Saturday, November 29, 2008

Aion Open Beta Hosts 170k Users in First Week

Eleven thousand people in two minutes?!?!

Even though NCsoft is lagging a bit in the revenue department, their latest endeavor, Aion: The Tower of Eternity is going gangbusters during their Korea open beta. They reported over 11,000 people logging in during the first two minutes that the beta was opened up. More from Korea:

"Since Tuesday's launch of open beta testing in Korea, concurrent user numbers have already jumped to more than 170,000 players, making it the most popular beta event in Korean history. According to NCsoft officials, more than 11,000 people were logged into the game after only two minutes of open beta service. In less than an hour, that number had ballooned to 40,000."

Those are some impressive numbers by any standards. Ncsoft has made quite a name for themselves with Lineage and Lineage 2, but they seem poised to do so with Aion as well.

Aion - Question AND Answer from NCSoft

1. How extensive will Aion character customization be?

In the game client, which was being showed in Leipzig, the player had the ability to choose between several different hairstyles, colours, shapes of their face, skin colours, character height and voice. It is also possible to alter eye colours and to add tattoos to the character face. A character build feature is currently being planned, which will affect the size of the character, ranging from skinny to big.

2. Tradable wings have been mentioned. Exactly what does it mean?

It was most likely a misunderstanding. Wings are not bought in Aion, but changed by other factors such as a rising PvP-rank.

3. What will you do in order for Aion to appeal to casual players?

We want to have short-term goals in the game, such as quests fitting within shorter timeframes. There will also be appropriate rewards for completing those. Very powerful game items (weapons and armours) will be attainable in different ways, making it easier for casual players to gradually work towards them.

4. Are the Asmodians significantly different from the Elyos?

It is possible to see that the Asmodians and Elyos come from the same origin. They have the same, fundamental humanoid shapes. An analogy would be to compare elves with dark elves.

5. Will there be player housing?

Not at launch, but definitely as soon as possible. It is likely to be in the first expansion.

6. Will there be mounts in Aion?

No. There are currently no plans to implement regular mounts in Aion. Transport will be done by foot or by flying. There will also be a long-range teleport system and short-range travel-services in which you let the game control the flight to your destination.

7. Will flying timer and cool-down change with character level?

No, probably not. There will, however, be items and skills which can enhance these abilities. In practice, this could mean that as the character progresses to higher levels it also gains access to these skills and items.

8. How do sieges work in Aion? Are there any guild-specific advantages to controlling a castle?

The main PvP area in Aion is the Abyss. There are several castles in Aion, all which can be captured by player guilds on behalf of their faction. A siege is in its very fundament a raid. Initially, each castle is controlled by the Balaur, who will not gladly give it up. A guild leader would gather his or her troops and initiate an attack on the castle and its defenders. After defeating the NPC defenders, the castle changes ownership. Since the battles take place in the Abyss, its always possible that the other PC faction might interfere to either defend or attack. Once the castle has a new owner, there are a few hours during which no PvP can take place on the island. After this period, however, the castle is again open to attacks from the opposing faction.
There are many benefits to be gained from controlling a castle. The castle will have NPCs who vend unique items, whose sales the controlling guild may put taxes on in order to gain a bit of extra income. Guilds will also have direct access to the hunting grounds and resources surrounding the castle.

9. Will Aion battles and sieges be as massive and monumental as in Lineage II?

The Abyss is an open area with many strategic points. There are no set times for sieges or battles, but instead something that the players themselves may decide. It was one of our goals to not require the vast amounts of players as sieges in Lineage II did. While there are no technical limitations and a charismatic leader could well gather hundreds of players for a siege, 2 or 3 groups should be enough too, if circumstances are right.

10. What role does PvP have in Aion?

PvP is very important in Aion. To get out most of the game, one should definitely participate in PvP at some point. We want to gradually introduce even non-PvPers to the PvP.
It is, however, not necessary to participate in PvP. One can go from level 1 to 50 without participating in a single PvP-battle. It will take a little bit longer, though, as the most rewarding hunting grounds often are those found in the Abyss.
A feature that is currently on a planning stage is to randomly open teleportation portals in the Elyos and Asmodian lands. This would allow for very random, occasional battles where even lower level players get a chance to experience PvP, without it being a constant threat and presence.

