Total War: Arena MOBA announced

[MammothBlade]

http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/28/total-war-arena-will-be-free-to-play-moba-game-3564233/

Creative Assembly has unveiled their latest entry in the Total War series, pitting commanders from across history against each other.

Sega has announced a spin-off title for Total War that?s been inspired by MOBA games such as DotA and League Of Legends, in terms of both gameplay and pricing structure.

The idea isn?t as much of a stretch as it seems since the MOBA genre (which, rather meaninglessly, stands for multiplayer online battle arena) started life as mods for Warcraft III and Starcraft II.

As such Total: Arena will mix the franchise?s traditional real-time strategy battles with more hands-on action. It?ll also be free-to-play, with the game likely to make its money through microtransactions.

The details we have at the moment are extremely limited as the game is being announced at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, but the press release we?ve been sent ahead of time promises ?the chance to pitch history?s greatest commanders and their armies against each other in massive team-based battles?.

Spoiler: My initial reaction

What on Earth CA, are you high? April Fool's is still 3 days away damnit.

Okay, calm down, calm down. *deep breath*

It's not so much the fact that it's an MOBA, but that there are only "three units".

Though on closer reading, it's a turn-based game, which I suppose makes it something slightly original for MOBA. And with historical characters instead of heroes.

I don't want to be the person who pisses on other peoples' creativity. I'm sure someone at CA put a lot of thought into this, and I respect that. I just hope this doesn't impact negatively upon the main Total War series I know and love.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I would like a MOBA game where you have tactical command of your mobs, so that you win by outmaneuvering the opponent by using chokepoints to your advantage. Total War seems ideally suited to it. But they don't seem to be doing that.

Also CA, despite being good developers, tend to make a lot of stupid decisions. Rome 2 will still be running off a 32 bit engine, meaning that we still get that damn 2GB memory bottleneck. For a game that is as large and as pretty as Rome 2. They boast about how many units they can render onscreen at one time, but in practice it won't work that way because they are intentionally limiting their engine to allow 32bit systems to still play the games.

Because a 32 bit system is going to be playing one of the most graphically intense strategy game series in the first place.

 

[Anathrax]

Soviet, could you explain to me what the 32 bit system means? My question is, if they used a (something else) bit engine, does that mean my 32 bit OS wouldn't run the game?(Still a few months till I start learning IT)

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well it's the new money makergenre, LoL guys are earning more then they can even spend so it's no wonder the bigger boys will be wanting a slice of that.

Hell even Lord of the Rings got it's own horrid MOBA.

 

[MammothBlade]

Also CA, despite being good developers, tend to make a lot of stupid decisions. Rome 2 will still be running off a 32 bit engine, meaning that we still get that damn 2GB memory bottleneck. For a game that is as large and as pretty as Rome 2. They boast about how many units they can render onscreen at one time, but in practice it won't work that way because they are intentionally limiting their engine to allow 32bit systems to still play the games.

Because a 32 bit system is going to be playing one of the most graphically intense strategy game series in the first place.

A lot of people still use 32-bit systems, myself included. To make it 64-bit only would be a terrible decision.

 

[Robot Bunny]

I am fine with this as long as it does not affect the release of proper total war games. I suspect that it is another group just using the total war and CA name, to help sell their idea.

 

[Robot Bunny]

I am fine with this as long as it does not affect the release of proper total war games. I suspect that it is another group just using the total war and CA name, to help sell their idea.

 

[Two Bears]

Eww. That sounds utterly horrid, much like the never-ending series of sequels and remakes of film and television classics.

 

[BrotherRool]

For a second I was hoping this was a MOBA where you get to spawn and command troops but this sounds like a bad use of the franchise name

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Also CA, despite being good developers, tend to make a lot of stupid decisions. Rome 2 will still be running off a 32 bit engine, meaning that we still get that damn 2GB memory bottleneck. For a game that is as large and as pretty as Rome 2. They boast about how many units they can render onscreen at one time, but in practice it won't work that way because they are intentionally limiting their engine to allow 32bit systems to still play the games.

Because a 32 bit system is going to be playing one of the most graphically intense strategy game series in the first place.

A lot of people still use 32-bit systems, myself included. To make it 64-bit only would be a terrible decision.

Still, locking it at 2GB of Ram is a stupid idea.

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Damnit, when they said it would be different from anything they'd done before I was sort of hoping for either a Warhammer: Total War or a Space Total War. I've never liked MOBAs and never will, mainly because I don't like any sort of movement to be done with the mouse (RTS games are fine because you're controlling more than one character); it's one of the biggest reasons I don't like many old-school RPGs like Fallout or Baldur's Gate. I also just really don't like MOBA combat. Damn.

Also this was the first time I heard about the whole Rome 2 locked at 2GB... damnit! I have 8GB in my system, let me use them damnit!

 

[lRookiel]

Well, I'll play it if it's good.... Maybe..... Probably not

Ok fine, I'll not write it off completely, but damnit CA you better not become the next shitty games company I want no part of. :3

 

[Darks63]

Ick this story is giving me flashback about that deadliest warrior fighting game fro ma few years back. Hopefully this will go the way of Spartan Total warrior.

 

[Saxnot]

So i guess CA's decided on their off-game after RTW II. They tend to make a great total war game, and then an awful, terrible, poorly made game in a different genre, and then another great total war game. still, it could be fun, i'll give it a shot.

I honestly don't see this impacting the Total War series in any significant way. They know what their fanbase wants, and what they're good at. More Total War.

 

[hazabaza1]

I look forward to it being absolutely awful and failing terribly when pitted against LoL and DoTA 2.