MMORPG.com's Jon Wood recently had the chance to ask five questions of Aion's Associate Producer Lani Blazier about the game's overall appeal as it approaches launch.

MMORPG.com:

Aion™ has quite a bit of positive hype surrounding it. Is there any concern that, as has happened to other recent MMO launches, the hype will get too high for the game and that players will be disappointed when the game finally launches?

Lani Blazier:

I think we've done a good job at managing expectations about Aion, especially since the game has already launched in Korea and China. Players know that we're delivering them a polished, top quality game with server stability, interesting content, social features on the web, and future updates. Yes, the pressure is definitely on for us, though! We want to make sure Aion delivers the best MMO experience possible for gamers. It's a goal we're committed to.

Read the Associate Producer Interview

Sounds like they know what they are doing :) plus I love the idea of being able to pvp or pve, and even do both at the same time when I choose to.

I love Aion, but I don't like the interview very much.

I didn't like when she mentions NCSoft being known for character creation and then mentioning City of Heroes, since they weren't responsible for development until way late in the game.

It's really generalized information overall.

Well learned something new about Aion i didn't know about, fog of war on the mini map, a feature i have not seen on any MMO i have played so far. Otherwise i have to agree about the interview, a little bland there.

Geez nice work with this selection of questions Jon!

There's a large dose of cynicism and skepticism with every one of them, which is a little sad, but a very sobre reflection of where the jaded and jilted mmorpg gamer's head is at right now. I almost feel sorry for the respondents having to remain upbeat in light of them.

Kudos to Blazier then for setting the pitch right;  enthusiastic while not hysterically bleating out promises or expectations they won't be able to meet.

Most reading this article will have already made up their minds about whether or not to try out this game, but this is a good feeler none-the-less.

Originally posted by DevilXaphan

Well learned something new about Aion i didn't know about, fog of war on the mini map, a feature i have not seen on any MMO i have played so far. Otherwise i have to agree about the interview, a little bland there.

It is suprisingly uncommon for a MMO to have a FOW. Though suprisingly, WoW had it. Apparently it's a feature noone really realized until now. I think it's a good feature too because just like playing a RTS, it makes everything more of a suprise.
 

I have seen 19 jillion questions on Aion character creation  so I think asking another one is beyond ridiculous  We still have not found anyone with the guts to ask about their past problems with bots.  Another question session with zero difficult questions.  

Heaven forbid you have to ask a question that makes the inviewee think. 

Originally posted by badgerer

Geez nice work with this selection of questions Jon!

There's a large dose of cynicism and skepticism with every one of them, which is a little sad, but a very sobre reflection of where the jaded and jilted mmorpg gamer's head is at right now. I almost feel sorry for the respondents having to remain upbeat in light of them.

Kudos to Blazier then for setting the pitch right;  enthusiastic while not hysterically bleating out promises or expectations they won't be able to meet.

Most reading this article will have already made up their minds about whether or not to try out this game, but this is a good feeler none-the-less.

Actually his questions were good, at least when compared with the majority of game 'journalists' who throw vague softball questions at producers and then refuse to call them on the fact that they give canned PR-speak non-answers.  There's nothing jaded or jilted about asking pertinent questions and not allowing a producer to use your interview as a PR puff piece and free advertising for your game.

Blazier is no different than any other talking head salesman.  Case in point:

"Aion does an excellent job of introducing players to the wide variety of activities and systems in game, and the game encourages players to explore these features fully without handholding," she says.

What?  When you break it down, what does that even mean?

Hmm, I don't know whether to laugh at the wide variety of activities bit (yeah fedex quests, kill quests, non-consequential pvp, truly wonderous variety), or the rest of it.

How exactly does it encourage players to explore these features without handholding?  Oh that's right, it doesn't, but if you throw enough verbiage at a question, stupid people might think you actually answered it.

 Great questions, terrible answers. I like how the question regarding sandbox elements was basically a sugar coated "There are none 8D" and regarding the last question their response was essentially "When they run out of levels, they get to gear grind Exciting and different I know 8D"!

This is already a decent MMO, so it promises well for launch. But ‘Sandbox Style’? I have read a lot about Aion and there is nothing to make me think this is a sandbox style game. Surely the reviewer knew this, before he asked the question?

It just sounded like a pre launch 'all things to all men' soundbite from the PR department.

so far, the only thing i don't like about Aion is all the "personal" stores.  It makes me feel like I am playing Silkroad.  We have brokers...isn't that enough?

Originally posted by bakon2

so far, the only thing i don't like about Aion is all the "personal" stores.  It makes me feel like I am playing Silkroad.  We have brokers...isn't that enough?

Well you have both just like in FFXI, just ignore them or adapt to them.

Nothing wrong with options I suppose. As an ex-L2 player, I hated the player shops only option although I can see the usefulness.

