Dev talks World in Conflict as RTS for casual gamers

Even if real-time strategy games isn’t your cup of tea, Massive Entertainment‘s latest and hottest World in Conflict (Xbox 360, PC) video game is set to entice you into joining the battlefield. In an interview with Guardian Unlimited, lead game designer Magnus Jansen discussed why Massive’s latest title should be able to attract non-hardcore gamers.

At first glance, anyone will fall in love with the game’s gorgeous graphics. Not only are the graphics easy on the eyes, it’s also a cinch to jump into the action. As Jansen said himself, World in Conflict is free of conventional RTS elements such as base-building and resource management to focus more on fast paced combat.

Instead of giving players the role of commander, World in Conflict offers immersion through characters involved in an engrossing storyline. “We wanted to tell this story through our characters. We’re very happy with the end result, and expect that many players will want to play through the single-player campaign,” said Jansen.

While multiplayer opens a big window for cooperative team play, Jansen mentioned how single player doesn’t fall behind. Maps, units, and balancing come in equal doses for both game modes; solo campaigns just offer less units to choose from in some cases, but that’s to “give the player a taste of all branches of the military.”

When asked what educational benefits World in Conflict has to offer, Jansen pointed out that the game wasn’t designed to be informative. Some lessons can be learned from realistic weapons, vehicles, and locations players will be indulging in, but Jansen made it clear that Massive Entertainment aims for “entertaining and captivating games.”

He stressed out how World in Conflict is “not just a game for gamers who consume strategy games on a daily basis.” RTS fanatics don’t have to fret though, because the game is not closing doors on the hardcore. “To what extent it will reach out beyond this core community is still unsure,” Jansen continued.

Even if real-time strategy games isn’t your cup of tea, Massive Entertainment‘s latest and hottest World in Conflict (Xbox 360, PC) video game is set to entice you into joining the battlefield. In an interview with Guardian Unlimited, lead game designer Magnus Jansen discussed why Massive’s latest title should be able to attract non-hardcore gamers.

At first glance, anyone will fall in love with the game’s gorgeous graphics. Not only are the graphics easy on the eyes, it’s also a cinch to jump into the action. As Jansen said himself, World in Conflict is free of conventional RTS elements such as base-building and resource management to focus more on fast paced combat.

Instead of giving players the role of commander, World in Conflict offers immersion through characters involved in an engrossing storyline. “We wanted to tell this story through our characters. We’re very happy with the end result, and expect that many players will want to play through the single-player campaign,” said Jansen.

While multiplayer opens a big window for cooperative team play, Jansen mentioned how single player doesn’t fall behind. Maps, units, and balancing come in equal doses for both game modes; solo campaigns just offer less units to choose from in some cases, but that’s to “give the player a taste of all branches of the military.”

When asked what educational benefits World in Conflict has to offer, Jansen pointed out that the game wasn’t designed to be informative. Some lessons can be learned from realistic weapons, vehicles, and locations players will be indulging in, but Jansen made it clear that Massive Entertainment aims for “entertaining and captivating games.”

He stressed out how World in Conflict is “not just a game for gamers who consume strategy games on a daily basis.” RTS fanatics don’t have to fret though, because the game is not closing doors on the hardcore. “To what extent it will reach out beyond this core community is still unsure,” Jansen continued.