- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Niven's Ring World idea has been around for a while. Like his Dyson Sphere idea, any real scifi/fantasy fan should be expected to be familiar with it. Halo isn't too much like the Ring World that Niven wrote a series about...
I think you missed part of the comparison to StarCraft. Terrans are Humans. Zerg assimilate forms, Flood eat them, both assimilate minds. Protoss and Covenant have powerful but not very innovative technology, including energy shields and materials that make machines look like children's plastic toys with excessive glowing stuff. Xel'Naga (spelling?) and Forerunner are powerful ancient races and Forerunner might have guided development of some or all of the other races as the Xel'Naga did with Zerg and Protoss. That's four.
The Zerg and Protoss seem remarkably reminiscent of the Buggers and Little Friends of OSC's "Enderverse"...