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Heh, one of the most successful modern games wouldn't exist if game mechanics could be patented or copyrighted.

Dune 2 -> WarCraft -> WarCraft 3 -> DOTA -> League of Legends.

Come to think of it, the only time Blizzard invented the whole genre was with Diablo. All their other (incredibly successful) games were refinements of prior work by other game developers.

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The people involved with Diablo are surprisingly honest about their initial pitch being take Moria, Nethack, and Rogue, and bring them into the 1990s with fantastic graphics and sound. ^^ Ask them again and they talk about Telengard and Legend of Zelda, ask again and they call out MUD and D&D. Their strategy resolved around naming many inspirations, thereby removing the idea that they copied a specific one. I truly wish our culture would not favor deniability due to fear of litigation over honesty and giving respect and credit.

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