Questions by Rick Charbs, Onrpg writer
Answered by Nicolas Lamanna, Regnum Online Producer
An MMO with a development team built on staying closely knit with their community just can’t go wrong: “being a small but committed development team allowed us to stay in touch with the community on a regular basis” said Nicolas Lamanna, Producer for Regnum Online. Is this game’s long-lasting success the fruit of this communication? As one of the extremely rare Realm vs. Realm MMORPGS that are available for free, Regnum Online’s population in game is still booming. With activities ranging from one-man pvp hunts to castle sieging, this game is build with the PvPer in mind. This interview has some information on pass events, the game’s storyline, what Regnum really means, information on game functions, and a little more interesting pieces of information!
Regnum Online launches tomorrow (23rd of September, 2009)!!
Onrpg: What does Regnum Online mean, exactly? Where has this title been chosen from?
Regnum comes from Latin and it means “Realm”. We chose this name because it represented the essence of the game, which is three realms engaged in constant battle and as a little homage to the first game ever published in CD format here in Argentina, where one of our founders worked and it was called Regnum. Although the name is similar, it belonged to a different genre.
Onrpg: What kind of storyline does the game present to its players?
Three realms are in a on-going struggle for power. Each faction has its own historical and strategical reasons for engaging in battle but as the story unfolds through the quest lines you start discovering that there is different agenda behind the war. There are hundreds of quests and side quests with different storylines per realm and areas of the world.
Onrpg: How does Regnum Online live up to its slogan? (”The best MMORPG with Realm vs. Realm action available FOR FREE”)
This is in a way thanks to the unique approach Regnum has given to the Realm vs Realm genre with its open-ended and accessible on-going battles. Also, Regnum is one of the only games where great amounts of players are constantly invading enemy territories and where almost half of the population of the server is actively participating. As a reward for such big feat as completing an invasion, your realm is given the opportunity to vote from a range of rewards that may affect the outcome of future battles for a week. The tagline has been actually mentioned many times by the community before we even used it as a slogan for the game. And also we were really careful with Premium items not breaking the PvP balance.
Onrpg: In what way do the classes differ in game play? How about the races?
The classes vary between each other greatly. Each class was designed to fulfill a role in battle so a balanced army has more chances of winning and provides versatility when it comes to strategical and tactical decisions. We have three main classes: Warrior, Mage and Archer. And 6 sub-classes, 2 per each class, that provide a great deal of customization. Even so, players of the same subclass have different specs tailored for the current situation. You could be configured for damage dealing, support, hunting or even a combination. The choice is up to the player.
Onrpg: Could you please offer us a rundown on PvP in Regnum Online?
First of all, PvP in Regnum Online is fast paced including a great variety of tactics and spells. PvP and specifically RvR is what Regnum Online is all about. Every location, race, class and spell has been designed taking PvP into account. The game begins in a safe haven, providing a smooth tutorial into the mechanics of the game. As you advance your character and set your way into the world, you’ll discover soon enough that you are in there for a reason, to defend your realm and your fellow allies! Once you set foot in the “War Zone”, which is basically a no man’s land in the center of the world, you must be careful because enemies are lurking around every corner.
This is where the real fun begins, an open-ended battlefield where you will find:
– One man hunts, ideal for solo players. If you are stealthy enough and careful, you can always catch an enemy off guard.
– Party battles, you can always team up with fellow realm members and go for a quick skirmish. This part of the world is only geographically limited, so fights are available any time if you are willing to look for one.
– Fort and Castle captures: These buildings form the basis of the Invasions feature (explained below) but even by themselves they offer an interesting alternative by defending yours and attacking/siegeing enemy ones.
– Big battles: Once an Invasion has settled in, is all about chaos and giant battles involving hundreds of players all over the world! If you want to get through the famous portal located in each realm, you will have to fight your way into enemy territory and steal their gems. It won’t be easy but it will be a lot of fun!
Onrpg: Could you please briefly explain invasions?
Invasions is the ultimate RvR feature in Regnum Online. It basically allows you to enter an enemy realm and break havoc. The way this works is pretty straight forward. Each realm has two forts and one castle, once you have captured the castle and at least one of the forts, the enemy great wall (each faction has one dividing the war zone from the inner realm) will become vulnerable and all the enemies, will gain a window of opportunity to destroy it. If you manage to build an army and destroy the Great Wall, you will be able to enter the enemy inner realm and steal a sacred gem. Each realm has two gems.
