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Twelve Lords of Aion

Hellrose — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:19:29

A bit of lore to change up the pace. Enjoy.
Note: All names are temporary and are likely to change. At this time I've presumed that all the 'Lords' are male.. because, well, they're supposedly 'lords' and lords are generally male. However many of the images definitely seem to hint that they're female -- I just don't have a way of confirming this because the Korean descriptions are genderless.
EDIT: Empyreal changed to Empyrean. 'Ode' changed to 'aether'. Thanks lyana <3
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Source: Official Korean Aion Site
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The Drakens were Atreia's first beings, but as they grew stronger and prouder they challenged Aion and became a destructive force to Atreia itself. In order to protect the Tower of Eternity, twelve Empyrean Lords were sent as guardians against the Draken warriors who had named themselves the Balaur. After a long war however the Tower was destroyed, and the world of Atreia was split in two.

A brief introduction to the twelve Empyrean Lords:
(Note: These names will also be the names of the Servers for open beta -- in Korea and presumably in the west also)

[Guide] Mage Classes (Sorcerer, Spiritmaster)

Hellrose — Tue, 7 Oct 2008 13:31:25

Guide to Mage Classes

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last updated: Oct. 11th 2008
This is a compilation of info found on various Korean sites as well as forums.
Key skills are based on forum posts of players identifying the most often used skills.
Note: All skill names are temporary, and are likely to change in the official release of the game.
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1. Introduction

Mages are at once powerful and fragile, using crowd control skills or summons to keep enemies at a distance while using ranged magic spells to attack. If a high-risk offensive class that requires a lot of skill juggling sounds fun to you, than this path is your fit.

You will start the game in the Mage class with a spellbook as your weapon. At level 9 you will be given the Daeva quest, during the course of which you will be able to choose between the Sorcerer and the Spiritmaster as your specialization path (this is the same quest that gives you your wings). Upon completing the quest, your level will be set automatically to 10 in your new class.

The Sorcerer specialization follows a traditional mage path, further focusing on high damage magic spells and crowd control abilities such as sleep and shackles.
The Spiritmaster learns the ability to control spirit summons, and is the only pet controlling class in the game.

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2. Mage Base Stats

Strength: 90
Constitution: 90
Agility: 95
Accuracy: 95
Intelligence: 115
Spirit: 115

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3. Gear

Armour
Both mage classes can only wear cloth armor, and that's all they should want to, since cloth armor provides the MP and concentration bonuses essential to both classes.

Weapons
While Sorcerers can only use spellbooks, Spiritmasters will have the option of using orbs which have higher attack stats than spellbooks overall.

(Note: In CBT3, stigma skills allowed players of any class to gain mastery of any weapon or armour, so yes it was possible for a mage to wear heavy armour and swing 2H swords around if they so wished. However this is very likely to change for open beta as the lead dev expressed that there were too many balancing issues with this feature. )

Legend
3 Stars: Primary
2 Stars: Useful in certain situations
1 Star : Almost never used
No Star: Unequippable

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4. Sorcerer

Playstyle
Damage Dealer, Crowd Control
Sorcerers deal high amounts of magic damage, and use numerous shackle and sleep skills that keep their opponents at a distance.
Comparable classes from other games: WoW Mage, L2 Spellsinger/Sorcerer

Popular Builds
Sorcerers are all about the magic damage, so if you've got the ninja skills to keep your fragile self alive, then by all means max it out. Aion's resident 'glass cannon' class is especially weak to physical attacks though, even more so than you may be used to in other MMOs, so you might decide to trade in some of that damage for HP.

1. Max Damage Build
Gear: +Intelligence Cloth Armour (bonus available on certain Abyss armour)
Enhancements: +Magic Spell Damage
Cooking trade skill highly recommended for +Intelligence food

2. Survivability Build
Gear: + HP Cloth Armour (bonus available on certain Abyss armour)
Enhancements: + Max HP, + Max MP
Cooking trade skill highly recommended for +Intelligence food

Key Skills

See Sorcerer skills on the Wiki

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5. Spiritmaster

Playstyle
Damage Dealer
Spiritmasters summon elemental spirits or imbue it within themselves, and is the only summoner class in Aion. They are unique in their role flexibility which can change depending on the spirit they use, but unless in a small casual party Spiritmasters will most likely take a damage dealing role.
Comparable classes from other games: WoW Warlock, L2 Warlock/ES/PS

Popular Builds
Because so much of their abilities come from summons, Spiritmasters are the least gear-influenced class in the game.
With the smallest HP pool in the game however, PvP players will want to get some padding on their health bar to outlast their enemies.

1. Survivability Build
Gear: + HP Cloth Armour (bonus available on certain Abyss armour)
Enhancements: + Max HP
Stigma: Enhanced Health

Summons

1. Fire Elemental

2. Wind Elemental

3. Earth Elemental

4. Water Elemental

Key Skills

See Spiritmaster skills on the Wiki

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6. Current State: CBT3

Current State of Sorcerers

Sorcerer players have always been expressing mixed opinions on the class since the beginning of closed beta. Many players complain of mana downtimes and feel frustrated that their low HP and cloth armour make them easy targets in ganks and mass PvP.

Most will agree, though, that in PvP Sorcerers are second to .. well, second to rangers.. :o
In any case, the sorcerer is a strong PvP class. The combination of sleeps and nukes, or shackles/pushbacks and nukes (depending on your playstyle) mean that as long as you're paying attention and constantly watching your back, you have a very good chance at coming out on top.

Mixed reviews also mean that Sorcerers haven't been on NCsoft's radar as a class to neither nerf nor boost -- which, as Spiritmaster players would tell you (and L2 vets will tell you) is a positive thing.

Current State of Spiritmasters

The story of Spiritmasters is a bitter one, from their CBT2 glory to their CBT3 demise.
It's hard to imagine that in CBT2, Spiritmasters were regarded as the most powerful class in Aion - fast to level, great in PvP. The summons always had terrible AI but their high damage and utility made up for the lacks.
Unfortunately, the nerf hammer came down hard, and in CBT3 they were reduced to becoming the least played class in the game. Worst part was, the summons still had the IQ of 'Starcraft dragoons' (whatever that means.. I'm like the only Korean to have never played SC).

It's hard to say what open beta will look like for Spiritmasters. Although NCsoft's lead developer has said that there will be changes, balancing for summoning classes is notoriously tricky and it's likely that NCsoft will tread carefully as to not repeat their mistake in CBT2. As possibly the most complex class in Aion, however, there will always be players that are up for the challenge that this class presents.

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Sources: Gamemeca, Thisisgame, Gamechosun, Playforum

Post-CBT3 Developer Interview

Hellrose — Sun, 5 Oct 2008 19:52:21

A lengthy interview with Aion lead developer Yong-chan Ji; it summarizes all areas of concern that remain since closed beta phase 3 (CBT3) and gives insight into the direction Aion is headed for open beta (OB).

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Source: Playforum
Writer: Arusin
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It's already been a month (note: this article was posted August 14th) since the 3rd wave of Closed Beta has ended. The Abyss - the key update of CBT3 - was met with mixed reviews. On one hand there was the underlaying concept which felt fresh and exciting; on the other hand were all the issues that come with an untried feature. How is the Aion dev team interpreting all the tester feedback they've received from CBT3, and more importantly, what will they do with it? We had a chance to speak to Yong-chan Ji, the lead developer of Aion, to get a glimpse into Aion's future.

Aion's Lead Developer Yong-chan Ji

Q: Hello.
A: Hello.

Note: Epic intro.

No More Closed Beta Tests

Q: At the last media event we were told that there will be an Open Beta by Q4 this year. Can you share any details on that yet?
A: Details still haven't been decided on, but the plan is still set to start an open beta test between October and December of this year. We will not be holding any more closed beta tests.

CBT3 : A Success

Q: Now that CBT3 has been over for some time, how would you rate CBT3? Did it meet your targets in terms of what you wanted to test?
A: As a beta test it was extremely satisfactory. Many areas of the game that we thought might be problematic, or we weren't sure of, were clarified. It's providing a lot of help and direction in our development.

Changes in the Abyss

Q: The Abyss was the center of attention in CBT3. In the case of Fortresses, the rewards were Legion-centric and many players that weren't a part of large legions felt somewhat left out. What can these players expect for open beta?
A: We're taking much of those concerns into account; changes will be made so that Fortress sieges are more accessible. For one, fortresses will no longer be owned by a single legion, but by multiple legions or groups of players. Our benchmark is to make sure that all players could have a meaningful experience in a Fortress siege, even in a small group with few friends. Secondly, siege objectives will be modified so that it's no longer as simple as taking down the siege boss. We'll be adding a system that gauges various player efforts on the siege, and reward those players appropriately.

Q: Many players found that the 9 Fortresses were all too similar. Can you comment?
A: We're aware of this, in fact, I'd go further and say that I agree. The differentiating elements were there but they were either undiscovered or unused. We are working at exaggerating these elements so that they have more of an effect.

Q: Another disappointing factor was that all the siege bosses were the same. Will this be changed?
A: We will not be changing their appearance, but we will add variances to their behaviour.

Q: Siege weapons seem to be underpowered, especially considering the difficulty in crafting them. Can we expect changes in those as well?
A: We haven't been able to gather proper metrics for siege weapons yet, since they weren't used very often. But we do plan to address some of the issues that were brought up, such as the duration time being too short.

Raising Balaur

Q: The Balaur were met with a lot of criticism. It seems they lack the AI to be a true third faction.
A: We're seeing two sides of the issue with the Balaur. On one hand, players that do not have ownership of a fortress are finding them simple; on the other hand, fortress owners are complaining that they come attacking their fortresses far too often. Some of the Balaur units are strong enough to take on the siege boss 1:1, so that is part of the second complaint. We will find the right middle ground between these two sides and optimize the Balaur as a balancing faction that has enough flexibility to change based on the server's dynamic.

Q: So the fact that the fortresses occupied by the Balaur are easy to take over - this is on purpose?
A: Balaur occupied fortresses will always be easier than player occupied ones, but we are still tuning the difficulty. For example, the current system allows for stronger Balaur units to spawn depending on the server's faction balance - we will be exaggerating this system to strengthen the effect.

Optimization

Q: Are you making progress on dealing with lag issues in mass pvp?
A: This is something we're working on on an ongoing basis. We're also discussing the idea of having a 'mass pvp mode' where we would sacrifice some of the visual elements for smoother gameplay.

Special Stigma Skills

Q: We saw armour and weapon items as well as consumable items as Abyss rewards in CBT3. What else can we expect in open beta?
A: We will be adding stigma items as rewards, which players can use to get new skills. In addition to rewards gained from gathering Abyss points, we'll be adding unique drop-only stigmas. Skills acquired through these stigmas will be especially useful in the Abyss. They won't add massive amounts to your damage or anything like that - but instead they might allow you to put a group of enemies to sleep for 1 minute, for example. These skills will be PvP-focused rather than PvE, so a unique stigma skill will be a highly coveted piece of content for core players.

Class Balancing

Q: What changes do you foresee in terms of class skills?
A: Starting with Templars, we're eliminating the cooldown time on the 'Prey' skill to make it more useful against ranged classes. Gladiators will get additional skills that add to their AoE specialization, such as AoE knock-back skills. Scouts are all about the single target kill, so we'll adjust their skills to further accentuate that specialization. By giving each class more of its own identity, we expect players to enjoy the game in a much more strategic manner. For example, we expect to see Templars pulling in the Gladiators using 'Prey' and Gladiators countering with a knock-back - and this is just within the Warrior classes.

Q: CBT3 saw the rise of a strange hybrid build: polearm-wielding Assassins... and they were unreasonably effective. How is the dev team dealing with this?
A:First of all, we are eliminating all stigma skills that essentially allowed players to wield any weapon they wished. We're switching direction instead to stigmas that heighten the unique qualities of each class. You won't see any polearm Assassins in open beta, at least for a while.

