Its like Medieval Total War, but its an MMO
January 17, 2010 3:22 PM Subscribe
GameFilter: Has there been a game yet that has pulled off a graphically rich, deep strategy "Massivly Multiplyer Real Time Strategy" --or-- an RTS with a persistent online campaign mode, or something like that? More Details below.
I love Company of Heroes, for instance. And while the ranking system is very good, it would be really interesting to have a similar type RTS game where each match against a real opponent gets you something on a persistent, massively multilayer "campaign" map. Like the difference between the Total war campaign vs individual battles maybe.
Or, put another way, I know in the tabletop miniatures game Warhammer has a rule variant for a campaign game. Each tabletop battle will represent an Attack/Defense where one player is attempting to take another player's "land", or a meeting engagement where they both fight over neutral territory--which goes to the victor. The campaign aspect is very abstracted and light (there are maybe 10 pieces of "land" in the whole campaign) but they have persistent bonuses. Like you need certain magical teritories to have a more powerful mage miniature, or if you have more resource "lands" you can field 10% more points worth of units...or whatever. And if a certain unit dies in a battle you have to rebuild it or something.
So my question: Has this been done well in an online digital form? I am NOT talking about those silly browser-based empire games. That's fine for the campaign aspect I suppose, but I'm talking where the actual tactical battles are visually appealing real time strategy type games (or even well done turn based).
I love Company of Heroes, for instance. And while the ranking system is very good, it would be really interesting to have a similar type RTS game where each match against a real opponent gets you something on a persistent, massively multilayer "campaign" map. Like the difference between the Total war campaign vs individual battles maybe.
Or, put another way, I know in the tabletop miniatures game Warhammer has a rule variant for a campaign game. Each tabletop battle will represent an Attack/Defense where one player is attempting to take another player's "land", or a meeting engagement where they both fight over neutral territory--which goes to the victor. The campaign aspect is very abstracted and light (there are maybe 10 pieces of "land" in the whole campaign) but they have persistent bonuses. Like you need certain magical teritories to have a more powerful mage miniature, or if you have more resource "lands" you can field 10% more points worth of units...or whatever. And if a certain unit dies in a battle you have to rebuild it or something.
So my question: Has this been done well in an online digital form? I am NOT talking about those silly browser-based empire games. That's fine for the campaign aspect I suppose, but I'm talking where the actual tactical battles are visually appealing real time strategy type games (or even well done turn based).
Also, the game Sovereign reported it would do a more advanced version of what you're describing, but the game never got off the ground.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:26 PM on January 17, 2010
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:26 PM on January 17, 2010
I played Time of Defiance for a few months, which does what you want and appears to now be free [used to be subscription-based]. Definitely worth checking out.
posted by ewingpatriarch at 4:16 PM on January 17, 2010
posted by ewingpatriarch at 4:16 PM on January 17, 2010
PlanetSide seems to be exactly what you're looking for.
posted by seliopou at 6:20 PM on January 17, 2010
posted by seliopou at 6:20 PM on January 17, 2010
Shattered Galaxy is a little like this - each battle is discrete, but takes place in territories of a larger map. You have to be concerned with winning battles and leveling your units, but also with protecting your faction's territory as a whole. (If your faction holds on to more territories, you get more bonuses). I haven't played in probably 6 or 7 years, but the game still seems to be around.
posted by chrisamiller at 7:27 PM on January 17, 2010
posted by chrisamiller at 7:27 PM on January 17, 2010
I'm going to say "no". A lot of people have talked about how awesome an MMO-RTS would be, but I don't know of a mainstream game that's succeeded at it.
Eve Online has some aspects like this. Minute by minute you fight space battles with spaceships pewpewing each other. Day by day you fight territory battles. And month by month you fight territory battles, making sure your alliance can afford to deploy the ships to control the territory. The visceral experience of it isn't at all like an RTS, though.
posted by Nelson at 8:53 AM on January 18, 2010
Eve Online has some aspects like this. Minute by minute you fight space battles with spaceships pewpewing each other. Day by day you fight territory battles. And month by month you fight territory battles, making sure your alliance can afford to deploy the ships to control the territory. The visceral experience of it isn't at all like an RTS, though.
posted by Nelson at 8:53 AM on January 18, 2010
Battleforge is a pretty big budget MMO RTS with some card collecting elements to it. It did not do fantastically well, but it is good fun and free to play.
posted by slimepuppy at 6:26 AM on January 20, 2010
posted by slimepuppy at 6:26 AM on January 20, 2010
Response by poster: just to clarify, I guess what I was originally asking at was not an "integrated" MMO-RTS, but some sort of episodic or stratified MMO-RTS. So you have the strategy on the tactical level (like a normal RTS match) but then the "grand strategy", which doesn't have to be real time but does have lasting impacts (like the Medieval Total War campaign map).
Good answers, though none seemed to scratch my itch. Sorry, no "best answer"
posted by DetonatedManiac at 10:33 PM on January 29, 2010
Good answers, though none seemed to scratch my itch. Sorry, no "best answer"
posted by DetonatedManiac at 10:33 PM on January 29, 2010
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posted by Cool Papa Bell at 3:25 PM on January 17, 2010