End of Nations Preview: Strategy Meets MMO - PAGE 1

A lot of things go together, but not every combination is so obvious. Take Trion Worlds’ End of Nations, for instance, a free-to-play game that combines two genres to form an MMORTS. Sounds pretty strange, we know. After all, massively multiplayer online games are typically designed for high accessibility and broader appeal, whereas strategy games tend to carry higher learning curves and limited appeal. So how exactly do the two fit together? Fairly well, based on what we saw earlier this month.

Last week, Trion and co-developer Petroglyph showcased End of Nations in Los Angeles to various outlets. Currently in limited beta, the game still pretty rough around the edges and in need of polish, our hands-on time left us with good impressions and high hopes.

Another Dystopia

In the End of Nations universe, the world as we know it has fallen into disarray, wracked by failing economies and one international crisis after another. Amidst the chaos, the Order of Nations rose to power by promising security and a better future. You hardly need us to tell you what happened next; that same Order quickly became a dictatorship, and the world was still screwed.

Fortunately, the masses stepped up and two rebel forces came forward to fight the power. Unfortunately, those forces – the Shadow Revolution and the Liberation Front – also end up at each other’s throats, vying for global dominance. EoN players will be choosing from one of these two rebel armies, though as with any MMO, you can play on both factions, just as different characters. The campaign revolves around the ongoing battle against the tyrannical Order of Nations, while PVP pits the two rebel armies against each other.

We were able to speak with Trion’s David Luehmann, who provides a bit more insight behind the Shadow Revolution and Liberation Front. Leuhmann also touches on the incredible high unit/player count EoN supports, the game's currency system, and the importance of teamwork – that last one’s rather critical in a game like End of Nations.

Persistent Progression

Player characters in EoN are referred to as Commanders, with a progression system similar to an MMO RPG. Commanders level with XP and boast unique skill trees like MMO “toons.” Climbing through the ranks unlocks additional abilities and units for both your Commander and army. That’s the key MMO element in End of Nations: your progress persists throughout the entire game. 

On the battlefield, you’ve got company commander units at your disposal. As of right now, players don’t actually need to bring a commander into battle, but powerful abilities make them a real asset on the field. Your forces can be split into multiple companies, only one of which is allowed to participate in a fight at any given time. If a certain company isn’t working out, however, you can switch it out for another at any time.

A currently incomplete Armory doubles as a player garage and in-game storefront, where you can tweak your units with beneficial mods or cosmetic customizations. Certain items can be bought with real money – referred to simply as “currency” right now – but Trion stressed that paid content will never grant unfair advantages. Any gameplay perks will be available to everyone one way or another.

Massive Scale

Massively multiplayer online games tend to be characterized by their massive scale, something which carries over into End of Nations. The persistent world will support drop-in, drop-out gameplay, allowing players to pick a hot spot on the map and hop in during the fight, whether against other players or the AI. Different maps will support varying player populations, but tiny maps shouldn’t be an issue in End of Nations. Trion mentioned that some maps could support as many as 50-something players and 500+ units at once.

During the demo, we tried a 1v1 and 12v12 map. The first, titled “Last Stand” and set in South Korea, has two players face off in a defense-offense match, similar to a competitive horde mode during which one player defends a designated spot against the other’s assault. Resources can be earned by capturing other points around the map, so it isn’t a simple game of camping and spamming fortifications. 

“Deep Hammer,” the 12v12 map set in western Australia, proved much more interesting as we got a taste of EoN’s MMO-esque scale battles. As players led their custom armies around the massive map, racing to capture key points, air strikes and nukes periodically peppered the landscape, taking out vehicles and planes dozens at a time.  The 12v12 showdown served as a quick lesson in the importance of team comp, as well.  One minute, I was happily setting fire to enemy infantry with Vulcan tanks, and the next I was being bombed into oblivion by his ally’s heavy artillery. And within seconds of that, our video guy David comes charging in with a fleet of bacon-skinned attack helicopters. Yeah, they actually had a bacon vanity skin.

More Testing Imminent

When exactly will End of Nations be out? Trion and Petroglyph haven’t settled on a date, but the way things are going now, a late 2012 release seems likely. According to Trion, PVP will go into open beta this summer, and the full campaign will launch a few months later in the fall season. The team hopes to follow-up with content packs every few weeks and eventually begin holding tournaments in 2013.