Q: The reason polearm Assassins were so effective was because of knock-back and push-back effects from the polearm, and these effects seemed excessive even on Ranger skills. Will we see a change on these effects?
A: Crowd control effects such as knock-backs and push-backs were proccing far too often, even just from regular hits. This is going to be fixed. We'll reduce the chance percentage of these effects significantly on regular hits, but the chance will be heightened in class skills. Crowd control skills will generally always be a result of explicit control, rather than random chance.

Q: Any more thoughts on class balancing in CBT3, and further balance changes?
A: The two most common reports we received in CBT3 was that the Spiritmasters were too weak and that heal amounts were to small. The healing issue was brought up quite often internally so I played a cleric extensively myself, and I came to agree with the complaints. Some players commented that Priest classes needed stronger offensive abilities, but just from looking at their leveling speeds, we're being careful in balancing them upward in that aspect - in CBT3 Clerics and Chanters leveled faster than any other class. In any case, all these issues are being looked at holistically. Cleric's heal amounts will be increased, and Spiritmasters will be improved. Like I've already mentioned, all changes will occur to reflect the unique qualities of each class.

XP, Drops and Rewards

Q: Hunting in the Abyss areas gave significantly more XP than in other areas, can you explain the reason for this?
A: The Abyss is a much riskier hunting area because of possible PvP attacks, so it makes sense that the rewards are greater. This is a design direction we will continue to take, although we will adjust the balance of risk and reward continuously. For example, our estimates of the difficulty for elite monster areas were off - XP and rewards in these areas will be adjusted upward.

Q: Elite areas were found to be extremely difficult due to linked mobs. Was this intended?
A: Those areas were far more difficult than we had accounted for, and will be adjusted. They will still be party-oriented, but reasonably so.

Q: Aion features prices and taxes that fluctuate with Faction control, but we found that some items differ in price even when the tax and currency rates are the same. What causes this?
A: Prices can differ based on the area. Generally, item prices will be higher in areas where PvP warfare takes place, so it comes down to player choice. Players can choose the convenience of buying close by or they can take the time to travel for lower prices.

Q: Crafting was deemed useless in CBT3 due to drops in the Abyss. Will this change in open beta?
A: Yes, definitely. More crafting-only items will be added, including Drakonic items. The cap on crafting levels will also increase.

Accuracy vs. Critical Rate

Q: Of the player stats, does Accuracy have an effect on the rate of critical damage bursts?
A: No, accuracy has no correlation with critical rates, and only determines how often physical attacks miss or land. The critical rate bonuses indicated on certain Accuracy scrolls are additional bonuses that have no relation to the accuracy bonus itself.

Quest Content

Q: We were told that there will be a new area added for open beta. Can you tell us about the area?
A: Both factions will be able to explore new areas with level 30~50 content. These areas have storylines that integrate to regular areas, as opposed to the Abyss storyline, and feature plenty of hidden content. We're also adding areas with level 20~25 content - and these areas do not spawn dimensional rifts, and therefore will be safe from PvP.

Q: Players have been commenting that there wasn't enough quest content available in CBT3. How much more can we expect for open beta?
A: We still have a large amount of quest content waiting to be implemented, and we're continuously adding to the pile, always with variety in mind. This is more a matter of time than anything.

Racial XP Gap

Q: There was a difference in XP levelling requirements for the two racial factions. Will this change?
A: Yes. The change was there for testing purposes so that we could gauge player patterns for some of the content. We experienced some backlash from it, and since we're done testing what we needed to test, that gap will be removed for open beta.

Aion to Return: Bigger and Better

Q: Thank you for giving us so much of your time. Any last words for the fans?
A: I'd like to thank all the closed beta testers for their feedback. I can personally promise that all the input from the fans are being taken into account. At this point, Aion is already ready to go in terms of quantity of content. We now aim to reach the quality we've been striving for with the help of our testers.

[Rumour] Aion Open Beta: Why it will happen before Nov. 13th

Hellrose — Wed, 1 Oct 2008 13:43:07

I'm translating this by request, but please keep in mind this is one dude's opinion. It is in no way official..
It's still an interesting glimpse at what the Korean market looks like around November though.
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Source: Thisisgame
Writer: GoryuhMoosa
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We can easily predict that NCSoft's next MMORPG Aion will open for public beta testing by November - November 13th at latest.

November 13th is not only the day highschool students finish their university entrance exams, but it's also the first day of Gstar 2008 (largest game convention in Korea). Since it's rumoured that NCSoft is planning a large Gstar event for Aion which is said to include an 'open beta experience', it is most likely that open beta would start by this time.

Also, if NCsoft doesn't begin their OB by the beginning of November, Aion will have to go head to head against WoW's expansion title 'Wrath of the Lich King' which begins service on November 18th.

NCsoft is declining to give us details, saying only that "it is difficult to quote a specific date still. We are carefully considering our options."

Meanwhile, Blizzard Korea will not be participating in Gstar this year, concentrating instead on their homegrown Blizzcon which takes place in Anaheim California on Oct. 10th.

[Guide] Warrior Classes (Gladiator, Templar)

Hellrose — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:02:08

Guide to Warrior Classes

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last updated: Oct. 08th 2008
* Reworded +Dmg Enhancement to + Physical Attack
This is a compilation of info found on various Korean sites as well as forums.
It should provide a good starting point for those of you browsing Aion info for the first time.. and if you're a regular, well, hopefully you'll learn something new too.
Note: All skill names are temporary, and are likely to change in the official release of the game.
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1. Introduction

If you like the taste of melee combat and enjoy being the first to jump into a fray, this is the path for you. Warrior classes are the most resilient in the game, possessing the greatest amount of strength and constitution.

You will start the game as a Warrior and begin your adventures equipped with a 1H sword as your first weapon. At level 9 you will be given the Daeva quest, during the course of which you will be able to choose between the Gladiator and the Templar as your specialization path (this is the same quest that gives you your wings). Upon completing the quest, your level will be set automatically to 10 in your new class.

The Gladiator can wield a wide range of weapons, but mainly uses 2-handed weapons to deliver AoE melee attacks.
The Templar is the primary tanking class of Aion, and should never be without a shield.

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2. Warrior Base Stats

Strength: 110
Constitution: 110
Agility: 100
Accuracy: 100
Intelligence: 90
Spirit: 90

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3. Gear

Armour
Warriors equip chainmail armour before specialization, after which they switch to plate armour.
Shields in Aion do not add to defense stats, but are used instead for shield blocks (% based) and shield skills.

Weapons
Currently the most popular weapon for Gladiators is the polearm. Templars stick to the usual tanking combo of sword and shield.

Legend
3 Stars: Primary
2 Stars: Useful in certain situations
1 Star : Almost never used
No Star: Unequippable

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4. Gladiator

Playstyle
Damage Dealer, Off-tank
Gladiators will see their role shift to output more damage, but with the option of moonlighting as off-tankers or substitute tanks.
Comparable classes from other games: WoW Arms Warrior, L2 Warlord/Destroyer

Popular Builds
Although most players will want to focus on enhancing the Glad's damage dealing ability, more experimental players may want to take advantage of the Gladiator's large range of wield-able weapons and try hybrid builds.

1. Damage Dealing Build
Gear: Polearm/2H Sword
Enhancements: + Physical Attack, + Crit Rate

2. Tanking Build
Gear: 1H Sword/Mace + Shield
Enhancements: + HP, + Shield Rate

3. Dual Weapon Build
Gear: 2 x 1H Sword/Mace
Enhancements: + Physical Attack, + Crit Rate
Stigma Skill: Dual Weapon Mastery

Key Skills

See Gladiator skills on the Wiki

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5. Templar

Playstyle
Tank
Templars are the ultimate tanks of Aion, using the shield for both defense and offense while protecting its party members.
Comparable classes from other games: WoW Prot Warrior, L2 TK/SK
View Templar Gameplay Video

Popular Builds
Templar players will want to keep their shields close for shield stun skills and blocks, though PvP players may want to have a 2H in their inventory for initial gank attacks.

1. Tanking Build
Gear: 1H Sword/Mace + Shield
Enhancements: + Shield Rate, + HP

2. PvP Build
Gear: Swap between 1H Sword/Mace + Shield and a 2H Weapon
Enhancements: + Physical Attack, + Crit Rate
Stigma Skill: Prey

3. Offensive PvE Shield Build
Gear: 1H Sword/Mace + Shield
Enhancements: + Physical Attack, + Crit Rate
Stigma Skill: Increased Critical Rate

4. Offensive PvE 2H Build
Gear: Polearm/2H Sword
Enhancements: All + Crit Rate
Stigma Skill: Increased Critical Rate

Key Skills

See Templar skills on the Wiki

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6. Current State of Warriors - CBT3

As you might be able to tell from the user ratings, Warriors took a hard hit in popularity in CBT3 with the introduction of the Abyss RvR area. Melee classes were found to be at a disadvantage in PvP (which makes perfect sense when players have the option to fly off) and the few stigma skills that were added to neutralize this (Templar's Prey skill, for example) came with long cooldown times. The slow attack speed both Warrior classes suffer from didn't help either, and at the moment Warrior class forums on Korean sites are flooded with complaints.

Class balancing is on the way for open beta however. In a post-CBT3 dev interview, Ji mentioned some of the Warrior changes to come, a positive sign that NCSoft is actively addressing widespread player concerns. For the Templar, the cooldown on the 'Prey' stigma skill may be removed entirely, while Gladiators will see more knock-back AoE attacks in their arsenal.

PvP balance challenges aside, Warriors remain a staple choice for PvE as the only tanking branch of Aion, and should be the unquestionable first choice for players that enjoy protective roles in parties.

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Sources: Gamemeca, Thisisgame, Gamechosun, Playforum

The Best and Worst of CBT3

Hellrose — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 18:02:45

This is my fav of the CBT3 review articles so hope you guys enjoy it too.
Please keep in mind that most names (of skills, items etc.) are inaccurate, since atm all I can do is take a best guess at how NCsoft will anglicize them.

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Source: Playforum
Writer: Arusin
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This is a summary of the best and worst moments from my 20 days of Closed Beta testing. I wanted to keep it lively and somewhat objective - so I took into account various opinions I'd come across on forums... though I couldn't help but be subjective at parts. ^^

Best List

Best 1. The graphics... not bad, not bad at all.

Aion's always enjoyed hype over its eye-catching graphics since the game was first announced. What's different in CBT3 is that character customization was much improved - it finally felt like my character had an identity! Many complain simply that all the characters are too... well... too pretty, so as long as you don't have problems with having a 'pretty' character you're in good hands. If NCsoft could diversify the models to include, say, a stocky wrestler type, or a creepy old man, that would be the icing on the cake.

I would say the environment art was also well done. Lots of detail, especially in the cities; beautiful forests and lakes.. it all helps you sink comfortably into the game.

Best 2. Easy breezy interface

Aion's interface is polished, and gives you plenty of freedom in the placement of different windows. The chat window is especially flexible as you can configure it to display exactly the information you want. Quest descriptions were accessible, and the flagging feature on the map is a nice touch. The skill descriptions were puzzling at times, but other than that, the interface is more than adequate.

Best 3. Combo system - FTW

A unique feature in Aion's combat is the combo system. Each class has their own set of combos to play with and overall it's a system that adds a lot of fun to what could easily become a chore. The feature is easy to learn as well, which is a big part of what makes it fun in the first place. Combo activation is chance-based (% depends on the skill) so if you really wanted to, you could spam a single skill until a combo opportunity opens up. As an added element of strategy, some combos are branched so that players will have to make split second decisions during a fight to get the right results.

Best 4. Ready, set, PvP!

PvP has definitely improved since the last CBT, although mass PvP always has a way of coming down to class balancing so some classes may feel better about it than others. But generally I think we can agree that the gap between melee and ranged classes has been dealt with to some extent (although the gap is still there) and damage amounts in PvP have been brought down so players can at least have a chance to react before a fight ends.

Of course there are still those times when you quietly burn in rage as you watch your opponent fly off to safety, and get frustrated from ridiculous knock-back effects certain pole and bow skills have, but the game seems to be headed in the right balancing direction and there's no doubt that more improvements are in the works.

