Hellrose
05-12-2006, 11:21 AM
As requested by rize
Sources: Playforum (http://www.playforum.net/www/news/article.comm?action=sectionRead§ionId=0&id=15072), GameABout (http://www.gameabout.com/online/index.asp?pg=/news/view.asp&gubun=3&cts_id=8593)
"For AION, we really tried to find a quality that would set it apart from other MMOGs. The result was that it would have an emergent type of gameplay, where content could be generated endlessly through interactions between players and between players and the environment."
(Quoted from the Program Director, Jang Joohyung)
On May 8th 3pm, NCSoft held a press conference at their head office to discuss AION, their new MMO project. The conference started with a presentation on AION and then the screening of the ingame move, and was followed by a Q&A session.
According to Jang, AION will be shaped by endless war between the Heavens, Demons and the NPC Dragon race. It is for this reason that they define the gameplay as PvPvE, as opposed to naming PvP and PvE separately.
http://image.playforum.net:8080/article/10013001/15072/3.jpg
An emphasis was placed on continuous and lethal combat to heighten the sense of action. As opposed to a mindless 'hack and slash', direction and range will play a vital role in combat tactics. The AI of the monsters are also highly sophisticated, making use of elements in the environment by hiding in bushes, for example.
The combination of chaining weapon skills and the 'DP' system (where energy is accumulated the more you're attacked) is expected to provide a fun combat experience.
Hierarchial Boss fights will occur in instanced zones where cinematics will be used to increase a sense of immersion. These fights will also have en effect on the environment. For example, if the boss is beaten, the cursed land will be transformed into grassy fields.
Herbalism will be implemented in AION in which various items will be combined to create potions. More crafting systems will be added in the future.
http://image.playforum.net:8080/article/10013001/15072/4.jpg
Text reads:
Gameplay Movie
Combat style of each class / PvE and PvP combat
Flying / NPC AI (Goblin reacting to a ringing bell)
Mushroom collecting / Cut Scene (Epilogue)
Environment - giant monster in abnormal state / Instance zone (boss fight)
In conclusion, NCsoft wants the players to get the feel for what they call 'Next Cinema' in their gameworld. Internationally acclaimed newage music composer 'Yang Bang Un' composed AION's score to help with this goal.
Also, 'Cryengine' developed by the German company Crytek has been used to bring the world to life.
http://image.playforum.net:8080/article/10013001/15072/2.jpg
Text reads:
Interaction? Keywords in the realization of Next Cinema
Time ~ Player -> Player ~ Environment
Player's every action is reflected and recorded in the history of the world
[ Q&A ]
Q: Is flying used only for transportation?
A: For now, yes. It's too early to reveal our future plans but we can tell you that there is additional content.
Q: What makes AION unique compared to other MMOGs?
A: The key difference is that we're introducing sophisticated interaction through our PvPvE concept. We really tried to allow players to shape the history of AION. When you play the game, you really get the feeling that each player becomes a main character in a story.
Q: Please explain cut scene cinematics
A: AION's cut scene cinematics will be experienced dynamically. It won't be used only during boss fights, but also for events and various quests to add story and immersion to the character's actions. \
Q: What's the planned schedule and how many people worked on the project?
A: Closed beta is slated for end of this year in Korea. Considering it's a quest-based game, we will be revealing far more content in the closed beta stages.
Nearly 100 people worked on the project.
Q: There were rumours that AION was code-named 'Lineage Forever'
A: Lineage 3 is being developed separately (laugh). AION was conceptualized as a separate project from the beginning. We felt that we needed another MMO in NCSofts development portfolio.
Q: The 'Heavens' race seems to be an attractive choice for players. What features will the 'Demons' have to balance out the races?
A: We are very much aware that graphics play a big role in what race players will choose. The design of 'Demons' has not been released yet but we promise that it will be an equally attractive choice for players.
Q: Will players be siding with a different NPC faction depending on which race they choose?
A: They will mostly be hunting in different areas, but yes. Depending on their race, certain NPCs will not attack them while attacking the other.
Q: Please explain the 'dynamic environment' concept
A: In the client version that we presented at E3, defeating the boss it. In the final client, when the boss is defeated, the environment changes to reflect the action. This is one of many examples that will give the players the feeling that they have an effect on the history of the gameworld. To allow for this we added zones to the gameworld so that all players will be able to experience it.
http://image.playforum.net:8080/article/10013001/15072/5.jpg
Player's movement speed decreases in water. To lure away mobs. the player can ring their lunch bell and loosen their defenses.
Q: Will there be raids and castle sieges?
A: There won't be castle sieges specifically. But players will experience mass combat.
Q: The game looks like it would have high system requirements
A: That's not really true. We can't tell you the exact specs because we're still working on the client, but graphic cards that support pixelshader 2.0 (GEforce 5700+) should be able to run it.
Q: When can we see the 'Tower of Eternity'
A: That's the name of the tower at the center of the world in AION. We can't reveal exactly what it's about but it plays an important role in the story.
Q: Is there a reason why the Crytek FPS engine was used?
A: The engine has probven quality and stability as seen on Farcry and Crisis. It was the best engine to process the outdoor foliage in AION which is why it was chosen.
