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Fred White: Rohan: Blood Feud 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.

Fred:  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.

Fred:  Level 30.  That’s when the REAL fun begins.

Fred:  Yes, 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.

Fred:  “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.

Fred:  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.

Fred:  Now 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.

Fred:  Rohan Online was 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.  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.

Fred:  PvP 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.

Fred:  Yes, we are happy to be part of the Ten Ton Hammer community, and look forward to seeing you in game!  

Had you heard anything about Rohan prior to this interview? What else could Rohan do to differentiate itself from other free-to-play games? Let us know on the forums!