A question about Rift's origins....

[Lalothen]

I don't know if this question has been asked before, but I'm currently reading through a saga of books known as "The Malazan Books of the Fallen" by an author called Steven Erikson, and I can't help but draw some rather close parallels between the books and Rift. You've got different planes of reality (Warrens) that offer different aspects of magic for people who are capable of utilising their power, and there are many beings called Ascendants who were once mortal, but rose to immortality and typically had a form of attunement to a particular Warren - either as a Warren's ruling God, or a member of the Warren's Hold (e.g. King, First Sword, etc). There's also an overarching plotline involving dragons....

I'm probably reading too much into the similarities, but they are rather striking!

[Ropeadope]

I don't know if this question has been asked before, but I'm currently reading through a saga of books known as "The Malazan Books of the Fallen" by an author called Steven Erikson, and I can't help but draw some rather close parallels between the books and Rift. You've got different planes of reality (Warrens) that offer different aspects of magic for people who are capable of utilising their power, and there are many beings called Ascendants who were once mortal, but rose to immortality and typically had a form of attunement to a particular Warren - either as a Warren's ruling God, or a member of the Warren's Hold (e.g. King, First Sword, etc). There's also an overarching plotline involving dragons....

I'm probably reading too much into the similarities, but they are rather striking!

ROFL, that sounds too dead on in too many places to be a complete "coincidence." I'm not familiar with the books at all, but I looked up some general info and it seems like the series is over a decade old. That's all too funny though. Inb4lock, J/K

[xanduin246]

its possible, though im pretty sure this guy didnt invent alternate "planes" and the term "ascendant" is a real word with a real definition, basically meaning supreme power, and an ascended is one who rises to a higher position

also, in the original Rift, the ascended werent attuned to a plane, that came much later with planar attunement

also, plenty of stories involve dragons

like i said, its definitely possible, but there's hardly overwhelming evidence, its like saying Rift copied harry potter because there's magic, giant spiders, and dragons

[Polynikes]

ROFL, that sounds too dead on in too many places to be a complete "coincidence." I'm not familiar with the books at all, but I looked up some general info and it seems like the series is over a decade old. That's all too funny though. Inb4lock, J/K

And the plot thickens hmmmmm iiiiiinteresting find going to research that a bit more. My wife is in intellectual property so this stuff always comes up during dinner conversations

[ShinChuck]

I dunno, isn't all of that fairly common fantasy trope fodder? I bet we could go way, way back if we really dug. No time right now, but maybe I'll glance into it later.

[Bluebell]

Yeah, try and find one book/game/concept in the fantasy genre that doesn't have something, a lot of somethings, simillar with basically everything else.

And not just in fantasy. You know... I read a Poirot book the other day and it struck me just how similar it is to Sherlock Holmes! I mean you have the enigmatic detective, his more pragmatic sidekick and murders!

What I basically get from your summaration is that there are masters of different planes (didn't get if they were elemental or different dimensions alltogether) that are called Ascended. These people become godlike people, by attuning into this different reality. They are not taken by the existing gods and made into ascended, or created in machines, sent out to do someone else's bidding.

Personally I think you're reading too much in to it, probably because these people are called ascended. I must read the book myself to make a verdict but yeah... Might also be someone at Trion once read these books and got a vague idea he/she continued on *shrug* Most concepts steal off of other concepts.

[Bliter]

Yeah, try and find one book/game/concept in the fantasy genre that doesn't have something, a lot of somethings, simillar with basically everything else.

And not just in fantasy. You know... I read a Poirot book the other day and it struck me just how similar it is to Sherlock Holmes! I mean you have the enigmatic detective, his more pragmatic sidekick and murders!

What I basically get from your summaration is that there are masters of different planes (didn't get if they were elemental or different dimensions alltogether) that are called Ascended. These people become godlike people, by attuning into this different reality. They are not taken by the existing gods and made into ascended, or created in machines, sent out to do someone else's bidding.

Personally I think you're reading too much in to it, probably because these people are called ascended. I must read the book myself to make a verdict but yeah... Might also be someone at Trion once read these books and got a vague idea he/she continued on *shrug* Most concepts steal off of other concepts.

Yeah, I tried to come up with a concept for an improvement over EQ2 and imagined something like... Rift.

[millie]

ROFL, that sounds too dead on in too many places to be a complete "coincidence." I'm not familiar with the books at all, but I looked up some general info and it seems like the series is over a decade old. That's all too funny though. Inb4lock, J/K

Having played RIFT and having read all of the books (twice maybe 3 times) he is making far too much of the fairly standard tropes that both have in common.

[Morvick]

This was an issue back when RIFT the game was first gaining steam. There was (probably still is) a disclaimer on the website in many locations, explaining how the game and the books are NOT related.

In Trion's defense, it's stupidly hard to come up with your own original ideas these days unless you have a Team behind you or you resign to mixing and matching pre-established concepts.

I'm trying to get into writing myself, and to make a long story short I thought I had something really unique. Then I watched Avatar: The Legend of Korra, and my heart felt like ash because I said to myself "Great, now people are going to think my whole fantasy is ripped off from this show. Back to the drawing board." I need to redefine 4 years of fantasy and setting because I wasn't fast enough in writing it, haha.

It's far easier and more common to repurpose plot mechanics and "fantasy physics" than it is to encounter someone who, in defiance of 5,000+ years of recorded myths and tales, has chanced upon a truly unique idea.

[Akamhara]

They are similar, and there are some mob names that I smiled at - such as Bonecasters in Droughtlands. But fantasy is very inbred nowadays. There's always a gate, or a reality warping somewhere, or a portal to this place, or a dragon or a lizard that isn't called a dragon but acts like one, with protagonists either crossing thresholds into power, or having it shoved upon them by their actions, with multiple bad guys and overarching plotlines.

Roger Zelazny - Trump Cards to travel, each aspected to the "player" if you will. These characters travelled through Shadow, shaping power to form their own mirror realities to play king in. Example - Avalon for Corwin.

Scott Bakker - Without going batty with spoilers, there's a dragon somewhere. Only it's a Wracu. And it wants to annihilate the world.

Janny Wurts - protagonists end up through a portal to another reality, there's a dragon that shapes reality with it's very breath, these characters are aspected to Light and Shadow, nominated "heroes" on opposite sides, etc etc.

There's looooooots of things like this out there, these were just the first three that popped into my head.

[Morvick]

with protagonists either crossing thresholds into power, or having it shoved upon them by their actions, with multiple bad guys and overarching plotlines.

A lot of that is just analogy or adaptaion of the Monomyth. Heck, there's even plenty of cliche in my own life that could be made into a book or C-grade Fantasy, haha.

Still waiting on that enchanted sword to pop out of a lake, though. That would really help things along for my daily grind in the office. >_>
"I SAID STOP TAKING MY STAPLER."