Personally I'd like to see Aion develop more arena-based PvP activities as well, and in addition to the existing arena... perhaps an aerial arena without flight limitations? It's a thought!

Best 5. Flight of the Chicken

Flight is another key feature of Aion that's been enticing us since the beginning. Not just flight, but aerial combat. With the addition of the Abyss in CBT3, we finally had a chance to see aerial combat in its full glory - and yes, we did experience much of that glee we expected in high-speed flight chases.

Aerial combat is an area that still needs a lot of work though. Some of the skills are limited to ground combat, and there are other such restrictions that aren't properly communicated so the flow between air and ground feels clunky and confusing. But separation between two travel modes being inevitable, perhaps aerial-only skills should be added so that we at least don't feel less powerful in flight. In anycase, these are small complaints when put in perspective of how unique the feature is in general.

A 'glide' mode has been added to flight in CBT3, and most players are responding positively to it. It's hard to explain, but the mode just feels.. right, so I found myself using it often, even when I didn't necessarily need it.

As an Asmodian, I always got a kick out of Asmodian players calling the Elysea 'Flying Chickens'. In CBT3 though, the Asmodians got new wings that look like black variations on Elyos' wings... and thus 'Burnt Chickens' were born.

Best 6. Spawn Markers ('Kisks')

CBT3 saw the birth of a new consumable item - 'kisk's. Kisks let you mark a temporary resurrection point so it's an important item to keep with you for missions, PvP, you name it. The system is not without its problems but NCsoft's already mentioned that they're working on improvements.
(Please fix the bug that lets me place kisks in out-of-reach places..)

Best 7. Stigma - because variety is the spice of e-life

The stigma system is a great feature that adds that lil' somethin to your character. The system still needs balancing but it's a great start that allows players to further differentiate their play styles.

Best 8. Parody quests

Some of Aion's quests will have players scratching their heads going "where have I seen this before...". OK, maybe they won't quite scratch their heads, because some of the references are plain obvious - like the Lord of the Ring references, or Gyunu and Jiknyuh (Korean version of Romeo/Juliet) messenger quests. These quests add a quirky tongue-in-cheek humour to the game that might just make you smile.

Best 9. Weapon Enhancements

Aion gives us not one, not two, but THREE ways of adding to our weapons. Three different kinds of stones add either an effect to the weapon or modify its stats. The success of these enhancements are based on chance, so you might shed a tear once in a while (in my case, often) but the success rate isn't ridiculously low and the penalty for failing isn't enough to make you tear your hair out. Basically, the system was one that I enjoyed rather than dreaded.

Worst List

Worst 1. Lag

An issue every MMO faces is the problem of lag, but the problem is amplified when the game revolves around mass PvP. Again in this CBT, many wars broke out in the Abyss, and every time I scrambled to bring down my graphics settings. My poor computer barely kept up.

NCSoft maintains that this is an optimization issue that is being improved continuously so I hope for the best in Open Beta.

Worst 2. The Balaur

The Balaur NPC race launched with hype and soon fizzled. The AI of these guys borders on embarrassing and as it stands, neither player factions are able to take them too seriously. At least NCSoft is now aware of the challenges they face with PvPvE. We can only hope that they find a working solution by open beta.

Worst 3. Abyss environment art

Although I still think Aion's graphics are superb overall, the newly revealed abyss left much to be desired. I understand from the narrative that it is meant to be a bit of a void.. but honestly, voids are no fun. It won't make or break the game, but it did definitely break my experience.

Worst 4. Mob difficulty... here comes the train!

Mob AI and spawn rates still need a lot of tweaking. Especially problematic are ones with linked aggro. As an example, I've had times where an attack on a single mob aggroed all the mobs I saw on screen at once. Even with a full party these kind of situations were impossible to deal with. This is a tweaking issue however, and I'm sure changes will be made.

Worst 5. Different XP pools - why?

Elysea had bigger XP requirements compared to Asmodians for no known reason, attracting complaints from some players. Either the requirements should be the same for both factions, or there should be a systematic/story reason for the differentiation.

Worst 6. Crafting - a lost art

Aion has a typical crafting system that involves choosing a crafting path and gathering material for items, but CBT3 all but eliminated any need for training crafting skills. The reason is obvious - with the addition of the Abyss and Abyss items, it became much faster, easier and entertaining to acquire abyss items rather than tediously gather and create a crafted one.

Crafting skills that are oriented towards consumable items and accessories - such as alchemy and cooking - are still popular, but ones that build armor and weapons have been rendered useless. In the future however, NCsoft will be introducing more crafted items (Drakonic items) so we'll see how that shifts the crafting system.

Worst 7. Quests - just can't get enough

Lower levels are a breeze in Aion, and following quests are enough to have your levels (and time) fly by. Higher level quest content is still sparse though, and as we leveled we found less and less to do to gain XP, resorting to farming mobs and repeatable quests (a.k.a. the old fashioned way).

Having the option of farming as opposed to questing is good. Having to farm because of lack of quests is not so good.
Lets hope that open beta comes with a lot more higher level content.

Worst 8. Spawn more rifts!

Even with the Abyss around, players still fought in wars that broke out around 'Morheim' and 'Eltenen' areas. Problem is, rifts to get to these areas were far too hard to track down. Plus there was also a balance issue of Elysea having easier access to wormholes (through quests etc.) wheras Asmodians were often left to their own devices. Level requirements placed on wormholes were also unintuitive. Since a lot of the quests require players to traverse through rifts, and since the wars that occur through them are fun to begin with, allowing easier access to rifts seems like a pretty good idea.

Worst 9. Minimap

Aion's minimap is, in a word, useless. The 'map' aspect of the minimap is so indiscernable that it really doesn't give me enough information to be of much help. A crisp, more detailed map is needed, and if we could adjust the size and direction of the compass, that would be great too.

-----------------------------------------

Thank you Arusin for a great summary.
Note to those of you porting translations over to other sites: please add a link to the original post, as I often go back and correct mistakes whenever I find them. Thanks.

Aionsource meets Playforum

Hellrose — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 06:14:15

(Yay, first translation... on Aionsource anyway!)

So, as most of us know, Mark had a chance to chat with some peeps at Playforum.net (a Korean game news site). It seems they were just as excited as he was over the bridging of East and West. Here's the gist of what went down -- from their perspective.

Warning: This post is heavy on recursive cross-referencing, also known as referring to self in the third person.

-------------------------------
Source: Playforum
Reporter: Hah Young Lee (Josh)
-------------------------------

It should first be noted that AION hasn't quite been revealed in North America or Europe. The promotional websites are up, but the community there have yet to experience the closed beta craze. Even NCSoft Europe could tell us only that they are targeting an early 2009 closed beta for that region.

A screenshot of www.aionsource.com, the largest AION fansite in North America

Yet still, serveral fansites have sprung up over the game and are enjoying healthy numbers of visitors. Of these sites, Aionsource.com is by far the largest, and at the Leipzig Game Convention I had the chance to speak to Mark who acts as the administrator of the project. He'd flown all the way from Florida USA to get a glimpse of AION.

Mark Wilhelm (www.aionsource.com's administrator and webmaster)

Playforum: Your website is based out of USA. What motivated you to travel all the way over to Germany?

Mark: I'm sure I will get a good chunk of information at next week's PAX, but I doubt the content would be as diverse as what I can experience here. At the moment this is the biggest gaming event as far as AION is concerned so I didn't want to miss the chance to be a part of it. AION has proven to feature the same great quality graphics that we've come to expect from Asian MMO games, but also promises the action and the systems that are needed to make up a great game. Many online gamers including myself are excited over the title.

Playforum: AION hasn't opened for beta yet in North America or Europe. How are you able to collect the information you need for the fansite?

Mark: I try to find a way to participate in the Korean beta. I can swap out some of the files to display the interface etc. in English. I can't translate the quests though, so it's not optimal. We get the rest of the information from Korean game sites. There are programs that translate the articles to a certain extent, so although it's not perfect we can get quite a bit. Playforum is one of the main sites that provide us with information. We're constantly surprised at the amount of information Korean sites are able to pump out.

Playforum: What is your impression of AION so far?

Mark: I believe it will be a game that strikes a balance between PvP and PvE. THe PvE content seems to follow WoW's questing style, but with a deeper narrative. The PvP system remind me of Dark Age of Camelot, like the two systems are brothers. I'm personally looking forward to the latter aspect of the game.

Playforum: I'm told that Aionsource is the largest AION fansite in the west. What is your greatest focus in regards to running the site?

Mark: A lot of players in the west have been burnt by past NCSoft games, and presume AION to be a hardcore grinding game like Lineage2. This is something that we're actively trying to change through our site.

Playforum: Do you have a word for the Korean fansites out there?

Mark: I'm very much impressed with the information we find on Korean fansites. I'd love to try for a joint project with them at some point in the future.

Mark writing that I might write an article on him on Playforum... that article which is now wrote.

-------------------------------

Now some words of thanks to Playforum's writer, presuming he visits back:
이하영님 기사 감사드립니다.. 제가 영문으로 님 이름 바꿔 올렸는데요, spelling틀렸으믄 말씀해 주셔요.
참고로 저는 앞으로 이 사이트의 한국정보 번역을 맡기로한 헬로즈입니다. 마니 부탁 드립니다~ *꾸벅*

Seven Themes of the Abyss

tylendel — Thu, 7 Aug 2008 13:13:56

Seven Themes of the Abyss

Translated from: Chinese Site
Original Korean Source: Official Aion Site

Feel free to download the video clips after each section on the Chinese site. They do give you a good insight as to the various Abyss themes. The themes can also be viewed in the CBT3 Video Thread, link here. The videos are the last seven of the first post, the bottom-most one corresponds to the first theme. My apologies for the lack of pictures.

Fortress Battles

There are nine Fortresses in Atreia.

The Fortresses are located near important, strategic areas and the significance of Fortresses located closer to the centre of the Abyss is higher. The aim of players is to conquer these Fortresses enthusiastically and the means of conquering Fortresses differs significantly from sealing off the Fortress via a seal stone as in previous NCSoft games. In Aion, the means of conquering a Fortress is to defeat the Fortress Guardian located deep within each Fortress and the numerous rewards obtained on securing a Fortress will be the primary motivation for doing so.

Fortress Protective Shield

This shield was mentioned in an earlier article. Fortresses are protected by sturdy walls but they are open air, with one able to view the inner areas of the Fortress from the air. It should be noted that there is unlimited flying in the Abyss, hence each Fortress has a Protective Shield that prevents aerial assault.

However, the protective shield runs on a power source within the Fortress, thus on breaching the Fortress walls, if one is able to destroy the power source (an energy stone), one can remove the shield and allow multi-directional attack of and entry to the Fortress, unrestricted by the placements of the walls.

Fortress Defence & Fortress Gate Stone of Protection

The initial defence of the Fortress revolves around its gates. There is a Stone of Protection within the inner hall of the Fortress that the defending side can continuously repair to increase the defence of the gate, causing more difficulty for the attackers.

However, anything has its own weakness and the gate's weakness was a surprise in CBT3, siege weapons. It can be seen from the video clip that the siege weapon looks like an evolved form of the Spiritmaster's Fire Elemental. (Exact details have yet to be released) These siege weapons are a essential key to winning a Fortress battle.

Fortress Guardian

The Fortress Guardian is the last defence core of the Fortress and differs by race. Once the Fortress Guardian has been defeated, it indicates successful conquering of the Fortress. Once the attackers have brought down the defending Guardian, the Guardian will be regenerated as one of the attackers' race, and will continue to defend the conquered Fortress.

Ancient Weapons

There are many ancient devices left behind in the Fortress and these will be guarded by several powerful Guardians initially. On defeating these Guardians, one will be able to possess these weapons and they can be used during the course of battle. These ancient weapons possess powerful attacks or supporting buffs or can impede enemy movement to a large extent, allowing for an immediate advantage in the battlefield.

