4Story Interview: Inside Information

Questions by Bryan King (Bryan), OnRPG Journalist
Answered by David Choi, Zemi Interactive business development manager 

After introducing their latest content patch, OnRPG has conducted an interview with Zemi Interactive's business development manager, David Choi.

OnRPG:  First, introduce us to the developing story behind 4Story's world.
David Choi: 4Story's project team had a vision with 4Story. They truly wanted a game for everyone to enjoy. It is not easy to target the entire world's users because tastes and cultures are different everywhere. Some desire hardcore PvP powered by a Hack N Slash system. Some desire party play, some like to play alone. Some like to collect unique items. Some like their characters look fierce, yet some prefer it to be cute. The 4Story team worked days and nights to match the different tastes. With 4story users increasing rapidly from all over the world, 4Story project team is more vibrant than ever. 4Story is a progressively developing game. As long as the 4Story project team is happy, they go over a whole lot more to show!

OnRPG:  What type of things have you guys devised to better market the game to the US?
DC: I was actually surprised to see that many gamers from US have already joined our global service. It is amazing because we have not actually done any marketing for North America. With 4 Story being a big hit in 7 European countries, I suppose viral marketing has brought some positive results. We have an aggressive marketing campaign scheduled for North America this summer. We have our fingers crossed that many US users will enjoy 4Story. 

OnRPG: What FUTURE events do you guys have planned? 4Story is known to have an extremely active community, with events strengthening that bond. What do you guys have up your sleeve?
DC: We have launched many successful events so far. And we are planning to keep up the good vibe. I wouldn't want to spoil you by telling what upcoming events are. However, I can assure you that, all our events are planned to provide more fun. Of course we also know there are those few events always welcomed. 4Story users never say no to cool rewards such as cash items.

OnRPG:  Speaking as an administrator, what has honestly been the FUNNEST thing that you've done with the community?
DC: One of the funniest moments was during the event we prepared for loyal users last Christmas. There was a big Christmas tree located in the center of the town. With single click of my command, it started to snow everywhere in the world of 4 Story. Trust me... users went berserk! Players picked up snowballs from ground and snowball fights were on everywhere. Monsters were not an exception. They were also popular targets.

OnRPG:  What has been something that aggravated you... maybe a pesky player... a bad hacker? What happened?
DC: I guess many GMs of other online games must feel my pain. There are always those level 1 hardcore players specialized in adverting flooding the chat box. These spammers have improved along with the history of MMORPGs. Using macro programs to copy and paste their advertisement at a speed of light, left no chance for innocent users to communicate. I battled all night to ban, but they came back strong making new characters and accounts again and again. After a continuous battle which lasted a full 18 hours, it was glorious victory for GM team. After all, it is a whole lot easier to ban than create new accounts.

OnRPG:  What situations warrant a GM or another Administrator actually appearing in the game world?
DC: GMs don't usually appear in the game. However, there are a few exceptions. There could be an event which requires GM's assistant. There could be some unexpected bug that needs to be solved by a GM. Finally, the one I enjoy the most. GMs appear in game to ban all users using illegal methods to obtain excessive profits and ruin the community. When I catch them on site, it's funny to how they all try to run or use "Teleport", but come on, don't forget GMs can summon you right back to where you started.  

OnRPG:  Are there secrets in the game that players haven't figured out yet?
DC: There should be no secrets unless there are secrets that even GMs are unaware of. There could be some first class secrets sealed tight by our programming team. Who knows?

OnRPG:  Do you get any special perks for being a GM/Administrator?
DC: GMs get some special items. Full Set Armor and Weapon with the maximum upgrade rate, and 2 GM Rings.

OnRPG:  How many offensive players do you and the rest of the team deal with daily?
DC: Fortunately, there are not very many offensive players in 4STORY. And even when there are, most of the situations are controlled by players themselves.

OnRPG:  Describe why new players should give 4Story a try.
DC: 4STORY is a progressive developing game, and a variety-pursuing game, which is why you should give a try. Enormous quests, boss monster raids, PvP, RvR, Instant dungeons, unique items, mounts. RSCS, and so much more to come... I say why not!

OnRPG:  Thanks for letting us interview you, Mr. Choi!
DC: It is always a pleasure for us to have the great opportunity promote 4story. I am sure we will have another chance to be interviewed in the future. I hope to have more cool stories to tell!

OnRPG: Thanks again, Mr. Choi!