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ArchLord Q&A Feature
Derek dela Fuente
04/04/2006
Codemasters returns later in the year with a new MMORPG; TVG sits down and discovers what lies in store...
Codemasters appear to have an almost fanatical obsession with the world of MMORPGs at present. Later in the year comes Archlord, created by NHN Games, one of the biggest Korean MMO developers and publishers. ArchLord delivers a unique competitive premise to MMO gamers: the opportunity to rise to become the game world's supreme ruler.
TVG spoke with Tim Hodges at Codemasters to find out more about the creator of the game and what intriguing elements and features Archlord will offers to online gamers!
Presently there is a rapidly growing list of MMORPG titles with many originating from Korea. Firstly what do you feel distinguishes this title from many others and why is Korea the hub of so many MMORPG titles?
ArchLord has many qualities that I feel will set it apart from other titles on the market, not least of which is the fantastic and unique opportunity to become the ArchLord! The game is visually very stunning and features very strong play ability. There is something for everyone with ArchLord .For the fans of PVE there is a solid mix of quests and skills that will see hours of playability and for those that prefer to go down the PVP route there are many fantastic opportunities to take part in epic battles potentially featuring hundreds of players.
The Korean MMO market is much more mature than anything we have in the west. Players across Korea number in the millions, ArchLord alone had over one million sign ups for its open beta. They operate PC banks out there that accommodate hundreds of players allowing 24 hour access to a range of titles. The biggest reason for MMOs popularity and growth I feel, is due to their internet infrastructure. The Korean government has invested millions into the internet infrastructure that runs throughout the country, 100mb+ connections are standard throughout Seoul. A reliable and fast internet connection by its nature encourages online gaming and from this Koreans have embraced MMOs. This large market obviously means that each title that comes out must be incredibly strong if it is to stand any chance of gaining a foothold in the market place. With each title that comes out aiming to be stronger than the last, the western market has some strong options available to it. Also with an already crowded market in Korea, Korean developers are starting to look to the west for the opportunity to expand and gain extra revenue and shelf life for their products.
Please tell us about NHN Games; what they have created before, the size of the team and the vision for Archlord!
ArchLord is in fact NHN Games first MMO title, NHN itself operates a portal called NAVER in Korea that is essentially a portal site similar to Yahoo but nearer the size of Google. So they are an extremely large, well-established company with a lot of revenue and resources behind them. Through their games division they are looking to expand into the lucrative MMO market. They have an extensive team working on ArchLord, the team is made up of over 60 people in development alone along with other people spread across marketing, etc. They see ArchLord as their lead title, one that will really establish themselves as a contender in the already crowded MMO market.
Tell us the backdrop story to the game, how it evolves as you play, and what the main challenge is to gamers?
ArchLord takes place in the lush fantasy world of Chantra Continent and it's here that players will play out there in game lives. The back-story of Chantra tells of two immense heroes: one orc, one human who traveled together in search of a legendary weapon. But on arriving at their location they discovered not one, but two powerful weapons. These were in fact two of the five great Archons the rest of which had fallen into the hands of other heroes around the great continent. A much more detailed account of the ArchLord history will be appearing regularly on the official website, (http://www.archlordgame.com) so be sure to keep checking for more information.
The story element will be ever present throughout the game, and will be reflected in quests that players embark on as well as the ArchLord system itself. Players will find themselves becoming an integral part of the history of Chantra and its five Archons. Chantra its self is an expansive continent featuring a wide range of diverse regions, each of which exhibits its own personality. The personality is reflected throughout the world of Chantra from the smallest monster to the lush vegetation. Each of the races will also have their own unique starting area that will mirror their strengths and history. The landscape through out the game is incredibly fertile and vividly brought to life. Players can look forward to more detailed information about this spectacular game world over the coming months.
What do you see as some of the exciting and innovative features to ensure ArchLord stands out from the MMO crowd?
There are some really great features in ArchLord that make the game a lot of fun to play. A lot of these stem from the quest system, PvP and ArchLord system. The details of these areas are going to be revealed more over the coming weeks and months in the build up to the launch of the game.
That said there is some information on the ArchLord system that I can share with you: In order to become the games ArchLord players will need a good balance of both solo and team skills. The first step requires players to embark on a specific range of quests to learn more about the archons and their history. This will see them travel the world of Chantra exploring its many different areas. Once players have completed this initial part of their quest to seek out the ArchLord crown they must then call on the help of their guild members for within the borders of Chantra there are three immense castles. Players must then launch a full scale attack on these heavily guarded castles and attempt to wrestle control from their current owner to win the privilege to advance to the next stage of the ArchLord challenge.
From here players are within inches of being able to claim the ArchLord crown, all that stands between them now is five monsters and up to three hundred players.
