Later this year, End of Nations will do something you probably haven't seen before: It will combine the MMO and RTS genres, offering players an online world in which to conquer foes strategically. What's more, the game will be free-to-play, and it comes courtesy of Petroglyph Games, a project formed out of the ashes of Command and Conquer developer Westwood Studios.

This isn't your typical RTS game. Each battle starts at your base, which is where you put together an assortment of units to command. Depending on your class, you'll have access to either tanks (which absorb lots of damage), artillery (which has terrific range), or strike units (which are fragile but deal lots of damage). You'll typically have about ten or twenty units, depending on the precise loadout you prefer (you can have lots of weak units, or a few powerful ones).

From there you enter the fray. On a world map you're able to choose from a variety of battles, and gameplay options include solo and co-op campaigns, as well as PvP in a persistent world. When you're facing A.I.-controlled opponents, you'll be battling the Order of Nations, an oppressive government force that seeks to rule the world now that the economy has imploded and the "end of nations" is upon us. In PvP, you'll be taking on your fellow gamers in modes such as "Resource Hog," in which teams compete to control points on a map, and "Operation Last Stand," in which you try to outlive your opponents while battling hordes of A.I.-controlled enemies. Some multiplayer modes will allow more than 50 players to fight at once.

In a lot of ways, the missions are more like MMO dungeons than RTS matches. At the beginning, you'll be given a variety of quests to accomplish during the mission. You won't be spawning units on site or developing resources—you're limited to the units you brought with you, which in some cases you can repair. Further, when all your units get wiped out, you respawn at a capture point rather than starting over. And in true MMO fashion, you'll be looting your fallen enemies for goodies that you can either use or sell on an in-game market.

That's not to say RTS fans won't feel at home. Combat is simply a matter of pointing, clicking, and using special abilities when appropriate. Your units auto-attack enemies, and of course you're free to split them up and have them attend to different duties. And careful strategizing and tactics will be a must.

MMOs are always evolving, even after they come out, but thus far it seems that the basic rhythm of End of Nations will involve wiping out enemy units so that you can progress through a series of capture points. In addition to serving as respawn checkpoints, these capture points give buffs. While playing cooperatively, you'll need to work together with units of different types to accomplish your strategic objectives—artillery, tanks, and strike commanders each have a unique role to play.

Meanwhile, there will be a variety of mission types, from sneaky intel quests to all-out battles. Over time, as you progress through the game, harder and harder battles will become available. Further, you can improve your base with various "deployable structures." For example, if you build an air strip, you can command airstrikes from the battlefield.

The early screenshots indicate that this game will look terrific—assuming these shots are representative, End of Nations will easily be one of the best-looking RTS games on the market, and it holds its own with the best MMOs as well. The developer promises that the Earth depicted in End of Nations will feature a wide variety of terrain types.

While the developers initially planned to implement a subscription fee, they have decided to go with a free-to-play model instead. This is obviously a bonus to cash-strapped gamers, but free-to-play brings its own challenges, and it will be interesting to see how Petroglyph deals with them. The developer has already promised that there will be no "pay to win" items, and all of the content will apparently be available to free players. All that will cost money are "vanity and convenience" items. If you're worried that either (A) Petroglyph won't make enough money off this to make it worthwhile or (B) these "convenience" items will actually be necessities for many players, you're not alone. We will see.

End of Nations offers a unique blend of MMO and RTS gameplay, a huge and persistent online world, and a fast pace of battle. Its developers have a history of making killer RTS games. And the fact that it will be free-to-play means it will be easy to try when it comes out this year.

By Robert VerBruggen Contributing Writer @RAVerBruggen Date: April 25, 2012