This is part 2 of an interview with Kim Tae Gon, the producer with Ndoors, publisher of Atlantica Online. Hitting the MMORPG scene hard, Atlantica Online has made quite an impression with all MMO players. With a more unique game and combat method, there is more for everyone to enjoy.
By: Simon "Soulrift" Ludgate
Published: Nov 6, 2008
Updated: Sep 2, 2010
In part 1 of our Atlantica Online interview with Ndoors producer Kim Tae Gon, we introduced our readers to the inside development of Atlantica Online. In Part 2 of our interview, we dig deeper and investigate the biggest issues faced by the game’s community.
GS: Thank you for joining us for part 2 of the GameSHOUT Atlantica Online Interview. Without a doubt, the biggest issue discussed in the game’s community is the stamina system that was introduced in Closed Beta 2. Already, in CB3, it’s seen some changes. But I’d like to start at the beginning. What was the original plan for the stamina system?
Kim: The motivation behind the Stamina system was to encourage players to get involved in the many other features of Atlantica by discouraging them from just going from dungeon to dungeon hunting monsters. We really hope that Atlantica players will try and explore features like the guilds and the Free Leagues. We think there’s much to enjoy in these other features found in the game.
GS: The initial announcement of the stamina system was met with very vocal protest on the official forums. Were you expecting this response from the community or did it catch you by surprise?
Kim: We suspected some people would not like the system, since they would see Stamina as a limit on their play. We don’t see it that way. We think of it as a way to open up the game. But we figured there would be people unhappy with it. We also wanted to take people’s constructive feedback on the Stamina system and use that to improve the system. We believe we’ve done that, taking people’s opinions and making changes based on their input.
GS: Now that you’ve had some time to see the stamina system in action, where do you plan to take it?
Kim: Well, we’ve already changed it a lot, and we’ll keep working to improve it, incorporating more suggestions from players. We’ve come up with some more ways for players to recharge their Stamina points, like if a player goes 10 minutes without hunting monsters, he or she will get a point for each 10 minutes interval. Earlier with the Stamina system, players did not gain any items and experience if they fought a battle with no Stamina. Now they can get items and experience, just at a reduced rate. Stamina will continue to be refined.
GS: In an open letter addressed to the community, the Atlantica Online team explained the implementation of stamina. There, it was suggested that some players tried PvP and found out that they liked it. How do you address the concerns of players who tried PvP and still dislike competing against other players? Do you plan to offer any way out for players who refuse to engage in PvP combat? Or is the game primarily PvP-driven, where non-PvPers are simply not welcome in Atlantica Online?
Kim: Please, let me make it clear that non-PvPers are most certainly welcome in Atlantica. Atlantica is not PvP-driven, nor is PvP mandatory. But we did want PvP to be an important part of the game. With the nature of the turn-based battles, we felt PvP would be more exciting for our players and a fun way to test their fighting skills. Of course there will be some people who aren’t interested in PvP, and that’s fine. There are many other parts of the game they can explore, not to mention the main storyline of finding Atlantis. But since we hope players won’t solely focus on that goal either, there are other community activities, like helping newer players craft and answering questions from newer players, which will allow non-PvPers to regain Stamina points.
Our take on all this, though, is that PvP is kind of like a side dish in the Atlantica Online meal. It’s not the entrée or the main course. Although it might make the meal better as a whole, not eating this side dish is alright, because it won’t detract from the overall effect. You’ll still be satiated by the main course.
GS: The PvP system itself, mainly the free league, has also received its share of criticism. Players complain about being pitted against enemies of significantly different experience level, for example. While we acknowledge that the free league is still in an early beta phase, describe for us how you envision the final form it will take, and how it will address the current concerns players have.
Kim: We’re working to make the Free Leagues more competitive and balanced. But players who have great strategy can beat other players at higher levels. We’ve seen happen numerous times. And we want to allow for that, since strategy is one of the core elements of the game. That’s one of the reasons why we use Divisions as the way to match players against each other in the Free Leagues, as opposed to just level.
Eventually, we see one Free League for all the servers for Atlantica, where every Atlantica player, regardless of which server he or she is on, will be able to compete against each other. This will provide a bigger pool of players, which in turn would lead to more competitive matches.
GS: Another issue in the free league that has received some criticism is the rewards. Players can gain immense money rewards by winning in PvP combat. Some players are concerned that this significantly disturbs the in-game economy. How do you respond to these concerns? Do you intend for PvP to be a primary source of in-game income?
Kim: In terms of the overall Atlantica economy, we think it’s big enough that players winning rewards through PvP won’t disturb it significantly, or skew it one way or another. There are many other ways for players to earn money, through quests and guilds, so PvP doesn’t have to be the primary source of in-game income. And even with the PvP rewards, it’s not just money players win; there are items they can gain and then they can sell those items, or perhaps hold the item and wait for the price for that item to increase. So it just adds another level of strategic thinking to the game.
GS: We’ve thrown some pretty hard-hitting questions your way, so we’d like to end on a lighter note. Despite all the issues with stamina and the free league, I and everyone I’ve spoken to has enjoyed Atlantica Online. Now that you’ve had three betas and a growing number of players in your game, how do you feel about the bright future of the game, and where would you like to take it in a month, a year, or even five years from now?
Kim: Thank you for your kind words. We really are just in the beginning stages of Atlantica, and we look forward to growing the game with you and more and more Atlantica players. In the next month, we’ll make the official launch, making available items for people to purchase if they want to advance further and faster in the game, if they’d like. Within the next year or so, we have many exciting plans with regards to content. Players are going to be able to see many more parts of the world open up, like the savannahs of Africa and even the North and South Poles. They will also take on ancient civilizations like the Incan Empire and explore some of the mysteries of the world, like Easter Island’s Moai statues, Stonehenge and the Bermuda Triangle.
With so many more myths and legends of the world to tap into, there should be fresh and exciting content being added for quite some time, enabling players to learn more about some of the cultures and history of our planet. We plan to keep the game fresh and inviting for years to come.
Another part of the game that we’ll be working on over the next five years is Atlantica’s mercenaries and bestowing upon them even more human-like qualities, like the human life cycle. Mercenaries will be able to get married and have children, which must be raised. They will also age.
{slot15}So we hope you’ll stay with us as we continue this journey called Atlantica. There’s much to show you in the future.
Thank you for taking some more time to answer the rest of our questions! For more information about Atlantica Online, visit their official website at http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/
As always, stay tuned to GameSHOUT for the latest news and exclusives!
You can share this MMORPG news story with your friends or family from our PC section. This article can be shared through e-mail or sent to online social Web sites including Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and others. You can choose from one of the options below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Welcome!