Questions
by Danny "Ralsu" Gourley
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Answers
by Kim Tae Gon, Producer of
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NDOORS Interactive thinks Atlantica
could be the perfect fit for gamers who could use a little more
variety. They've designed their title with fans of strategy in mind.
Instead of a combat system that requires players to rapidly
press buttons or to have lightning reflexes,
style="font-style: italic;">Atlantica adopts a
turn-based strategic approach.
Ten Ton Hammer caught up with the daring mastermind Kim Tae Gon, the
Producer for Atlantica,
and fired off a few questions.
Q: Let's start with the
defining aspect of Atlantica--the
turn-based strategy. Why is the genre overlooked in the market of
massively-multiplayer online games (MMOGs)?
We think its because people really havent had much experience with
turn-based strategy games. The genre is relatively new, and
there havent been any really great strategic turn-based games to
encourage people to give this genre a try. We hope to change
that with Atlantica.
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It may be turn-based,
but Atlantica
still has dragons.
Q: Talk about your target
audience for Atlantica. What type of player wants to think and plan
while playing a video game?
gamers in their teens to early 20s, about 15 to 23, who think and plan
in strategy-based games on their consoles and their computers, but they
havent delved much into the world of MMOGs. We want to show
them the possibilities, and the excitement, of playing games online and
with a community of other people. style="font-style: italic;">Atlantica, with its
turn-based gameplay, might be a game to help them make that switch.
Q:
style="font-style: italic;">Atlantica's
mercenary system will allow players to control multiple characters
simultaneously. Is there any fear that such a feature will discourage
social interaction within the game? Is this where the city/country
management feature comes into play?
think it will discourage social interaction, because it will be
extremely difficult to complete quests and level up, even with a full
arsenal of mercenaries, without interacting with other
players. Joining with others enables players to get farther
in the game faster. Of course, social interaction will be
necessary to form guilds, which can then be used to take over cities
and even countries. And players can interact by becoming
mentors for other players, helping other players looking for some
assistance in advancing.
Q:
style="font-style: italic;">What will the level
cap be in Atlantica?
at 80 in the closed beta, then go to 100 in the open beta. In
future releases, it will increase by 10-level increments.
Q:
style="font-style: italic;">Since players can
control multiple characters and the aging system is designed to force
us to cycle through new characters, does this mean players will get a
level independent of their characters? That is, will players have to
train new characters from level 1 again, or can they bring in
replacement characters at their highest-achieved level?
Yes, a players main character, the hero, will be at a different level
than the mercenaries under his or her control. When players
bring in a new mercenary to replace another, the new mercenary might
start at level 1, but there might be some differences. Like
if the new mercenary is the child of two earlier mercenaries, that
child might have some of the traits of his or her parents, which might
factor in the new mercenarys power and progress.
Q:
style="font-style: italic;">Will the mercenary
system make it possible to solo? If so, can players solo to the level
cap?
advance by going solo, and even achieve the primary goal of finding
Atlantis. But as stated before, it would be extremely
difficult to get through certain battles and quests without partnering
with others.
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Take up to eight
mercenaries into combat with you to have your own little army.
Q: Characters age and
their stats decline over the years in
style="font-style: italic;">Atlantica. Does
this mean a player's first character will not be his last?
A players main character is for the most part static, and they keep
that character through the life of the game. There are many
things a player can change about his or her hero, such as weapons,
armor, appearance, and even the heros gender, but it is the same
character they started with. Mercenaries, on the other hand,
are dynamic, with players being able to add and get rid of mercenaries.
Q:
style="font-style: italic;">Atlantica is set in
historical times on earth, right? How does this limit your ability to
create content? How does it increase your ability to create content?
Yes, its set in historical times, but we take plenty of liberties with
history. Weve drawn upon myths and folklore from all over
the world to create Atlanticas
world. So a player will go through different periods of time
to accomplish quests, battling dragons in ancient China to vampires of
more recent European history. Unless we run out of all the
myths and legends found in the world, there shouldnt be a problem
creating new content. We have all of history to use as
material for the game.
Q: NDOORS has experience
with MMOGs, but many English-speaking gamers groan when they hear of
Korean games coming to North America. What steps will NDOORS use to
ensure a quality translation of Atlantica?
originally developed to be a global game, appealing to people all over
the world and not just Korea. Players have to travel all over
the world to find the clues to Atlantis, and this way they experience
many different cultures. On top of that, a lot of effort has
gone into localizing the game for North America, such as getting the
scripts and voice recordings translated into English right.
Q: Is there anything else
you would like players to know about
style="font-style: italic;">Atlantica?
Atlantica
offers an
exciting new environment, and
being a strategic turned-based MMORPG will give players a different
kind of experience. Strategizing
which mercenaries to take into
battle and choosing the right move for your next turn will get players
involved
in the game more than just seeing how fast you can click your mouse.
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To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Atlantica Online Game Page.
