The Legend of Ares: Beta Wrapup And Look Ahead

Since we talked to them before the first round of beta, we were delighted to talk to the Legend of Ares guys once it wrapped up. We cover how it went and, most importantly, where they're going next.

WarCry: How did the first round of beta go for you guys? Any surprises come up, any major pitfalls, anything like that?

LoA:We feel that the first Closed Beta for The Legend of Ares went very well. We had over 24,000 people register with our site and distributed over 12,000 digital keys. On top of that, we had over 15,000 client downloads. All in all, things went pretty smoothly.

WarCry: What surprised you most about your players? Did they do anything you just couldn't have planned for?

LoA: What surprised us most about our players is their ingenuity with regard to finding bugs and exploits in the game. They've been very helpful in their submissions and emails that detail those bugs that are either critical or exploitable. With their constant support and our indomitable GM staff, we've been able to address and solve countless issues with regard to the game.

WarCry: What kind of changes are you making based on feedback and player input?

LoA:[/B]Being receptive to player input is one of the core and basic principles in MGame's customer service policy. So when players demanded certain changes be made within the game, our GM team went to work and immediately submitted our players' suggestion to the dev team. Changes such as implementing a w,a,d keyboard-based movement, or having a move-camera option on the mouse all came from player input during our first Closed Beta. Also many of the events that have been implemented during our Open Beta were developed to accommodate player's desire for a fast-paced, action-oriented game. Player input is extremely important to us, so we encourage our players to communicate with us regularly with regards to bugs, comments, or suggestions.

WarCry: Are you planning any major changes or overhauls of the game before it officially launches? Has beta revealed anything that made you say, "Wow, we've got to fix/change that!"?

LoA: Absolutely. The primary purpose of our betas was to test and see what the players liked and/or wanted from our game. So with regards to major changes in the game, it's really up to the players to decide. So far, we have recorded and are beginning to implement certain changes, but how it turns out will be for the players to decide. As for things that make us go, "wow, we've got fix/change that", there are a couple, but those are currently being resolved so that the launch will go smoothly.

WarCry: How are your players reacting to the game now that they know it? Are you seeing a lot of turnover, or are people sticking around?

LoA:[/B] Player feedback has been generally positive with a lot of excitement for upcoming features of the game. The general consensus is that this game has a lot of potential with its fast-paced combat/leveling system and extensive PvP combat. Much of the game hasn't been exposed as of yet, so players have a lot to look forward to when it comes to The Legend of Ares.

WarCry: What are you unveiling in this phase of the beta, if anything?

LoA: Well, we're going to continue to run National Wars as we did in the second Closed Beta, as well as some new elements exclusive to Open Beta. To give our players a hint, here are some of the things that they might be able to during OB:

[b]LoA: Throughout the beta we will be running several events that will highlight a particular aspect of the game. Whether it be the party system, leveling, questing, PvP, or Guild aspect, the events will allow players to see more and more exactly what Legend of Ares has to offer. So as the launch date looms closer and closer, players will have the opportunity to experience those things in The Legend of Ares that haven't ever been revealed yet. Things like the special item shop, Territory wars, Guild Tournaments, and quests come to mind. It's safe to say that come Launch Date, players will have a good idea of what The Legend of Ares has to offer!