Can MMO and RTS Coexist?

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There has been much ado about the recent MMORTS titles that I and others have attempted to enjoy. Cameron made some excellent points in his blog, one of which was,

Persistent means that games never end. A dominant player would forever be dominant in a MMORTS

The solution to this in my opinion is to either use a system like EVE where some "sectors" are non-PvP, while the rest have varying degrees of anarchy or to use a system that has a beginning and an end. Persistent doesn't mean to last forever. It just has to exist for a prolonged period of time. Games could last for a day, a week, a month, etc. Hit reset and start all over. Half of the fun in an RTS is the beginning or creation phase as I call it. Allow players to carry over their "levels" or achievements to the next game and you give players who are losing a reason to continue.

Why not make a MMORTS where players can play PvE or PvP? Let them level up, gaining new troops, buildings, spells, skills, etc. Let them wage war with the civilization that they have invested so much time in via a PvP mechanism that acts much like RTS games today. Short games, lots of action, etc. The PvE and the PvP experiences can be very different, much like they are in MMORPGs. Make the player a god and let them create their civilization. Those that enjoy the city building aspects would be able to have their fun, while those that enjoy the strategy of combat could have theirs. The more that I think about this the more a Roman or Greek mythological background would work and the more it seems to be a faction vs faction game where players hook up cooperatively. With enough thought I'm sure it could be done.

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