Ten Ton Hammer:
What initially drew you to the Dekaron, the Korean version of the game?
Why did you decide to alter it so much? Wouldn’t it have been
easier to simply translate the text and localize the gameplay?

style="margin: 10px; border-collapse: collapse; float: left; width: 116px; height: 62px;"
border="1">

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/10120"
title="Riding the big-tailed beast"> src="/image/view/10120/preview"
width="200"> src="http://tth.tentonhammer.com/modules/gallery/images/pixel_trans.gif"
alt="" height="1" width="1">

2Moons has a unique
style that makes it stand-apart from other MMOGs.

Dave:
Initially, I went to Korea with Howard Marks, CEO of Acclaim, and we
were introduced to Dekaron during our visit to the GameHi offices. I
was immediately impressed with their engine and graphics. Dekaron was a
hit in Asia already, proving that it had the elements of a successful
game, and that GameHi had the technical ability to run a very
large-scale MMORPG. However, it was our plan from the beginning to make
the game a free-to-play, advertising supported game with a shop for
special items

Our biggest problem has been catching up with the relentless
additions this game is getting as only when that slows will I get to
add a lot of my ideas.  For example, I have ideas to really
add even more drama and excitement to the fighting and I’m
being very patient as I wait for the commercial release to happen, then
I’m expect to get plenty of programmer attention.

Ten Ton Hammer: Besides the
blood, gore, and language, what makes 2Moons different from the
standard MMO? What sort of gameplay elements have been changed in
2Moons to make it stand out from the standard fantasy MMO crowd?

Dave:
There are certain elements that all MMORPGs have in common, such as
skills, character options, progression and some degree of
customization. There is always some level of story, some amount of PvP,
factions, groups/guilds, etc. What makes each unique generally involves
certain features, both major and minor, and these features are
sometimes easy to articulate, sometimes not. 2Moons should be largely
familiar to MMORPG players, because it does use definable character
classes, skill trees, statistical assignment, experience points and
leveling. However, like every fantasy world, it has its own story,
atmosphere, specific skills and abilities, and unique items. It has its
own quest system, item upgrades, zones and events. It has a flavor all
its own, and that is what will set it apart. Oh, and did I mention
it’s free to play?

style="margin: 10px; border-collapse: collapse; float: right; width: 116px; height: 62px;"
border="1">

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/10118"
title="Ready to take on the world"> src="/image/view/10118/preview"
width="200"> src="http://tth.tentonhammer.com/modules/gallery/images/pixel_trans.gif"
alt="" height="1" width="1">

The story for 2Moons
is 4,000 pages long!

Ten Ton Hammer: How
pervasive is the story in 2Moons? Is it something that players will
interact with on a regular basis, or do players have to actively engage
with it to see the story?

Dave:
The story is about 4,000 pages long. It’s insane. 
The more the player follows the quests from level to level, the more
the story will reveal itself. By completing the quests and interacting
with the NPCs, players will slowly learn the history of the 2Moons
world, Haran, and of the threat that faces it. They will learn about
the principle characters who shaped the world and how they put Haran in
dire peril. They will be able to fill their roles as heroes, although
not always “nice” heroes, and do their part to
destroy the enemy.

Ten Ton Hammer: What sort of
PvP and PK elements are you hoping to put into 2Moons before the game
is finished? It seems like a perfect style of game for some of the more
gruesome feats of violence in the fantasy world, will all these things
be supported?

Dave:
The PvP system is unique in my experience. Anyone can PK in the wilder
zones, but PKing a non-PK player turns you into an evil player,
changing your status within the game. There are various rules for how
to reverse that status, but ultimately, PKing will be part of the game.
There are also siege battles that will involve large guilds in deadly
wars, duels and other ways for players to pit themselves against each
other.

style="margin: 10px; border-collapse: collapse; float: left; width: 116px; height: 62px;"
border="1">

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/10117"
title="Lots of damage being tossed around."> src="/image/view/10117/preview"
width="200"> src="http://tth.tentonhammer.com/modules/gallery/images/pixel_trans.gif"
alt="" height="1" width="1">

The free-to-play
element certainly helps the future prospects of 2Moons.

Ten Ton Hammer: There have
been several other big name titles that are also featuring some very
graphic content, except those titles are going to be pay-to-play games
rather than free-to-play. What kind of advantage, or disadvantage, does
the free-to-play option give you?

Dave:
Being free to play means that our users have no barriers to joining the
fun. There are a lot of MMORPGs out there. Some are already free to
play, and some of those are very successful. We believe the model
works, and are excited to offer a game of this quality to people
without requiring a financial commitment on their part.

Ten Ton Hammer: Speaking of
free-to-play, there’s been some arguments over whether 2Moons
will be able to hold its own if the users are given an option to turn
off the in-game advertisements. Do you think this will affect your
revenue? Will an in-game item mall be featured in 2Moons?

Dave:
We are hoping this game will be the future of in-game
advertising.  It’s a big risk, but hell, I wish all
in-game advertising was optional.  So people should support us
on this one!  In reality we give you the choice, if you have a
big issue with advertising, you just pull up the options menu and turn
it off forever.  If you turn it on we reward you with an
experience boost for as long as the adverts are on.  The
choice is yours.

style="margin: 10px; border-collapse: collapse; float: right; width: 116px; height: 62px;"
border="1">

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/10116"
title="Killing big bad guys."> src="/image/view/10116/preview"
width="200"> src="http://tth.tentonhammer.com/modules/gallery/images/pixel_trans.gif"
alt="" height="1" width="1">

Perry hopes that
2Moons is the future of in-game advertising and is willing to take any
risks involved.

I just think American audiences understand that we have to pay
people – we even have to pay for servers and bandwidth
– so advertising is picking up those costs for
them.  That’s the natural way of things here and
that’s why Youtube, Myspace and Google are free. 
And we like that.  So why not our games?  I think
when people get used to free, they will find it hard to go
back.  Now you’ve tasted free, would you consider
paying to search the web, to send messages to friends, or to upload a
video anymore?

Ten Ton Hammer: Many MMORPG
players take their fantasy games very seriously, especially the
roleplayers. 2Moons is obviously sporting a unique and interesting
story line, which the roleplayers will enjoy, but will the in-game ads
(or possible item mall) scare those players away?

Dave:
No problem, we understand. Just turn the adverts off and enjoy the game
for free.  If you could invite a friend or two,
that’s all we would ask.

Ten Ton Hammer: Thanks for
answering our questions, Dave, and we hope to hear more about 2Moons
very soon!


Ten Ton Hammer is your
unofficial source for 2Moons href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/145">news
and features!


To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Dekaron Game Page.

Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

Comments