korea posts

Second Life Global Provider Program troubled?

by Tateru Nino Nov 16th 2009 at 9:00AM

Filed under: MMO industry, News items, Second Life, Virtual worlds

Back in 2007, Linden Lab formed regional partnerships with companies to operate localized portals for the Second Life platform, called the Global Provider Program (also sometimes referred to by the Lab as the Gold Provider Program, though distinct from the Gold Solution Provider Program). Linden Lab identified three non-English regional markets that it felt were priorities for support and localization: Brazil, Korea and Germany.

The first of the providers was Kaizen Games in Brazil, followed by Barunson Games (then called T-Entertainment) in Korea in October 2007. Bokowsky and Laymann might constitute a third partner in this program for Germany, but the the actual arrangement there isn't very clear.

Tags: barunson-games, bokowsky-laymann, brazil, choi-he-suk, germany, kaizen-games, korea, korea-herald, linden-lab, mainland-brasil, mmo-industry, second-life, second-life-viewer, sera-korea, sl-global-provider-program, t-entertainment, virtual-worlds

Massively interview with Aion's new community manager

by Kyle Horner Oct 28th 2009 at 11:30AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, News items, Massively Interviews

Aion is easily one of the biggest MMOs of the year, so when a new North American community manager took over recently we decided it was the perfect time for an interview with the new team member, Andrew Beegle -- known as Tamat to community members.

We asked Tamat about new methods of community interaction, the hotly anticipated experience boost patch and even some personal questions about our new community manager. You can never really know enough about the person serving as the conduit to your main MMO -- at least that's what we tell them!

Tags: aion, community, experience, experience-boost, experience-patch, featured, interview, korea, korean, massively-interviews, nc-west, ncsoft, north-america, north-american, patch, server, tamat, translation

Big improvements in Aion 1.5.1 patch

by Brooke Pilley Oct 7th 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Patches

The folks over at AionSource were kind enough to translate the latest Aion patch notes being tested in Korea. ~~There's no word yet on when western players will see these changes~~, but the notes are still worth reading because there are some big improvements. Three items stood out to us especially.

Based on the table shown in the notes, quest experience is being increased; to the tune of almost 500% on average (if our calculations are correct). The craziest example is a level 44 quest going from 13,300 to 703,820 experience (53 times as much).

Extracting aether now has a chance to debuff you with "Aether Venom." This debuff reduces your chance to successfully extract a gatherable down to 0. Players can remove this effect with a "Word of Purification" ability. Each character has this ability but to successfully use it, one must properly type in a captcha. This seems like an obvious attempt to prevent bots from gathering up all the game's resources.

Finally, Spiritmaster pets can now fly. We're not quite sure how this issue ever made it into the game at launch (design oversight or complication?), but 1.5.1 aims to finally remedy it so Spiritmasters aren't totally gimped in aerial PvP. Be sure to check out the full notes here.

[Update: These notes are for the Korean test server, so they're not final notes for the Western version.]

Tags: aion, aion-patch-1.5.1, bots, gold-farming, korea, ncsoft, patch-notes, quests

PAX 2009: We travel east with Rise of the Godslayer

by Kyle Horner Sep 9th 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Age of Conan, Expansions, Massively Event Coverage

Age of Conan came to PAX pretty much directly off their announcement of the Rise of the Godslayer expansion. So when we arrived at our appointment to check the game out and speak with Executive Producer Craig Morrison, you can imagine our curiosity levels were quite high.

This expansion is taking players far into the eastern lands of Khitai, which is essentially a retelling of our own ancient eastern worlds. Something we were told right away is that Funcom wanted to avoid Japanese influences, as they're fairly over-saturated in videogames. Instead, they're going for a heavy focus on Korean and Chinese culture for the lands of Khitai.

