Features

Tim Tan is the Producer of Lineage II: Hellbound, the upcoming free expansion to the popular NCsoft MMORPG. He spoke with our Jordan Deam last week by telephone about the update in this exclusive interview.

WarCry: Hellbound is the final installment of the First Throne Saga. Talking about that overall storyline, how important is it to a typical Lineage II player?

Tim Tan: From a storyline standpoint, I feel that we started with the Kamael, and we introduced the Hellbound zone, and unlocking the different areas. I feel that Hellbound, basically the signature part of the last segment of the First Throne, is the completion of that. Your goal is to actually explore the rest of Hellbound, enter areas like the Steel Citadel, and your ultimate goal is to meet and fight Beleth, the biggest baddie in the game right now. So I think it will be significant. It definitely is, in terms of story, the higher-end content. And we do have a good group of roleplayers that always know the storyline and progression in that way.

Read more after the leap.

In the second half of his two part article called "To Be A Hero" (Part One is here), Jonathan Steinhauer gives us more of his personal take on how MMORPGs and how players want to be the center of that universe.

Every other Monday, Steinhauer brings us his design related MMO thoughts in this column.

Achievement can be broken into two basic categories: fame and influence. As I considered the former, my time playing AC jumped quickly to mind. In the early days of AC, they introduced top ten lists. These were published about once a month and showed who had the highest rating in a particular stat by server. This had the benefit of instant recognition for those who were the most skilled in the world. Of course, the downside is that the achievement didn't necessarily speak to actual player ability. Gaining skill proficiency, like gaining levels, doesn't prove noteworthy competency. The advantage often goes to those who started playing the game sooner or those who've had more time to spend in game rather than those who truly are expert in a particular field.

Read more after the leap.

In this edition of Steinhauer's Opinion, Jonathan tells us about the idea of "The Close Combat Archer". This is part one of a new sub-block of articles from him on this subject.

When we play an MMO, much like when we read a book or watch a movie, we expect a certain suspension of disbelief. Goblins and dragons cease to be mythical, and we don't scoff at the idea of a wizard calling firebolts from the heavens. We rarely even wonder how so many forests can support such large populations of bears, wolves, and other carnivorous creatures nor why such animals don't avoid humans but rather charge in with teeth bared. Nor do we question why an enemy village is devoid of any common folk like farmers, craftsmen, or children. And, of course, we never doubt the practicality of the close combat archer.

Read it all after the click.

The Lineage II Dev Team is working hard on getting the next free update ready. Lineage II The 1st Throne: The Kamael will not only be a transition from The Chaotic Chronicle to The Chaotic Throne, it is also the largest update to the game since it launched over three years ago.

The new race has a very interesting history. A large part of it has to do with their future as well. Will they be saviors or tormentors? They have a close relationship with dark magic, and seem to almost exist in two different worlds at the same time. While they can use weapons that other races can, in order to realize their full potential they must convert common weapons into Kamael only ones. The Rapier and Crossbow are necessary to allow the Kamael to use their race specific special attacks. While normal special attacks consume Power for other races, as part of their demonic heritage, Kamael fuel their attacks with souls. This means that to kill efficiently, Kamael have to kill constantly. It's no wonder then why they are extremely good at combat. The Kamael classes will be split between Male and Female genders, with each following a different path with distinct combat abilities.

Find out what will be included by reading the full article.

Recently, the staff of Lineage II WarCry put together a Q&A for the North American developers of Lineage II. This interview looks over a range of issues facing current players.

WarCry: We have seen a lot of content added to high levels and low levels, but the mid level range still remains unchanged. Is NCsoft planning to add any content in the mid level range?

L2 Dev Team: We continue to plan and create content for all levels of play as shown with the Chronicle 5 update. Interlude will be no different. Key features that benefit mid levels will be weapon augmentation system and the shadow weapon system. Weapon augmentation can be preformed on items of C grade or higher and can bestow benefits such as P.Atk, M. Atk., or even base player statistic increases. Shadow weapons are limited duration items that can be acquired when a player completes a class transfer quest.

You can read more at the link below.

Recently, the staff of Lineage II WarCry put together a Q&A for the North American developers of Lineage II. This interview looks over a range of issues facing current players.

WarCry: We have seen a lot of content added to high levels and low levels, but the mid level range still remains unchanged. Is NCsoft planning to add any content in the mid level range?

L2 Dev Team: We continue to plan and create content for all levels of play as shown with the Chronicle 5 update. Interlude will be no different. Key features that benefit mid levels will be weapon augmentation system and the shadow weapon system. Weapon augmentation can be preformed on items of C grade or higher and can bestow benefits such as P.Atk, M. Atk., or even base player statistic increases. Shadow weapons are limited duration items that can be acquired when a player completes a class transfer quest.

You can read more at the link below.

I was lucky enough to be invited to be a spectator for the Lineage II Battle Tournament.

On Friday night the Division 1 field had been narrowed down to Uprising (Bartz), who defeated Exo and Synergy, and Divine (Hindemith), who only had to defeat Stygian as they had recieved a first round bye. During the pre-battle period, Narem and DurealFirali seemed to have an idea as to what fate lay in store for them, and they made light of the situation with a "Leeeeerooooy Jennnnnkinnnnns!" cry.

Many of you have been awaiting and anticipating answers from the NC Soft staff regarding hacking issues, farmers, and the upcoming C2 content. I was fortunate enough to meet with Ash and to catch a glimpse of the beautiful things awaiting us on December 8th.

We have a new column up, and it's written by someone who can't write! Yup, me! In an attempt to grow excitement for the next large patch, I will be writing a few chapters of my travels through Chronicle 2. This will include places I visit, as well as general things I find out about C2.

If you have looked at the Patch Notes, then you will have a general idea of what's to come. However, I look at some things more in depth, and take my own pictures so as to give you a crystal clear view of what to expect. I tell things as I see them, and my assumptions may differ from yours.

At any rate, in the first chapter, I take a look at all the new places in the gorgeous Innadril region. The column can be accessed through the left navbar, or by clicking here. After reading, you can discuss it or ask questions in our Chronicle 2 forum.

The NCAustin guys were in full force this year at E3 showing Lineage 2 with a variety of events showcasing the PvP system. Throughout all the chaos Dhevrin took some time to sit down with WarCry and discuss the current direction of the game. A good deal of new content can be expected in the upcoming patches and Dhevrin gave me some insight as to what this content will do for players.

Discuss the Interview Here