Factions are the cornerstone of most successful RTS games, think of StarCraft and how synonymous the Zerg, Protoss and Terran factions resonate for most people! This is why it’s of crucial importance for us to determine the design choices behind going with the Dwarves as our first exciting faction!
Meet the Dwarves: Lore, Strengths and Playstyle
With that fancy intro out of the way, let’s get into the thick of it and explore our first faction: The Dwarves. Mountain dwelling folk with a deep proficiency for metallurgy, in tune with the land and gifted engineers!
Dwarven Lore 📚
To understand the lore of the faction, one must ponder the origins of the very world of Apoceus itself. When the birth of creation dawned, the goddess Artisia, the firstborn of the gods, traveled the void harvesting energy resonances until enough had been collected to birth the sun. Together with Milea, Triton & Melagor, subsequent gods, an alliance was formed. They went about forging the world we know as Apoceus. It’s Melagor who wrought the mountains from the land, responsible for the towering peaks where Dwarves feel so at home.
The god Melagor and his ties to dwarvenkind are deeply interwoven to the drives, ambitions and religious practices of dwarven folk. From humble miners uttering a prayer of devotion to Melagor prior to descending into the tunnels, to the entire race being shaped in his likeness. Religious fervour amongst dwarves is unrivalled in Apoceus so don’t go slandering Melagor at the local tavern or you’ll likely be in with a chance for a brawl.
On top of the overarching narratives of the Gods having an influence on the world, each general’s ascent to their current position within dwarven society is explored. There are currently a total of 3 Generals you can choose to play with in Apoceus. The noble engineer Hogwald’s story is one of bittersweet impact. Being a skilled tinkerer, and overcoming adversity whilst providing and looking out for one of his siblings (think Frodo & Sam, albeit slightly taller). A really cool redemption story and one with an epic artifact to boot!
Dwarven Strengths ⛏️
As one can imagine, when thinking of a dwarf, you usually picture a stubby, somewhat angry person with a chip on their shoulder and a disdain of the elves. And definitely a dain for mead, stouts and other alcoholic beverages. This is a rather ignorant and short sighted assessment of course, as there is much more to these mountain denizens!
Dwarves are renowned as the finest engineers in the world of Apoceus, helping to bring to life magnificent inventions that profoundly alter the battlefield. Whether these be workshops where bellows run hot and battlefield innovations can be researched, or mighty war machines that have earth shattering consequences for their enemies - a dwarven engineer is at the forefront of any effective battlefield strategy.
Without mineral resources and raw iron and wood to fuel the forges, none of this would be possible. Dwarves are born with a pickaxe in hand, so is said. This embellished view has some believability when you see a dwarven miner in action - most have been trained from a young age to effectively locate veins of ore and extract the materials in a most effective fashion. From prolonged exposure in the mines, some have even developed a keen sense of sight which results in something akin to night vision!
Dwarven Playstyle 🖱️
Ah, but now let’s get into the meat & bones of how dwarves actually come to conquer the battlefield. What can be expected of their playstyle - is it more slow and strategic or can you count on lightning tactics to overwhelm your opponents? How does a dwarven army look in the endgame!
In all, it can be said that playing with the Dwarves in Apoceus is a somewhat balanced gameplay style. Some players will find more success with taking a slower, methodical armed build up and come to the battle with some impressive war machines at the helm, looking to overwhelm by numbers and sheer firepower. There is merit to this.
Other players may wish to develop a lightning attack force of mounted cavalry, and, maybe, some fast transport means to get some melee warriors into an enemy stronghold in a more practical way! Whatever this could be, we couldn’t possibly say at this stage. But in all, there is certainly a variety of playstyles for the dwarves for the discerning RTS addict. We look forward to seeing what strategies you’ll employ.
Boar Rider unit is able to be quickly deployed to tactically change the battlefield
The endgame is a fascinating aspect for our Dwarven heroes, with each of the generals bringing something different to the table that can turn the tide of even the most unfavourable odds. These goliath units, able to be summoned forth by each general, are an amazing mechanic that players can take advantage of. For example, the warhammer wielding general Xeth is able to summon forth something so unimaginably huge, that it might have the potential to quickly devastate an unprepared force up against it. Hogwald, on the other hand, coming from an engineering background, might have a super cool war machine in store to unleash against the enemy faction. These each have a unique niche impact on the battlefield so we look forward to seeing the uses of these massive units and how they alter the landscape (sometimes literally!)
