Questions by Rick Charbs and Vincent Haoson
Answered by Sakura Yu, Product Manager of GodsWar Online
Onrpg: Congratulations on your release of the Alpha Test #2! What feedback have you received for the game so far? What’s been done to correct and improve the game since the last test?
Thanks. With the release of GodsWar Alpha Test, we held a series of events regarding Bugs hunting and suggestions from players, which saw great participation from players. And of course, we’ve been passing on our players’ suggestions to our developers for incorporation in the game. For example, some players suggested that there should be a second confirmation when abdicating the guild lord position, just in case they click the button by mistake. This feature, and others like it, have been added to v.193.
Onrpg: What were the difficulties that your team experienced as the Alpha Test progressed?
A lot of our work during the testing period has been on the technical aspects. We’re committed to providing both top quality 3D graphics and a small client file size, which is obviously a difficult task. At the moment, our developers have been working on lowering the minimum system requirements, as during the test, our players have been required to upgrade their computer in order to play. But we’re confident we’ll reach our targets.
Onrpg: How long do you think will the Alpha test last? Why do you say so?
It’s hard to predict, but by my estimation the Alpha Test has about one more month to go. We’re looking at four or five major milestones – the first two are to fix all bugs and adopt as many of our player’s suggestions as we can. After that, once we have the pet system, instance system and constellation system all working, we’ll consider releasing the Closed Beta Test.
Onrpg: What was your inspiration for the development of this unique title?
?
We looked to history for inspiration, particularly Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. The game draws a lot from Ancient Greek themes and characters. What we’ve aimed to do is develop and expand on those mythical characters in GodsWar Online, so you can trace the development of a character from a rank and file soldier to a legendary hero. We’ve also enjoyed integrating the thrill of ancient battles and the influence of the Ancient Greek gods into the game.
Onrpg: Could you please give us some information on the class system of the game?
The game features into four distinct classes: Warrior, Champion, Mage and Priest.
Warrior: Shield in hand, aWarriors’ main skill is Close Fighting and they entrust their lives to the protection of their teammates. “You’ll have to go through me to get to him,” that kind of thing. Warriors play an important role in a team, and cannot be underestimated.
Champion: Compared with a Warrior, Champions are more aggressive and have only one focus in battle: Attack, attack, and attack!!! Champions defeat their enemies by using long spears and never back down until either they or their enemy lies dead on the battlefield.
Mage: Mages can wield the arcane power of nature to cause large amounts of damage. Wearing light robes, they call out powerful fire to attack their enemies. This fire can incinerate a single target or many targets at the same time.
Priest: Priests are the envoys of the Gods and can cure not only their injured fellows but also release teammates from cursed status. Priests are an important part of a team; using the power of water to help their team forward.
Onrpg: What makes GodsWar stand out from all other MMORPGS on the market?
As long as players have a reasonable standard of computer, the game can be played smoothly. The system requirements are pretty low, which means more players will be able to enjoy the game.
– GodsWar Online is free to play, and combines the real and virtual worlds effortlessly, including stirring battle scenes, sacred weapons and dream-like environments.
– GodsWar Online is easy to operate by using just the mouse and a few hotkeys.
– To make players feel relaxed, GodsWar Online adopts a vibrant green palette instead of darker or more arresting colors.
– In addition to the class system and faction system, GodsWar Online has a special Deity System. GodsWar skill that can accumulate the power of the Gods is a great feature in the game. Although each skill has different attributes and effects, each one is capable of reversing the tide of war. If players join together successfully in teams, then each player can contribute different skills to the battle.
Onrpg: An interesting aspect of the game is its relation to history. Do you pay a lot of attention to the context of your game?
GodsWar Online is based on Greek mythology, so when we are designing anything from the landscape to the NPCs or monsters, each one has to relate to the history and myths of Ancient Greece. For example, take a look at these event maps:
The origin of Treasure Land: To help people get rid of poverty and disease, Hermes brought treasures to the world. Zeus was furious when he found out and punished Hermes. However, the treasures had been spread to the world, so Zeus created a legion of monsters to take them back. The people resisted heroically and fought against the monsters – in the game, this land is called Treasure Land.