Rebirth Point

This is an automatic rebirth point that can be used freely within the Abyss, though there is a time limit. Hence on selecting an appropriate location for one's base and delegating the necessary protection, this will be a very useful tactic during any battle.

Balaur Mothership

Aside from the battle between the Elyos and the Asmodians, the greatest threat in the Abyss is the Balaur, with the Balaur Mothership that can carry and release Balaur being the most threatening. During normal circumstances, the Balaur Mothership will be drifting in the Abyss and players can attack the Mothership in the air. The Mothership also possesses powerful fire cannons that are able to deal fatal damage to any players that approach it.

CBT 3 Recap

jameinkaiser — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:53:58

source:http://www.thisisgame.com/board/view...1&subcategory=

2008.07.20 22:30 아이온 시즌3 테스트 종료! 결과는?
The conclusion of CBT 3. And the verdict?
한낮

7월20일 오후 11시. 3주에 걸쳐 진행됐던 <아이온>의 시즌3 클로즈 베타테스트가 종료됐다. 최대 레벨 40까지 플레이 할 수 있었던 이번 테스트에서는 핵심 컨텐츠인 어비스가 첫 선을 보였으며, PvP 전투공식과 직업별 스킬 밸런스 조절 등이 이뤄졌다.

At 11:00, on 20 July 2008, the three-week long beta phase had come to a close. Players were able to enjoy the new level cap of 40, and the game's central content, the Abyss, was showcased. Various skill balances and PvP combat-related factors were tweaked.

테스트가 막 종료된 지금, 시즌3 테스트 중 벌어졌던 이야기들을 간략하게 추려봤다. 보다 자세한 소식들은 이후 업데이트될 시즌3 체험기를 통해 이야기할 예정이다. /디스이즈게임 한낮

I have briefly summed up a recap of CBT 3. Details will be discussed in a more in-depth review later.

The Face of Abyss

이번 테스트에서 가장 많은 관심을 끌었던 것은 <아이온>의 핵심 컨텐츠 ‘어비스’의 등장이었다. 어비스는 상부, 심층부, 하부의 입체적인 모습으로 구성된 일종의 ‘전장’으로 9개의 요새를 사이에 두고 천족과 마족 간의 전쟁이 끊임없이 벌어지는 장소다.

The most notable feature of CBT 3 was the game's central content, the Abyss. The Abyss consists of three layers; top, center, and bottom. They are divided into nine 'battle zones,' where each faction can fight for control.

시즌3 테스트와 함께 등장한 어비스는 테스트 기간 내내 전쟁이 끊이지 않을 정도로 큰 인기를 끌었다. 다만 요새전의 방식이 지나치게 단순하고 반복적이다 보니 대부분의 유저들이 지루함을 느꼈고, 테스트 후반에는 일반 유저의 참여가 급격히 줄어드는 등 많은 문제점들이 발견되기도 했다.

The Abyss was hugely popular, to the point that ceasefire was something rare to be seen. The Fortress Sieges were quite simplified and repetitive, however, which left many players feeling bored, and the number of players participating dropped dramatically towards the later half of the test.

Completely Revamped Combat and Skills

PvP와 PvE의 전투공식이 달라지면서 소위 말하는 유저 간의 ‘한방 싸움’이 사라졌다. 더불어 직업별로 특성에 맞는 스킬이 대거 추가, 또는 변경됐기 때문에 ‘보다 긴 시간 동안 생각하며 싸우는 전투’가 가능해졌다. ‘창살성’이나 ‘무한 물약 사용’처럼 수정해야 할 문제점도 다수 남아 있었지만, PvP만큼은 지난 시즌에 비해서 나아졌다는 평이 많았다.

As the combat in PvP and PvE evolved from its previous state, the notorious 'one-hit-kill' disappeared. A myriad of skills were added to various classes in addition to tweaks to existing skills, which allowed players to participate in more prolonged battles that allowed time for thinking and planning strategy. There were some flaws such as 'infinite potion usage' and 'pole assassin,' but many agreed that PvP improved significantly compared to the last test.

Content, Still Insufficient

모르헤임과 엘테넨 지역의 컨텐츠도 보강됐다. 지역별로 몇몇 퀘스트가 생겼고 보상도 다소 변경됐다. 하지만 여전히 부실한 보상과 지나치게 높은 난이도 등으로 인해 퀘스트가 제 구실을 하지 못하고 있었다. 다음 테스트에서는 단순히 퀘스트의 양만 늘리기보다 적절한 보상에도 신경을 써줬으면 하는 바람이다.

Morheim and Eltnen were supplemented with more content. A few quests were added to each zone, and rewards have seen changes as well. Still, the high difficulty and rather meagre quest rewards still made the quests somewhat obsolete. On the next phase of beta, it would be desirable if the devs concentrate more on the quality of the quests rather than inflating their numbers.

Manastones nerfed, economy in recession?

지난 시즌에서 ‘너무 많이 나와서 고민이었던’ 마석의 드랍률이 눈에 띌 정도로 낮아졌다. 게다가 새로 등장한 마석의 효과까지 절반으로 줄어든 탓에 유저들이 지난 시즌에 모아뒀던 ‘구형 마석’을 구입하기 위해 혈안이 되는 기현상도 벌어졌다.

The drop rate of manastones, which was too high back in CBT 2, dropped significantly to the point of becoming rare. The newly introduced manastones were nerfed in ability, which created a strange phenomenon, leaving players to search for the old manastones from the earlier beta.

아이템의 상점매각 가격이 대폭 줄어들고 어비스 내에서 사용되는 워프 비용이 추가되면서 허리띠를 바짝 졸라매지 않으면 스킬 값을 벌기도 어려운 일종의 ‘스태그플레이션’ 상황이 찾아왔다. 반면 요새를 점령한 레기온은 며칠 사이에 수 억 키나를 벌어들이는 등 부익부 빈익빈 현상도 벌어졌다.

The price of vendor items dropped dramatically, and fees were added for using warps in the Abyss, which created a strange type of 'stagflation'where a player would have to work his/her butt off to make the ends meet (in this context, make enough $$ to buy spellbooks). On the other hand, those in control of fortresses were making hundreds of millions of Qina in a matter of few days.

The Conclusion of the Test. What's next? CBT 4 or Open Beta?

시즌3 테스트가 끝나면서 시즌4 테스트가 이어질지, 아니면 오픈 베타테스트가 시작될지 역시 관심사로 남았다.

As the third phase of closed beta came to a close, what left many wondering was the question: "What's next?" Whether the next course of action would be to move on to an open beta or another closed beta, was a matter of great interest.

우선 이번 테스트에서 원활한 요새전을 위해 유저들의 레벨을 37~40으로 조정해주고 1인당 수 백만 키나를 제공해주었기 때문에 더 이상 정상적인 테스트 진행은 불가능할 것이라는 의견이 지배적이다. 이미 최종 컨텐츠까지 테스트를 했기 때문에 굳이 시즌4 테스트를 진행할 이유가 없다는 의견도 있다.

In order to facilitate Abyss combat, players' levels were adjusted to 37 - 40 and millions of Qina were granted to each player. This makes the continuation of 'normal' tests unlikely, and many agree that there is no need for CBT 4 as the game's central content had debuted with CBT 3.

이와 반대로 레벨 40까지의 컨텐츠만 테스트 했고, 아직 미공개 지역도 있는 만큼 시즌4 테스트가 이어질 것이라는 예상도 있다. 어느 쪽으로 결정이 되더라도 시즌3에서 드러난 문제들은 확실히 해소한 상태로 돌아오기를 바란다. 특히 핵심이자 궁극의 컨텐츠가 될 어비스가 보다 강력해지기를 기대한다. :)

There are also those who argue that only content up to level 40 were revealed, and many unreleased zones which make some to speculate for an upcoming CBT 4. Whatever the case may happen to be, I anticipate that problems clearly shown in CBT 3 are addressed and the game's central content, the Abyss, comes back better than ever.

Just another Abyss Interview

jameinkaiser — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:19:14

source desu

[인터뷰] 어비스 전용아이템? 어비스 9개추가!

What are the changes made in CBT3?

Q. Focus of CBT3?

- The Abyss, class balances and feedback.

Q. Can we expect changes made to the quests or additional quests added?

- 퀘스트 몹에 대해서는 리젠주기가 빨라진다. 또한 퀘스트의 난이도와 보상이 틀려졌으며 유저 편의를 위해 퀘스트 아이템이 파티를 해도 한개씩 들어오던 것이 한번에 들어오게 변경 되었다.

- The quest monsters' respawn rates have been sped up. The difficulty and rewards have been tweaked a bit, and for players' convenience, quest items that were looted one at a time even while being in a party can now be looted by the entire party (Translator's Note: The wording on this isn't very clear, so don't take my word for it)

Q. Any changes made to the crafting system?

- The crafting time's been shortened for convenience.

▲No longer need to wait in boredom!

Q. Any changes in Rifts?

- Rifts have seen a significant amount of change. The occurrence isn't as frequent, and the locations are now fixed. There is also a population limit, and the limit will vary depending on its distance from towns.

Q. Aether in towns were difficult to gather due to their low frequency

- There will be plenty of Aether to be found in the Abyss.

Q. How does one obtain a Stigma shard?

- From killing an NPC in the opposing faction's territory or from a monster in the Abyss

Q. Any changes in skills?

- All character classes have seen a skill change, and therefore will be reset in CBT 3.

Regarding the Abyss

Q. What are the prerequisites in order to enter the Abyss?

- The minimum level requirement is 25 and the entrance quest must be completed. The quest consists of a series of dynamic quests.

Q. How much of the Abyss will be revealed in the upcoming CBT?

- This CBT will feature a 3-tier Abyss, and about nine are in the works at the moment.

Q. Are there differences between the tiers/layers/floors (pick a term)?

- Each tier offers a different gameplay and we believe the center tier will provide the fiercest battlefield. The bottommost tier will be kind of an 'entry level' battlefield.

Q. What are the differences between the Abyss and normal zones?

- Abyss monsters will yield comparatively higher experience points and higher frequency of desired items. Abyss-exclusive items may also be purchased by using Abyss points.

Q. What are the differences between Abyss items and standard items?

-They're similar, but will vary in customisability.

Q. Does the Abyss offer Missions and Quests as well?

- Yes. But they will differ from standard missions and quests in that they will be more PvP oriented to better suit the atmosphere of the Abyss.

Q. Seeing how the entry level is so low (25), it won't be hard to see higher level characters picking on low levels. Any solutions prepared for this?

- We will be coordinating inter-level relations by utilising a merits system; a high level character killing a low level character will yield nothing, but being killed by one will result in a big loss.

Q. Can one obtain items from killing a member of the opposing faction in the Abyss?

- No, only Abyss points. No item penalties are involved.

Q. Elaborate on 'scouting' and 'reconnaissance' in the Abyss.

- Since playing in the Abyss is like playing in an isolated zone, much intelligence will be needed aside from the combat itself.

Q. How do fortress battles work in the Abyss?

- The Guardian Boss must be defeated. Once done so, a message will be broadcast through the server.

▲ Fortress Guardian Boss

Q. What are the incentives?

- The benefits of capturing a fortress will be given to the force involved, and will consist of Abyss points and economy-related benefits. The rewards will vary depending on the level, and the disadvantage of losing a fortress will be the rise of prices of commodities that were once available. But the rise will not be so difficult that players may not be able to handle it. Also, it would be bothersome for players hunting in the Abyss, since they will no longer have a close town to harbor in.

Q. Are fortress battles open 24/7?

- The spawn hours of the Guardian Bosses are different, so it won't always be available. They'll be spawning more in the evenings and especially on the weekends.

Cyan captions (from left to right): Elyos Artifact Guardian / Elyos Artifact - Breath of the Heavens

▲ Moments before the activation of the Artifact, which will determine the outcome of the battle

Q. What about the Draconic carriers?

- Draconic Carriers will also be seen, and will drop monsters and raid bosses. They can be taken down with about 40 people.

