We've had a lot of arguments about whether End of Nations is in fact an MMO. Sure it's free-to-play, has more microtransactions you can shake a stick at, a defined class system and gameplay which praises multiplayer action over any other, but something feels a little off, like there's something lacking to tie it all together.
We spent an entire weekend playing the alleged MMORTS during the game's fourth Beta event, and even though it was clear the game has come on leaps and bounds since we last wrote about it, we came away a bit bemused about what the developers are actually trying to do. Unlike the dozens of disappointing browser based strategy games that launched over the years, including Nords: Heroes of the North, Siegelord, and Soldiers Inc. - End of Nations actually has the potential to be something great.
When you first sign up you're greeted with choosing one of two different factions: the Liberation Front and the Shadow Revolution. Think Command & Conquer's GDI versus NOD and you aren't fair off from understanding these two opposing forces, but there's also the entirely AI-controlled Order of Nations also chucked in, who are a mysterious entity who have been declared rulers of a futuristic version of our world, albeit after a host of social disasters. From there you select a class for your created Commander, either Patriot or Spartan for the Liberation Front and Wraith or Phantom for Shadow Revolution, and you're let loose into the multiplayer marshlands.
Other than the occasional glossy cut-scene, there's very little exposition to actually communicate the nature of this universe. There's a very useful tutorial which introduces the skills associated with assaulting enemy bases, maintaining control points and even base level control stuff, like swinging the camera around your units, ordering them around and casting out their special ability, but it's clear that End of Nations lacks structure. The world map basically functions as the main hub, where you can speak to other players, see which territories have fallen into whose hands, and queue up for multiplayer matches ranging from regular 1vs1 to 28 vs28, but it all feels a bit shallow, like something you'd expect from a free-to-play game in 2009, not 2012.
End of Nations utilises a very stringent unit cap, which means that players can only usually bring in a dozen or so units into battle, depending on strength, supply cost, energy etc. These decks of units, or companies, can be kitted out and switched out during combat allowing you some flexibility, but there isn't any base building or anything of that ilk.
As you level up your Commander the cap does increase, but this limits the competitive strategy of the game, as you know that if you go against a higher-level Commander than yourself he's going to steam-roll you every time. That emphasis on level gauging is certainly MMO-like, with matches offering up XP and credits in accordance with performance., but it doesn't feel right for a competitive RTS.
The gameplay on the other hand is exactly what you'd expect of an RTS with support powers like napalm drops and mini-nukes helping to vary up the unit ordering fun. All the PvP maps tend to involve capture points, with teams fighting to keep control of a few key points on a map –and PvE missions tend to be much more varied, one of which involved taking down a giant doomsday cannon and another featured fleeing from a four-legged walker laying waste to a densely populated town.
These missions were all introduced with detailed briefings and starred characters which we had no context for, yet they still proved entertaining and surprisingly well-produced for a free-to-play game.
PAY UP OR SHUT UP
What you will have to pay for in End of Nations are mods for your chosen units to increase their power and potency, skins and hero units. All of these can be bought with real cash, or credits earned in-game, but seeing as each unit has slots for two mods – you'll find yourself constantly looking at the stats screen to see how to boost your spec in exactly the right way.
All of this tweaking is done in the entirely separate Armory screen, where you can look at units up close, fiddle with their appearance and gauge exactly how much damage they'll do in the battlefield, and looking at these creations up close does give you an appreciation of the Petroglyph's unit design, especially the mechanized bi- pedal walkers. Pricing of these microtransactions will be crucial, as there seems to be a lot of items which are essential when it comes to army progression, which means it's going to be difficult for Petroglyph to avoid making players feel like they're being nickled and dimed whenever they specialize a unit's attack specification.
The concept behind End of Nations is a great one, but the emphasis on team play and bringing a dozen or so units into battle means that you don't feel like a brave Commander turning the tide of war, instead you just feel like another cog in the machine. There's a disconnect with other players, even on your own team, so during battles you aren't entirely sure which way supremacy is swaying. Sure there's chat and teamspeak for that, but that doesn't excuse the rudamentary interface which currently just consists of adding friends, and joining battles.
End of Nations is due to launch later this year, so there's still a slither of time for Petroglyph to add more features to their game, and make the universe tie together a bit more succinctly. Here's hoping they do as there is a good experience here, it just needs to be brought out into the open a little more.