Those that can claim the castles as their own will be called on to battle through five monsters in order to gain one of the three available Archons. Once these have been collected they will be called forward to battle each other till one guild stands victorious with all three Archons. Then it is on to the final fight as they come within a nats crotch of gaining the ArchLord crown for themselves. So there you have it, a small insight into what will really be required for those of you with ArchLord aspirations. However this is just a glimpse into a small part of this extremely interesting system, and this is not all that ArchLord has to offer. There is still plenty of content for those with smaller aspirations. Keep your eyes locked to the net as more information will be released on the system before the game is published
Please tell us about the selection of characters and classes the player can assume and the kind of progression available?
Players will have a range of characters and classes that they can assume from the start. These characters will be customizable in the initial set up screen, however players will be able to buy in game customization within the game world once they start playing. These customizations will be available from specific vendors in the various villages spread through out the in game world.
The game its self features a level cap of 100, players will progress through these levels by engaging in a range of quests amongst other ways of leveling. Apart from leveling players will also be able to engage in other activities in the world. This will include a range of skills that will provide additional benefits to the player and enhance their game. However, I'm going to hold off on revealing exact details on this as I'll be revealing more specific information on the skill system in the coming weeks.
Can you tell us a little about the quest structure within ArchLord, will quests have an impact on the future progress of the game, can players have an impact on the storyline?
There are huge number of quests in ArchLord, and the quests system it's self will be used as part of the ongoing story line that runs through out ArchLord. There will be a high quality range of quests through out the game that really will keep players hooked for months. In the coming months I will let you all in on more details about the quest system.
MMOs require a sense of reward to motivate players progress; can you elaborate on the looting system within ArchLord ?
Throughout the game players will find that they have access to a range of rewards depending on monsters, quests and their level. There will be a constant evolution of the type of reward available to players as they move up through the levels. So the higher your level, the better rewards you get. But no matter what level you are you will almost always receive some form of monetary reward as well as random potion drops. In terms of more interesting weapons this will very much depend on your level and what you have just killed. The combat will vary depending on which monsters you attempt to tackle as there are raid monsters, dungeon monsters and regular monsters spread throughout the gaming world. Some of these will obviously require a number of players, each performing specific tasks through out the course of the battle. It's hard to describe a typical confrontation, as there isn't really one. Each battle will be very different depending on a particular player's style and class. But the game will need players to learn their classes in order for them to get the most from their character.
How does grouping work within ArchLord and what scope does the game provide for larger parties such as guilds?
Players are indeed able to group together through out the course of the game. Players will be able to work together in these groups to over come the larger more unmanageable challenges in the game such as raid bosses, dungeons and a variety of quests. Within the group players will be able to communicate with each other on their own private chat group channel. In terms of banding together on a larger scale, for guild sized groups, players will find this element of the game particularly important if they have ArchLord aspirations. As more details of the ArchLord system are revealed we will also be revealing more details on the guild system and their importance.
What are some of the new areas you hope to expand on with the introduction of one of the most advanced and complex PVP combat systems?
As previously mentioned we are extremely proud of the PvP system featured in ArchLord, I feel it will be of interest to all levels of PvP players from those that thrive on it, to those who just like to take part in the occasional bout of PvP action. Due to this though we will be featuring the PvP system later in the campaign, so you can look forward to more detailed information over the next month or so.
The Archlord is the pivotal figure within the game. Tell us more about him; the kind of power he has.
The ArchLord is a fantastic in game feature, one that I feel will really appeal to a range of players as it involves good team and solo play in order to partake in this particular aspect of the game. The full details of the ArchLord system will be announced in a few weeks time; this will be when you guys get the real chance to sink your teeth into the full details of the ArchLord system.
Finally what do you see as being the biggest difference between the Korean and Western gaming markets, and what are some of the challenges in bringing such a title over?
There are some real differences between the two sets of players. Korean players, on the whole, seem more prepared to put up with a different leveling process compared to a lot of western gamers. Since the expansion of the market by World Of Warcraft more casual players have entered the world of MMOs; however these players have been spoilt by Warcraft in that Warcraft is very much about getting you to the end game as soon as possible. Korean MMOs are more about investing the time in your character from 0 onwards. This importance can be seen in the PT system that is in place in RF Online and the importance of balancing that as you move through the levels. The large market that has been built around Warcraft doesn't come to other MMOs with a true appreciation of the kind of time that is required by a lot of games.
The other significant difference between the sets of gamers stems from the way that games are launched and marketed in the two countries. Koreans see much larger beta periods which are open to the public and are advertised much more heavily. There are large groups of players that move from beta to beta playing for free and then moving on when the game commercializes. These betas often go on for almost a year, as a result of this Korean players are a lot more prepared to put up with bugs and flaws than the majority of those in the western market. Though all this said, the dedicated hardcore gamers in the west actually differ very little from their Korean counter parts. They all have very mature, developed understandings of how the development process works, how they can help the process and enable us to produce a better game. Most importantly they are also aware of the kind of time that MMO's really require. So in answer to your question I don't see a huge amount of difference between certain sets of gamers, and quite staggering differences between other sets.
TVG would like to thank Tim Hodges for providing this insight into the world of ArchLord; look out for further information across TVG soon...
