The MOBA genre is quite unique as it presents you with a team-based action adventure with a pinch of RPG elements like leveling or gearing on top of showing everything in the RTS format. If you are interested in the genre and want to know how to create a MOBA game, then you will find this blog entry helpful.
What is MOBA, and how to create a MOBA game?
MOBA stands for “Multiplayer Online Battle Arena,” the genre that offers a unique session battle experience on special mirrored maps. In such titles, the gameplay is based on two main principles: leveling/gearing up your characters and killing enemy heroes that protect the base, destroying which is the ultimate goal of each match. Join Argentics’ lead designer, an avid fan of MOBAs, who will explain what this genre is all about and why it is so popular these days.
A quick history of MOBA
Many gamers think that the progenitor of this genre was a mod for Warcraft III, but they are wrong. In reality, MOBA is a grandson of Herzog Zwei, an RTS released in 1989. The key difference between it and all modern MOBAs is that the player has full control of all characters, not just one.
Herzog Zwei had zero turn-based elements forcing two players to act simultaneously. So the success of any mission largely depends on the decision-making speed. Each opponent has a central base and a hybrid transformer plane capable of transporting military equipment and attacking the enemy forces. An important building to protect, a “hero” to control, units marching to destroy opponent’s defenses – any MOBA fan already sees the similarities.
The modern MOBA game concept emerged after the mod called Defense of the Ancients had been created. It all started with the release of the legendary RTS Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos by Blizzard Entertainment in 2002. The strategy had a tool for making custom maps – Warcraft III World Editor – that attracted many modders to experiment with the game. One of them was Eul, who took a popular StarCraft map Aeon of Strife, and remade it within Warcraft III. Little did he know that he was making a MOBA. In the new version of the map, characters could level up, upgrade their abilities, use various equipment bought from vendors, and so on. The map was called Defense of the Ancients or just DotA.
The concept of DotA is a battle of two teams with five unique characters on each side. As a player, you need to control your hero, level them up, farm gold to buy new equipment and consumables, kill players from the opposing team, and ultimately destroy their stronghold. Apart from human-controlled heroes, the three lanes on the map are flooded with creeps (cannon fodder NPCs). These creeps march the lanes and attack enemy structures and characters. It is the main source of XP and gold in every MOBA game. Experienced players understand how to utilize creeps to their advantage and advance with minimal losses towards the main base that is protected by towers at certain locations on the lane.
Why is the MOBA genre so popular?
Free-to-play
Easy to start
It takes a few minutes to get into the main mechanics and rules, and you are good to go. Sure, mastering any competitive game takes years of practice, but not everyone aims to be a cyber-athlete. MOBA games are perfect time-killers as they don’t require regular gaming sessions and spending hours on them. It is a nice choice to pass the time after a long day at school or work.Constant development
In order to stay relevant and interesting for the audience, MOBA games have to evolve and bring something new to the table. While the core gameplay elements remain the same, the developers create new characters with original abilities, organize events, and add new equipment and other content to feast on.Gameplay variety
Modern MOBAs know how to make every battle exciting: different character picks, enemy hero bans, various equipment combinations, and so on. There is no such thing as a matchup in most games. If you have more than a hundred characters to choose from, calculate the number of unique team compositions for 5v5 battles, and you will be amazed. Battle experience also depends on the synergy between chosen champions, tactics, meta-strategy for the game, and pure skill, of course. That is why each new game is different from the previous.
