Questions by Kelvin Cheung
Question: Florensia has a maritime theme and ancient mysticism for its story. Can you explain more of the concept?
First of all, I would like to underline that the maritime theme is just one part of the gaming experiences in Florensia with its unique dual battle system. You can fight and level up on shore as well as on the sea and the combination of these two parts is the reason why Florensia is such a special MMOG.
The world history of Florensia is filled with hints leading to an ancient culture and its magic. Although in Roxbury on Cardiff Island everything seems to be in perfect peace and harmony, the players will quickly find out that the legacy of the ancestors doesn’t only consist of magical power, but also of devastated areas, disturbed spirits, political implications and horrible monsters.
There will be a detailed world history section on our new website (which we will release with the Open Beta in July) explaining the rise and fall of the old continent “Lux Plena” that burst after a horrible catastrophe caused by the ancestors who were corrupted by their magical powers. After this upheaval, mystic sprites emerged, the ocean currents changed, Lux Plena burst into an unknown number of islands (currently three of them are explored) and the face of nature completely changed. The few survivors tried to build up a new empire, but monsters, Pirate invasions and the omnipresent fight for power hindered them several times – and the peace is still very fragile.
Question: There are five classes, including the secret pirate class, in Florensia. In addition, there are hinted job advancements for each class. Can you tell us what each of the following jobs does?
In the future, it will be possible to change to an advanced job class at land level 40. There is currently no official date for the release of the advanced classes and the related quests. The names of the classes are already final, but the specializations and the development of the skills could be changed in the future if necessary.
The advanced classes of the Explorer are called Excavator and Sniper. The Excavator specializes on traps and hunting, whereas the Sniper will have increased attack power, speed, range and several buffs.
The Mercenary will be able to turn into a Gladiator or into a Guardian Swordsman. The Gladiator is a rather offensive fighter and the Guardian Swordsman will be the perfect tank for the strongest monsters.
For the Saint, Priest or Shaman are the two different professions to choose. The Priest will be able to increase his divine powers based on the light and the Shaman deals with the powers of darkness. It is important to emphasize that the Saint / Priest does as well have offensive abilities, so he doesn’t necessarily have to be a full support character.
The Noble will be able to turn into a Court Magician or a Magic Knight. The Court Magician specializes on elemental magic and the Magic Knight increases his summoning and absorbing powers.
Question: How will exploration work in Florensia?
It is possible to individually travel on shore as well as on the sea. On the three islands that are currently known, several cities, fields and dungeons can be explored. Furthermore, the players can travel between the islands using their self-built ships. On the sea, there are several monsters and hostile areas for different level ranges, for example the hideout of the “Pirates of the Black Dragon” or the “Sea of Bones”, but there are also some smaller harbors the players can reach to relax and recover. Further islands will be discovered in the future.
Question: What is the core gameplay aspect of Florensia?
The unique dual battle system is the core aspect of the game. The players are free to specialize on whichever part they prefer – battle on shore or battle on the sea. Both parts are available from level 1 on and both offer numerous possibilities, such as party play, PvP, exploration, enhancement, leveling, quests, rare goods and much more. The detailed history supports both parts and offers the players to get connected to the world of Florensia.
Question: How is Player vs. Player played?
Currently, there are two basic PvP systems: 1on1 battle and Party versus Party battle. We already disclosed towards our Closed Beta testers that other PvP features will be added in the future and until then, the players can train their skills by directly dueling each other outside the cities.
Question: Does Florensia include large scale Guild wars? By that I mean Guild vs. Guild and territory taking?
Yes, Florensia will have guild wars and sieges combining both land and sea battle in various types. There will even be something significantly bigger than “just” single guilds fighting against each other for honor and glory, but unfortunately, I can’t say more about that yet…
Question: Is there customization with the characters? If so, how is it done?
Yes, the characters can be customized. Starting at the character creation, each class currently has six different faces, hairstyles, sixteen hair colors and eye colors. There are furthermore different equipment sets underlining the specific professions, such as leather and metal armor pieces for the Mercenary or elegant Robes for the Noble. Special headgears also add to the unique style of every fighter.
Accessories, such as earrings, rings, tattoos (not implemented yet), necklace also add to the character’s uniqueness – and there is as well the possibility to choose among five different ship types and a huge variety of ship parts in varied sizes. In a future update, players will also be able to hatch and raise their own pet as battle companion.
Customization can also be applied by specializing the character weapon-, skill- and stat-wise. Each class can use several weapons and combine them with special skill trees that can be extended depending on the personal gaming style. Status values, namely “Strength”, “Dexterity”, “Constitution”, “Intelligence”, “Volume” and “Wisdom” can be enhanced independently and in the end, each character will be a completely indivicual fighter.
Question: What is maritime gameplay like?
The maritime gameplay offers the possibility to cross the borders of the small islands and to extend their journeys to the vast ocean. Having tuned their personal ship, users can travel alone or together with their party and fight against sea monsters and pirate ships while watching for the next safe harbor or the sea dungeons. Depending on the ship’s speed, the ocean currents, the crew’s quality and condition and the wind, the journey will be a pleasant trip or a near-drowning nightmare. Switching to the battle mode, it is possible to fire off the cannons. The naval skill tree also provides various buffs and special attacks depending on the ship type and teamwork will lead to victory on sea as well. The maritime system will be extended in a future update.
Question: Will Florensia be free to play? What kind of business feature will you use, and if the game is free to play, will there be an Item Mall? How will players access the Item mall, if included, should they are unable to pay for the feature?
Yes, Florensia will be free to play. Client download and playing is completely free. There will be an Item Mall / Itemshop which is accessible in the game as well as on the website. Supporting various payment methods such as credit card, PayPal, mobile payment and many more in various countries will make it possible for every player to pay for the desired items or features. For us, it is important to point out that the players do not depend on cash items for common playing – and it is also not possible to buy complete equipment sets in the Itemshop.
Question: What is your favorite aspect of this game and why?
As a team, we all like the fact that Florensia hasn’t shown its full potential yet. The game is steadily growing and comparing the peaceful atmosphere with the sinister horrors in Avery Dungeon gives you an idea of what we can expect in the future. Facts like the stunning quality of the well-thought updates, the class change system, the heavy storyline and the dual battle system are very exciting.
Personally, I must admit I’m totally stunned by the graphics, the skill effects, the monster designs and the environment. Florensia truly manages to create a unique gameplay feeling for each of the dungeons, fields, towns – and the upcoming dangers.
