Global Agenda: Conquest Mode Thoughts

Posted on Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Filed under Conquest, Gameplay, Global Agenda, PvP

Seeing as I'm having difficulty getting the video embed code (the firewall here at work is none-too-fond of YouTube…), I'll just have to send out this link and hope that y'all will make your over to watch the video so that you can get an understanding of what exactly Global Agenda's Conquest mode is.

To summarize, Conquest mode is a persistent PvP mode where Agencies compete for territory and control of various maps. Agencies (guilds) can team up with other Agencies to make Alliances, but those Alliances can be tossed aside at any point. Agencies can then send in Strike Teams (12-man raid teams) to take over any other Agency's territory in hopes of gaining more ground and valuable resources, which can then be turned around and used to make new vehicles and other upgrades to help in attack or defense. The instances themselves are a bit PvEvP as the attacking strike force will need to compete against PvE elements like guardians and such as well as any defenders the current occupiers put in place to stop the attackers.

Basically, it looks like a game of Risk from above and localized castle assault from below.

This is a persistent game that's only open so many hours a day. During these hours, zones can be captured and lost and there is constant action going on. But once those hours are over for the day, the zones are locked and Agencies can then add upgrades or make vehicles or generally plan their next move. While the maps are open, it's all about war, but while their closed it's all about Politics. At least, that's the theory.

I admit, Conquest mode sounds like a blast. Vehicular combat would add a nice twist to the game and knowing that you are fighting for something more than just experience points and money seems like it would add another level to the game entirely. But to access Conquest (after the first month of play) players will need to pony up a monthly subscription fee (there are discounted multi-month packages as well), and this is where the player needs to decide if Conquest is worth it to them or not. You'll still have full access to the PvP and PvE missions without the subscription, but you'll miss out on some of the upgrades that only Conquest can provide.

Personally, I'm still looking for an Agency to give Conquest a shot. I'll likely need to join a random invite Agency just to get into the action, but as long as Conquest is free I should give it a go just to see if it will be worth it in the long run. It certainly sounds fun, but even before trying it I have to admit that I have my reservations about it.

First, there's the subscription fee. Do I really need another subscription based game in my portfolio right now? And given that I'm having a blast with the non-subscription content, can I even justify the $12 per month?

Second is the question of whether or not I'd really even be able to participate? With the zones only open for a set window of time every day, will I really be able to get into that mode often enough to validate my monthly fee? Would an Agency even want a player that can't commit to any particular nights or even the particular window of time the mode is available?

Third is the feeling that Conquest sounds like a big commitment, and I'm just not up for anything "hardcore" right now. If an Agency even takes one night of the week off from defending their holdings, they could lose everything. They'd then have to spend days trying to rebuild. I don't think I could possibly agree to a 7-days-a-week play schedule, and I think that asking that of the player base is a bit much.

Like I said, I'll give it a whirl assuming I can find an Agency for at least this free month. I could find that my schedule will be fine and that Conquest is worth every penny of the monthly fee, but I'm having a hard time imagining that will be the case. Even if it's not "for me," I have to say that it sounds like a very cool, very ambitious, addition to the game that I am sure plenty of people will find addictive and fulfilling.

-Dickie