11. What are the rewards and encouragements for PvPvE?

The basic reward in PvPvE is the same as in all other combat, experience. You will gain experience from killing both mobs and PC opponents in the Abyss. By collecting PvP-points, players can also gain access to very good high-end items, which otherwise can only be crafted.
There are also indirect benefits, since PvPvE in a way is a method to gain control of castles which come with a wide array of benefits themselves.

12. Will there be potions in Aion? If so, how will they work?

There will be health and mana recovery potions with instant effect. They will, however, have a re-use timer to prevent an excessive usage. There will also be foods with different effects on your character. Food will practically work as a buff, of which only one can be active at the same time.

13. How will larger game updates be implemented?

There will be big, regular expansions once or twice a year. How they are to be distributed depends on the area.

14. Will weather be affecting game play?

This feature has unfortunately been dropped. Weather will however affect some NPCs and monster spawns.

15. In terms of content, what will be done to prevent Aion from being "just another grinder"?

The problem with Asian games, we believe, have been a design which is not overly complicated, very basic. With the exception of Japan, RPG´s have until recently not been a mainstream game type at all in Asia. In order to introduce players to the genre, games were deliberately made rather simple in their design. At the time, it was probably the right decision, as it introduced many new players to the genre. The demands on a game and its amount of content have, however, risen substantially lately in Asia. To survive on the market today, a very high amount of content is required. Due to this, it´s not an option to make "just another grinder". Players need other things to keep them occupied while developing their characters. We have approached this issue partly by putting more focus on quests, allowing people to pursue professions and gather resources, and by incorporating an advanced combat system.

16. What will be done for Role-players?

Except from the extensive character cusomization, Aion will have a wide array of emotes to be used in various situations. We also plan to put some fun and cute "items" in there that don´t have much actual value except for role-playing. Other activities that could appeal to the role-players out there are resource gathering, crafting and of course cooking.

17. Will there be specific Role-play servers?

Not in the Asian market, but if this is deemed a good addition in a specific area, it´s up to the service provider in that area.

18. Will there be specific quests for guilds?

Yes, it is being considered.

19. Will there be statistics available online, outside the game?

We are still working on what information will be available for others to see. Character stats, guild status and castle/guild hall control are some of the things that probably will be available to see online. There might also be some sort of "score board", with player scores reflecting many different game aspects.

Although not entirely related, we are also working on a "Hero" system. Becoming a hero will require a lot of work. Heroes will act as human boss mobs, much more difficult for enemies to kill than ordinary players. People will know when a hero enters an area.

Since many of you Aion fans have the same question: "When we will have a release date?", I found this (it is from the bigging of the year):

Recently, NCsoft in Korea released its new business model of the highly anticipated MMORPG Aion. The spokesman of Korean NCsoft said that Aion will go Pay-to-Play in the first half of this year. In a word, Aion is an entirely PAY-to-PLAY MMORPG with monthly subscriptions. Now, Aion is in limited beta in Korea. Approximately, when the second closed beta ended, the game will go open beta and officially launch.

NCsoft releases lore for upcoming Aion

NCsoft is gearing up for the 2009 release of a new MMO, but one that blurs the lines between what has typically been considered the realms of dark and light.

Aion: The Tower of Eternity is the tale of three aion races, though only two are playable. The game takes place in a world that has been shattered. On one side of the abyss is the realm of the Elyos, a haughty race that bears some resemblance to angels. On the other side are the Asmodians, with wings made of leather and dark feathers. The aion races, though descendents from the same people at one time, are at odds with one another, and the war if battled in the abyss.

There is a third non-player faction that can also be drawn into the conflict.

Early in the game, each of the player races can run a quest that will allow them the use of wings.

During a recent event in San Francisco, NCsoft allowed some hands-on time with the game and supplied the following story, which details the lore behind the ascension quest that results in growing wings.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Aion The Asmodian Ascension Quest

The chance to earn your wings and become a Daeva comes relatively early in the life of every true Asmodian, though the path itself can be hard and somewhat mystifying. As you reach level 9 you discover that you must find the Asmodian known as Munin, who has been detained deep within the Ishalgen Prison Camp.