The origin of Hera’s Labyrinth: Zeus had a human lover, Europa, and his immortal wife Hera was jealous. To punish Europa, Hera trapped her on an isolated isle and created complex Labyrinths on the isles to imprison her. It was impossible for common people to find her. Despite admitting his mistake, Zeus could not bear to see Europa suffer, and so he secretly asked Ares and Athena to rescue Europa. Whoever found Europa would receive abundant rewards from Zeus.
Onrpg: How do you avoid historical errors in GodsWar?
In the development of GodsWar Online , we have consulted many reference books at every step of the way. We have endeavoured to stay true to history and have also used the testing period to let our players correct us if we have made any mistakes.
Onrpg: Will GodsWar see an item mall in the future? If so what things can we expect inside?
GodsWar Online is a free game but will soon feature an Item Mall with many in-game objects and special articles being sold there. Players can choose to buy items from the mall if they would like to enhance their playing experience or improve more quickly, but it’s not necessary to use the mall to enjoy the game. Some of the items that will be sold in the mall will include: Gems, Crystals, Super Healing Potions, Super Mana Potions, Portal Scrolls and some cool suits will also be on sale.
Onrpg: Will you be including new game systems to the game besides the one that is mentioned in the website?
Many players have been keen to see a pet system in the game, so we are working on developing this right now. The system will allow players to capture baby monsters in the wild or purchase pet eggs from NPCs and raise them as their own, giving them names and watching their skills and attributes develop.
Onrpg: What are your ambitions for the future of GodsWar?
GodsWar Online is the first fully IGG designed and produced 3D MMORPG. The efforts of some world-class game developer’s have culminated in a truly fantastic game, and our hope is that we can really capture the gaming market with GodsWar Online. We’re confident that the enchanting quests, in-game scenery, free character growth and a wonderful community of players is exactly what gamers have been waiting for.
Onrpg: There’s already an MMO that has the “god” element included in their system. Do you see that as a competitor?
Competition in the game industry is always instense – of course, other games that feature similar characters or storylines can always be seen as competitors, but we relish that chance. Competition means progress and we are confident that as long as we dedicate ourselves to developing high quality games and offering a good service to our players, our games will always be welcomed by the market.
Onrpg: What is your favorite item in the game, and why?
I like the Level 3 Crystal best, because it is indispensable for forging gear.
The forging system allows players to increase the stats or level of their gear by using gems. Each type of gem is classified into three levels. Higher level gems grant a better chance of forging equipment successfully. For example, a Level 1 Sapphire may increase the success rate to 25%, but a Level 2 Sapphire increase that to 50%. Additionally, the same gem grants a lower success rate when it is used to forge better equipment.
At the same time, Crystals can be used to increase these chances even further, with a maximum of 25 Crystals allowed at any one time.
Onrpg: Do you expect that the GodsWar Online community will have a huge impact on the game?
An online game is unique because it connects people around the world. People compete against each other, or join together to take on bigger challenges and inspire each other. In GodsWar Online , players are encouraged to participate in the guild system.
Guilds are organizations created by players for players. Within a guild, players can complete quests, improve their reputation, and share their experience of playing the game. They can also win better rewards by functioning as a member of a guild.
The community of players will have a big impact on the success of the game – in fact, we believe that our strong community of players will be one of the best features of the game.
Onrpg: There’s already an MMO that has the “god” element included in their system. Do you see that as a competitor?
Competition in the game industry is always instense – of course, other games that feature similar characters or storylines can always be seen as competitors, but we relish that chance. Competition means progress and we are confident that as long as we dedicate ourselves to developing high quality games and offering a good service to our players, our games will always be welcomed by the market.
Onrpg: Could you kindly reveal to the Onrpg community what updates you plan on releasing for the game in the near future?
Both the Master and Apprentice system and the Equipment Decomposition and Enhancement System will be released in the upcoming game version.
– The Master and Apprentice System has been newly designed with the purpose of enhancing interaction between veterans and newbies. With this system, newbies can get used to the game more quickly, whilst veterans can earn rewards by teaching.
– The Equipment Decomposition System can help players decompose obsolete equipment into attribute materials.
– The Equipment Enhancement system can improve your equipment’s attributes by inlaying Attribute Stones into the equipment. After enhancement, equipment will possess new added attributes or the original ones will be upgraded.
