Onrpg released an interview with Zu Online creators, IGG. You can find it Here.
Yearly Archives: 2007
Zu
ONRPG Q&A: Zu Online
Questions by Brian Perry Jr
Answered by Ice Han, Product Manager of Zu Online
Onrpg: How would you describe Zu Online?
Ice Han: Zu Online is a 3D MMORPG which is based on Chinese traditional culture, specifically the cultivation inner peace and wisdom as well as Kung-fu training. In this game, players will play a role that comes to the game world under the direction of gods. There are lots of quests in the game, which will tell players the stories of Zu Mountain. In the game, players are able to learn various spells, take care of pets, create guilds and build mansions, challenge calamity or upgrade to an immortal title, etc. This is the exclusive game world of Zu Online the players will explore for fun and also for their personal goal.
Onrpg: Is this game being developed by your company or another?
Ice Han: Zu Online is developed by Onwind Digital High-Tech Co.,Ltd, a company in Xiamen City.
Onrpg: What classes will be available to players and what is each of their primary functions.
Ice Han: There are five classes (clans) in Zu Online. They are The Sun Warriors, The Moonmaidens, The Swordsmen, The Bead Fairies and The Summoners. But actually, they belong to five clans respectively. Thus, we use “clan” instead of “class” in the game. The Sun Warrior: A defensive class. They are good at acting like a tank. Moonmaiden: They are good at melee attacks. They can also place traps and turn invisible. Swordsman: They are good at casting ranged spells, especially area effect spells. Bead Fairy: A supporting class. They are good at healing. They can also launch formations for summoning minions to help and reinforce themselves. Summoner: They are good at summoning minions to help fight and making durative damage.
Onrpg: What is the ultimate goal of players in Zu Online?
Ice Han: The ultimate goal of players is to safeguard righteousness and transcend themselves by exploiting their own territory and mansion to fight against the leaders of the evil—The Blood Demon.
Onrpg: Will there be any form of crafting available to players?
Ice Han: Yes. In the games, players can not only upgrade gear by using tradeskills, they can also feed pets and create items to strengthen themselves. But to do these, they should gather enough materials.
Onrpg: How will PvP be approached in Zu Online?
Ice Han: Dishonor System: In Zu Online, PK is divided into an honorable kill and a dishonorable kill. A Dishonorable kill will give birth to Dishonor Points. When the Dishonor Points reach a certain amount, the player’s name will turn red. Killing a player with a red name will not cause punishment in the form of dishonor points. What’s more, with more Dishonor Points you accumulate, the player will have a higher rate to drop items and even their exp will be deducted if they meet their demise. Killing low level players will produce a more severe punishment.
Occupy territories: There are lots of resource points in the game world. If a guild member occupies one, his/her guild will obtain glowstones dropped by nearby monsters pro rata.
Occupy mansions: In the game, there are some scenes called “mansions” for players to occupy. A guild having a mansion will have abundant resources. Besides, mansions can be upgraded for giving birth to more functions. These guilds should guard their mansion, or their mansion may be taken by another guild easily.
Freight: There are different kinds of resources around the game world of Zu Online. Thus players can buy in and sell some items at a profit in different regions. But there is great risk during shipping, because once the character meets his demise the character will lose all the goods he is carrying. Other players can also choose to kill the players in transit and rob their goods. PVP Mode: In some special regions (such as at a mansion) or state (such as freight), players will be in PVP mode automatically. The PK between players in PVP mode will gain no punishment.
PVP Contest:
Players can join in in-game contests in the form of party play, such as a monster slaying contest, item gathering contest, etc. The winners of these contests will obtain handsome rewards.
There are also special event contests. Players can get in line to join a special event contest in the form of party play by using an auto-matching system. Then once there are enough groups in line, a special event will be opened for the groups to compete in different forms, such as capture the flag, PK, kill the boss, etc. The winners of these special event contests will obtain rewards too.
Onrpg: Can we expect the same business model with Zu Online as with other games you have released?
Ice Han: We have not decided on the business model of Zu Online yet.
Onrpg: Are there any lessons you have learned from the other games you have published that will be applied to Zu Online?
Ice Han: The final published work of a game is a long course that requires long-term accumulation of diverse resources and constant improvement. We have learnt many lessons from the other games we have published. All of these will be applied to Zu Online. We will also improve our work ceaselessly to offer better services.
Onrpg: Do you have a rough timeframe for when the game will launch?
Ice Han: We anticipate its Alpha Test in the middle of August and a Closed Beta Test in September. The schedule depends on the progress of the game development. And once we figure out the exact schedule, we will announce it on our official website at once.
Everquest Q&A
Check out an interview with the Producer and Lead Designer of Everquest Live – Click Here
Onrpg: Everquest Q&A
Questions by Brian Perry Jr.
