 | Wargaming.net could bring to us the next big thing in MMO market, about a sort of PvP only version of EVE Online, but not with space ships! So we told with Victor Kislyi, producer of World of Tanks to hear from him all the news about this amazing project. |
MMORPGITALIA: Could you talk about your company and your previous experiences in videogames market?
The company Wargaming.net has been involved in developing videogames since 1999. It all started with an online miniature wargame DBA, which was a computerized version of the famous De Bellis Antiquitatis. However, the company became more popular with its Massive Assault Series games (Massive Assault — a turn-based strategy game, Massive Assault Network — an online strategy game, as well as their sequels) and Galactic Assault. In 2009 Wargaming.net released a real-time WWII strategy game Order of War, published by Square Enix.
MMORPGITALIA: WoT would be a MMORTS. What is the connection between your previous game Order of War and the new one World of Tanks?
First of all, World of tanks is not a pure MMORTS game. It is actually a reasonable mixture of action, strategy, simulation and MMORPG genres. We do not intend to make a game belonging to one specific genre. Our goal is to make a game, which will be fun to play and which will have a lot of action and drive in it. That is why we decided to make an experiment in the field of gameplay and not to stick to one certain genre. What is more, our game is mainly dedicated to lovers and fans of tanks, to people who want and can assess the real beauty of light-, medium and heavy-armoured tanks, self-propelled howitzers, tank destroyers, as well as rocket artillery. It is a game for real men.
In comparison with our previous game Order of War, which is a real-time strategy game, World of Tanks does not have such a strong RTS element in it. It is more about getting fun from chasing your enemies and invading new territories by means of combining the skills of several crew members.
MMORPGITALIA: We have other MMOs on the market now, why should I play your game instead of another one?
One of our testers said: “Finally, there will be something to feed my tank driving thirst!” So far there have been no team-based tank MMO games featuring authentic tank models with realistic characteristics. Almost all of the models in our game have been created on the basis of real existing German, American and Soviet tanks from pre-WW2 period up to Korean War. Thus, a player gets a unique chance to try numerous vehicles and weapons of different periods as well as build his own Steel World and polish and show off his leadership skills.
MMORPGITALIA: Do you think that WoT could be played by a casual player or not?
Despite the great number of units, presented in World of Tanks (more than 150 armored vehicles), this game is really easy to play, and an absulutely new or a casual player can join a battle in less than a minute. In order to start playing it is not necessary to know everything about various types of tanks and other units that are presented in the game. Instead, a player can learn about many original types of vehicles while playing World of Tanks.
MMORPGITALIA: How many game modes will there be in the game? Will there be also a PvE mode?
World of Tanks gamers will have a chance to take part in massive large-scale PvP-battles. We do not intend to make a PvE mode and believe it will be much more challenging to play versus real players instead of playing versus artificial intellect. The basic mode of the game will be the team deathmatch, therefore teamwork and mutual cooperation will be very important if you want to be successful in the game. The game will also have a capture-the-base mode, with tanks having to occupy the enemy’s base for a quicker win. We also plan to design capture-the-flag mode and the domination mode with players having to hold certain control points.
MMORPGITALIA: Could you explain to us more in details the combat system?
The players in World of Tanks will have a chance to take part in two types of battles: random battles and clan battles. In random battles players cannot choose in which team out of two possible they can play. On the contrary, in clan battles gamers decide to fight for a particular clan. Each team can have no more than 30 players in it; therefore the maximum possible number of combat units at the battlefield is 60. The goal of each team is to defeat all of the enemies and try to lose as few allied tanks as possible.
MMORPGITALIA: Units and upgrades. Please give us a glance about this aspect.
Each new player will start a game driving a light German or Soviet tank. While getting experience and credits, a user will be able to upgrade his tank or other unit to a heavier model. There will also be a chance to modify the existing tank by means of changing turrets, chassis, engines, guns, radios and various ammunition types and thus try a new experimental machine and increase the player’s fighting potential. When a player already has a lot of credits and points, he can allow to buy new vehicles and place them in his garage. If needed, the garage can further be extended, or if there is no more place for new items, unused units can be sold. Tank crew members will be leveling up as well. All of the modifications and changes take place in the period between the battles, which usually constitutes no more than 5 minutes.
MMORPGITALIA: What kind of graphics and visuals will have the game?
While developing games we have always paid a close attention to the graphics of each game we have produced. We beleive that a good game necessarily needs to have superior graphics and impressive audiovisual effects. The captivating gameplay is of course much more important than the graphics, but why not have them both at a decent level? That is why we try to make the graphics as realistic as possible while taking into account the possibilities of the MMO genre.
MMORPGITALIA: Client download or streaming?
If a player wants to play World of Tanks, he needs to download and install a client, register it. Right after that he can start playing the game without any obligatory levelling up or upgrading.
MMORPGITALIA: Character progression in WoT and final goal for advance users.
The ultimate goal of the game is definitely getting the pleasure from driving realistic tanks and defeating your adversaries. However, the players in World of Tanks will also have a chance to level up from their basic light tanks to the heaviest tanks of a partucular branch of the tank tree, which they can choose at the beginning. Having a more powerful tank may add to the pleasure of gaming and may help defeat your enemy more effectively in certain situations. Still, it is not only the might of your tank, but the carefully planned actions of the whole team in general, that can lead to the final victory. Cooperation and teamwork are the essence of the effective and captivating gameplay of World of Tanks. It is a game, where even a small light tank can play a vital role if managed wisely. A great number of territories will give a skillful leader a chance to show his management skills, which are necessary to be successful in this game and in real life.
MMORPGITALIA: Clans and world domination. Could you describe these features to us?
Clan battles represent one of the most challenging aspects of playing World of Tanks. Players can be united into clans at higher levels of the game, where battles will be much more organized. We anticipate that the size of one clan will constitute around 100 users. During clan battles crewmen will have more opportunities for employing crafty strategy elements. There will be a place for political and non-political methods of waging war and gaining control and power over their own and foreign territories on the global world map.
MMORPGITALIA: Thanks for the interview and hope to hear you soon.
Thx to you and see you next time!