– In the future, GodsWar Online will also be adding aninstance system, suit system and pet system.
– Many players have been keen to see a pet system in the game, so we are working on developing this right now. The system will allow players to capture baby monsters in the wild or purchase pet eggs from NPCs and raise them as their own, giving them names and watching their skills and attributes develop.
– As the game is developed, we hope to present better and better features to keep our players stimulated and interested.
Onrpg: What kinds of events and activities are you/will you be hosting in-game?
We will be holding interesting events regularly. For example, here are two events we have planned already: The Spies Invaded and Crazy 6+1.
– The Spies Invaded: A large number of spies, spy captains and spy masters will appear in both main cities and drop various EXP Stones and Talent Stones if they are killed. The spies are called Spartan Spy, Spartan Spy Captain, Spartan Spy Master, Athenian Spy, Athenian Spy Captain and Athenian Spy Master. They are passive monsters with the appearance of soldiers. A Spy’s HP is 10, and will cause the equivalent damage of a common level 20 monster. A Spy Captain’s HP is 20, it will cause the equivalent damage of a common level 80 monster. A Spy Master’s HP is 100, it will cause the equivalent damage of a common level 100 monster. All spies are single-attack monsters with 100000 defense. Players will reduce 1 HP when they attack them.
– Crazy 6+1: From Monday to Saturday, level 20+ players are qualified to receive a Nameplate 1 to Nameplate 6 from a relevant NPC.
– Players can exchange one Nameplate or many Nameplates together for Exp and Talent Points.
Onrpg: Will you also be including live events in the game? Can you share with us any rough ideas about live events?
We will be holding a number of live events in the game to promote interaction between players and keep the game exciting. Events such as The Search for the Lost GM and War for the Isthmus of Corinth were both great events that helped players interact and communicate in-game.
Onrpg: What has been the overall feedback from the “Events are wanted” activity? Have there been a lot of suggestions from the players?
The “Events are wanted” activity has already ended successfully. We received a number of great ideas from players and have picked several good ones that we will develop and introduce in the game. This was the first time we have asked players directly what kind of events they would like to see, and in the future we hope to keep players involved in the development of their online gaming world and allow them to express their creativity by suggesting more events.
Onrpg: This game has an impressive forum to back it up. What makes the Godswar community forum so interesting? What gave you the idea to promote story writing and media submission?
?
A forum is a place where players can communicate with each other. We believe that games should not only have rich contents, but also provide a healthy gaming environment. This means we need to ensure players can interact with each other, and also have as many different ways to express themselves as possible. So the forums support a wide range of activities and events such as Alpha Test Diploma, Guild Assembly and Great Masters.
Onrpg: Do you think that Gods War is creating a niche for this genre for the online gaming community?
Yes, I think we are creating our own niche. Online games have a promising future, but they must have a strong theme. We feel that the background for GodsWar Online is so well known and the themes are so strong, that players will respond well. More and more, players are looking for depth in a game.
Onrpg: How do you incite players to participate in said activities and story writing??
All activities relate to the game contents and all events give players a chance to win some kind of reward by participating. Often the rewards are rare items that are difficult to obtain within the game, so obviously many players are keen to get their hands on those items.
Onrpg: How can players customize their characters in the game?
Once your password has been successfully registered, players can begin to create and customize their characters. Players can choose a unique name and select the gender, race and class of their character, as well as customizing their avatar’s facial features, hair and even eye color.
Onrpg: Could you please explain the faction system to us? How do factions improve gameplay in your opinion?
Players have to choose between one of two factions when creating a character and join in with faction battles eg. taking a city and PK. Players will benefit a lot by joining a faction, regardless of which faction they are in, the goal of each faction is the same.
The faction system plays an important role in GodWars Online, because it creates competition and provides a framework for a number of events and battles. With the constant rivalry between factions, players can always engage in battles to retake lost cities or control events through investment or strategy. And, of course, Ancienct Greece was no stranger to wars between rival factions or nations.
Within their own faction, players can develop their reputation by contributing to their poleis and obtaining corresponding titles. The higher the title a player possess, the better rewards they can win. In order to ensure the faction system stays fun, we also offer different factions quests, where players can improve their reputation by killing opponents or completing challenges.