Answered by Clint Worley, Producer, EQLive and Travis McGeathy, Lead Designer, EQ Live
Onrpg: EverQuest has been around for 8 years now. How has this game been able to keep players involved for this long?
Clint Worley: EverQuest has always been a compelling experience for the players. Each time a player logs in, the game has evolved and that is what makes it worth coming back time and time again. There is also something to be said for players that have devoted serious time to the development and customization of their individual characters. People can spend a lot of time customizing and progressing their avatar.
Onrpg: What have been some of the major groundbreaking game mechanics that EverQuest has introduced?
Travis McGeathy: EverQuest has been a pioneer within the MMO genre since its inception, as it was the first true 3d MMO. EQ introduced the concept of raiding and it was one of the first games to use instance technology to give players a more structured game play experience than what previous MMOs offered. EQ introduced the concept of a shared quest where a group of players collaborate to complete a single quest instead of everyone having their own individual quests. It was the first game to allow you to temporarily play as another character, generally a historic figure, so players could actually play through the background lore of the game from the standpoint of the participants at the time.
Onrpg: How do the developers keep coming up with new and fresh ideas to keep players happy?
Clint Worley: One of the best things about the creation of new ideas is that Lore plays an extensive role and is easy to reference when producing new content. We also listen to the players and the ideas that they would like to see implemented in the game. Since the development team not only creates the game, but plays it too, we have a good idea where the game should and shouldn’t go and we enjoy taking the players along!
Onrpg: Your Company went and created so called “Progression Servers”, where players got to start from level 1 again with only the original version of EverQuest unlocked, no expansions. As players accomplished certain tasks in the game (as well as allow a certain amount of time to pass) expansions would be unlocked. How successful has this been in-terms of appeasing the longtime players as well as reeling in new players?
Clint Worley: The progression servers were a great addition to the EQ world. The players loved participating in unlocking the content and it created a very competitive environment. I believe that there is still room for other “server” ideas and I encourage the players to speak up if they have any suggestions.
Onrpg: Do you think when this progression server is completed and up to date that another will be opened up?
Clint Worley: We have actually merged the progression servers recently to keep the population count at a suitable level. We found that there was a huge initial uptake in the progression servers and they had a good lifespan for a “special rules” game type. Many of the players that were playing on the progression servers have moved back to the standard servers to make sure that they don’t miss out on the cool new loot, quests and raid content, but we still have a good number of people progressing the server.
Onrpg: Will there be a point in which no more expansions to EverQuest get released, other than the servers being shut down?
Clint Worley: Right now we are happy with the change we made this year by moving away from an expansion every 6 months to an expansion every 12 months. The change really allows us to refocus our efforts and make sure to get all of the polish and bugs addressed before launch. One of the other benefits it has is allowing the players more time to “catch up” on the previously released expansion content. We look at the release of an expansion as an event, an event that both the players and we as developers look forward too.
Onrpg: So many games have come out since the game originally launched. Many have borrowed very heavily from the formula you developed. Are you flattered or offended at this and why?
Clint Worley: I believe that EQ was created with a solid foundation and great ideas. Sure there were a few hurdles along the way, but I can safely say that while we were developing EQ we were watching the launch of Ultima Online closely. We watched the successes and the mistakes and took note. There were many design decisions in EQ that were a result of how the players reacted to how UO handled various situations. I look at the games that have followed EQ in the same way. All game developers have a common goal of trying to make a game that everyone loves, so it is natural to take what works from another game and apply it to yours and then add your own unique twist.
Onrpg: With a handful of big name titles exploring at the very least a limited free to play business model, do you foresee EverQuest ever trying this?
Clint Worley: I believe that there are games that are built from the ground up to fully take advantage of a free to play or a micro transaction service. EverQuest offers a significant amount of content with each update and expansions and we plan to continue providing the same level of service moving forward.
Onrpg: What is your favorite class to play?
Clint Worley: Ranger, I enjoy pulling mobs away from my melee friends and making them run over to me. Sure, it is frustrating for them, but I get a kick out of it!
Guide to Nature Human
Acquirement is the foundations of armor equip and weapon usage. The equipment require the special acquirement (often called skill) to enable you equip them. E.g.: if you want to equip a shield, then you need to learn the Basic shield tech.
The nature human is born with Armor Capacitance tech. electromagnetic radar tech, laser weapon tech matrix tech, this means that the human have no need to put their acquirement point on these skills.
Everyone can gain two acquirement points when he gets a level up. The human race needs to take the priority of equipping the Body, engine, and weapon first. So he needs to arrange his acquirement points on matrix tech armor drive and primary laser weapon skill. Then he needs to consider of the electromagnetic radar tech for head, armor drive tech for the leg, armor shield tech for shield and armor electronic tech for control-cabin, finally, the armor capacitance tech for the chipset. As to other skill, there is no need to waste your skill points. You need to upgrade your tech according to the combination of your armor. The best idea is spend no skill points before you get a perfect armor, and arrange your skill point according to the armor requirement.