Just because you don't like them doesn't mean others don't, maybe it's not enough for some players.

lots of aion new articles now days.... not even going to bother play CBT6 myself, can't stand the grind and getting ganked... later versions help with the grind and I only ever feel like grinding if it gets me somewhere.
anyway, im hoping open beta will be 1.5
also hoping for more characterisation, because atm you can mostly only get different kinds of Asians, while there's nothing wrong with that (and you can make many Western-styled faces, just FAR FAR from what most would like to think they could make)... it is pretty limiting for a Western audience esp with no other races to fill the gap... cant make my perfect Iraqi-styled sorc, nor my native American ranger, which sucks considering I'd think with that engine that they would be able to do it.
so anyway, my point, the customisation is perfect for the Chinese/Korean/Japanese audience, but anyone outside of that part of the world is extremely limited. esp with the females, it seem illegal for females in that area of the world to have larger noses without looking freaky from using the customisation
either way, just a preference, wouldnt really mind if they didnt, but would like the options

CB6 has exposed the ugly side of AION.  Asmodians on the Siel server were pinned down in their fort by Elyos for hours on Friday.  I was ganked and killed by two Asmodians who ran away cursing at me.  The level of gameplay was pretty close to as low as it can get.  AION has such huge potential, but a lot of people will just walk away after experiences like tonight leaving just hard core pvper's around to play the game. 

Originally posted by avalon1000

CB6 has exposed the ugly side of AION.  Asmodians on the Siel server were pinned down in their fort by Elyos for hours on Friday.  I was ganked and killed by two Asmodians who ran away cursing at me.  The level of gameplay was pretty close to as low as it can get.  AION has such huge potential, but a lot of people will just walk away after experiences like tonight leaving just hard core pvper's around to play the game. 

I'll agree, the CBT didn't convince anyone of playing. If anything it turned many off the game. It is hard to even blame anyone for QQing in some forums about the game considering that fact. And the simple fact is that CBT is pretty much purely for advertising reasons a part from maybe testing server stability, and it just doesn't work esp in a situation like this.

Originally posted by Torak

Originally posted by bakon2

so far, the only thing i don't like about Aion is all the "personal" stores.  It makes me feel like I am playing Silkroad.  We have brokers...isn't that enough?

 

Well you have both just like in FFXI, just ignore them or adapt to them.

Nothing wrong with options I suppose. As an ex-L2 player, I hated the player shops only option although I can see the usefulness.

Just because you don't like them doesn't mean others don't, maybe it's not enough for some players.

not a game breaker for me.  just annoying is all.

Originally posted by badgerer

Geez nice work with this selection of questions Jon!

There's a large dose of cynicism and skepticism with every one of them, which is a little sad, but a very sobre reflection of where the jaded and jilted mmorpg gamer's head is at right now. I almost feel sorry for the respondents having to remain upbeat in light of them.

I don't. They are selling a product. It is our right as consumers to know as much as possible about what they are trying to sell us.

Originally posted by Ozmodan

I have seen 19 jillion questions on Aion character creation  so I think asking another one is beyond ridiculous  We still have not found anyone with the guts to ask about their past problems with bots.  Another question session with zero difficult questions.  

Heaven forbid you have to ask a question that makes the inviewee think. 

Most likely, those sort of questions were banned prior to the 'interview'. Commericial game sites aren't about journalism, they are about advertising. It's too bad that the sites don't realize how much the companies need the advertising, and start digging deeper.

Electronic gaming is huge business now. No reason there shouldn't be people asking tough questions.

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Originally posted by Kordesh
 Great questions, terrible answers. I like how the question regarding sandbox elements was basically a sugar coated "There are none 8D" and regarding the last question their response was essentially "When they run out of levels, they get to gear grind Exciting and different I know 8D"!

---

Essentially, yes. I was somewhat annoyed as well. This will be a good, perhaps great, PvP game. It will not be a sandbox. It will not have roleplaying. It will probably end up much like Guild Wars with flying. It just is not engaging enough to be a full, vibrant world, though it is very pretty.

Originally posted by avalon1000

CB6 has exposed the ugly side of AION.  Asmodians on the Siel server were pinned down in their fort by Elyos for hours on Friday.  I was ganked and killed by two Asmodians who ran away cursing at me.  The level of gameplay was pretty close to as low as it can get.  AION has such huge potential, but a lot of people will just walk away after experiences like tonight leaving just hard core pvper's around to play the game. 

Right, because people from the last beta are already level capped and bored.  I don't see why they didn't add a "chicken" concept (ala WAR) for people above a certain level limit and in the opposing faction's zone.

Another option, "PvE" servers, has to have one of the most active threads on the beta boards.  I can see where they're coming from.  Aion has too much PvE grind for a pure PvP game (the first 20 levels are all PvE).  Yet all the servers have unlimited (via rift) world PvP after level 20.  The dichotomy is really weird.  Maybe it's something that's fine to an eastern audience (and the eastern devs).  To me (western), it seems like the first 20 levels will turn off hardcore PvPers, and the sudden introduction to open world PvP at level 20 will turn off the people who enjoyed the first 20 levels.

A question along these lines would be nice.

On a different topic, I'm surprised that nothing was asked about how they plan to handle the large number of conflicts between GameGuard and common gaming/anti-virus software.  Maybe NCSoft didn't allow it.  Even an answer like, "The devs are looking into it" would be telling because both the GameGuard(nprotect) devs and the Aion devs are in Korea.  Is the conflicting software more common among western gamers?  If so, is it less likely to be handled quickly?  Will the conflicts ever be handled, or are they "working as intended?"  (etc.)