala-Net’s gPotato portal. Allods takes WoW’s brilliant cartoony graphic style and interface and implements them in an entirely new world. The environments in Allods have science fiction and steam punk themes which helps the game stand out both from WoW and other clones which have been too timid to move beyond the traditional fantasy genre. The MMOHut team looks forward to playing Allods Online and readers are welcome to join us. We’ll be giving out beta keys for the third round of closed testing so check back soon!
By, Erhan Altay
