Atlantica Online Executive Producer Q&A

WarCry: Introduce yourselves and tell us a bit about your experiences in MMO or general game development.

My name is Kim Tae Gon and I am the executive producer of Atlantica for NDOORS, based in Seoul, Korea. I’ve worked on computer games development for about 15 years. The last seven years have been with NDOORS, creating MMOGs like Luminary: Rise of the GoonZu. From games like that one, we were able to devise Atlantica‘s guild and town management systems.

WC: When was the decision made to bring Atlantica to North America? What made you feel that it would be successful here?

In its development, we knew we wanted to bring the game to North America, as well as to other parts of the world. Our goal was to produce a game that would be appealing to people all over the world and not be limited to Asia. We think it will be successful beyond Asia because the turn-based combat and mercenary features help the game stand out among MMORPGs, since these are not the norm. Plus, Atlantica takes players on a chase all over the world. The monsters at some of these locations are drawn from the legends and folklore of these areas. So in a way, players experience the culture of these places, bringing more of the real world into the game.

WC: Please give some background of the Atlantica.

Players must save the world by finding the legendary lost civilization of Atlantis. They must go around the world as part of quests and defeat monsters in order to pick up clues that will lead them to Atlantis. But players are not alone in this journey. They can acquire mercenaries who will fight with them in battles, which are all turn-based. And players can also team with other players as well, to try to advance to Altantis faster.
, It took us about three years to develop the game. Most of that time we worked on putting together the turn-based combat system and making sure it worked for an online game.

WC: Why did you decide to use ‘real life’ locations rather than a traditional fantasy setting?

Atlantica is a globe-hopping adventure, derived from mythology and legends of real human historywith real locations as the backdrop for this journey. Atlantica breaks from the usual MMORPG scenario of a totally fictional world. We like the notion that our game has grounding in reality.

WC: Why did the development direction go to turn-based combat rather than the more “traditional” (these days, anyhow) combat systems seen in other MMOs?

Having the turn-based combat system was part of the original concept for Atlantica. From the beginning, we wanted to create a different kind of MMORPG, and the turn-based system would be one of the main distinguishing characteristics. We liked the idea of having a game with an updated take on classic turn-based gameplay.

WC: According to another interview, you stated that one of your goals was to reach out to console gamers and introduce them to the MMO genre. Are there any plans to port Atlantica over to consoles?

No, Atlantica is strictly for PCs. We just thought Atlantica‘s qualities – the mission of uncovering Atlantis and the turn-based combat and mercenary features – would appeal to console gamers, and perhaps be a fun and pain-free way for them to try and transition into the MMO gaming world.

WC: Can PC players use a peripheral gamepad to play Atlantica?

Atlantica is designed to be played with just a keyboard and mouse.

WC: Explain the guild-controlled town system. How can players and their guilds build and control the economies of their towns?

Once a guild takes over a town, they take control of food production and what structures can be built in the town. What players do with those decisions will factor into how the town is scored along these five attributes: Security, Industry, Commerce, Culture and Health. The better your scores for these five traits, the more NPCs will want to move to your town, and the more residents you have the more taxes you can collect. If you don’t manage the town well and residents’ needs aren’t met, then NPCs will leave your town. Guild members can go on town quests that will not only earn them more gold and other items for their town, but it will help to keep their ratings high.

WC: Why was the decision made to limit multiplayer to parties of three? Can players take their mercenaries into battle?

Yes, players can take up to eight of their mercenaries into battle. Having mercenaries is the other key feature to Atlantica. That means a fighting force of nine for one player, including his or hers main character. In the turn-based combat, you have just 30 seconds to assign a move to all of your characters. So you have to think and act fast. This contributes to making Atlantica‘s action quick and exciting.
For parties, we just thought three would be a good number. With more than three, there would be more than 27 characters on just one side, and that, we thought, would just make the screen look too busy and perhaps chaotic. And two is just too small of a number.

WC: One thing players have noticed during beta testing is the lack of customization of their characters. Will more models be available after the official launch (body types, faces, hairstyles, etc.)?

For the time being, gender, body type, face, hair and clothes will still be the only options players have when they create their main characters. But we do have plans for more options in the future.

WC: Atlantica uses the microtransaction system. Why was this decision made? What types of things will players be able to purchase?

All of NDOORS games use the microtransaction system, and there are no plan to deviate from that. We prefer to give players the option to try out the game without having to pay a subscription fee. If they get into the game, they have the choice to buy things to enhance their experience.
The items available for purchase are the same things you can find in the game, things like scrolls and potions, as well as convenience items like auto-battle. So for players who want to advance faster, they have the option to pick up items like these quicker by buying them.

WC: How much control does a player have over their character’s advancement in levels? Are points automatically allotted or do players control which abilities and skills they would like to raise?

Players have a lot of control in how their characters advance. When you go up a level, you earn a bonus point and a skill point, and you can apply the skill point to whichever attribute you prefer, such as strength or defense. The skill point can be used to either boost the effectiveness of a specific magic skill or add a new magic ability to your repertoire. The same applies to mercenaries when they go up a level. You have a bonus point and skill point to raise each mercenary’s abilities and skills.

WC: Will players be able to ‘reroll’ their characters and re-assign skills at any point?

There are items that can be found or purchased that let players change and re-assign their character’s traits, including weapons, skills and even his or hers gender.

WC: What plans do developers have beyond the initial release of Atlantica? Are there any plans for sequels or content additions?

There will be content additions in future updates. We think some of these will be particularly fun for North Americans, as some of the content has been tailored for them. The globe-hopping adventure will most definitely take players to the United States for some intriguing monsters. We hope American players will keep playing to find out.

WC: Are there any plans to expand the races and classes?

For main characters, there aren’t any plans to expand classes, which are determined by the weapon players choose. There’s only one race for the main character, since he or she is supposed to be a descendant of Atlantis. But there will be additional classes of mercenaries coming out in the future, giving players more options in assembling a fighting force.

WC: Will the world of Atlantica ever be brought to North/South America or Africa?

Yes, all the continents except Antarctica will be represented in the game.

WC: What accommodations have been made for so-called “casual players”?

With the main storyline of finding Atlantis, the action is all PvE, so players can work their way to Atlantis at their own pace, taking on monsters when they have time. We think the turn-based combat system is well-suited for casual players. It’s fast-paced and quick, and not something players get bogged down into. There’s no hacking and slashing.

WC: What accommodations have been made for so-called “hardcore players”?

Well, we think the turn-based combat will appeal to hardcore gamers for the same reasons. When you put the combat together with mercenaries, the game becomes very strategic. First, you need to choose which mercenaries to take into a fight. Once in battle, you have to decide quickly what move to make for each character. Sometimes you won’t want to move a character, because you need to build up his Action Power so he can use magic skills later. Then there’s the deep role-playing environment for players to get immersed in. Players can craft, and they can form guilds that take over towns or even nations, if you declare war on them and then beat them in PvP battles.

WC: Is there anything else you would like to add? Please do!

Atlantica, we believe, can appeal to all types of people, with the wide variety of features and elements to the game. You’re also exploring the wide and diverse world of the game, with monsters straight out of the myths and legends from all parts of the world. We’re working on improving the game even more, adding new content and refining and upgrading the different features in the game to make the Atlantica experience even more fun for all.