Trapped within a crystallized prison cell, Munin is your key to Ascension. This Daeva can discern the future, even trapped in his cell. This expert fortuneteller will be able to tell your future and how you will ascend to be a mighty Asmodian, but first he needs items that can help piece together your past. He will need these items, the cards of fate, from three different disciples in order to proceed.

The first appears as an old tailor by the name of Urd, who resides in Aldelle Village, which you should already be familiar with as it was one of the first places you would have passed through as a young Asmodian. Urd gives you a card that represents your past—“I see two twisted creepers”—and sends you to the next disciple, the Old Lady Fortuneteller.

She lives out in the Munihele Forest, located roughly halfway between Aldelle Basin and the Prison Camp. You can find her near a small log cabin, well off the beaten path, where she goes by the name of Verdandi. The hermit will read your palm and gives you a card of fate detailing your present state, though you are warned you will not understand what it means (though Munin will).

Verdandi then directs you to your next and last stop, this time to have your future read by a young woman named Skuld. She resides on the cliffs above the sea just south of Anturoon Crossing. Be careful, this will be one of the most perilous journeys — the cliffs are swarming with Eyvindir pirates, who don’t take to people invading their private space lightly. Also beware of the Fang Karnifs, aggressive cat-like beasts that like to pick off stragglers or unsuspecting Asmodians.

Skuld will read your future and imprint it on yet another card. Now you must deliver all three cards back to Munin, which should be an easy run on the path all the way north, back to the Ishalgen Prison Camp. Munin is pleased you’ve gathered the cards from his disciples, and his motives in helping you aren’t entirely clear, but evidently he intends to change the future he sees, and the only way to do so is through you — but first he must reveal your own future.

As he reads the cards, he begins to weave patterns in the Aether, and suddenly you are transported to an outer-worldly realm, wearing a full set of Asmodian armor; the sky is a mix of dark, blood-like colors, and scattered about are several giant, swirling vortices - Portals. This is the Abyss, the nether region nestled between the two shattered halves of Atreia, and you’re standing on one of the many small, floating rocky islands that dot the Abyss. You see a line of wounded Asmodian soldiers before you, but the apparent leader — Archon Legionary Hagen — beckons you forward.

The Asmodians are in a desperate struggle to attain the floating island of Narsass, but the Elyos Legatus known as Hellion is successfully standing in their way. You must fly to Narsass and defeat Hellion personally — that is your destiny. Immediately you spread your wings and spring off the island, passing groups of Asmodians and Elyos engaged in aerial combat, before you reach the foreboding Narsass.

After defeating several Elyos soldiers, you come up against Hellion himself, and the battle does not go well. You are soundly defeated after a blinding assault. Suddenly, you seem to recover, but you’re back in your old armor again, and the form of Munin appears nearby. “The future is not fixed,” he says, and he reveals that trying to change the future is why he was imprisoned in the first place. You agree to mutually help each other — Munin claims he will need help in the future, and in return he will help save your life down the line — but first you must become a Daeva and pick a class.

Once your specialized class has been chosen, you then teleport to Pandaemonium, the Asmodian capital, where you will need to talk to friendly Heimdall of the City Guard (he’s not hard to find). The formal Ascension ceremony takes place in the Great Temple of Pandaemonium and is overseen by the high priest, Balder. There is a great ceremony — some of the Asmodians will mock you, others will be more encouraging — where the elders recognize you as a Daeva, newly Ascended, ready to prove that the Asmodians hold the true power in Atreia. The ceremony ends with the granting of your new wings, which you can now use to fly and customize as you wish.

Now this is truly the time to take a hold of your destiny.

Aion Twelve Lords of Legend revealed

Aion: Tower of Eternity is drawing closer to Open Beta, and there's a growing hunger for information. An ingenious and generous person by the name of Hellrose over at Aionsource.com has translated some information on the Twelve Lords of Legend, directly from the game's Korean site.

