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Launch Day Interview

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A Launch-Day Interview With Scions of Fate

Garrett Fuller had a chance to ask a few questions of the Scions of Fate Dev Team. Today, the game celebrates its official launch!

MMORPG.com:

Tell us about Scions of Fate’s success in Asia. How well do you think the game will translate over to the rest of the world?

Scions of Fate:

Scions of Fate did REALLY well in Asia. We had over 70 million users with concurrent users breaking over 600,000. In Korea, it received the Presidential award for being the best MMORPG of that year, and it’s STILL going strong as we speak.

MMORPG.com:

Please explain the concept of OMSU (One Source Multi-Use) to our readers. How does it work in regards to the game design?

Scions of Fate:

OMSU is a lot like a conceptual franchise. The best example to use is Star Wars. While the concept originally came from a movie, it became something a lot more when it was used for games, comics, books, toys, etc.

Scions of Fate is similar in the sense that its concept comes from a famous comic book series in Korea called Yulgang. There’s even an English translation of Yulgang called “The Ruler of the Land” by ADV Manga. When it comes to Scions of Fate, you might see many of the concepts and characters from the comic book in the game. But otherwise, Scions of Fate is its own entity a lot like the original Star Wars Galaxies was a separate entity from the rest of franchise’s storyline.

MMORPG.com:

Tell us about the classes in Scions of Fate that players have available to them. Are these classic martial arts type characters?

Scions of Fate:

There are five classes in Scions of Fate: The Swordsman, Bladesman, Spearman, Archer, and Spellcaster. The swordsman wields two-handed swords and is known for his high HP and offensive capabilities. The Bladesman wields one-handed swords and is known for his fast speed and defensive capabilities. The archer has great offensive capabilities, but is incredibly weak when it comes to defense, so ranged attacks are definitely the way to go. The Spellcaster is a lot like the Archer class in the sense of low defense and ranged attacks, but they have the ability to heal as well.

As far as being martial arts type characters, I think the setup is general enough to say it’s a pretty standard setup. The types cover a normal range of melee, ranged, and healing so I’d say this setup isn’t particular to only martial arts games.

MMORPG.com:

With 99 levels of game play, how does a casual player fit into the game design? Will it take them a long time to reach the end game content?

Scions of Fate:

The greatest appeal of Scions of Fate isn’t really the “how high can you get via grinding”, but rather the joy of community and friends via the levity of the game systems and design. It’s with that in mind that players can casually “pick up” the game and “set it down” for a bit. When it comes to reaching game content…remember that phrase: Life is a journey, not a destination? Scions of Fate is definitely about partying up and enjoying the game whatever level you are. So however long it takes a person to level, whether it be a day or a week, it’s always going to be fun.

MMORPG.com:

What are the differences between Order and Chaos for players? How do players choose which path they would like to follow?

Scions of Fate:

Well, in the game, the primary difference between the Order and Chaos will up to the players (aka Faction War Victories, PvP Rank, etc.), but in essence they have different skills, different villages, different ranking quests, different Items, and much much more. Of course, by virtue they are balanced, but they are quite different in everything else. Think of it like a person. While anatomically, the concepts are the same, but everything (even down to the organs themselves) are individually different.

To choose which patch to follow, our roleplaying players may want to look at the ideologies of the two factions, whereas our non-rp players can look at the look and feel of the items, skills, classes, and balance. The storyline and systems are both in-depth so players should choose wisely and carefully.

Once they make the choice, however, it’s simply a matter of talking to the agents of the Order/Chaos and completing their tasks.

MMORPG.com:

What type of payment system do you use for players? Has this been successful for you in Asia? How do you think players will react to the system when the game is launched in other areas?

Scions of Fate:

Scions of Fate will use the Cash Shop system so players can play the game for free. This payment system has done very well for us in Asia, and we are looking forward to seeing similar results here in the states. This system allows our players to play the game absolutely free, allowing more users to sample our game and see how they like it. It’s good stuff.

MMORPG.com:

How will players be able to use pets in the game? Will there be mounts, sidekicks, fighting pets, or simply a small friend to accompany you on quests?

Scions of Fate:

The answer is simple and complicated at the same time: all of the above. The pet system in Scions of Fate is actually really intricate allowing for players to use pets for everything from riding and traveling to attacking and leveling. You can equip your pets with items and even enchant your pets’ items through the game system.

MMORPG.com:

How has the Beta test been going? What type of response have you gotten from players?

Scions of Fate:

The Beta testing has been going well. There are some kinks to work out, but our players are really positive, and their responses have been pretty exciting. Many players are liking the setup of our faction wars, and the look and feel of characters at the third promotion are creating a buzz among the community.

MMORPG.com:

What are your plans for launch? When can we expect to see Scions of Fate on the store shelves?

Scions of Fate:

We plan on launching the game next month, which we are really excited about. And once it is released, we’ll be putting the full version on sites like http://fate.netgame.com and www.download.com for our players to download. Because the game is free to play there is no purchase price or subscription fee, so it might be a little difficult to find it in stores. But, we will definitely be working to make it as readily available as possible online.

MMORPG.com:

Take us a step further in the Scions of Fate grand scheme. What plans do you have for the game in 2007, 2008?

Scions of Fate:

Besides events, prizes, major updates, and MORE events, (without saying too much), we’re looking to put in new systems like the apprentice system in the coming months. Just to give a sneak peak, the apprentice system will be like none ever seen before with benefits like: Apprenticeship ranking, Exp Bonuses, Weapon Proficiency sharing and more! A really cool option in the Apprentice system allows the master to give their disciples weapons that they couldn’t normally equip. For instance if a disciple is level 27, a master can give his disciple a level 45 weapon to use as long as their Apprenticeship rank is high enough. It’ll be exciting to see what happens once it’s implemented into the game.