[ More Pics ]
http://www.gameabout.com/uploads/news/aion-05.jpg
Skills panel
http://www.gameabout.com/uploads/news/aion-06.jpg
Quest NPC
http://www.gameabout.com/uploads/news/aion-11.jpg
Character panel
http://www.gameabout.com/uploads/news/aion-13.jpg
Chat bubble and skill animation
Sources: Playforum (http://www.playforum.net/www/news/article.comm?action=sectionRead§ionId=0&id=15072), GameABout (http://www.gameabout.com/online/index.asp?pg=/news/view.asp&gubun=3&cts_id=8593)
"For AION, we really tried to find a quality that would set it apart from other MMOGs. The result was that it would have an emergent type of gameplay, where content could be generated endlessly through interactions between players and between players and the environment."
(Quoted from the Program Director, Jang Joohyung)
On May 8th 3pm, NCSoft held a press conference at their head office to discuss AION, their new MMO project. The conference started with a presentation on AION and then the screening of the ingame move, and was followed by a Q&A session.
According to Jang, AION will be shaped by endless war between the Heavens, Demons and the NPC Dragon race. It is for this reason that they define the gameplay as PvPvE, as opposed to naming PvP and PvE separately.
http://image.playforum.net:8080/article/10013001/15072/3.jpg
An emphasis was placed on continuous and lethal combat to heighten the sense of action. As opposed to a mindless 'hack and slash', direction and range will play a vital role in combat tactics. The AI of the monsters are also highly sophisticated, making use of elements in the environment by hiding in bushes, for example.
The combination of chaining weapon skills and the 'DP' system (where energy is accumulated the more you're attacked) is expected to provide a fun combat experience.
Hierarchial Boss fights will occur in instanced zones where cinematics will be used to increase a sense of immersion. These fights will also have en effect on the environment. For example, if the boss is beaten, the cursed land will be transformed into grassy fields.
Herbalism will be implemented in AION in which various items will be combined to create potions. More crafting systems will be added in the future.
http://image.playforum.net:8080/article/10013001/15072/4.jpg
Text reads:
Gameplay Movie
Combat style of each class / PvE and PvP combat
Flying / NPC AI (Goblin reacting to a ringing bell)
Mushroom collecting / Cut Scene (Epilogue)
Environment - giant monster in abnormal state / Instance zone (boss fight)
In conclusion, NCsoft wants the players to get the feel for what they call 'Next Cinema' in their gameworld. Internationally acclaimed newage music composer 'Yang Bang Un' composed AION's score to help with this goal.
Also, 'Cryengine' developed by the German company Crytek has been used to bring the world to life.
http://image.playforum.net:8080/article/10013001/15072/2.jpg
Text reads:
Interaction? Keywords in the realization of Next Cinema
Time ~ Player -> Player ~ Environment
Player's every action is reflected and recorded in the history of the world
[ Q&A ]
Q: Is flying used only for transportation?
A: For now, yes. It's too early to reveal our future plans but we can tell you that there is additional content.
Q: What makes AION unique compared to other MMOGs?
A: The key difference is that we're introducing sophisticated interaction through our PvPvE concept. We really tried to allow players to shape the history of AION. When you play the game, you really get the feeling that each player becomes a main character in a story.
Q: Please explain cut scene cinematics
A: AION's cut scene cinematics will be experienced dynamically. It won't be used only during boss fights, but also for events and various quests to add story and immersion to the character's actions. \
Q: What's the planned schedule and how many people worked on the project?
A: Closed beta is slated for end of this year in Korea. Considering it's a quest-based game, we will be revealing far more content in the closed beta stages.
Nearly 100 people worked on the project.
Q: There were rumours that AION was code-named 'Lineage Forever'
A: Lineage 3 is being developed separately (laugh). AION was conceptualized as a separate project from the beginning. We felt that we needed another MMO in NCSofts development portfolio.
Q: The 'Heavens' race seems to be an attractive choice for players. What features will the 'Demons' have to balance out the races?
A: We are very much aware that graphics play a big role in what race players will choose. The design of 'Demons' has not been released yet but we promise that it will be an equally attractive choice for players.
Q: Will players be siding with a different NPC faction depending on which race they choose?
A: They will mostly be hunting in different areas, but yes. Depending on their race, certain NPCs will not attack them while attacking the other.
Q: Please explain the 'dynamic environment' concept
A: In the client version that we presented at E3, defeating the boss it. In the final client, when the boss is defeated, the environment changes to reflect the action. This is one of many examples that will give the players the feeling that they have an effect on the history of the gameworld. To allow for this we added zones to the gameworld so that all players will be able to experience it.
http://image.playforum.net:8080/article/10013001/15072/5.jpg
Player's movement speed decreases in water. To lure away mobs. the player can ring their lunch bell and loosen their defenses.
Q: Will there be raids and castle sieges?
A: There won't be castle sieges specifically. But players will experience mass combat.
Q: The game looks like it would have high system requirements
A: That's not really true. We can't tell you the exact specs because we're still working on the client, but graphic cards that support pixelshader 2.0 (GEforce 5700+) should be able to run it.
Q: When can we see the 'Tower of Eternity'
A: That's the name of the tower at the center of the world in AION. We can't reveal exactly what it's about but it plays an important role in the story.
Q: Is there a reason why the Crytek FPS engine was used?
A: The engine has probven quality and stability as seen on Farcry and Crisis. It was the best engine to process the outdoor foliage in AION which is why it was chosen.
[ More Pics ]
http://www.gameabout.com/uploads/news/aion-05.jpg
Skills panel
http://www.gameabout.com/uploads/news/aion-06.jpg
Quest NPC
http://www.gameabout.com/uploads/news/aion-11.jpg
Character panel
http://www.gameabout.com/uploads/news/aion-13.jpg
Chat bubble and skill animation