sue Bioware

[Spectre]

I realize that many fantasy books are carbon copies of each other (Although dragon age is a video game and not a book), but the similarities between dragon age and the wheel of time are uncanny.

 

Here's a list of elements in Dragon age that may sound familiar to you readers:

 

-The Qunari are a group of invaders that claim they wish to improve people. Everyone is "equal" so long as people do their duty. Oh, and they have "mages" (yes i said mages) on leashes.

-The dragon reborn, there is literally a child in the game with the reborn soul of a dragon (not the same, i kno but still).

-THE CICLE TOWER of mages in the middle of a LAKE, yes they have that

-the country Orlais plays "the Great game" (they don't rlly call it that)

-the blight, the taint, the dream realm, the "Maker" (the creator) are also some noticable elements

personally i love both the wheel series, and i love the game Dragon age. but these similarites are just bugging me to no end.

would any of you out there say that Bioware should be sued?

[waffle]

don´t forget darkspawn

 

"would any of you out there say that Bioware should be sued?"

 

not me

[Imperium]

simple answer to "would any of you out there say that Bioware should be sued?"

 

no

[Scraps]

Too many set-backs to make a successful claim. It would be a matter of originality. I havn't played the game for a while but I'll just generally debunk these claims.

 

The Qunari and the leashes - well, that's a fair enough similarity. Though I can't remember it in the game - oh well.

 

The dragon reborn - no, we don't even know what is going to happen in DA2 with that baby in the Witch's womb. Rand isn't even a dragon. The baby in DA2 is very likely not to be the Maker's 'champion' (actually it'll probably be evil).

 

The circle tower of mages in the middle of a lake - that idea's been explored by many types of media. Further, Tar Valon is a city with a moat around it with a white tower in the middle. Don't forget that the DA tower has males and females in it.

 

I don't know about the Orlais Great hunt thing.

 

The blight? I suppose that is fair enough but it's kind of been done in the Lord of the Rings (the East versus the evil West) and other High Fantasy.

 

The taint? I don't recall any taint in the magic in Dragon Age.

 

The Maker vs the Creator - eh. Not important as it's another way of saying 'god'. The use of different names is enough.

 

Now asides from these (which are relatively questionable), the plot and settings are very different.

[Imperium]

in terms of taint he means the taint the darkspawn blood has in the game.

 

Completely different to the taint in WoT.

[Spectre]

Mages on leashes was something Sten mentions in one of his funny conversations with Shale.

I know the taint isn't the same, but it is a very similar concept, after all both main characters are tainted by the darkness, and will eventually go mad and die.

Leliana's desciption of Orlais and everyone playing a political game was verysimilar as well.

btw does anyone have any idea what Flemith is? and is she appearing in the second game?

[Krakalakachkn]

The only similarity I noticed when I was playing the game was calling them "darkspawn" and that's hardly grounds for a lawsuit. I think they are completely different and there is no reason to sue them.

[Red2111]

i'd say if this Dragon Age game is so similar to the WoT story line, that maybe who ever owns the rights to making a WoT game (red eagle i think) should approach them with the idea   

 

 

 

 

i haven't played the game, but even going off those things you mentioned i wouldn't say suing them is the answer.  like you said, most books in the fanatasy genre barrow off one another, the same goes for games & movies in the fantasy genre.

 

 

[Imperium]

The flemeth question cud lead to massive spoilers...

[Ikkarus]

- As for the first : that is certainly not a copy. There were invaders in history who would subjugate other peoples with the belief that their ways are a matter of course superior, even if it was just a mask for conquering them for their land, and so it is just a reemergence of historical human behavior in a storyline. The mages on leashes might be a copy, I do not know.

 

-If you know the second one is far different, why even mention it ?

 

-There are so many towers of magic and wizards in myth and folklore that it definitely was not Jordan's idea. And a tower in the middle of a lake - if you can pull that off - would be an extremely good defensive position. Maybe the game makers were inspired by the White Tower, or maybe they made this speculation. Who knows?

 

-Politics has many times been referred to as a "game" by political soothes and philosophers alike. Not Jordan's creation.

 

-The Blight, if it can be traced anywhere, is most like Mordor from LOTR, and Tolkien was inspired to build this out of an evolution of his early conceptions of a "hell on earth" (Utumno and others). I do not know about the taint; I have never played this game, I am just making speculation of what is obvious. The dream realm is no contest; dreams being mirrors or portals into metaphysical realms is a belief that transcended almost all ancient cultures, and still permeates some today. And the "Maker" = "Creator" = monotheistic God, and I am sure Jordan did not make the Judaistic religions.

 

So really, I see only 2 or 3 questionable points. And you definitely cannot sue on that, without proof, because it could be coincidental. It is also worthwhile to remember that it takes a great deal of skill today to develop anything mostly original; it is history that most literature is built on a resurrection or retelling of older tales, because the oldest tales play upon either human primalities or the social conditions of the mind, and hence will never grow old. The Wheel of Time is certainly no exception.

[The Wolf King]

Anyone else think Morrigan would make a great Lanfear for a WOT game? But as to the op's question, no I don't think Bioware should be sued. They make too many good games.

[Vemynal]

While there are a lot of similarities, it seems that it has a lot of similarities to a lot of high fantasy in general

 

Hell I've seen these same claims laid against wheel of time from other sources, lord of the rings and dune especially.

 

Just seems to me that rather than them ripping off wheel of time they instead simply just came up with *very* generic story =(

 

 

and when did we get new boards? this is like my first time on in 2 months?

[Krakalakachkn]

and when did we get new boards? this is like my first time on in 2 months?

 

first week of september. I feel like I've seen you since then?

[Ashaman Kovan]

Isn't the king guys uncle named "Logain" too?? I have the game right here but I haven't played it since it came out basically.

[Mr_Fahrenheit]

IT is very similar. The taint on magic as well as the taint could easily be identified by in game blood magic which is treated the same. Also pretty much all mages are treated like a mix of aes sedai and male channelers. Blood magic is just kill on sight.

 

But no Dragon Age is just to awesome to sue. Besides it could help with WOT conversions. 'One of us' 'One of us' Plus the whole premise of the game is it kicks it old skool baldurs gate style.

 

So..