Q. Abyss is supposed to feature aerial combat, but the flight time is much too short.

- Abyss will feature an additional mode of flight in addition to the existing mode of flight, which can double the flight duration if used correctly. As for long-distance flight, a new system called 'Descent' will be implemented.

Q. Melee characters will be at a great disadvantage in aerial combat. Any solutions?

- We don't have any data on this yet; we'll do what we can after receiving feedback from CBT3.

Class balances...

Q. Any changes to character classes?

- Yes, they are as following:

Templar - Enhanced tanking capabilities and taunt
Melee characters- Skills such as improved short-distance travel (Translator's note: not sure what this is)

Assassins-Faster movement, a backstab skill
Rangers-The controversial exploit shots from the last CBT were fixed; players will no longer be able to use skills while morphed. Traps will also be improved.

Sorcerers- 데미지약화 대신 엠탐이 거의 없어 쾌적한 플레이를 할 수 있을 것이다. -> noo idea...
Spiritmasters- The spirits will be more spell-based and the pets will have to be used more strategically. Previously powerful skills have been tweaked in values.

Cleric-Enhanced damage output, better solo capability
Chanters-Enhanced enchant skills, close to no mana consumption. Effective radius of enchant skills improved. Improved damage output.

Q. New stigmas?

- The stigmas to be shown in the upcoming CBT will be more class-based, and will allow players to build a more unique character.

Q. Will this CBT be the last?

- If we feel that more is necessary, we will have more.

Q. What are the plans after testing the Abyss?

- Completion work.

Q. What do you think is behind Aion's hype?

- Probably because we tried to appeal to the fundamental elements. The market's been dominated by a specific genre of games as of late, so we think the desire for a new game may have something to do with it.

Getting to know the Abyss

jameinkaiser — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:08:54

Source desu

Getting to know the Abyss!
한낮
디스이즈게임에서는 엔씨소프트의 지용찬 개발팀장과의 인터뷰에서 촬영한 아이온의 어비스 스크린샷 3장을 공개한다. 공개된 스크린샷에는 어비스의 전체지도와 워프경로, 요새를 지키는 신장과 달라진 마족의 날개 모습 등이 담겨있다. 더불어 지용찬 개발팀장을 통해 확인한 어비스의 자세한 내용도 함께 공개한다. /디스이즈게임 한낮
ThisIsGame is proud to host three new screenshots taken from an interview with Aion's lead developer, Ji Yongchan. The new screenshots show an overview map of the Abyss, the warp routes, Fortress Guardians as well as new Asmodian wings. Additional details regarding the Abyss that have been confirmed with the Dev are also included.

The Abyss starts at the bottom floor

전쟁은 어비스의 하층부터 시작된다. 개발팀에 따르면 천족은 하층의 테마논 거점을 통해, 마족은 역시 하층의 프리뭄 거점을 통해 어비스에 처음 진입하는 것으로 확인됐다.
The battles begin at the bottommost floor. According to the Devs, Elyos will engage via Themanon Point, and the Asmodians through Primum Point.

양 종족의 거점은 일반적인 요새와 달리 공략이 불가능하며 이곳에서 기본적인 어비스 내의 워프나 상점이용, 어비스 아이템의 구입 등을 할 수 있다. 상대종족의 유저를 잡는 어비스 퀘스트 역시 이곳에서 처음으로 받게 된다.
These two points differ from standard fortresses in that they cannot be taken over. Players will be able to access basic Warp functions within the Abyss as well as shops that allow players to purchase Abyss items. The very first quest that instructs players to kill a member of the opposing faction also begins here.

하층의 경우 몬스터의 레벨도 비교적 낮은 편이기 때문에 어비스에 진입한 초반부터 본격적인 전투가 벌어질 듯하다. 참고로 레벨 분포는 하층 < 상층 < 중심부의 순이었다.
The monsters at the bottommost floor are also comparatively low in level. The level distribution goes in the following order: Bottom < Top < Center

Open Areas without Territorial Boundaries

어비스의 상/하층 간 이동은 각 대륙 양쪽에 있는 ‘라테스란의 서쪽 줄기’와 ‘라테스란의 동쪽 줄기’를 통해 가능했다. 각 줄기에 있는 NPC에게 일정량의 키나를 지불하면 바로 상/하층으로 보내주는 방식이다. 다만, 줄기도 점령한 종족만이 사용하는 지, 아니면 양 종족 모두에게 항상 개방돼 있는 지에 대해서는 명확한 대답을 얻을 수 없었다.
Traveling between the top and bottom floors was possible by using the stalks located at the eastern and western ends of each continent. ("Eastern/Western Latesran Stalk") Paying the NPC located at the stalks sent the players to the desired floor. Details were not disclosed on whether the access to the stalks was only granted to members of the faction that owned the stalks or not.

한 가지 재미난 점은 어비스 전체가 오픈형필드로 이뤄져 있기 때문에 비행시간만 확보된다면 줄기를 사용하지 않고도 상/하층을 이동할 수 있다는 것이다
An interesting thing to take note of is that the Abyss is one big open area, which means if the flight time could be extended, traveling between floors could be done simply by flying.

실제로 중심부에는 별다른 워프 장소가 마련돼 있지 않았는데, 이는 중심부의 경우 시즌 3에서 도입되는 활강(날개를 펼치고 행글라이더처럼 서서히 내려가는 시스템. 비행이 불가능한 장소에서도 사용할 수 있다)을 통해 서서히 내려가야 하는 방식이기 때문이라고.
The Center layer doesn't really have a specific Warp location set up, and we were told that this was because of a new system being implemented in CBT 3, the Flight Descent, which allows players to slowly descend by spreading their wings apart even in zones that are not flight enabled. (therefore landing without dying)

그러나 어비스의 각 대륙 간 거리가 생각보다 매우 멀었고, 비행시간은 여전히 1분으로 고정돼 있는 탓에 일반적인 비행으로는 대륙 간의 이동이 쉽지 않다고 한다. 역시나 새로 도입된 활강시스템이 관건이 될 듯하다.
However, the distances between each continent were still incredibly large, and it seemed simply impossible to hop continents by flying with the flight time still limited to one minute. The Descent system will probably play a role in remedying this problem.

Not as many monsters as expected. Rewards of Fortresses: Qina and Abyss Points!

한가지 의외인 점은 스크린샷에 비치는 어비스 내의 몬스터 개체수가 거의 없었다는 점이다. 실제로 공개된 스크린샷을 봐도 요새를 지키는 경비병을 제외하고는 다른 몬스터의 모습을 찾아볼 수가 없었다. 확실히 장담할 수는 없지만 사냥터의 확보를 위해 요새를 점령한다는 것은 다소 무리가 있어 보였다.
Another thing that we've noticed was that there were hardly any monsters in the Abyss. Looking at the released screenshots, aside from the guards at fortresses, hardly any monsters could be seen. I can't guarantee that I'm right, but capturing fortresses in order to obtain hunting grounds seemed like an unrealistic idea.

물론 요새를 점령한 포스(종족이 아니다)은 레벨 별로 키나와 어비스 포인트를 얻을 수 있다고 하지만 이 경우 한 번 점령한 요새를 굳이 계속해서 방어해야 할 ‘목적’이 없어진다. 반대로 점령기간 동안 내내 특정 레기온이나 포스에게만 지속적으로 키나와 어비스 포인트를 제공할 경우 같은 종족 내에서 다툼이 벌어지는 일이 발생할 수도 있다
It is true that the force (not the faction) in control of the fortress will benefit from the Abyss points and Qina once it's been captured, but it really doesn't provide an incentive for them to keep defending the fortress. Additionally, providing benefits only to the force or legion that took control of the fortress can cause some in-faction conflicts.

점령과 점령 유지시의 이득에 대한 보다 자세한 정보가 필요할 듯싶다.
We may need some detailed info regarding fortress battles.

Changes made to Devanion Mist

요새는 매우 간단한 구조로 이뤄져 있으며 각 요새에는 막강한 수호신장이 존재하고 이 수호신장을 물리쳤을 경우 해당 요새를 습득할 수 있다고 한다. 단, 수호신장은 요새 내에 24시간 존재하는 것이 아니라 기껏 요새를 공격하고도 허탕을 치는 경우도 있다고.
The structures of the fortresses are set up simple. Each fortress has a powerful guardian boss that must be defeated in order for the force to capture the fortress. The problem is, the guardian boss isn't there 24/7 and it is possible for the combatants involved to have fought for nought.

그리고 기존에 ‘안전’과 ‘위험’으로 표시되던 데바니온 미스트는 이제 ‘요새전 가능’과 ‘불가능’ 표시로 변경됐다. 동시에 색깔만으로 점령가능 한 요새를 알 수 있기 때문에 보다 빠른 상황판단이 가능할 듯하다.
The previous indicators of Devanion Mist, 'Safe' and 'Dangerous', have been replaced with 'Combat Possible' and 'Impossible.'

드라고닉 캐리어 역시 ‘드레드기온’이라는 이름으로 변경됐다. 다만 역할과 기능은 이전과 달라지지 않았다. 필드에 놓인 고장 난 드레드기온도 있다고 하는데 어떤 용도로 활용될 지는 미지수.
The Draconic Carrier also saw a name change, now called 'Dreadgion.' The role doesn't seem to have changed, however. We were told that there would be broken Dreadgions lying around, but for what purpose is unknown.

No more batwings! Take control of your character's height

어비스와 직접적으로는 관련 없는 내용이지만 마족의 박쥐날개가 검은색의 멋진 날개로 변경됐다. 더불어 천족의 날개도 다소 풍성해졌다.
Although not entirely relevant to the topic, the Asmodian wings have been redesigned. The Elyos' wings have also changed.

캐릭터의 신장에도 변화가 있었다. 기존에 비해 약 두 배 가량의 조절이 가능하기 때문에(최소 신장은 1m 수준) SD에 가까운 3등신 캐릭터도 만들어 낼 수 있다고 한다. 미남/미녀만이 존재하는 아이온의 세계가 마음에 들지 않았던 유저들에게는 희소식이 될 듯하다.
Character customisation also saw a bit of a change. Characters can now be as short as 1m in height. A good news for those not in favour of a world full of pretty boys and girls.

이상으로 지용찬 개발팀장의 인터뷰 과정에서 공개된 어비스에 관한 내용을 정리해봤다. 곧 이어 보다 상세한 내용을 담은 지용찬 팀장과의 인터뷰가 이어질 예정이니 많은 기대바란다.
Thats it for now!

Q&A with the Lead Developer Ji Yongchan

jameinkaiser — Sat, 31 May 2008 20:09:39

Source

“앞으로 아이온만의 차별성 드러날 것”
"Aion to become more distinguished from the crowd"
한낮
디스이즈게임에서는 시즌3 베타테스트를 앞두고 있는 <아이온>의 지용찬 개발팀장을 만나 향후 제작 방향에 대해 물어보는 자리를 가졌다. 시즌3부터 <아이온>은 어떻게 달라질까? 지난 테스트에서 노출된 문제점들에 대한 생각과 새롭게 도입될 시스템에 대해 허심탄회한 이야기를 나눴다. /디스이즈게임 한낮
Here at ThisIsGame, we've had the opportunity to ask a few questions to the lead developer of Aion, Ji Yongchan. How much do you think Aion will change in closed beta 3? Read as we discuss the problems that had been pointed out in CBT 2 and the new features that will be implemented in the future.

TIG> 시즌2 테스트가 끝난지도 한 달이 지났다. 요즘 상황은 좀 어떤가?
TIG> It's been a month since the second beta. How are things going right now?

지용찬 팀장(위쪽 사진): 다음 테스트 준비하랴, 지난 테스트 문제점 돌아보랴, 아직도 정신이 없다.
Ji: Things are still quite hectic right now, getting things ready for the next test and looking over the problems from the last test.

TIG> 시즌2 테스트의 결과는 만족스러웠는가?
TIG> How do you feel about the results from CBT2?

