Test your metal: Metalcore dev interview

Games and movies that center around the hero kicking butt in a giant mechanized robot have sparked the imagination of many over the years. The idea you are in control over something the size of a building speaks to that little inside voice that searches for adventure. Over the years there have been many attempts in letting experience that feeling ranging from sim style combat to arcade style gameplay. Games such as  Mechwarrior, Titan Tall, Mech Assault, Hawken, and Armored core to name a few. There is enough out there to make the genre stand above just a niche category.  A new game is making its way to PC very soon that hopes to bring their verion of massive scale mechanized combat. The game is MetalCore, an open world mechanized combat game where you fight territorial battles on a mineral rich alien planet trying to take control for one of three factions. Trade, win and pilot vehicles and machines, craft gear, recruit pilots, develop land, sell and trade gear on your way to planetary domination. 

MetalCore is all about scale, battling on massive maps in towering mechs, Aireal vehicles or on foot joined by large groups of players on an ever-changing battlefield. You will team up with one of three factions, each with a distinct and intriguing backstory, wage war against the rest for territory, resources, and global domination: The austere Gearbreakers, the theo-capitalist Holy Corporation., or the anarchic Metal Punks. 

A guild system called the Barony system allows you to team up and spend team awards to participating players in your clan. Team up and ream rewards that shared between you and your allies. 

MetalCore also touts itself as a NFT supported game, which is a bit surprising as recently the whole adding of NFT items in videogames has seen a good amount of backlash from players.

The NFT addon is supposed to not be pay to win and in fact entirely optional to use. In theory you can play the game without issues without ever connecting your wallet, however it will still have a significance presence in the game and in fact on www.metalcore.gg you can already find a siginificant NFT marketplace presently.

We had a change to sit down with the developers of MetalCore at PAX west where their booth enjoyed a lot of attention from the public, not in the least because of their massive mech outside. We talked about the game, their goals and yes, NFT's as well as some of their own favorites and inspiration.

GvG

Thank you for having us, Tell us a little about MetalCore and how what makes it stand out for you.

MetalCore Dev Team

This game is an open world free play combined arms shooter where you got all your infantries, armored fighters, vehicles, mechs and Airplanes on a large-scale battlefield. But what we're doing for the demo today is what we call an open world event. While you are playing the open World you will see these little flash points on top of the map and you could find a domination map, control point or CTF (Capture the Flag). It could be a giant world boss. It could be a lot of different things to drive players to engage in these events that give more rewards or XP, things like that. 

In the game you have your own garage where you can go, and you manage all the vehicles you own on a holographic display center. You go there, select your vehicle to bring during certain events, choose a loadout, craft, share and then choose where on the planet you're going to go.

The maps we are working on are really large. And within that battlefield you will encounter a number axis, fight territories wars and occupy them and to garner bonus income. We were inspired a lot by Planet Side 2, which really gave you large scale combat where you take over bases and such. But we are changing it up. When you are not participating in these large-scale multiplayer battles, when you're not doing that, you're doing missions in the war.

GVG

So you are saying there is some sort of story mode?

MetalCore Dev Team

There's a narrative that will take you through, at least you're not in the linear story world. You start to find things that connect get together, you sort of figure out, oh, there's something going on. You go out, you get stuff, you get extracted.  You get to the open world and you're able to like do things that and there are other people who are also doing them. It's a bit more interesting than just coming in here and doing the same thing over and over.

GVG

So there is this level of explorations, and then there is the multiplayer battle aspect. How many players are on a map, how big is the scope?

MetalCore Dev Team

We're looking at large so a hundred players, a hundred players in the same battle. For the open world is we are shooting for between 8k and 16 by 16 k maps, very large. These maps will have multiple flashpoints to take over and this would be where a flashpoint is going to happen, and you break out in big battles.

For this demo we only have three classes for inventory, light infantry, assault and medic. It will be over 30 in the final game where each one of these guys has multiple variants very slightly different abilities, but they all have special abilities that allow them to fill the role. Light infantry can put up energy shields in from of them. The heavy assault and shoot beams of energy for a certain amount of time. The medic. You'll get a healing gun etc. These will be unlocked as you progress through the game. 

In demo we spawned different vehicles across the map but in the real game each player has their own inventory. And for each map you have a different inventory to go into battle with, determined by what others bring, the cool downs and weapons for each one. Each time you get to decide which ones you will park and which ones you will bring with you in battle will be part of this strategy.

GVG

What are some of the systems in place for game balancing? For instance, is there a certain amount [of vehicles] at a time you can have on a map, so that if an entire team decides to spawn all jets all at the same time, have a way to limit that and avoid breaking the game balance?

MetalCore Dev Team

It depends, for faction wars, where you get to fight for occupied territories, there is some level of balancing mechanic at work where mechs cost points. How this works is that a team can have, let's say, 500 points on the field at a time. Maybe a super heavy Mech cost 200 points, this means you have to be really thoughtful about what your teammates are bringing out on the battlefield because that's going to reduce the available points for reinforcements. For the open world it is a little bit more freeform. Maybe you go in and win a flashpoint, but it is not really worth anything. So these become more just more like fun freeform events.

