Questions
by Cody Bye, Managing Editor
style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">
Answers
by Fred White, Senior Marketing Manager for YNK Interactive
For the makers of free-to-play games, it's getting harder and harder
for them to differentiate themselves from many of the other imported
games on the market. However, one of the more recent and unique games
to be imported into North America - at least on paper - is
style="font-style: italic;">Rohan: Blood Feud.
As a hybrid player versus player and player versus environment type of
game, Rohan
is set to release to the English-speaking North American market in the
very near future. To learn more about the game, Ten Ton Hammer's Cody
"Micajah" Bye sat down with Fred White, the senior marketing manager
for YNK Interactive, to really get a feel for the ins-and-outs of
style="font-style: italic;">Rohan: Blood Feud.
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Ten Ton Hammer: For those
readers that are unfamiliar with Rohan:
Blood Feud, could you give them a brief summary of what
the game is about and why they should be interested in it?
is a fantasy-based, free-to-play MMORPG with some interesting and
compelling features that set it apart from others in the
category. Players can select one of six races to play, either
male or female. Each race has its own unique characteristics
of course, including the Dhans who specialize in killing other players,
and the Dekans who can turn into dragons.
The Hit List feature allows players who have been killed by another
player to instantly teleport to their murderer’s location
(when they are online) in order to seek revenge. The weekly
Township Battles are particularly intriguing, as they allow for
scheduled guild battles with the prize being not only treasure and
glory, but also “ownership” of the town, unique
garments and the ability to tax every transaction within the town for
an entire week.
Players can also buy a wide range of different mounts, including
beautifully-rendered horses, lizards, and unicorns (my favorite is the
giant spider). Early response to the game during our first
closed beta has been very strong, and the players seem very happy at
what they’ve seen so far.
Ten Ton Hammer: In
style="font-style: italic;">Rohan, you have
essentially six basic classes/races to choose from: the Human Knight,
Elf Healer, Half-Elf Archer, Dhan Assassin, Dekan Dragon Fighter, and
Dark Elf Mage. As characters advance in level, are they able to select
more advanced versions of these basic classes?
Yes. Once players reach level 50, players can advance to a
High Class. Each race/class has their own options.
For example, the Half Elf Archer can take on a High Class of Ranger or
Scout, depending on whether he or she prefers using bows or crossbows
as their weapon of choice. Along with the combat emphasis,
the High Class also opens up an entire new skill tree for the player to
master.
Ten Ton Hammer: On your
website, you state that once a player “reaches
maturity” they will be able to attack, gain experience from,
and loot other players. What level is “reaching
maturity”? When will players be able to engage in PvP with
other players?
Level 30. That’s when the REAL fun begins.
Ten Ton Hammer: What sort
of business model are you using to support
style="font-style: italic;">Rohan: Blood Feud?
Will you be selling items via an item mall? Will experience bonuses or
gold be included in the purchasable items?
an item mall will open within the game during our official
launch. The list of items that will be made available is
currently being finalized.
Ten Ton Hammer: Imported
free-to-play games are notorious for having poorly translated dialogue
and gameplay that isn’t localized to the North American or
European audiences? What sort of measures are you taking to insure that
Rohan is enjoyable for Western audiences?
“All your base are belong to us!”
Kidding. Well, you just summarized our main focus right
now. We are fully aware of the issues involved with
translation of not only language, but of tastes, cultures and customs
as well. We’ve been poring over text for months,
working to ensure that it is in proper English –
grammatically, conversationally, and typographically.
With regards to adjusting the game for “the West”,
we’ve taken great pains to test the game in many segments of
the market to acquire feedback in what the players are looking for in
their ideal MMORPG. All facets of the game have been reviewed
with localization in mind, including race balance, the economy, the
“grind factor”, fashions, cool-down periods,
latency, and payment options, among others. We learned some
things during our first closed beta test, and we have made some
adjustments for our upcoming second closed beta test
(4/3-4/9). I anticipate we’ll learn even more
during that time.
The community that has germinated in our forums is amazing.
They are very sharp, experienced, and articulate… and they
do not hesitate to tell us what they think! There is a free
flowing two-way interaction between them and the staff here, like
nothing I’ve seen before in a gaming community. And
that, in answer to your question, is what we feel to be most important
in ensuring that the game is enjoyable for Western audiences.
When we launch the official game after the beta tests, we will do so
armed with this entire scope of learning. And as the game
progresses over time, we of course will be making additions and
expansions, taking player feedback into consideration at every turn.
Ten Ton Hammer: In your
opinion, what is the most unique feature or mechanic in
style="font-style: italic;">Rohan: Bood Feud?
There are several unique features in the game, but if I had to pick one
I’d have to say that the Township Battles are the most
unique. These are like guild battles with a twist.
The winning guild of the regularly-scheduled battle actually gains
control of an entire town for one week. They get some really
great things, including unique clothing which marks each member as a
ruling guild, the right to emblazon their guild name on every NPC
within the town, and the right to tax all transactions within that town
for an entire week. In other words, every sale between any
player and a town NPC will generate proceeds toward the ruling
guild. Quite an intriguing dynamic.
Ten Ton Hammer: One
feature that I found particularly interesting (from a
player’s standpoint) is the “Black List”
or “Kill List”; a list that is automatically
generated if you are killed by someone in cold blood. According to your
website, the list actually lets you teleport directly to this character
and attempt to take him out when you’re more prepared. Have
you found anyone abusing this feature? How do you keep people under
control from killing masses of people?
called the “Hit List”, this is my second favorite
feature in the game. We do have parameters on the game, to
make sure that the feature is not abused or that it becomes imbalanced
in any way. Once a player kills a certain amount of players,
they are labeled as a “murderer”, and many freedoms
are taken away from them. In addition, the murderer also may
be hunted down by security forces should they enter a town, resulting
in almost certain lynching. It takes 3 hours of
“good behavior” before one murder comes off your
record. This feature adds a great twist to player killing,
and establishes consequences which must be considered before committing
such acts.
Ten Ton Hammer: Where was
Rohan: Blood Feud
originally developed? How long has the game been on the market in its
country of origin?
originally developed in Korea in 2006. YNK Korea has enjoyed
considerable success with the game, and has spawned several expansions
and updates in several Asian countries. style="font-style: italic;">Rohan: Blood Feud,
in addition to being localized, is the beneficiary of nearly all of the
bonus content that has been created for the Asian versions of the
game. At launch, our game will be starting out with those
expansions.
Ten Ton Hammer: Would you
describe Rohan
as primarily a PvP- or PvE-based game? What sort of activities are
there for players that reach the maximum level?
does not begin until level 30, which will take some time to
achieve. So for the early stages of the game, it is entirely
PvE. Once level 30 is reached, I would describe the game as
more of a PvP game. Township Battles begin at level 50, along
with the High Class system. For players that continue on up
in level will have some surprises waiting for them in the form of
special quests, weapons/armor, mounts, pets, and more.
Ten Ton Hammer: Is there
anything else you’d like to tell the Ten Ton Hammer readers
and fans of Rohan:
Blood Feud?
we are happy to be part of the Ten Ton Hammer community, and look
forward to seeing you in game!
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Rohan: Blood Feud Game Page.
