If you have walked past Hall 8 at the Gamescom 2015 and heard people shout stuff like “KILL THE DRUID”, you didn’t accidentally step into the World of Warcraft PvP Corner. The reason was Seasun Inc`s new MOBA “Relics of Gods“. We had the opportunity to talk to Liu Xi (CEO of Seasun Inc) about future plans for the game.
Q: For how long has the game been in development until now and how many people are working on it?
We have been working on the game for 3 years now with about 70 developers.
Q: You´ve gathered a lot of attention from the audience at the Gamescom. Are you happy with the results? What is the feedback like?
The Game presented at the Gamescom was just a demo. Despite that, we really liked the GC and found RoC to be well-received by the gamers. They were a very skilled audience, better than any we’d seen before. We think mobile gaming will become very popular in the world. But there are not many good MOBA Games on mobile platforms. We did a lot of research and compared it to Blizzards Heartstone and League of Legends. We chose Relics of Gods to be turn-based, since the chaos of a normal MOBA would be very difficult to handle on mobile platforms. Heartstone is a very popular Game, but we think teamwork will be even more popular with the gamers. So as a consequence we chose the PvP-mode to be turn-based, with 3 versus 3 players. As far as we can tell, this was the main reason for the players´ good response.
Q: MOBAs are known for their long gameplay. Will this be the same with Relics of Gods?
Most players will be able to finish the game within 20 minutes. I think it’s a little longer than Heartstone, but shorter than League of Legends. Time is one of the most important factors for us.
At first, the average time needed for the game was around 30 minutes, which we were able to cut down by 50%.
We have been working on the game`s mechanics for more than three years. A fight usually shouldn`t last more than 15 minutes, this equals three to five turns. Each turn, all six players can perform one action, so each player has three to five opportunities to attack or to support by healing or destroying soulstones. Also, the enemy`s attacks can be block if there is a sufficient amount of mana. While waiting for the other players`actions, the team`s strategy and further steps can be planned. Heartstone is made for duels. Players are therefore nervous, always planning their next move. Relics of Gods gives them more time to plan their actions and developing tactics. We don`t want our players to be as nervous as in a duel, but also not to be relaxed. Our goal is kind of the golden middle. We are still working on the game and most certainly will increase the speed a little.
Q: How does Seasun secure a balanced gameplay?
We have calculations for each champion and will buff or nerf them in the process. There is a different position on the field for every champion, from left to right. Before the battle starts, players have to choose which character they want to play one by one. That means the first player of the first group will choose one, followed by the first player of the second group and so on. A champion is not allowed to be on the field more than once, so you have to counter the choice of your opponent with your own. E.g. the lancer is good in the middle, but easy to kill. A healer can destroy his soulstones and render him nearly useless. But if you choose the wrong healer, the lancer stays strong and your chances to win are lowered significantly. Teamwork is important for a balanced gameplay.
Q: Will there be a ranking system?
Yes, the ranking system will be similar to Blizzards Hearstone. By winning games, you can earn stars and move up ranks.
Q: How important will experience be for your players?
We hope to have a leader in each team. Our game is different to League of Legends. In LoL every player has to be good, if you have one or two newbies, your chances to win are low. RoG is very teamplay-based. If one member is very good, he can teach other players and help them to win the game. An InGame-Voicechat is included for this purpose, so people are able to chat in real time and plan out battle strategies. We will also try to match people from the same country together to prevent a communication problem.
Q: Relics of Gods seems to have a large background story. Will there be a storymode?
The background story is huge! We will have a storymode with almost 100 lvl and an epicmode with 20 extra chapters. We will update the storymode each month and the epicmode each season (every three months). A bossmode is also included. One player can choose a boss-champion to fight three players with regular champions.
Q: Some Games originally designed for PC made their way to the mobile phone. Will RoG be playable on larger machines?
Yes, we will release the game for Pc and Console also.
Q: When will it launch?
We will have a softlaunch the next months which will also be the start of our pre-season. After the release, we will join the World Cyber Games.
The Interview was held by Tobias ‘Morerage’ Freund and Stefan ‘Dev’ Fries. Transscript and article writing by Inga ‘Psychotic_Biotic’ Erbes.
If you´re looking for more information about RoG: We´ve released an Video earlier. Within you can find an interview with Michael Powers, senior product manager of Seasun Inc., which was held in english.
