We are the Digital Universe, development team. Our first project ExoTanks MOBA was released into early access on Steam. The game is ready for the presentation to the players, and we are ready to share with you the experience of creating unique tanks, each with its character and style of play, for our MOBA-shooter!
ExoTanks MOBA - team action about the tanks of the future. The main characters here - the most powerful combat vehicles. As it should be in the games of the MOBA genre, our tanks are unique, have a “character”, weaknesses and strengths, differ in different classes, different roles on the battlefield, individual appearance. Each tank has three basic abilities and one ultimatum, with a special power. Abilities are pumped in combat using the equipment.
"Competent use of abilities is the basis of a team game".
Idea
What are our tanks about? We consider them to be a creation of the engineering mind of people of the future. These tanks are a technology that can withstand extreme temperatures and operate in the conditions of Mars. The creation process starts with a key idea: for example, will it be a flamethrower tank, or maybe an invisible tank? Next, we define the tank's class and its role in the battle, whether it will deal damage, or capture control points, or repair, or support, etc. After that, we design the tank's abilities and the way they will play against the abilities of other tanks (counter pick). Then we determine the type of chassis, the type of weapon, and the tank's characteristics. Next, we make a concept of the tank and model it. All the tank's abilities and mechanics are implemented as a draft version to test the idea. If all goes well, the tank is sent to the final stage of development, if not, the tank is refined until it becomes interesting to play.
"The idea of the L225 Storm tank is a rocket launcher with auto-aiming and long reloading. Gameplay - shot and left!"
Classes
Each MOBA game has various character classes that are better suited for certain roles in battle. Despite our game having tanks instead of characters, classes and roles are still present.
Defenders are heavy armored combat vehicles with no, particularly powerful weapons. They are slow, have great durability, and they are not easy to destroy! Their abilities are aimed at self-defense, as well as defending their allies. Well suited for defending occupied positions.
Assault class tanks are designed to attack and inflict a large amount of damage. They have either powerful weapons or strong attacking abilities. High speed and maneuverability allow them to catch up with an enemy, vanish into thin air, or outflank the enemy. The downside of such tanks is often their low durability and thin armor. Yes, they are easy to destroy if you succeed in catching them! Assault tanks take on the role of leaders in destroying enemy tanks at the front line. They are also great at taking in the rear at the speed of light.
Engineer tanks are the most balanced class. These tanks usually have average damage and durability. Engineer tanks are distinguished by their multifunctional abilities, which are aimed at supporting their team and sabotaging enemies. These combat vehicles play many roles: helping and reinforcing allies, timely repair of other tanks in battle, as well as controlling and weakening enemy vehicles. Tanks of this class make an invaluable contribution to your victory!
"The interaction of different classes - the key to victory!"
Armament
We understand how important it is to diversify the types of weapons and shooting when it comes to developing a MOBA-Shooter. Let’s add a bit of Sci-Fi and futuristic technology, and we’ll get the following set of tank guns: Lasers, Rocket Launchers, Flamethrowers, Machine Guns, Single-shot Guns, Grenade Launchers, and Plasma Weapons.
In addition to its appearance, effects, and sound, each gun has some special properties that determine its behavior:
1. Targeting. Manual or automatic lock-on.
2. Projectile type. Bullet, beam, rocket, particle beam, etc.
3. Projectile speed.
4. The number of projectiles per shot.
5. Fire rate.
6. Damage.
7. Damage type. Physical or absolute.
8. Accuracy.
9. The number of shells in a clip.
10. Clip reload time.
11. Ballistics.
12. Distance.
"Flamethrower, Tesla Cannon and Rocket Launcher in action!"
Armor
Mixing the Tank Shooter and MOBA genres, we want to find the optimal combination of dynamic action and thoughtful tactics. The Sector-Divided Armor mechanics is a good example of this balance. Each tank has 3 sectors of armor: frontal, side, and rear armor. Getting physical damage in different sectors, the armor reduces it with different effects, depending on the armor's thickness. The armor doesn't reduce absolute damage; however, few weapons and abilities are dealing with such damage. While experimenting, we deliberately abandoned the idea of having mechanics of penetration and destruction of tank parts, as in tank simulators. This makes the game more dynamic and fun, and at the same time, it still makes the combat tactics interesting.
"Sectorial armor tank"
If you want to hear from us more details on the mechanics of shooting, movement, detection, and pumping tanks - ask questions in the comments. Be sure to answer!
