Questions by Brian Perry Jr, Onrpg Writer
Answered by Terry Kim, Producer of Rappelz
Onrpg: First of all, thank you for answering our questions about Rappelz, Terry. Please describe what you do at Gala-Net and tell us a bit about Rappelz?
Kim: Hi! I’m the producer of Rappelz. I work on marketing, managing Game Masters, and coordinate maintenance and communications with the developer. Rappelz is a Free to Play MMORPG set in a medieval fantasy world, with features designed to appeal to both casual and hardcore players alike.
Unlike other games with pets, in Rappelz pets play a large role and all characters can have useful pets. The ability to own dungeons will keep people excited and involved in the world of Rappelz. This game features beautiful graphics and music. The quest and stamina system in Rappelz will help break up any grind. Come try it out!
Onrpg: Rappelz is a unique name for a MMO game. What is the origin of the name and what does it mean, if anything?
Kim: Rappelz comes from the French word ‘rappel’ which means to summon, or recall. It is in reference to summoning pets which is a major part of the game.
Onrpg: Rappelz has been in open beta for about a couple weeks now. How is the beta test coming along? Are players generally satisfied with their experience in the game so far?
Kim: The beta test is going well. Users seem happy with the game and it is on par with many pay to play games. We’ve experienced a few bumps along the way, but nothing we couldn’t handle.
Onrpg: How is Rappelz different from the wide variety of other fantasy MMO games on the market right now?
Kim: The major features that differentiate Rappelz from other games are its pet system and the dungeon siege system. Rappelz offers players a vast Skill system for both the Player’s Characters as well as their tamed Creatures. Every weekend guilds can lay siege to the dungeons in attempt to own them for the week. Guilds that own dungeons collect a tax on all money and LAK dropped in the dungeon. Rappelz also has a huge range of quests, an item upgrade and crafting system. These combined with a generous offering of quests and events ensure that players have fun and continue to play Rappelz.
Onrpg: One of the central features in Rappelz is the pet system. How does it work, and in what ways can a pet support a player? How does a player’s race and class affect which creature works best for him or her?
Kim: Pets level up just like a player. In fact they can even level up to be stronger than players. Each creature acts just like certain classes you might see in other games. There are healer creatures, buffing creatures, magic attack creatures, and even melee creatures. Combining different creatures with your class will yield a different play style.
Onrpg: Arguably the other main feature in Rappelz is the dungeons and the different game play options they offer. Can you tell me a bit more about how that system works?
Kim: Every weekend the dungeons open for “Dungeon Sieges.” During this time guilds may send up to 32 players into the dungeon and try to defeat the Dungeon monsters as quickly as possible. The guild that gets the best time owns the dungeon for the week. They then get a percentage of all money and LAK drops from the dungeon and from other players that enter the dungeon during that week.
Onrpg: How is the death penalty handled in Rappelz? Do you think players will find it too lenient or too harsh?
Kim: Currently we have a system where users will lose exp and even de-level upon death. This is not a great hardship because you can not lose Job Levels, which are more important than character levels. Death on the Hardcore PvP server can be hard. There is a possibility of item drop. The chance this will happen depends on many things such as your immorality points and level differences.
Onrpg: What major features and fixes would you like to see in Rappelz before the game officially goes commercial?
Kim: I’d like to see all of the pets finalized in the game. Pets take a lot of work to master and it would be nice to have a large option of pets for people to choose from before they go through all that work.
Onrpg: Going back to the pets system in Rappelz for the last question, which is your favorite pet and why?
Kim: The Siren is my favorite pet. Sirens are so beautiful and get many curse spells. They are useful to both melee and magic based characters.