괜찮은 편이었다. 그래도 원래 목표치에 비하면 모자란 수준이다. 100점 만점을 기준으로 80점 정도 된 것 같다.
It was okay. I suppose it came a bit shorter than what we had expected. If we were to rate ourselves, we'd give 80 out of 100.

TIG> 시즌2 테스트가 끝난 후 <아이온>만의 특징이 지나치게 부족하다는 평이 많았다.
TIG> There were many criticisms about Aion's lack of creativity after season 2.

애당초 게임의 성격 자체가 단기간에 특징을 드러낼 수 있는 구조가 아니었다. 게다가 레벨 제한과 어비스 비공개로 인해 종족간 RvR을 충분히 보여주지도 못했다. 이후의 테스트를 통해 <아이온>만의 차별성이 드러날 것이다.
Aion's game design doesn't allow for it to show off its unique nature in such a short period of time. Plus the level cap and the absence of Abyss made it so players couldn't experience RvR very much. Aion's unique qualities will truly be shown after the next test.

또한 시기적인 문제도 있다. 과거에는 MMORPG라는 장르가 워낙 마니악하다 보니 개성적인 컨텐츠를 마음껏 도입해도 큰 문제가 없었다. 하지만 최근에는 워낙 다양한 유저들이 MMORPG를 즐기고 있어 진입장벽에도 많은 신경을 써야 한다. 초기 진입장벽이 높으면 아무리 개성 있는 컨텐츠를 갖고 있더라도 유저 자체를 끌어 모을 수 없기 때문이다.
It could also be a problem with timing. MMORPGs of the past didn't have much difficulty inserting new, creative contents because the target audience was so limited. But now that the audience is so much broader and players come from all backgrounds, it's much more difficult to introduce new concepts without considering what the player reaction would be.

그래서 <아이온> 역시 초반에는 다른 게임을 즐기다 온 유저라도 무난히 적응할 수 있도록 만들었다. 물론 후반부에는 차차 달라지는 <아이온>만의 색깔을 느낄 수 있을 것이다. 그리고 개인적으로는 다른 게임과 같냐 다르냐보다 그 게임이 재미있냐 없냐가 더 중요한 문제라고 생각한다.
Aion was therefore designed to be friendly to players who came from playing other games as well. Aion's own unique qualities will become more noticeable later on; and personally I think it's more important to ask if the game is more fun or not rather than asking if it is different.

TIG> <아이온>은 어떤 게임의 영향을 가장 크게 받았다고 생각하는가? 혹은 <아이온>의 모델로 삼고 싶은 게임이 있다면?
TIG> Which game do you think Aion was influenced by the most? Is there a game you'd like to model Aion after?

대부분의 MMORPG가 기반만 놓고 보면 <디아블로>와 <울티마 온라인>, <에버퀘스트> 중 하나의 영향을 받았다고 생각한다. 국내의 MMORPG는 대부분 <디아블로>류가 될 테고 해외에는 <에버퀘스트>류가 가장 많을 것이다. <아이온>은 이 중에서도 <에버퀘스트>의 영향을 가장 크게 받은 게임이다.
Probably Diablo, Ultima Online, or Everquest. Most Korean MMORPGs probably model themselves after Diablo, while games developed overseas tend to follow Everquest's model. Aion was probably influenced the most by Everquest, among the ones mentioned.

TIG> 스티그마가 ‘직업별 스킬을 제한해두고 이를 풀어주는 방식’으로 도입됐다. 게다가 스티그마 간의 성능차이도 심해서 사실상 캐릭터를 차별화 시키는 데는 큰 도움이 되지 못했는데?
TIG> Stigma system was implemented in a way to 'free the character after being locked into its skill frame of the class.' But the effectiveness of Stigma varied so much that they didn't seem to be very successful in distinguishing the character classes very well.

아직은 초기모델일 뿐이다. 시스템 자체가 초반에는 접근성이 좋은 마석을 통해 캐릭터를 차별화하고 중후반에는 접근성은 부족하지만 보다 강력한 위력의 스티그마를 통해 캐릭터를 차별화시킬 예정이었다. 때문에 중후반 이후에야 본격적인 스티그마의 특성이 드러날 것이다.
The current version is just a prototype. We thought it would be easier to introduce more approachable Stigma stones rather than introducing the more powerful ones right from the start.

참고로 현재는 각각의 스티그마가 두서없이 나열되어 있지만 나중에는 직업마다 3가지 정도의 계열로 구분된다. 예를 들어 검성의 스티그마는 ‘공격에 특화된 스티그마군(群)’과 ‘방어에 특화된 스티그마군(群)’, ‘PvP에 특화된 스티그마군(群)’으로 나뉘는 식이다. 이렇게 어느 정도의 방향을 잡아주고 나면 보다 확실한 캐릭터 차별화가 가능할 것이다.
Another thing to note, the current Stigma stones are presented without any categorisation, but in the future they'll be divided into more identifiable categories to aide the players. Take the gladiator's Stigma for example: they'll be divided into: Attack-specific Stigma, Defense-oriented Stigma, and Stigma for PvP. Character distinction will become more clear once we set some general directions.

TIG> 스티그마의 직업제한은 계속 이어진다는 뜻인가?
TIG> Does this mean Class-locked Stigma will be continued?

그렇다. 직업별 제한은 유지된다. 직업 제한이 없는 스티그마는 이후에 추가될 예정이다.
Yes. Class-locked Stigma will be retained. Unlocked Stigma will be introduced later.

TIG> 비행시스템 역시 지나치게 제한적이었다. 비행지역이 늘어나거나 하는 변화가 있을 예정인가?
TIG> Flight was also extremely limited. Is there an expansion of flight-enabled zone planned?

비행 자체가 어비스를 위해 만든 시스템이다. 일반 필드의 비행은 어비스를 처음 접했을 때 당황하지 않기 위한 ‘학습 과정’에 불과하다. 단순히 비행지역을 늘리는 일은 없을 것이다
The flight was designed more for the Abyss. Flight in normal zones can be considered more of a 'learning process.' We won't be expanding flight-enabled zones without a specific reason.

다만 순간순간 비행을 활용함에 따라 평소에는 불가능한 것을 가능케 하는 등의 기능적인 보완은 있을 것이다.
However, enabling flight in order to facilitate inconvenience in specific cases is something we would like to do.

TIG> RvR을 목적으로 하는 게임치고는 레벨 업이 다소 느린 편이었다. 레벨 업 컨텐츠도 상당히 부족했는데?
TIG> For a game geared for RvR, climbing up the level ladder is relatively slow. There was also a lack of content in terms of leveling up.

레벨 업 속도는 지속적으로 조절 중이다. 또한 모르헤임이나 엘테넨보다 약간 높은 레벨인 30~50 유저를 위한 지역도 제작하고 있다. 다음 테스트에서 등장하는 어비스 역시 보다 빠른 레벨 업을 도와줄 것이다
We're still adjusting the rate of leveling up. We're also designing zones for level 30-50 players. The Abyss will also facilitate leveling up, which will be introduced in the next test.

퀘스트 부분도 보완할 예정이다. 생각 같아서는 끊임없이 이어지는 엄청난 숫자의 퀘스트들을 만들고 싶지만 개발자의 특성상 새로운 지역 내에 컨텐츠를 채워넣을 때는 신중 할 수밖에 없다. 이제 새로운 지역을 선보였으니 다음 번에는 그 안에 많은 컨텐츠들이 들어갈 것이다.
Quests will also be improved. We'd like to add an infinite number of quests that would continue on forever, but from a developer's viewpoint this is something that's simply not possible and we can't help but to be more careful when filling up the game with content. Look forward to more contents in the new upcoming zones.

알트가르드나 베르테론 역시 첫 공개 때와 지금을 비교해보면 컨텐츠의 양이나 질에 있어서도 많은 차이가 나지 않는가? 모르헤임과 엘테넨 역시 비슷한 수준으로 끌어올릴 예정이다. 특히 지역 선택이 불가능한 레벨 20~30 구간에 많은 보완이 있을 것이다.
Compared to the initial launch of the beta, wouldn't you say the amount of content available in Altgard or Verteron has improved significantly? We plan to do the same for Morheim and Eltnen as well. Look forward to seeing a lot of improvement in level 20-30 content.

TIG> 개발팀에서 목표로 하는 <아이온>의 레벨 업 과정은 어떤 것인가?
TIG> What does the development aim at having with Aion's leveling-up process?

결과적으로는 <리니지> 방식의 몬스터 사냥을 원하는 유저와 <월드 오브 워크래프트> 방식의 퀘스트 중심의 레벨 업을 원하는 유저를 모두 충족시키는 것이 목표다. 몬스터 사냥을 하고 싶은 유저는 퀘스트를 아예 진행하지 않아도 되고, 반대로 퀘스트를 통해 레벨 업하고 싶은 유저는 퀘스트만 갖고도 최고 레벨에 도달 할 수 있게 할 예정이다.
Basically, what we want is to satisfy players from both Lineage and World of Warcraft. We plan to make it possible for players to get to the max level by simply doing quests without having to grind at all, and vice versa for those who prefer killing mobs instead of questing.

TIG> 어비스 내에서 레벨 업이 이뤄진다고 했는데, 어비스 내에서도 몬스터를 사냥한다는 뜻인가? 아니면 유저 간의 전투를 통해 경험치를 얻는 방식인가?
TIG> You've mentioned leveling up within the Abyss; does this mean that there will be monsters in the Abyss? Or do you mean combat between players?

몬스터 사냥이다. 어비스는 PvE와 PvP가 혼재된 지역이다. 간단히 말해 사냥터를 두고 전쟁을 벌이는 방식을 떠올리면 된다. 물론 그 사냥터는 언제 다른 종족이 침입할 지 모르는 위험한 지역일테고 그만큼 높은 보상을 안겨줄 것이다. 레벨 업을 위한 퀘스트 등의 컨텐츠도 많이 마련돼 있으니 기대해도 좋다.
There will be monsters. Abyss combines both PvE and PvP. Think of having a war over hunting grounds. Hunting in the Abyss naturally comes with more risk, and will be rewarded accordingly. We have a lot of quests and content geared towards leveling in the Abyss, so look forward to it.

유저 간의 전투를 통해 경험치를 얻게 할 것인가에 대해서는 아직 정해진 바가 없다.
We have not yet decided whether to make experience gain from PvP a reality.

TIG> 퀘스트 보상이 난이도에 비해 지나치게 나빠서 후반에는 오히려 퀘스트를 하지 않는 편이 나을 때도 있었다.
TIG> There were instances where the quest rewards were incredibly bad compared to the work it required that it was better not to do the quest at all.

퀘스트 보상 경험치부터 조절할 것이다. 그리고 나서 아이템 보상 등도 조절될 예정이다.
This we will look into and adjust. Item rewards will be adjusted as well.

TIG> 각 종족에 있는 던전이 인스턴스 지역이 아니더라. 이후 등장하는 던전도 인스턴스 방식이 아닌 것인가?
TIG> The dungeons found in each faction's zones were not instanced at all. Are the dungeons to be introduced in the future not instanced either?

지금 있는 던전들은 인스턴스 던전으로 바뀔 예정이다. 다만, 이후의 던전들은 무조건 인스턴스 방식이 아니라 개방형 던전과 인스턴스 던전 두 종류로 구분될 것이다.
The current dungeons are planned to be converted into instances. The dungeons to be introduced in the future will be divided into two categories; Instanced and open area.

TIG> 지난 테스트에서는 데스 패널티(죽었을 경우의 경험치 손실)가 지나치게 심했다. 이에 대한 보완책이 마련돼 있는가?
TIG> The death penalty was harsh. Any changes planned?

그 부분은 계속 조절 중이다. 다만 잘못 알려진 부분이 하나 있는데, 사냥 중 상대종족에게 공격을 당한다고 무조건 경험치를 잃는 것은 아니다. 몬스터에게 일정 대미지 이상을 입은 상태로 상대 종족에게 죽었을 때만 경험치를 잃는 것이다. 물론 이 부분 역시 조절하고 있다.
We're still fine-tuning that. There's a misunderstanding about losing experience when killed by a member of the opposing faction while killing a mob; you only lose experience when you've taken a certain amount of damage from the mob before being killed by the enemy. This is being adjusted as well, of course.