The Nature Human is good at repairing skill. Generally, the human race always act like a healthier or a buffer, as in a battle you always need the doctors and nurses. The nature human is the leader of a raid team. Anyway, you can also build up your human character as a warrior, as the human weapon can cause area damage in one time.
Different of AoA
You have seen Transformers before, and you have seen Gundam as well. But have you ever become one of them? Or have you ever fought side by side with those legendary heroes? Well, there is little chance for you to go to Hollywood to join in the movie. But now, you have a very very good choice here. Join us in the Age of Armors; here you can fully enjoy the fun of transforming.
In Age of Armors, there is no magic, but there some this more powerful than magic. In AoA, there is no dragon, but there are monsters that far stronger than the dragon. Kill a dragon can bring you fames, honors, but they would disappear after your leaving. In AoA, there is no need to kill a dragon, for you have some more important things to do. The nation need your aid, the nation need you to fight for glory, fight for freedom, fight for win. In AoA, you are not fighting alone, you need to join in the region and fight with fellows. In AoA, you can really experience the war of Hi-tech. In AoA, There is no need to worry about your equipment, as the region will provide you a series of armors, what you need is to improve your fight skill and stand to the last, use your laser guns, missile laugher, or photon blazes to destroy your enemies. Or your can transform your armors into another battle shape, a wagon or an airplane or even a Dinosaur to slash your enemies into pieces. Come on and join us in AoA, you are not going to repeat an epic, but to establish your own epic!
Open Military Academy now launching thanks to the successful In-Game Operator Hiring!
With Your Destiny Global have successfully selected 36 in-game operators out of the list 50 players that undergo extensive training together with the GMs for the release of the Open Military Academy. The training started on Aug. 2 and was held for 3 days and finally ended on Aug. 5, 2007. The trainees were divided into to batches and attentively study all the things that will need to know about WYD Global with the help of the GMs. These trainees will serve a very important task on becoming a Chief of the Military Academy. The successful trainees will guide the new players in their hunting expeditions during their class in the Open Military Academy. The assigned Chiefs will have to share all their knowledge on how to level up quickly. They are also needed to answer all the questions of the new players that are regarding the game.
The classes in the Open Military Academy officially started today August 7, 2007 and as expected a lot of players sign in to join. Players level 1 – 255 participated in the start of the event. Guild Leaders and the Sub Guild Leaders will teach their class all they need to know about the game and eventually leading them to becoming a level 256 player. The day started with a series of activities that aim to help the trainees to level up faster. All the trainees will receive daily provisions and can join the series of activities until they can graduate from the academy. Those players that successfully reached level 256 will become a graduate of the academy and will be rewarded by a lot of premium items. The academy will be searching for the player with the most outstanding performance at the end of the training and will have the chance to create their own guild in one of the servers of WYD Global.
The Open Military Academy is still accepting applicants for the training. Sign up now for your free account at www.wydglobal.com and experience the fun in entering the WYD Open Military Academy now!
Myth War Signature Contest Result announced and Weekend Event Preview
Launched on July7th and closed on August 7th, Myth War Signature Contest has drawn the attention of thousands of players and proved to be a fair success. During that one month the contest page has received more than 15,000 hits and views in total. Here you have the chance to see some great works from our creative players:


To view more signature works, please check out here:
http://mw.igg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=74396#74396
Besides, Myth War official team has planned out another wonderful interactive online event between players and Game Masters in all servers on August 12th. Rewards are pretty good, including Bloodstone Gem and Icy Crystal Pack for players in each server. To know more details please head over to the following URL—
http://www.mythwaronline.com/modules/news/displaynews.php?parent_id=2&url=/uploadfile/text/20070809/1186643591.htm
Guild Wars: Eye of the North Guided E3 Demo Video Now Available
At this year’s E3, Guild Wars: Eye of the North was demonstrated for media exclusively, but was not available on the show floor. Now for the first time gamers will be able to see this exclusive E3 demo in its entirety through the Guild Wars: Eye of the North guided E3 demo video. Gamers will see more of the new regions contained in the Guild Wars expansion, including the Eye of the North, Gunnar’s Hold and Rata Sum. The demo, which is narrated by design lead Ben Miller, also features a detailed look at one of the dungeons, Aracni’s Haunt, the highly anticipated Hall of Monuments, and much more.
Guild Wars: Eye of the North will be available on August 31, 2007 for an estimated retail price of $39.99 in North America. For more information please visit http://www.guildwars.com/.