WonderKing: Dev Team Q&A

Can you talk about what stage the game is in currently? How has Wonderking Online grown?

The game is progressing smoothly in our transition to the Closed Beta II phase. We are currently QAing the second advancement skills as well as quest functions for the Hellen and Lamupel maps. WonderKing's quality has grown tremendously. Over the course of Closed Beta, we were able to pinpoint the location and errors caused by bugs and technical issues, and we are on our way to eliminating them immediately.

From a localization perspective, WonderKing has changed and grown immensely. We are tailoring the game to appeal to a North American audience, making necessary changes like how an NPC interacts with players, or how the players respond.

What type of feedback have you gotten from players? Has it impacted changes in the game?

The feedback we've received from the players regarding WonderKing has been mostly positive. It is great to see users concerned with the game as much as we are, and we are very eager to listen to their feedback. We are always listening to our users and their reports have positively impacted the game. We are actively gathering feedback, and we plan to implement updates with the players' input in the future.

Give players a feeling for Wonderking Online if they have not heard about the game before? What would you say to a new player coming in?

Action, immersion, community - these three elements make up the very core of WonderKing. On an animated 2D canvas, players are able to paint their destiny by separating themselvesfrom everyone else and seizing the throne of WonderKing. The seat is empty, but only one may rise from the masses to have the right to secure the rank of "WonderKing" and face Baalon, the Devil King, in an inevitable showdown for the fate of the world. However, this cannot be done alone. Allies must be gathered in an effort to eliminate the captains from the ranks of the Sinistry of Devils, so that evil may never exist in this world.

To a user new to the game, we would tell them that characters in WonderKing are as deep as they are vibrant, and the world lives and breathes alongside the player. We would tell them that the story evolution is one of the key traits that separate WonderKing from its contemporaries.

What social aspects will Wonderking have as game features? How will players be able to interact and work together

As seen in Closed Beta, there will be a party and a guild system in WonderKing. Each feature has its own set of incentives (such as party bonus experience points and spending points for even more experience points or additional Zed). We plan to have social aspects featured in events that we have in-game. Many of our users told us that they wanted a huge community aspect. To accomplish said task, we take it upon ourselves to bring users together by announcing in-game events coordinated by GMs and developers.

How is it working with a side scrolling game in today's virtual environment? What challenges does it present?

A side scrolling game has its own set of advantages and disadvantages when compared to a virtual (3D) environment that many MMORPGs today incorporate. The disadvantage is obvious: Graphics are more heavily utilized in 3D setting games. However, an advantage for (2D) side scrolling games is that they project an artistic feel to the background and characters. That is not to say that each genre is limited to such, but rather that the display is centered more heavily on those 2 displays. The biggest challenge of a side scrolling game is the obstacle of immersing a player enough to make it feel as if he/she is the character himself/herself.Still, it is incorrect to say that 2D immersion is impossible. There are many ways to have a player escape from reality and absorb them into the WonderKing world. Much like reading a great book, WonderKing has the power to draw a person in with a charming storyline, which is one of the strength that WonderKing possesses.

Tell us a little about the classes in the game. We noticed the Gunner vs. the Gunslinger class, how do these differ?

Well, the Gunslinger class is an advancement of the Gunner class. Therefore, all the skills that the Gunner has, a Gunslinger does as well. In general, all classes have combo attacks that synchronize well if used in succession. In regards to that, a Gunner may use a skill called "Crasher," which is a flurry of bullets while performing a roll on the ground, that pushes the Gunner into the midst of melee combat. The Gunslinger class utilizes that skill and pushes it to the next level. A Gunslinger may use a skill that enables the player to take flight and rain down bombs (as well as bullets) after using "Crasher" (to get in great position) in a combo phase.

When working on the game, what parts really are fun for the designers?

Designers always have fun invoking their imagination and making their ideas a reality. It is a process to come up with many great ideas, but eventually, they come to a point where they feel that the designs for the game have reached their max before approaching the actual implementation. In addition to that, designers have fun gathering ideas from stories that pique their interest. Our designers were very much infatuated with the European and Asian cultures and that led us to cultivate many ideas that came from it.