At GDC 2009, TenTonHammer had an interview with NCsoft's Brian, who has been with NCsoft since 2003, where he began in QA for NCsoft's flagship franchise, Lineage II. Now as a poducer, Brian is responsible for working closely with the Aion development team in Seoul and publishing teams at NCsoft West to bring Aion to the western market.
Here are some readable Q&A (source: TenTonHammer)
Q: That players will the first playable "vertical slice" of the game this side of the Pacific of the game at GDC is great news. Though the game is slated for a Fall 2009 release as per a recent communication from Liv, would you please give us an update on how the game is shaping up for release in North America and Europe?
A: We've recently opened Aion to all NCsoft West employees and will be allowing limited external access to close family member and distribution partners. We're working on some basic/boring server infrastructure, patching, and auth integration. We're also aggressively working on the localization rewrite, with some very talented writers joining us over the past few weeks. Additionally, we're working on the specifics of all the non-game elements of the product, such as our web presence and customer service and operations tools. We've got a lot of work ahead, but we're in good shape and we're meeting our internal dates.
Q: Aion has been called a "spiritual successor" to the Lineage series, and NCsoft games originally developed for a Korean audience tend to have a strong bias towards gamers who love PvP. We hear a lot about PvPvE, but will there be plenty to do for gamers who prefer cooperative play exclusively at all levels? Is this part of the localization process as well?
A: It's obvious when I play the game that the designers at NCsoft are aware of the evolution of the MMO genre and player expectations. The original Lineage launched in 1998 had very few quests, I think it had one per class in the traditional sense. That's just not where they placed the emphasis on the game, but that's changed in that product over the years. In Aion, it's quickly apparent the designers understand good solid quests, either as quick stand-alone quests or arching, interconnected mission quests that unlock other quests while telling a story and revealing the deeper twists and fiction of the world you're in. At higher levels, there is ample opportunity for player conflict as you compete to control castles and capture points in the Abyss, but there is also raid type bosses available at upper levels as well. This game has balanced player desires for PvE and PvP very well.
Q: We've seen other MMOs "go vertical" in terms of zone layout - the "Recluse's Victory" area in another NCsoft title (City of Heroes / City of Villains) is a great example. Now we see Aion bringing this paradigm shifting feature into a fantasy MMO. How important is flight and flying combat to the Aion experience, and how early in the game will players "earn their wings"?
A: All players are provided an "Ascension" quest at level 10, which is achievable within a day or two for a new user. As the player progresses, flight becomes more useful and, eventually, a requirement in the Abyss levels. Almost immediately, the flight mechanic can become useful in escaping ambushes or retreating from combat. You may also use it for a convenience mode of travel--say, flying over the back wall of a city rather than running half way 'round to the front gate. Or imagine a healer, hovering out of harm's way as a gladiator wages melee combat below under their protection.
Q: Obviously there's a huge community of gamers itching to play Aion. In what ways can players contribute and be a part of the game in the months leading up to the preview event and launch, aside from learning Korean?
A: It's obvious we have a fan base just waiting to play Aion. We're ramping up our community effort and have recently hired Lani "Liv" Blazier in the Community Manager role. We're also in the process of relocating some of our staff from the EU office to the Seattle office for effective NCsoft West support across all our supported territories--so we'll be sharing more information and community initiatives (as well as contests!) to allow players to be involved as we prepare for launch. Now, the real question you're asking is "when can we get our hands on the product in early access? We'll be making announcements on dates when gamers can get in and try the game soon--very soon. In the meantime, be sure to visit www.aiononline.com for the latest news!
Some new concept art:
Click here for full image
Click here for full image