Once you have obtained all 6 gems, you will be able to place them in your portal and enter a mysterious place. There, you will be granted the ability to vote a wish that will benefit you or your entire realm . Here, the will of the people will decide. One great thing about Invasions is that the reward will continuously be improved upon as we add more Wishes. This allows us to extend the basic gameplay without changing the rules. Usually, Invasions are experienced on a daily basis by hundreds of players at the same time.
Onrpg: How valuable is party play in the game? Can solo players enjoy Regnum Online equally?
The game is easily soloable, even with support classes. You just have to setup a build that fits your playing style and class. On the other hand, parties are pretty common in the game and offer several advantages to those who are willing to travel in groups. Parties also have experience bonuses but even solo players will get shared experience automatically if two or more players attack the same creature.
Onrpg: How deeply can you customize a character in Regnum Online?
Regnum offers several options when setting up your character. You can initially choose race, class, hair and hair color, facial hair and color, size and face. But the customization is also given as items in the game, every armor part and weapon changes your aspect. And even so, you can buy paint that will allow you to differentiate from other players.
Onrpg: What measures do you take to ensure a seemingly decent balance between premium item purchasing players and regular players?
This is one of the key aspects in Regnum Online. We paid attention to this common complaint on all free-to-play MMOGs and designed the premium content in a way that doesn’t give you a definite advantage in PvP and RvR. While you will certainly get an enhanced experience by getting premium content, it will be mostly related to visual customization, time saving and uniqueness. But when it comes to PvP, two players will always have to rely on their skills and the knowledge of their surroundings. There are no restrictions on spells or skills that you can get, so any player can maximize their characters and still be confident that they stand a chance in battle.
Onrpg: Regnum is available in Spanish, German, and English. What is the importance of having a varied community, in your opinion?
We think this is pretty big actually. We had our share of laughs and misunderstandings as we learned about subtle cultural differences. This was a double edged sword at the beginning but we adapted and now we see it as something unique to Regnum. There are people that claimed that wanted to learn new languages in order to understand what their realm fellow members were saying. There is even a fan-made comic that reflects this in a fun away (Regnum fan-made comic: http://iwconstructions.com/Regnum/).
Onrpg: What do you think makes Regnum Online so unique on the MMO market?
The game has a Western look & feel to it but also a asian approach in terms of business model. This rare blend allowed us to offer an unique experience. It also is constantly evolving and because of being from an independent developer and self-published, we can experiment more with gameplay, offering different options for those who are tired of the same old tried-and-true formula about grinding games which sole purpose is just to be more powerful so you can grind some more.While Regnum has its share of grinding, it’s just a means to an end. Which is the RvR part of the game and where the fun never ends. Last but not least, being a small but committed development team allowed us to stay in touch with the community on a regular basis. This includes not only the forums but in-game as well, since several members of our team play and enjoy the game as every other player.
Onrpg: What elements of the game appeal to you the most?
– The fact that the players are from all over the world give the game a very unique feeling to it. You will see different servers with different cultures, all with their beliefs and ways of playing.
– The way the world is designed to end up in a big war zone, makes the game really accessible for several kind of players. While at the same time, it offers safe zones for those who want a more social experience without being disturbed.
– How the Premium works in favor of the PvP aspects and not against it.
– The potential the game still has (Including the upcoming technology update), we already have so much plans that will offer even more ways to have fun
Onrpg: What would you improve in the game if you were given the opportunity? Why?
We want to offer more content in several areas that could use some more and continue to expand on the RvR concept, offering more options. We also want to appeal more to other types of players, not only those who like PvP but PvE, commerce and social interaction.
Onrpg: Now that the Regnum Online’s Second Anniversary event has ended, what have you planned for the future?
We have plans to continue offering big 1-week events for known dates, such as Halloween or Christmas. We are also thinking of doing smaller events, that last a weekend and offer discounts and special prices. In terms of event, we just began to scratch the surface of what we can do to keep the community alive.
Onrpg: Are there any planned future updates for the game? If so, what can players expect?
One thing Regnum is known for, is that updates come often. Usually once a month. This helps the game stay alive and offer players a constant influx of content.
We already have some major improvements under development:
– Graphic engine revamp, offering more performance, stability and visual options
– All player characters will be redone offering better quality and more customization options
– Invasions for low level players, get a glimpse of the best feature of the game and help your fellow realm members!
– New and improved content for most of the world areas: New monsters, items, quests
– Continued work on balance
– New gameplay features and much more!