You can peruse the lore over at mmosite.com. The Twelve Empyrean Lords were sent forth to defend the Tower of Eternity against the Balaur, warrior members of the original race of Atreia; each one is given a brief description and image. It's evocative stuff, reminiscent of Zelazny's Nine Princes in Amber, the Choirs of the Archangels from the Kabbalah (unsurprisingly) and the kind of radiant archetype seen in anime such as Fate: Stay Night. The images reminded us strongly of Zelazny's Amber Trumps, too; a merchandising opportunity if ever there was one.

More Aion Online

Aion breaks all beta test records in Korea

While we had some grim news related to NCsoft's dip in profits yesterday, there may be a silver lining to this, in the form of Aion: The Tower of Eternity. A press release from NCsoft states that the Aion beta has surpassed all previous records for a beta test in Korea: "Concurrent user numbers have already jumped to more than 170,000 players, making it the most popular beta event in Korean history." That's a significant achievement, given how mature the market is in Korea. 11,000 people were logged into the Aion beta only two minutes after service began and hit 40,000 players within an hour. The rapid influx of players necessitated NCsoft having 25 servers running to accommodate them.

David Reid, president of publishing for NCsoft West in Seattle said, "The response we're seeing in Korea is incredibly exciting. Our Aion community in North America and Europe is rapidly growing. We've got aggressive plans for the western launch in 2009." On the subject of Aion's launch, the press release lists Korea's commercial launch as being just a few weeks away. As Reid stated, the North American and European Aion launches are set for 2009, but NCsoft hasn't nailed down a specific launch date for these markets at this time.

Aion ascends in Korea as competitors fall

In many respects, watching the MMO industry in Asia is a litmus test of sorts for the western markets. While the preferred game mechanics of your average Korean MMO, for instance, differ markedly from what a North American MMO gamer expects from a title, the broader ideas -- in terms of business models -- represent what may yet be for those of us in North America, Europe, and Australia. So when industry leaders aren't doing well in their primary market, it may not bode well for their smaller titles running in other regions of the world.

We've come across an interesting piece in The Korea Times about some sea changes in Korea's MMO industry, focusing on NCsoft as well as its competitors -- Nexon, Webzen, and Hanbitsoft. We've previously reported that the Aion: The Tower of Eternity beta has, thus far, been quite a success in Korea and is perhaps a ray of hope for NCsoft in some troubled times. NCsoft's fiscal health is a big issue for fans of City of Heroes, Guild Wars, Tabula Rasa, and Lineage II, among others. So it comes as good news that NCsoft has nearly 200,000 concurrent users playing Aion: The Tower of Eternity in beta. The Korea Times, however, describes the country's MMO industry as being in a state of flux.

While NCsoft's Aion ascends, Nexon's ZerA has fallen from grace, but that hasn't stopped the company from doing something surprisingly... noble. "The company will yank ZerA, a role-playing game that took three years and 10 billion won (about $7.5 million) to develop, at the end of January and is preparing to repay users who own paid items," Kim Tong-hyung writes for The Korea Times.

Despite going out with class, ZerA's demise is significant to the Korean MMO industry, the title having been hailed in the past as one of the 'big three' titles in the market, according to Kim. So what will fill the vacuum? "With the paucity of excitement becoming alarmingly evident on the local gaming scene, all eyes, and prayers, are on Aion, which NCsoft has declared the heir apparent to its iconic role-playing series,"Lineage,'' Kim adds.

In news that may be worrying to Tabula Rasa players, Kim writes that NCsoft "is now reluctantly discussing whether to pull the plug on "Tabula Rasa,'' developed by famed game developer Richard Garriott and the product of a seven-year, 100 billion won investment. Tabula Rasa is now looking more and more like a monumental bust, earning less than four billion won in the first-half of this year. NCsoft can ill-afford having another expensive project blow up in its face."

The question remains: Will Aion: The Tower of Eternity revitalize NCsoft's fortunes by injecting something fresh into the industry's current array of titles, and will gamers worldwide view Aion in as positive a light as NCsoft is presenting it?

More Aion Guides