NCSOFT did not attend the G-Star 2024 event, but the editor of the 4gamer.net portal arranged a meeting with the developers at their office. So on November 18, 2024, the day after the game exhibition ended, he flew 325 kilometers from Busan to Seoul, where he met with Choi Moon-young, head of the development studio, and Kim Seon-ho, head of the combat system design.
Since the interview turned out to be very voluminous and in some cases philosophical, we tried to select the main thoughts voiced in it:
- The Korean version of the game did not live up to expectations. Therefore, all efforts were devoted to creating a global version of the game.
- The preferences and personalities of Korean and international audiences are very different. Therefore, the partnership with Amazon Games from the moment the agreement was signed played a big role in creating a global version of the game.
- Two months have passed since the launch of the global version, but the developers are not ready to say that everything is fine in the game and there are no problems. So they continue to prepare changes.
- Based on the success in the international market, it is planned to attract new players to the Korean version of the game. The developers expect the anniversary celebration in South Korea and new hyperboost servers to attract new players.
- Throne and Liberty was created as a project that would be different from NCSOFT’s recent projects over the past ten years. We are especially talking about technological solutions.
- Despite the fact that the game was developed for PC and consoles, it contained many elements from mobile projects. During user closed testing, players actively complained about such elements. Therefore, before launching the global version of the game, it was necessary to remove all controversial mechanics and decisions.
- After the first CBT, the developers redesigned the interface and gameplay, and also “rewrote about half of the game.”
- The developers understand that now few players will play MMORPGs as they did in the days of Lineage 2. Modern players prefer a session format that does not require spending tens or hundreds of hours a week at the computer. Therefore, the authors’ goal is to “make things a little simpler, include more content that can be done in a short period of time, create more PvE content than PvP.”
- One of the most notable complaints from players is that “after reaching the maximum level and completing the storyline, there is nothing to do in the game and the game becomes a bore.”
- The authors are confident that some of the existing content is simply meaningless and uninteresting to players. Many players focus only on the most profitable activities, so they quickly get bored with the same activities. Solutions to this situation are being discussed.
- An open, seamless world without lag is one of the main goals set for the development team. Basically, this was achieved without any reservations. However, this does not mean that work on optimizing the game has stopped: in the future we will see improvements in the stability of mass sieges.
- In the future, players will be motivated to use different types of weapons. And players will be able to try out all types of weapons while maintaining their skill level. The details of the new mechanics have not been revealed, but it will be something like a “weapon try-on”. For example, you have level 13 sword skills and you can “attach” a bow to it in order to test it at the desired level of pumping.
- The skill specialization system allows different players to create their own unique playstyle. There is no point in arguing that some combination is good or bad. It all depends on the personal preferences of the players.
- The interface and controls on consoles are constantly being improved based on user feedback. Coming soon will be the ability to play Throne and Liberty with a connected keyboard and mouse.
- The developers have collected a lot of feedback about the linear achievement of the maximum level and only partial use of the world map. Players lacked opportunities to gradually visit different regions and locations. At the moment, we are discussing adding new points of interest that will facilitate the study of the world map.
- The monetization model was formed with the participation of Amazon Games, so it was decided to come to the option that is now implemented in the game. All pay-to-win elements have been removed from the game.
- The profit from each premium item is small, so the developers want as many people as possible to purchase them.
- Halloween costumes sold well, which raises hopes that the chosen monetization model will be maintained.
- The authors hope that the demand for MMORPGs for PC and consoles will be present for a long time, since mobile gaming still cannot provide players with all the desired sensations and opportunities.
- Listening to the wishes of players is a very important skill for maintaining and developing the game.
- The development team plays Throne and Liberty directly to clearly see all the pros and cons of the game they are creating.
