According to executive producer Scot Lane it ”doesn’t really fit nicely” into either MOBA or RTS categories, but they do see it as the ”next evolution of the genre.”
It’s more of a tactical MOBA, he says, with the game itself leading the Trion team down this path.
”End of Nations doesn’t really fit nicely into either bucket; it is what we see as the next evolution of the genre,” he explained to PCGamesN. ”We have Hero units and tactical leveling that you find in MOBA’s, but we also have user-controlled units and some of the micro aspects found in RTS games. That being said, the real change we made was from RTS/MMO to more of a tactical MOBA.”
”When we initially played and evaluated the game and went through the mountains of user feedback, it kept pushing us in this direction. The combat worked much better than the MMO aspects so we let the game take us to where we are now.”
For any who’ve sampled the MMORTS, Lane says a lot of what’s in the new direction contains the same core systems.
”The game’s foundation remains the same,” he said, “in that it builds on the original lore and it still has the same classes, although the classes have been enhanced to fit in better with the distinct roles they play on the battlefield. Some of the heroes will be familiar to you, and the general overall combat gameplay is still there although both have been enhanced.”
”Overall, there is quite a bit you’ll recognize which we’ve improved upon, but you’ll definitely notice new elements, too, which we think you’ll really like.” Control over the battlefield belongs to the player, as they choose what units to deploy.
”We have heroes that have abilities that work similar and we are an arena combat multiplayer game, but the comparison stops there. In End of Nations, you’ll choose which units to bring to the fight and have full control over them in the battle, giving you more control over the tactics used during the map and letting you do more micromanagement, if you choose. Like I said above, this game doesn’t really fit nicely into a genre bucket — which for the record I think is a good thing.”
Lane and his team are almost hopeful for some MOBA fatigue, as they might be drawn to the ‘evolution’ that End of Nations offers. ”We are hoping this is the next progression of the genre: more control, faster games, more setup.”
”This was built by fans of both MOBA & RTS genres and our goal is to take other gamers to a place that is somewhat familiar, but that stimulates their senses and gives them something new to explore and master.”
End of Nations is currently in the alpha phase of its development with sign-ups available.
