Saturday, September 24, 2011

MMO updates

MMO updates

Hanbitsoft - Hellgate sequel is in development

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 09:32 PM PDT


(Source) GameBanshee recently held an interview with Hanbitsoft's project manager, Namo Kang with regards to Hellgate Global. If you remembered, Hellgate: London was developed by the now-defunct Flagship Studios and the Tokyo patch was in early development phase before Hanbitsoft bought over the game's rights. Currently being IP block in various countries, Namo Kang also sheds light on a sequel.


GB: When HanbitSoft acquired the Hellgate IP from Flagship Studios, what assets came into your possession? Are there any assets (portions of the source code, areas/monsters/items that were planned for a future patch, and that sort of thing) that you were never able to obtain?

Namo: Everything (source code, monsters/items for a future patch) became our asset.

GB: How successful has Hellgate been for HanbitSoft in Korea, Japan, and North America, and has the reception you've received since relaunching in North America surprised you? Are you able to give us any specific population numbers or revenue figures for each territory?

Namo: We can't give you the specific population numbers and revenue figures. When we launched Hellgate Global, we were surprised at how many people were trying to access the Hellgate Global server. To keep up with user expectations, we have been working tirelessly.

GB: Despite the fact that you now own the IP, is there anything stopping you from opening servers for the game in other territories, such as Australia or Canada?

Namo: Some Asia territories are not in service. (For example, China, Singapore, etc.) But we can provide almost all the countries including Australia or Canada with Hellgate service.


GB: Hellgate: Tokyo is the only expansion pack you've created since acquiring the game from Flagship, and it's finally hitting the North American server this week (today, in fact). Do you have plans to release more expansion packs in the future?

Namo: Currently we don't have plans to release more expansion packs. If we develop the expansion pack, we will notice about that.

GB: The modding community has uncovered other classes and skills within Hellgate's code that Flagship never implemented prior to their closure. Do you ever plan to add these or other classes/skills to the game?

Namo: Those things are being considered in the close future.

GB: How many people are actively working on Hellgate at HanbitSoft, and are they primarily working on bug fixes or new content?

Namo: Developers are about 20 and operating personnel is about 10. They are working on bug fixes and new contents.


GB: Do you plan on readding DirectX 10 support to the North American version and allocating more time to translating? For example, there are several items that still read "Needs Translation" within the game, the game refers to the end Abyss boss as Berial/Belial/Bellial at different times, and some skills and items are even misspelled.

Namo: Many users send us their opinion and bugs. Our developers are still working on fixing them.

GB: Can you explain how your development process currently works? Do you patch in fixes and build new content for the Korean version, then send it to another team for translating before sending it out to other territories? Is the Korean build considerably ahead of the North American build in terms of fixes and new content?

Namo: We send it to another local team for translating before sending it out to other territories. We've finished the development of Hellgate Global. Korean build is fixed considerably. So these fixed core things are reflected. Currently we are launching the new contents of Hellgate sequentially.


GB: North American and European gamers haven't traditionally been as receptive to microtransactions that increase a player's power in the game, yet you've added skill points, powerful pets, and other unobtainable items to the in-game store. Are you worried that adding too many of these types of items will cause some dissent among its fans, who might feel it's becoming more "pay-to-win" than "free-to-play"?

Namo: We just developed game item for users to play Hellgate easily. We don't think these types of items will cause some dissent because if users don't want to buy the items, almost all the items are made for convenience. User can play Hellgate without the items.

Just when users want to be high level faster than other users, some items help them grow up fast. Even skill points is for people who are difficult to grow up. Just playing longtime, they can obtain the skill points as the level goes up.

GB: Hellgate's unique blend of third-person shooter combat, RPG mechanics, and numbers-heavy item and modding systems have given it a very devoted fanbase over the years. Have you ever considered developing a Hellgate sequel, either in-house or contracted through a third-party developer? If so, what are the odds that a sequel will eventually become a reality?

Namo: Of course we've considered developing a Hellgate sequel in-house. Now the developing is ongoing. For more information, we'll notice about that over time.

Age of Wulin (CN) - Closed Beta draws near

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 11:05 PM PDT


So, the very first Closed Beta phase for Snail Game's highly anticipated martial arts MMO, Age of Wulin, will begin on 8th October 2011 with 7 different regions having 7 days of testing each (link) before the second Closed Beta phase with no region lock kicks off on 25th December 2011 until next year. Both phases will require players to get one of the 60,000 keys on sale though, which caused quite a stir at first and eventually settled down.


According to the website, the game's new server hardware has arrived, and it is known as the IBM BladeCenter (link). The image you see below is actually the casing or chassis for the servers, which may contain up to 14 BladeCenter servers. I am not really sure which model Snail Game is using, but being open about the technology will certainly mean they are confident about it.


Well, that is not exactly what this post about. A mysterious package arrived at my house early this morning which got my parents startled, as the delivery guy from this private mail service rang and pressed the doorbell for quite a few times. So what items came?


Ah yes, the cheaper Closed Beta key package for Age of Wulin with a mousepad :D By hook and by crook, I managed to find my way of getting this package delivered here. The key has been used and activated, but I am not really sure which region I belong to even though I chose Asia Pacific, as overseas players will be randomly drafted into either of the 7 regions. But with that said, I am still on course for the 2nd Closed Beta phase ^___^ Stay tuned for real, actual high definition videos soon!

Tianxia 3 - Reaching the next level

Posted: 23 Sep 2011 10:23 AM PDT


Back in 2009, I was just starting out on my blog and did a small review on a massive Chinese MMORPG, Tianxia 2 (link). Fast forward a little over 2 years later, its sequel was teased in recent weeks. Introducing Tianxia 3, developed and published by one of China's online gaming powerhouses, Netease. A quick introductory preview video was revealed as well with no announcement of a Closed beta schedule.


Basically, Tianxia 3 is a martial arts MMORPG, with various new elements added which Netease claims to let players play the game instead of the game playing the players. There will be an interactive world, where every small action by players will affect the overall happenings in the game. This is shown by the ability to build cities from ground up, create players' very own skills, start their own clans and record history annuals. Interactive environments, time, weather and seasons system are just some of the eye candies revealed so far.


Netease also boast that the game will have various different progression paths for players to choose, with many different "endgame" goals as well rather than just the questing and grinding. Like most of the details, everything is pretty vague right now. The thing which makes me believe the game will not see an English launch is due to the cloud technology Netease will be using. With world -class servers, the game can be played as long as there is a stable internet connection even on old PCs.
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