TIG> 상하체 모션이 아직까지 제대로 분리가 되지 않았다. 심지어 이동 중 공격이 안 되는 스킬마저 있었는데, 의도한 사항인가?
TIG> The top and bottom halves of the characters still look awkward and don't work correctly. Some skills are even affected by this, was this intentional?

결론부터 말하자면 반은 의도고 반은 버그였다. 우선 연속기의 후속타를 사용할 때 이동이 불가능한 것은 의도한 사항이다. 이는 연속기의 첫 번째 공격을 보고 그에 따라 상대방이 대응할 수 있는 여유를 만들어주고 싶었기 때문이다.
To say it clearly, half of it is due to a bug and the other half is intentional. Prohibiting movement after executing the said combo chain was intentional. We wanted to allow the opponent to get a small chance at counter attack after being hit by the attack.

반대로 연속기가 아니거나 연속기의 첫 번째 공격인데도 이동 중 공격을 할 수 없었던 부분은 버그가 맞다. 이미 대부분을 파악한 상태고 곧 수정될 예정이다.
On the other hand, the inability to move while executing the first step of the combo was indeed a bug. This will be fixed.

TIG> 어비스 포인트에 대한 보상은 어떻게 이뤄지나?
TIG> How do the rewards for Abyss Points work?

주로 커스터 마이징과 관련된 부분이 있을 예정이다. 아이템에 ‘어비스’ 항목이 따로 생기고 RvR에 특화된 스티그마나 아이템 등을 구입할 수 있을 것이다.
There will be an 'Abyss' slot in the equipment panel, and Stigma stones and items unique to the Abyss will be available.

TIG> 원활한 전투를 위해 필요한 PC사양은?
TIG> What are the required specs in order to enjoy fluent combat?

어비스를 포함해서 최소 지포스 6000 수준의 그래픽카드를 염두에 두고 있다. 물론 요새나 전쟁의 규모에 따라 조금씩 달라질 것이다. 일단은 ‘이정도가 목표’로 생각해달라.
Taking the Abyss into account, we're looking at about GeForce 6000. It's of course subject to change depending on the size of the battle.

TIG> 전승등급 이상의 아이템은 네임드 몬스터를 통해서만 구할 수 있었다. 때문에 벌써부터 정보를 아는 유저간의 독식현상이 생겨났는데?
TIG> Certain rare items were only obtainable from 'named monsters'. As a result, informed players were 'camping' the named monsters.

그 부분은 바뀌지 않을 예정이다. 전승등급의 아이템은 여전히 네임드 몬스터를 위주로 드랍될 것이다. 특정 유저의 독식현상 등은 특별히 개입하지 않고 흘러가는 대로 맡기는 것이 상책이라 본다. 다만 레벨 20 이후 아이템 드랍이 조절되기는 할 것이다.
That aspect will not change. Such items will only drop from Named Monsters. We believe it's best to let things be the way they are. After level 20 however, item drops will be adjusted.

TIG> 제작 시 아이템을 만들기 전에 확률을 미리 볼 수 없고 재료까지 한 번에 날아가는 바람에 불편을 느낀 유저가 많았다.
TIG> The inability to foresee the success rate in crafting and losing all the materials afterwards caused some grief among players.

제작은 일종의 개인적인 ‘감각’이 필요하다고 본다. 때문에 확률 등이 표시되는 일은 없을 것이다. 단, 실패 시 모든 재료가 사라지는 것은 현재 고려 중에 있다. 제작이 너무 쉬워도 문제가 벌어지기 때문에 쉽게 손대기 어려운 부분이다.
We believe crafting requires a certain 'feel.' As a result, we won't be introducing any display of success rates. We are however, looking into the issue of losing all materials upon failure. It's a difficult matter to handle, because making crafting too easy would also cause problems.

TIG> 혹시 최근 눈여겨보는 게임이 있는가?
TIG> Any specific games you're watching?

<아이온> 이전에는 북미 MMORPG를 주로 했었다. 테스터를 모집하는 게임은 모두 응모해봤을 정도다. 요즘에는 바빠서 거의 손도 못 대고 있지만 올해 나오는 게임들은 유심히 지켜보는 중이다.
I've played some North American MMORPGs prior to Aion, to the extent of signing up for beta tests. Nowadays I can't really do the same because of the amount of work I have, but there are games I'm looking forward to playing.

개인적으로 <월드 오브 워크래프트>가 <에버퀘스트> 스타일 게임의 종착점이라 생각한다. 신규 온라인게임들이 이 <월드 오브 워크래프트>의 틀을 어떤 방식으로 깨나갈 것인지 기대하는 중이다.
Personally, I think the genre is stuck at the benchmark set by WoW and Everquest. I'm looking forward to seeing how games will break free from the frame set by World of Warcraft.

Aion CBT 2 Review (ThisIsGame.com)

jameinkaiser — Wed, 21 May 2008 00:45:46

A review of CBT 2 from ThisIsGame.

Source

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World of Lineagecraft? Aion, get your image right

한낮

The second phase of Aion's closed beta had come to an end on the 27th of April last month. The game had brought many anticipated improvements such as expanded character customisation and new zones.

The reception, however, was not as welcoming, for the game still failed to address the most fundamental issues and lacked in 'content,' which the game was so praised for in the last test.

Perfected visuals

Aion's graphics have become even more perfect since the last test. To start off, 'Glowlight Effect' was removed from being active by default, which removed the dreamlike feel but gave it a much more detailed and clean-cut look to the environment. Many awkward character movements have been partially addressed as well, and the user interface managed to obtain its own Aion-look.

The new zones, Eltnen and Morheim, simply looked spectacular, how the zones managed to combine the snowy terrain and volcanic wasteland together in perfect harmony was simply an amazing sight to behold. On graphics alone, the game could have been given the title of 'nation's best.'

It looked 'nice' in CBT1, but now it became 'awesome'

However, the game's stunning visuals also came with a lot of things to be desired in the optimization department. The graphics often became buggy when played for a prolonged time due to inefficiency in managing system resources.

Lowering the graphics setting by one tier dropped the amount of details significantly, but didn't seem to improve the performance noticeably. This issue was mentioned in many of the players' complaints, and it seems like the optimization may still need work.

The optimization still needs work

Also, the separated motions of the top and bottom halves of the character's body still didn't seem very well coordinated. More on this will be discussed below.

Great Fishing? The battle goes on through the Rifts of Time

The Rifts of Time, which have been showcased for the first time in CBT 2, is a system which allows players from the opposing factions to enter each others' territories. Some may ask what the big deal is in allowing players to do this, but the system also comes with a few baits to make sure that the players make a good use of this system: The Named Monsters who drop rare items and the chance to improve the Legion's standing.

This monster alone turned the world of Atreia into one of blood

To facilitate the understanding of the concept, let me briefly explain how the items are categorised in Aion. Aion's items can largely be divided into Normal, Rare, Exceptional, and Unique. Putting Unique items, which are near impossible to obtain, aside, Exceptional quality items are probably the best a player can afford to use.

However, Exceptional items can only be obtained from Named Monsters, and these monsters only spawn at certain times in designated locations. I believe no further explanation is needed beyond this point; players who wish to obtain items that are even slightly better than their own will venture into the realms of their enemies in hopes of maybe encountering a Named Monster. This will naturally create small-scale conflicts, which is an aspect of PvP on its own.

Abyss Points are updated real-time

The conflicts are then followed by accumulation of Abyss Points which are applied real-time. It is therefore possible to have conflicts to accumulate points for the Legion of your allegiance rather than for the items from the monsters. In CBT 2, cases such as this were commonplace, the rewards playing the roles of 'baits' to get players into conflicts.

Temporary advance, temporary retreat. A futile war nontheless.

The combat system's been revamped as well. For starters, the combo activation rate has been greatly improved. Especially since most class-specific combo activation rates have been upgraded to 100%, players were now able to activate the chains of combo they wished to cast at the desired timing.

The combat pattern has seen a change as well. Depending on the combo, the supplemental effects that were granted as a result allowed players to interrupt and override the opponent's combo. This improvement was significant enough to determine how quickly you could kill a mob.

Finally, Aion had something to call a 'strategic element.'

However, the problem with awkwardly separated character motion into top and bottom halves that hindered a smooth animation showing naturalistic combat and movement has still not been addressed.

As mentioned earlier, many players including myself have pointed out the problem with separated animations for top and bottom halves of the character's body. CBT 2 did not fix the problem, but made it so the character could not move while the animation for the bottom half of the character was already executed.

For example, the initial skill for an Assassin combo can be used while the character's in motion, but since the second skill in the same combo cannot, a difficult situation is created where the player must stop moving after the first step in order to deliver the full combo.

This effectively defeats the purpose of having improved the combo system, and it makes absolutely no sense to trade in a gameplay element for simple visual glitches.

Shapeshifting allows freedom in both movement and combat since the character no longer has a 'bottom half.' The only thing I cannot understand is why they won't just fix the animation instead of having to go the long way around it.

Frustrating zones and insufficient content

The new zones were also problematic. For starters, the zones were tiny. Taking the Asmodians for example, a character will spend the first ten levels in Ishalgen, and from 10 to 20 in Altgard, which is several times larger. The newly added zone, Morheim, is supposed to house characters from 20-40, but the actual size of the map was small enough to explore all of it in about thirty minutes.

In fact, the area in Morheim that's supposed to be for characters from 20 to 25 consist of all but a single road. I myself have spent several days on this 'narrow path.'

Look forward to spend about 20 hours in the highlighted area in red

Along with the tiny areas came the minuscule amount of content. The required experience multiplies exponentially after level 20, and each level only gets about three to four quests. I've completed about 100 quests up to level 20, but only about 60 from level 20 to 34. Maybe about 2/3 of them were repeat quests that could not have been completed without collecting skills.

In other words, there were no other ways to level up after level 30 other than killing monsters by the thousands.

It is true that the Abyss is not available yet, but it's a given that the game seriously lacks in content the way it looks now. If they don't want a game where players must 'follow the path until level cap,' they should seriously consider preparing a few maps and a good amount of content.

Staying in the same zone until level 40 itself is a problem

World of Lineagecraft?

I know it's not a good comparison, but Aion is resemblant of World of Warcraft.

The fact that a player can get killed by other players in the middle of leveling up as well as the monsters using a diverse range of skills to drive the player nuts makes the game comparable to WoW. Even the part about a party wiping just from aggroing one additional mob resembles WoW.

(WoW was given as an example for easier understanding)

I'm not trying to criticise for its resemblance. The problem is that Aion's "true form" does not get along at all with WoW-style content.

Let us take an example. Aion's mobs bug the crap out of players using a myriad of different skills. Among them exist mobs that do damage in the thousands, and those who bring friends along with them.

Of course, being hit by the said skill will surely result in death. This is fine. The element of surprise provides a good depth to combat.

Dying from the skill is fine. But…

The problem here is, upon death, the player will lose about 5% of the total experience for that level. For a level 30 player, that's about 30 minutes' worth of experience. Being killed by a member of the opposing faction also results in an experience loss.

It's not easy to get experience either. The amount of experience a level 34 player will have to accumulate is 10,000,000. Based on experience yield from mobs of the same level, the player will have to kill about 1,200. Completing the three to four quests given per level gives about 40,000-60,000, about 0.5% of total experience. Note that dying while working on the quest will actually be a loss.

Aside from the leveling aspect, the difficulty still prevails. You can barely get by after spending all the money you've earned from grinding mobs on skill books and consumables. Who would be able to enjoy the adventure and the content in the midst of all this chaos?

Do you want an adventure, or an easy grind?

What's left of the options now is to grind the mobs Lineage-style. But since Aion's world is designed to look as natural as possible, hunting grounds are not found everywhere like it is in Lineage. In a nutshell, playing Aion is like enjoying WoW's content in Lineage-style hardcore grind.

