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We've fixed up the grammatical errors in the article and reposted it here for everyone to read. Enjoy!
Quote
Part 2 of our interview with Jake Song is about the 1st closed beta test of ArcheAge, which will be held on July 23rd. The game's design blueprints were already shown to players, and now fans are imagining what it will be like when it finally goes "gold" and is ready for commercial service. Let’s talk about the preparation, expectations, and feedback from users concerning the 1st closed beta test.
TIG: How ready is ArcheAge right now?
Jake: The most basic features and other stuff that we really wanted to examine are in place now. Obviously this is not the game's final version for open beta test or commercial launch. We want to get feedback from users about features no one else has attempted to make until now.
TIG: What features are there now?
Jake: Simply put, we want all the in-game contents to interact with each other. For example, interactions such as building a house, riding a horse together with another player, and making a bridge by chopping down a tree. The problem, however, is that these interactions are not normal content for beginners (newbies). We worry that users won't be patient enough to experience all of ArcheAge’s interactions.
One of the possible interactions with ArcheAge's world: planting a tree.
TIG: Today’s gamers are highly critical of MMOs during closed beta tests. Name the one feature you are worrying about the most.
Jake: It's too hard to pick just one! The current walking and running motions are awkward and battle motions should be fixed as well. Audio also sounds like cheap dubbing. Our characters are not sexy enough and some even look bad. We know about all that kind of obvious bad stuff, so that's not the feedback we want to hear from users.
TIG: Then what kind of feedback do you want from users?
Jake: We want feedback on the experimental features and interactions. As I said before, there is a high possibility of players leaving the game before actually experiencing what we've created for them. Giving the experimental features to beginners is not an easy solution, either.
You may lose interest during the first 30 minutes by doing nothing entertaining, but we should not offer level 1 players the ability to build a house. Players must learn basic functions first and then do something amazing.
ArcheAge's UI hasn't been finalized.
TIG: The minimum recommended specifications for the closed beta are extreme. How much more optimized will ArcheAge be before launch?
Jake: As optimized as possible. Currently we recommend 3 GB of memory, but eventually we'll get the minimum requirement to be as low as 1 or 2 GB. We think that a computer with a Core 2 Duo and 1 or 2 GB memory should be good enough. We are also investigating the average specifications of PC Bangs (computer rooms) and individual PCs around the nation.
TIG: I guess the first 30 minutes is a short enough time to spend with quests. We know that the famous fiction writer Min-Hee Jun (Jeon Minhi) is working on quests.
Jake: There are 2 types of quests in ArcheAge - main quests and zone quests - and they are not ready for closed beta. Only a few quests will be available, but even they are not fully completed.
Nuians and Elves.
TIG: ArcheAge’s main concept is "freedom". Can we experience it in the closed beta test?
Jake: You can, but it would be not as super free as you imagine. We had limited time, resources, and technology for the closed beta. Some things were left out.
TIG: Then what features do you want users to check?
Jake: We have created an unfamiliar class system. You will choose 3 abilities and a class, and this ability system will make the class system totally different. We will see how well it matches with whole game. We might drop this system if users do not like it.
TIG: When will OBT be? Should we wait to play ArcheAge until every feature is ready for prime-time?
Jake: We will proceed this project step by step. We cannot afford to develop everything to completion. We need to make money to eat and live. :P
TIG: How ready is ArcheAge right now?
Jake: The most basic features and other stuff that we really wanted to examine are in place now. Obviously this is not the game's final version for open beta test or commercial launch. We want to get feedback from users about features no one else has attempted to make until now.
TIG: What features are there now?
Jake: Simply put, we want all the in-game contents to interact with each other. For example, interactions such as building a house, riding a horse together with another player, and making a bridge by chopping down a tree. The problem, however, is that these interactions are not normal content for beginners (newbies). We worry that users won't be patient enough to experience all of ArcheAge’s interactions.
One of the possible interactions with ArcheAge's world: planting a tree.
TIG: Today’s gamers are highly critical of MMOs during closed beta tests. Name the one feature you are worrying about the most.
Jake: It's too hard to pick just one! The current walking and running motions are awkward and battle motions should be fixed as well. Audio also sounds like cheap dubbing. Our characters are not sexy enough and some even look bad. We know about all that kind of obvious bad stuff, so that's not the feedback we want to hear from users.
TIG: Then what kind of feedback do you want from users?
Jake: We want feedback on the experimental features and interactions. As I said before, there is a high possibility of players leaving the game before actually experiencing what we've created for them. Giving the experimental features to beginners is not an easy solution, either.
You may lose interest during the first 30 minutes by doing nothing entertaining, but we should not offer level 1 players the ability to build a house. Players must learn basic functions first and then do something amazing.
ArcheAge's UI hasn't been finalized.
TIG: The minimum recommended specifications for the closed beta are extreme. How much more optimized will ArcheAge be before launch?
Jake: As optimized as possible. Currently we recommend 3 GB of memory, but eventually we'll get the minimum requirement to be as low as 1 or 2 GB. We think that a computer with a Core 2 Duo and 1 or 2 GB memory should be good enough. We are also investigating the average specifications of PC Bangs (computer rooms) and individual PCs around the nation.
TIG: I guess the first 30 minutes is a short enough time to spend with quests. We know that the famous fiction writer Min-Hee Jun (Jeon Minhi) is working on quests.
Jake: There are 2 types of quests in ArcheAge - main quests and zone quests - and they are not ready for closed beta. Only a few quests will be available, but even they are not fully completed.
Nuians and Elves.
TIG: ArcheAge’s main concept is "freedom". Can we experience it in the closed beta test?
Jake: You can, but it would be not as super free as you imagine. We had limited time, resources, and technology for the closed beta. Some things were left out.
TIG: Then what features do you want users to check?
Jake: We have created an unfamiliar class system. You will choose 3 abilities and a class, and this ability system will make the class system totally different. We will see how well it matches with whole game. We might drop this system if users do not like it.
TIG: When will OBT be? Should we wait to play ArcheAge until every feature is ready for prime-time?
Jake: We will proceed this project step by step. We cannot afford to develop everything to completion. We need to make money to eat and live. :P
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