In other ways we balance is the way you use your vehicles.  Mechs and infantry are good at doing different things, Mechs are great on the open battlefield type of stuff. But to capture points you have to get into the buildings. You have to get out of your vehicle. If you get out of vehicle other players cannot take it, but they can destroy it. And we're still designing the systems, right? Maybe you can choose to despawn the Mech instead, but then you can only spawn it at certain locations. And that means there is a risk. You are trying not to get blown up, but now you're vulnerable crossing the world, trying to get to where you can respawn your vehicle. And from a defender's perspective you have a choice as well, destroy the enemy mech or go and prevent them from taking the point.

GVG

You mentioned multiple games that inspired the game you are working on. That said, what is your favorite Mech game or game series?

MetalCore Devs

Our favorite Mech game series? I mean, it has to go back to the original Mechwarrior series. The thing is still my favorite.

GVG

You guys are going for a more of an easy to pick up, arcade style game or are you going going for more realism?

MetalCore Devs

We're not going for a Mech simulator, right? though very cool, I think for a game like this it will be too of a big learning curve for players to jump into it and really get the kind of action we're looking for.

GVG

Drive a big robot and kick ass!?

MetalCore Devs

Exactly. Yeah!

GVG

With this many people in the game how are you planning to do communication in the game. ill it be open mic for all, squad based. And will you have any basic push button communication, like " go to this point", "Defend this area " etc?

MetalCore Devs

We're going to have a guilds and squads at least at that level. And I don't know if you really decided how we're going to do an integrated voice or just rely on discord. In terms of other means of communications, we have talked about a lot of that stuff, but we haven't truly committed to what we're going to be doing.

speaking of communication and teams, there is going to be a sort of social system where you'll have like a guild where you've got like trading and sharing ahead of getting into a match. And one of the things we're really excited about in this game is, is using some of that, like with NFT's so as you're leveling up, and you unlocked a cool mech, and you want to be able to give it to him, you can just do that.

GVG

This NFT Idea, now you guys mentioned it explain that concept because when I head NFT, I begin to worry. What is your idea with NFT?

MetalCore Devs

Yes, we get that, and we have heard that before. The whole point of this is that NFT's don't define this game. This is a game that has a piece of it, right? But you are never required to put get involved with it or put your wallet in to be able to play. You are never required to buy an NFT. If you want to there is a piece where you can craft drops and build your own Mech for the game to sell or share as an NFT play with them or do whatever you want. You are never forced to do so. You can play the game without ever having to interact that type of thing, it is really optional. But it is technology we are using for if you want to invest in the game and want to get into the NFT side of things.

I think what we're attempting to solve isa problem like in a World of Warcraft. You create this dark elf, and it is the most badass dark elf ever. But then you are X amount in, and you are like " I'm done, I want to go play something else". But this dark elf would just be sitting there. with NFT's you can give it to your son now. We could go on raids together and play together.

Or in call of Duty. I've just maxed out my submachine gun. I've got a great stock and I got my red dot that makes me happy. But now I've unlocked this camo for my AR that is awesome. I can only play one at a time. And this allows you to just give it to your friend, rent it or sell it or whatever you want.

GVG 

And you will have your own marketplace for that?

MetalCore Devs

Well, so the nice thing about this is that there will be the in-game ability to trade in to share with your guild, but then if you want to take it out of the game and share it in the open world you are free to do that. Again, that is totally optional. You don't have to do any of that stuff. But the Web 3 technology unlocks within the game. The ability to really do that without us having to create separate markets. We don't have to build a storefront. There's a lot of those systems that just exist that enable that trading within the game.

GVG

What platforms are you guys looking out for, for all platforms or specifically going for PC based? And what input support will it have in terms of keyboard, mouse, controllers, flight sticks etc.

MetalCore Devs

Right now, we're just looking at PC. We want to add controller integration. As far as joysticks and that kind of stuff we have not yet looked into it.

GVG

You guys are thinking about any VR tech stuff?

MetalCore Devs

This has not been considered. In the scheme of the repertoire of what VR is, and being that this is a long form game, to sit in a VR helmet for hours is perhaps not the best experience.

As you can tell the team for MetalCore has a lot of ambition for their new game, there are still questions how well the game balancing will work and how optional the NFT portion will stay, but the intention on making this a game with options as opposed to restrictions is clearly there. With the intent on offering large scale battles, it will be important to make a good first impression at launch and attract a large player base. From our experience the core gameplay is definitely there. 

If you want to see more footage and have a listen to the full and unedited interview you can do so via your YouTube channel (embedded below) and you can find out more about the game on www.metalcore.gg

Thank you to the dev team for taking their time and talking us about their game. 

About the writer: DadGeek (Rob) is the co-founder of GeeksVsGeeks. He is a product of the eighties and never let go of his geek interest and hobbies no matter how often someone told him to stop. His love for gaming and all things geeks has been part of his parenting style and permeates throughout the whole family. A family of Geeks vs Geeks