What’s Next After the Dwarves? Delving Into the Challenges of A New Faction
For an RTS to thrive, the factions must have some measure of symbiosis with one another. This is to say that they come calibrated so that neither has a massive advantage from the get go - it’s tough to reconcile this with ensuring each new faction brings with it something new to the table. Be it the goliath units, cool lore, unique buildings or abilities - we strive to deliver some factions that broaden the array of tactics at our players’ disposal!
Faction Diversity ♻️
Balancing a new faction has its fair share of challenges. Some key considerations for us remain at the forefront of decision making when introducing a new faction - how will it impact players? And further, how does it govern strategy and replayability?
If Dwarven base units tend to be speedy but less hefty in offensive capability, do we seek to play this off by balancing base units of a new faction to have more damage at the cost of speed? These are really important design choices and we don’t always get it right at the outset. We’re certainly not going to introduce a laser trooper to the new faction that’s able to annihilate all stubborn dwarves outright by sheer firepower (Looking at you Command and Conquer!).
Knowing how deeply these choices affect our players, we emphasize a rigorous QA protocol to verify these tweaks so that we don’t have massive handicaps at the outset of a new faction. We’re aware of the pitfalls, but we see glory on the horizon! Where having 1 faction present already has a multitude of strategies at your fingertips, expanding to 2 factions amplifies the strategic toolbelt possibilities for our player base.
We’ve touched on the fact that Dwarves are at the pinnacle of engineering capability, able to craft impressive siege engines and war machines that can decisively oust even the strongest defenses of an enemy base. When it comes to faction design, we sought to create a compelling counterpoint to such a strategy (should the player wish to employ it). Whilst the exact components of a new faction must be stowed away for the moment, and only whispered of in hushed tones amongst the hallowed halls of the devs, we can reveal if a little morsel now..
The new faction, comparatively to the technological affinity of dwarvenkind, might be more in tune with the beasts that roam the land in Apoceus and have the tendency to have a more wild and warlike flair. With a more nature-inclined theme in place, this seems like a natural (sorry) counterpoint to dwarven machinations. Taking the goliath units as a case study, let’s explore what this looks like in practice on the battlefield.
Faction 2’s proclivity and animalistic traits truly come to shine through the giant units at their disposal. The evolution and abilities branch into 4 different possibilities, each able to unleash unbridled havoc on the battlefield when let loose. One possibility is a hulking leviathan, with thick defenses that can withstand a barrage of enemy units, and unleash a modest amount of devastation. Another possibility at your fingertips is to allow a unit to enter a vulnerable state, after meeting certain criteria, and if successfully kept alive during this period of stasis, ‘evolve’ unto its terrifying advanced forms. These can unleash a vast amount of destruction and might be far more mobile, at the cost of much needed thickness and resilience. These options along with the mega units for the Dwarves lend themselves to numerous replay scenarios and a strategic wealth of options for our players!
Voice of the Players 🗣️
Whilst our team has got a concrete vision in mind for the forthcoming second faction to enter the fray in Apoceus, we feel player feedback is invaluable to mould their impact upon the battlefield. Through playtests and frank discussions, and polling to get a feel of our player base, we’re able to keep a finger on the pulse of what players feel will make for a compelling experience.
It’s important for us to get the balance right, so we must tread these waters carefully! We have to be mindful of the massive impact a second faction (and of course further factions) will have on the course of gameplay. That doesn’t stop us from being inspired by our wonderful community, whether their input affects our final artistic output, how the lore of the faction is woven into the game, or a multitude of other areas!
It’s a tricky thing to be able to provide snippets without revealing too many of the core mechanics of a new faction. Thus we are also careful to retain a mammoth portion of that magic that you experience when you toy around with a new faction, new heroes and discover some unique mechanics on the battlefield! That being said, we’re always taking on board feedback, suggestions, and cultivating discussions. The best way to keep track of what we’re doing in Apoceus is to join our discord. The links for it can be found below! Join today, and keep up to speed directly with our dev journey!