The strategy game scene for mobile gamers has largely been dominated by a small handful of games, mostly the ones that use Kate Upton as a selling point. Developer Envision Entertainment is looking to shake things up by combining the two most successful genres of mobile strategy games into one massive war across America in Path of War.
Path of War is a new mobile game available right now on iOS and Android devices. Players take on the role of a rebel militia leader, starting to build up forces on the west coast. The ultimate goal is to build up enough forces to get your militia to Washington DC. In this alternate version of America, a corrupt military regime has taken control of the capitol, and it’s up to these militias to win back the city and country.
So why did a German video game studio make a war game about fighting across America? “If you want to have long and engaging gameplay, you need a large map which can hold a lot of players so you can actually go through the whole progression from your small little base to an entire army in the end on that single world without having any interruption,” Martin Löhlein told iDigitalTimes. Löhlein is the lead developer on Path of War.
“We were looking for a map that would have that, and we’re putting 50,000 active players on one server or map. And then you want a certain density, want enough space in there for a whole bunch of NPC targets in between.” Löhlein said. This left one really great option. “The US was a really nice fit. The US has such a powerful cultural export that the whole world basically knows the the setup and locations there,” he said.
Another reason for the decision behind having America for a map instead of a fictitious place is that players will have more of an emotional attachment to the real world. As a player, what sounds more exciting? Conquering a made up location, or rolling into your home city in-game and taking over?
“Right now you have the Clash of Clans type games which have an asynchronous battle mechanic, but a very slow metagame on top of that,” Löhlein said. “And then you have the Game of War type games where you have a map where people are located, and it’s all about the metagame.We have the map and the metagame. We even took it to the next level by introducing this territory gameplay by moving around the map and even deploying weapons right on the map.”
Then there are the battles, which are similar to chess. When starting an attack, you can see the enemy defenses laid out in front of you. Players select the units to send out to attack the defenders. Controlled units can be given targets, be used as diversions and more. Defeating an enemy headquarters will automatically defeat the enemy target, gaining you all the resources the enemy had.
“The game has two stages that the players go through. At the beginning of the game there isn’t territory gameplay yet, so players can get familiar with the way combat works,” Löhlein said. “The combat is tailored the type of player who is willing to sit down and plan an attack on an alliance maybe two days before executing it. And then you’re entering the territory gameplay where alliances are formed. You are starting to set up your first territory and have your first encounters with the NPCs.”
An important thing to note about Path of War is that, despite being a free-to-play game, it will rely heavily on player skill instead of who spends the most money. “We have mechanics in the game once the alliance gameplay takes over that will ensure that skill is the most important factor in the game,” Löhlein said.
Path of War is also setting itself apart from the competition by giving players a story told (somewhat) in real time. “The game is reacting to what the players are doing on the map,” said Löhlein. “Roughly every two weeks, the game is analyzing what is going on the server. From there, the game analyzes the world and sends ‘news’ out about it. For example, the news might mention that Alliance A just took a city from Alliance B and here’s what the President thinks about it.”
In order for players to coordinate strategy, communication must be organized and simple. Löhlein explained that the team developed a strong messaging client for use in the game to ensure players are always able to talk to who they want, when they want.
“Other games use an in-game chat channels. Some of them add an in-game mail system on top of that. If you look at how people use their smartphones, people are instant messaging with WhatsApp, Hangouts or Messenger. That’s the way people communicate with this platform,” he said.
You can create message channels with anyone on the server once you have some contact info. You can also create groups channels. For example, within your alliance, you can have a chat for those on the front lines and another for those on the back. You can also select which channels will give you push notifications, so you can be given a notification when something interesting is going on. You can jump in and join the game or just join the discussion.
Message channels can also be used to share locations, replays, contacts, and more.
Path of War is available to download right now for Android and iOS devices. It is a free download, with in-app purchases enabled.
So what do you think? Are you interested in trying out Path of War? Do you think this will replace other games as your go-to mobile strategy title? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