In the end, trying to combine the elements from Lineage II and WoW only ended up in a game that plays like WoW and grinds like Lineage.

Listen to the players!

It may look bad the way it is now, but there is hope. The graphics, sound, combo system and many other qualities that define Aion are there, and many of the problems addressed above can easily be solved.

The character models are already divided into two halves to facilitate movement and attack at the same time. New quests can be created. Grinding can be solved by reducing the death penalty and doing what is necessary by looking at the monster drop table.

Let me also point out that Aion's main content, the Abyss, has not even been revealed yet. It will be difficult to ease the leveling-up process with the introduction of the Abyss, but it should provide the players with enough things to do to kill the time.

The Abyss is accessible starting at level 25. Not necessarily a high-level content.

Aion's developers will need to take a more definitive direction and consider the development from the players' point of view.

The most heard complaint from CBT 2 was the ambiguity of the game's direction and the unusually high difficulty. Hopefully they'll take heed to what the players want and show a more complete game with a more developed stance by the time CBT 3 rolls around.

Developmental Note 3

jameinkaiser — Wed, 14 May 2008 20:20:54

source
개발자노트 3주차(스킬밸런스등)
Developmental Note 3 (Skill Balances et cetera)

[PC]
Q. 시즌2에서는 이전보다 더 많은 타이틀을 획득할 수 있었습니다. 정작 타이틀 장착 시 효과도 크지 않고, 타이틀간 차이도 크게 없습니다.
Q. In CBT 2, there were many more titles available than before, but the bonus effects weren't significant and the differences between the titles were trivial.
Dev.현재 공개된 타이틀은 대략 그 정도 능력이라고 보시면 됩니다. 앞으로 공개될 타이틀은 현재 보다 더 많은 노력을 해야만 얻을 수 있습니다. 그만큼 이전 타이틀보다 효과도 좋고, 차별화 되지 않을까 합니다.
물론, 현재 공개된 타이틀의 기본 능력에 대해서도 추가 검토해 좀 더 보완하도록 하겠습니다.
Dev. Currently available titles are simply what they are; simple. Though, more titles to come in the near future will require more effort to obtain, which will naturally grant more powerful effects and distinguish themselves more noticeably from the existing ones. Of course, we'll make sure to look over the existing titles to see if we could make any improvements.

[Skill]
Q. 스킬북 구매 시, 비용 부담이 적지 않습니다. 키나가 부족해 스킬을 제때 다 배우지 못합니다. 가격 좀 낮춰주세요
Q. The cost of spellbooks is difficult to manage. It's often not possible to learn all the spells/skills at the right level. Please lower the cost of spellbooks.

Dev.이번 CBT를 통해 스킬북 구매 등 일련의 과정은 향후 적정 비용 산정을 위한 기반 자료가 될 것입니다. 앞으로 각 직업별 스킬 트리가 완성되면 현재 자료를 근거해 적절한 가격 수준으로 조정하도록 하겠습니다.
Dev. The data collected from this test regarding prices of commodities will be the base on which we will be assigning the correct prices. Once the skill trees are completed for each class, we'll refer back to the data we've collected and adjust the prices as we see fit.

Q. 스킬 재사용 시간이 공유되는 스킬 중 일부는 다른 스킬 사용을 방해하는 경우가 있습니다. 예를 들어 ‘불꽃 화살’과 ‘해류 폭렬’은 재사용 시간이 다름에도 동시에 사용을 할 수 없는 스킬로 되어 있어, 스킬 사용시 제약이 많습니다.
Q. The skills that share the same cooldown period sometimes hinder the usage of other skills. For example, 'Flame Arrow' and 'Explosion' have different cooldown periods but they are paired together, restricting the player from using the skills more freely.

Dev.이번 CBT 결과를 바탕으로 하여 검성/수호성 외에도 모든 클래스에 대한 밸런스 조정을 할 예정입니다. 이 때 해당 부분도 함께 고려될 수 있도록 하겠습니다.
Dev. Based on the data we've collected from this CBT, we plan to make adjustments to all classes in addition to Gladiators/Templars. We'll make sure to look into it.

Q. 스킬마다 사용 조건이 있습니다. 특히 비행시 사용 가능한 스킬이나, 반대로 비행 중 사용이 불가능한 스킬이 존재합니다. 현재 스킬 툴팁에는 그러한 부분에 대한 설명이 부족합니다.
Q. Each skill has a specific condition of usage. For example, there are flight-only skills, ground-only skills, but there are insufficient amount of explanation in the skill tool tip text.

Dev.네, 지금도 부족한 설명 부분을 계속해서 채우는 작업을 진행 하고 있습니다. 스킬 사용 조건 및 제한 사항에 대해서도 보충될 있도록 하겠습니다.
Dev. We are working on the incomplete aspects of the game as we speak.

[Combat]
Q. PvP를 하는데 전투가 너무 빨리 끝나 자기 능력을 채 발휘하기도 전에 끝납니다. 그래서 원거리 직업이 더 강해 보이기도 하구요. 어떻게 생각하시는지요?
Q. In PvP, it seems like the battle ends much too quickly before one even has a chance to show off one's own skills. This makes the ranged character classes seem much more powerful. What's your thought on this?

Dev.단편적인 전투 시간보단, 직업간 PvP밸런스에 대한 전반적인 문의로 생각합니다. 앞선 2주차 개발실 노트에서 공개한 내용처럼 직업별 특성 강화 이외에도 직업별 능력을 제대로 발휘할 수 있도록 스킬 구성 및 PvP상황에서의 밸런싱을 함께 조정할 예정입니다. 종합적으로 많은 변화가 있을 것입니다.
Dev. We think it has to do more with character balance rather than it being a problem with the duration of combat. As we've mentioned earlier in an earlier developmental note, we plan on doing a lot of balance work in addition to enhancing each character class's unique quality. Expect to see much change.

[Quest]
Q. 잠입 퀘스트를 받고 상대 종족 지역으로 이동하는 경우, 돌아오는 방법에 대한 설명이 없어 다시 돌아올 때는 한참동안 방법을 찾아야 했습니다. 보내기만 하지 말고 돌아오는 방법도 제시되면 좋겠습니다.
Q. When doing infiltration quests, players are sent into the enemy territory without an explanation on how to get back. It'd be nice to have some sort of an explanation on how to get back into one's own territory.

Dev.퀘스트 수행 시 그러한 부분에 대해서 안내될 수 있도록 방안을 찾아보겠습니다.
Dev. We'll make sure to search for a solution to those quest-related problems.

[Item]
Q. 아이템 강화를 했을 경우 몇 단계 강화 아이템인지 확인하기가 쉽지 않습니다. 강화된 수치만 보이는 것이 아니라, 강화 단계가 얼마인지 직접 확인할 수 있었으면 합니다.

Q. It's difficult to confirm the level of enchantment on an item. Instead of displaying only the additional effects from the enchantment process, it'd be nice to have some sort of an indicator telling the players what level of enchantment the item has.

Dev.아이템마다의 강화되는 수치가 달라, 결과만을 보고 강화 단계를 확인하기 어렵다는 의견을 받아 보았습니다. 아이템 강화시 강화 단계를 바로 확인할 수 있도록 아이템 설명을 보완하도록 하겠습니다.
Dev. We've been told that it's difficult to determine the level of enchantment on an item due to the varied effects of each item. We'll make sure to add a means of confirming the level of enchantment more easily.

Q. 마석도 많이 먹고, 채집도 많이 해서 그런지 인벤토리가 항상 부족합니다. 자주 정리를 할 수 있게 창고나 상점이 더 여러 곳에 배치되었으면 합니다.

Q. Due to the abundance of manastones and materials, there's never enough room in the inventory. It'd be nice if there were more merchants or banks distributed around the map to ease this burden.

Dev.인벤토리가 늘 부족하다는 의견 많이 받고 있습니다. ^^ 잡화 상인을 좀 더여러 곳에 배치하거나 그 외 다양한 보완책도 함께 검토하도록 하겠습니다.
Dev. We've been informed of this problem. We'll make sure to place more merchants scattered around the map or come up with a viable solution to remedy this.

[UI]
Q. 레기온창에서 레기온 소속인원끼리 파티를 하거나, 귓속말을 할때 지원하는 기능이 없어 채팅창의 일반 기능을 그냥 이용해야 합니다. 레기온 창에서 이런 기능을 지원해 주었으면 합니다.

Q. There are no dedicated Legion functions that facilitate communication between Legion members such as formation of parties among members and whispering. Please add support for these features.

Dev.많은 분들이 레기온 활동을 활발하게 해주셔서, 그만큼 불편한 부분에 대한 의견도 많았던 것 같습니다. 레기온 소속 인원끼리 귓속말, 파티초대 등을 좀 더 쉽게 할 수 있도록, 레기온창 내 기능을 보완하도록 하겠습니다.
Dev. We'll make sure to supplement the Legion window with more functions to facilitate the formation of parties and whispering among Legion members.

Q. 채팅창에 아이템 링크를 하는 기능이 있어 거래할 때 매우 유용합니다. 이런 기능을 좀 더 확대해서 퀘스트 정보나, 제작 도안 등을 알려줄 때도 사용할 수 있으면 좋겠습니다

Q. The feature that allows one to link items in the chat window is very handy. It'd be nice to see this feature expand to include support for quest infos and crafting recipes as well.

Dev.현재 유용하게 사용되고 있는 만큼, 좀 더 폭 넓게 적용시켜 게임 진행 중 필요한 정보 교환이 보다 용이하도록 하겠습니다.
Dev. We'll see to it that the feature be expanded to facilitate the exchange of information among players.

Q. 해상도를 크게해서 게임을 하고 있는데, 해상도를 키워도 퀘스트 창이나 인벤토리 등의 크기를 줄여 화면을 넓게 사용하지 못하고 있습니다. 이런 창 크기를 조정할 수 있도록 할 수는 없나요?
Q. When playing the game at high resolutions, it is not possible to resize the quest/inventory/etc windows to take advantage of the more spacious screen. Would it be possible to add support for customization of window sizes?

Dev.UI의 확대/축소에 대한 제안이 많았는데, 같은 맥락이라고 생각이 됩니다. 효과적인 방안은 검토해보도록 하겠습니다.
Dev. We've received suggestions regarding the flexibility of UI size. We'll see if there are any viable solutions.

[Beta Test Season2] - Q&A Developer's Note from Week 2

Irisviel — Sat, 10 May 2008 23:26:26

[Beta Test Season2] - Q&A Developer's Note from Week 2

[PC] Regarding Class Balance:
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Gladiator: Although Gladiators are already better at countering ranged attacks than Templars, we thought it is necessary to improve it further.

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Templar: We are aware that templars are not able to tank as well as a main tank should be, our plan is to focus on improving their tanking abilities significantly.

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We are also adding new [increase run speed/charge] like abilities to both gladiators and templars so they will be able to react better in both PVE and PVP.

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Assassin: We've received a lot of complaint and feedback regarding assasins being weak and having a small role in both small and large group PVP. To fix this issue we will be adding 2 new skills to assasins: [strong strike] and [master stealth].

We expect these changes to impact on the PVE aspect of an assassin as well. However this will still be dependent mainly on players' ability to control and rotate their skill usage.

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Ranger: We have no plans to change the Ranger class as of now. Instead, we will be reviewing some of the items that are relative to the Ranger class, especially the Zaif's Soul (aka Wolf form).

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Sorcerer: The concept of sorcerer, that is being relative weak in melee range combat but having strong ranged attacks, will not be changed. We are aware of the current mana regen issue, and will be looking into the problem in order to improve it.

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Spiritmaster: We are focusing on giving pets a bigger role than just being a tank or extra dps by having different roles and skills to be used depending on the situation.

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Cleric: We're focusing on improving their solo play aspect.

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Chanter: We are working on improving Chanter's damage as well as buffs so that chanters will become more useful for both solo'ing and partying.

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We will change the amount of threat generated by healing.

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Note: There will be more changes and considerations other than the ones listed above. This is only a small outline of our goals.