Lineage II: Interview with Han and Davidson

MMORPG.com:

Jae-Hyuk Han:

I think it is just right. Skills and weapons for Heroes are privileges that "common" people cannot have. Hero weapons will remain as one of the best features in the game in the future.

MMORPG.com:

Jae-Hyuk Han:

In the previous Chronicles, we focused on general MMORPG content such as PvE, PvP, castle sieges, etc. Starting with Interlude, we are considering larger scale content based on the foundation that we have made so far.

Currently players can only compete over the castles within the server but we would like to upgrade this content to the next level. We would like to see nations competing and eventually servers competing. Our goal is to make a game that can give you joy and tears.

Of course, we will also be focused on content that can be enjoyed both by an individual or a party.

For storyline, we intend for Interlude to be the bridging link between Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle, and the beginning of a new chapter. Since the launch of Lineage II, players have seen vast changes in gameplay and visual style through the six massive updates. Interlude will build on this tradition by introducing players on an epic new adventure with new lands to explore, more monster and enemies to defeat, and new challenges to overcome.

MMORPG.com:

Jae-Hyuk Han:

Yes, we do have plans to improve clan halls by giving more merits for acquiring them. Players will be able to use or equip these new "merits" and we expect to see more people competing over the clan halls. We will focus on the contestable clan halls at first. For the clan halls, fortresses, and the castles that will be added afterwards, we plan to keep it as the main content that can be challenged by many clans.

Also, the personal housing idea has come up multiple times, and we will consider implementing it if we have more instanced zones.

MMORPG.com:

Adam Davidson:

It's going well. We've actually recently eclipsed over 100k accounts banned for this activity, just in North America, and our techniques and processes get more sophisticated and efficient as we move forward. They are a determined bunch, but we know that we are just as determined on our end and we plan to keep enforcing our User Agreement for as long we can foresee.

MMORPG.com:

Jae-Hyuk Han:

We are preparing a new race, which can be started by both existing and new players. It is difficult to discuss all the details; however, it will allow for a new style of fun, differentiated from the existing classes.

We are also planning content that combines PvP and PvE, where well-raised characters take an active part in. The content will allow all scales of clans from large to small to have a role to prevent the exclusive possession of castle by a few gigantic-scale clans.

MMORPG.com:

Adam Davidson:

There are constant shifts in these sorts of metrics, sometimes driven by events such as new servers or other time driven by the communities themselves. At different points, Kain, Teon and Franz have all had their moments in the sun as the most populated servers. In so much as the community as a whole, we feel that our players have developed a very strong sense of who they are and what the sub-communities they create for themselves are both within the scope of the game itself as well as in other places such as fansites and more general games related message boards and forums. The dedication and initiative our community shows is a constant and great reminder of who we're working for and who we want to make happy. We try to keep a tight ear to the ground. When a game is younger, there's usually a lot of differing approaches and mindsets of the sub-groups with your game's community, but as it ages you begin to see a bit more cohesiveness. That's not to say they see eye to eye on everything, but you do begin to identify bigger arteries of shared philosophy, if you will.

MMORPG.com:

Jae-Hyuk Han:

Though the gradual HP recovery earned some complaints from the players at the time of the update, it was a necessary measure to develop more intense battles in the game. Now, in the case of a battle at a dangerous place, a healer takes a better look at the party members and uses heal quickly.

MMORPG.com:

Jae-Hyuk Han:

A special feature of our game is the persistent world, which we are always focusing on improving. However, an instanced area that can be used in a quest, boss battle, or event to add to the fun of the game and resolve some inconvenience for the players is in the process of being planned. The main part of our game is still the persistent world, and we plan to use instant area as a secondary element for fun.