Forsaken World Interview – The Storms of War Expansion
Questions by Jake “Kibeth” Winters, OnRPG Journalist
Answers: Clifton Chu, Product Manager of Forsaken World
Despite only being a few months old, Forsaken World has already crafted its own place in the gaming world. By employing a plethora of features like its expansive class and job system, unique combat modes, beautiful graphics, and many more, Forsaken World has touched success. Clifton Chu is here to bring OnRPG all of the latest news about the game’s newest expansion.
OnRPG: Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions on behalf of OnRPG. First of all, can we get an introduction about yourself and your role in the ‘Storms of War’ expansion?
Clifton Chu: My name is Clifton Chu, and I am the Product Manager for Forsaken World. I am in charge of all day-to-day operations for Forsaken World, and I’m always working to bring our players new and exciting content. With this new Storms of War update, we aim to satisfy one of the biggest demands our players have had which is the introduction of a guild versus guild battle that we have dubbed the “Immortal Rift”.
OnRPG: Forsaken World is a huge game that has truly come into its own; there is no denying that it is one of the greats of the Free-to-Play MMO market. What do you think contributes to its success?
CC: The first form of credit obviously has to go to the fans. Without their support, Forsaken World wouldn’t have been able to grow into what it is today, and you guys wouldn’t be asking me about Storms of War. Secondly, we have to thank the development team for making such a great game. Their talent and dedication shine in Forsaken World, and it wouldn’t be the success it is today without their artistic qualities.
OnRPG: The recent buzz of player excitement suggests that this expansion is highly anticipated. How much player feedback went into its creation, and how will future feedback be used?
CC: Forsaken World will always be changing and evolving to player needs. One of the things we immediately saw and took note of was the interest in an end game guild combat system. We have a place holder guild challenge system right now, but with this new update, players will really be able to wage all-out war against their opponents. We are always watching the forums, the comments on our blogs and Facebook, and every one of them, no matter how big or small, is taken into consideration.
OnRPG: How long has ‘Storms of War’ been in development? What were the most difficult parts of its design process?
CC: Storms of War has been in development for about 4 months now. The difficult part of the development just has to deal with the massive amount of content we are putting into the update. Lots of sleepless nights as you can imagine.
OnRPG: The Storm Legion plays the antagonist of this update? Who exactly are they and why are they so important?
CC: The Storm Legion is a faction of warriors who aim to destroy all of Eyrda. They are remnants of the army in the last Great War and serve the mighty Mylvadia. The Storm Legion has always been a thorn in the side of the Lionheart Champions and this time is no exception. The Storm Legion has found a way to open a portal to the past, and bring back their legendary generals from a time long past. It is the duty of the players to enter this time warp and defeat the generals before they cross over to the present timeline.
OnRPG: Besides slaughtering the generals of the Storm Legion, does the expansion introduce any other PvE content, perhaps aimed at low-mid level players?
CC: There will be new quests and events as well as various tweaks to some of the existing features in the game.
OnRPG: The teaser site mentions many things but does not elaborate upon them. What exactly is the ‘Gauntlet of Storms’?
CC: The Gauntlet of Storms is another level 75 dungeon in which players will explore 4 different rooms and take out each boss. It will have its own special rules of completing the dungeon, and can also be repeated up to 100 times a week, so it is a quick yet very rewarding dungeon.
OnRPG: Rewards for completing expansion content includes materials to make “legendary gear”, the teaser also mentions ‘Champion Gear’. What are they and why are they so special?
CC: In our current system, the gear comes with 2 slots worth of “randomized” stats. This Champion gear will contain 2 extra slots worth of randomized stats, which will make your gear all that more powerful to start off. Of course, you will also have the ability to re-roll these stats to fully customize the gear to your character.
OnRPG: The new Guild Wars look fantastic, as does The Immortal Rift. What went into the design process, and how unique do you think the gameplay will be compared to other MMOs?
CC: We wanted to feature what we felt a lot of other MMOs were lacking — the large-scale battles that are prevalent in most fantasy. In The Immortal Rift, for example, we will feature epic 100 vs. 100 player battles, so as to make players feel like they truly are in a world larger than themselves.
OnRPG: A number of players are concerned that guild battles are prone to imbalance, primarily from cash-shopped guilds. Are there any mechanisms in place to bring disadvantaged guilds onto a more level playing field?
CC: Other guild battle systems we’ve seen only reward the winning side and in that sense, players who have the more powerful gear get stronger, while the loser stays at the same level. However, in the Immortal Rift the losing side will still gain some rewards. Each guild will be ranked at the end of the week and where they rank in will determine the amount of rewards they are given. This keeps the rewards flowing for everyone involved.
OnRPG: Beyond PvE/PvP, players are teased about new pets and mounts. What kind of creatures can we find in the Storms of War and how can they be acquired?
CC: Forsaken World is a land of fantasy and in keeping with that theme we will be introducing several creatures such as two headed fire lizards, demonic hounds, and the like. That’s not to say that we won’t have some light hearted creatures, as well. For instance: a penguin mount or a panda pet.
OnRPG: With more end-game content now available, are there any plans to change the experience/level curve to make it more accessible?
CC: We’ve already taken some steps towards helping players reach the higher levels to experience this content. We’ve increased the EXP gains for the completion of quests by 3 times since the launch of our previous update Chains of Kluer, and we are constantly running 2x EXP events across all severs.
OnRPG: For players logging in on consecutive days, what kind of rewards might they find?
CC: Consistent players can expect everything from your basic EXP and stat buffs to consumable items, items to upgrade your pets and gear. Lots of goodies just for logging in!
OnRPG: When can we expect to see Storms of War go live?
CC: Very, very soon….
OnRPG: It might be a little soon to be thinking about the future given that Storms of War hasn’t even been released yet, but what does Forsaken World have in the pipeline that players can look forward to beyond this expansion?
CC: We currently don’t have any plans on releasing any information on other upcoming content updates, but rest assured that there will be some more announcements coming before the end of the year!
OnRPG: Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.
For more information on Forsaken World Storms of War, be sure to check out the teaser trailer showcasing some of the upcoming bosses in action!
