Questions by Bryan King, Onrpg writer
Answered by Jeffrey Hong, Marketing Coordinator
The Steampunk genre has always kept to the basic forms of art. However, times have changed and Atlus Online brings a steampunk game to the MMO market named Neosteam: The Shattered Continent. The game promises exciting PvP, a charming and unusual story, and extensive customization, among other things. We interviewed Jeffrey Hong to find out some more about the game!
Onrpg: Hello Jeff! Thank you for taking some of your time to answer these questions. Starting off, can you introduce our readers to the background of Neo Steam?
Hi there, Bryan! Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent is a free-to-play fantasy-steampunk based MMORPG developed by JoyImpact of Hanbitsoft and is also the first title published by Atlus Online, a digital entertainment portal.
Onrpg: Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent has a wide variety of unique races, each with their own traits and advantages. Can you give us a description of the story behind these races, and which one is your personal favorite?
Well, there are a total of six races that inhabit the world of Chrysalis. There are the Humans, Elves, Tarune, Lupine, Pom,and the Lyell. Each race comes with their own unique racial traits that can make them more adept at certain classes. Personally, I am a fan of the cute furry Pom. It is a really unique character that is just hard not to love. Their role in the story is that the Pom in particular were very adept at crafting, and are known as the masters of technology in Chrysalis.
Onrpg: Personally speaking, Neo Steam has a wide array of amazing classes, some of which of the same type can’t really be experienced in plenty of games. Can you give us a basic intro to these classes and their varied abilities?
Initially, you can choose between four base jobs, Warrior, Mystic, Scout, and Machinist, that can later specialize into two different classes. You have your melee classes such as the Justicar and the Templar, the rouge/DPS classes such as the Warden and the Shadowreaver, the casters such as the Evoker and Animator, and the crafters such as the Tinkerer and Gadgeteer. Each has its own distinct playstyle and gives incentives for players to create many alternate characters. Each nation has its own class trees making for a total of 16 possible specializations.
Onrpg: What experience does the Steampunk aspect of the game introduce?
Steampunk is worked into the game thematically as well as into the gameplay mechanics. You’ll find a lot of Steampunk elements in the weapons and armor as well as the actual towns and various environments. One of the many cool Steampunk gameplay elements is the ability to ride around in Zeppelins and Steam Balloons.
Onrpg: Please, introduce the “Neo Steam” system to readers.
Neo Steam is the precious resource which is the source of contention between the two nations. Neo Steam is an energy source used in the game that powers various mechanics such as crafting and travel. In the beginning, the world was one continent, and due to instability caused by the over-mining of the resource, a huge earthquake shattered the continent into many pieces. Neo Steam is thus carefully rationed to each citizen to prevent rapid depletion.
Onrpg: Atlus Online published an updated version of the original Neo Steam. Which aspects of the game were custom-tailored to further market the game to players of different tastes?
One of the key aspects of the game that we focused on was the localization. We retranslated the entire game and gave it a very distinct flavor and feel. Our focus was to really make the game immersive, give each character their own personality, and make the quests feel epic and involved. In addition we’ve added content not previously found in the older version as well as fixing up the bugs and other issues.
Onrpg: What does NS:TSC do to separate itself from the typical free MMO? Give us some unique aspects.
One of the main obstacles is the level grind associated with many F2P MMOs. We took that into consideration and adjusted the experience curve to be much more forgiving to players. The genre of fantasy-steampunk is also something players don’t come across very often, if any. Additionally, we have a very active moderation staff that focuses on creating a vibrant community and friendly atmosphere for players. We also have a strong team of GMs running events, and we’re coming up with new ones all the time like Monster Mash, Prolific Pufu Problem, Jugg or Naut and more!
Onrpg: What’s a detailed explanation of how Atlus expects to please users that do or do not buy from the game’s item shop? A regular complaint by most gamers is the fact that some gamers have “the upper hand” if they spend hard-earned money on the game.
Our Premium Item Shop was created with game balance in mind – you can’t buy things like weapons or armor that would make the game skewed towards paying players. Our focus was on creating a game that can be enjoyed by both paying and non-paying users and maintain a fair environment. The Premium Item Shop contains things such as costume items to alter your character’s appearance and also consumables such as potions and race changes.
Onrpg: In one sentence, give readers a reason why they should give Neo Steam a try.
Neo Steam combines the components of a solid MMORPG with the unique aesthetics of a fantasy Steampunk world.
Onrpg: What does the future hold for Neo Steam: The Shattered Continent?
We have plenty of content coming down the pipeline that we are excited to be releasing.
Onrpg: Last question… Neo Steam is Atlus Online’s debut MMO, can you give readers a sneak peek of what’s coming next to the Atlus MMO Portal?
We definitely have some awesome things planned. Expect more anime and a more in-depth system for community participation.
Onrpg: Thank you for your time!
No problem!