Gallery: Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer

Tags: age-of-conan, aoc, china, conan, craig-morrison, expansion, featured, funcom, khitai, korea, pax, pax-2009, rise-of-the-godslayer, robert-e-howard, rotg

Aion Abyss rankings show assassins like it on top (Korean)

by Brooke Pilley Sep 5th 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Classes, News items

We stumbled upon this interesting Aion chart that shows off the current Abyss rankings on the top five Korean servers. There are a few things you should know before drawing any absolute conclusions. First, the list only ranks players by their total Abyss Points (AP) and doesn't factor in many of the variables associated with AP gain (e.g., solo, group, PvE, PvP, exploit, etc.). Also, it doesn't necessarily reflect class imbalance issues (power or population), but we're sure that's the conclusion most people will jump to.

After tallying up the class numbers, you can see that Assassins seem to be dominating the Abyss rankings, while Spiritmasters are at the bottom. Of the top 100, 48 are Assassins and 2 are Spiritmasters. With three classes tied for second and a few others not far behind, at least that seems quite balanced in terms of class spread. Exploitation is also mentioned in this thread and there appears to be one blatant case of it in the rankings (i.e., the level 30 Ranger with the top rank for his server). PvP games inevitably result in lists like this and it will be interesting to see how things pan out on the North American servers when Aion launches later this month.

Want to know more about Aion? NCsoft invites you into the world of Atreia where the Elyos and the Asmodians fight each other and the evil Balaur for control of the shattered planet. Check out out all our coverage of this highly anticipated MMO!

Tags: abyss, aion, aion-korea, assassin, korea, nc-west, ncsoft, pvp-rank, ranger, rvr, spiritmaster

EA finds a publishing partner in Outspark

by Seraphina Brennan Sep 1st 2009 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Business models, MMO industry, News items

If you think you stepped into bizarro world there for a moment, chances are you might be right. Electronic Arts, one of the leading publishers in the gaming industry, has partnered with Outspark, the MMO publisher/games portal company that holds Fiesta and Secret of the Solstice, to bring a brand new rhythm game to the US. Yes, that's right, EA is the developer while Outspark is the publisher. Freaky, we know.

The game, dubbed Debut, is coming out of EA's Korean studio J2M. Debut will feature a "casual MMO atmosphere," which will undoubtedly be something like the other rhythm games on the market and not an MMO as we see it.

So how does this affect us beyond the fact that this story includes Outspark? The reason EA has come on board with the company is due to their attraction to Outspark's business platform, which we discussed in an earlier article. The platform allows any developer to use Outspark's registration, billing, and community functionality, as well as list the game on Outspark's portal. They like to call it "marketing-in-a-virtual-box," and if that approach is enough to attract EA, then it most certainly will be drawing the eye of many other, perhaps more mainstream, MMO developers.

Tags: business-platform, debut, ea, electronic-arts, j2m, korea, marketing, music-game, outspark, rhythm, rhythm-game

Five things content writers learned while westernizing Aion

by Brooke Pilley Aug 26th 2009 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Lore, News items

In a developer journal over at MMORPG.com, NCsoft Content Writer David Noonan waxes on five things he and the "Aion Westernization Army" learned while stripping Aion down to its narrative essence and building it back up again. It was no easy task taking what was basically a fully-fledged successful Korean MMO and repackaging it for a totally different audience.

It seems as though the writing team took the task seriously. In a game populated by over 2,500 quests, there's bound to be some repetitiion and uncreative storytelling going on but Aion's writers aren't simply giving in to the status quo. Your character's primary campaign quests may deliver the bulk of the narrative, but tons of other pieces are strewn about for players to discover that will be picked up by chatting with various NPCs. Based on this article, they seem to have taken a strategic approach to storytelling in the game. Story isn't shoved down your throat, but it is there if you are perceptive and take the time to actually read it. While many will surely plough ahead to reach the level cap as fast as possible, many others will stop to smell the roses. NCsoft wants to reward those flower-sniffers with a rich story experience.

Tags: aion, atreia, david-noonan, korea, lore, ncsoft, storytelling, westernization, writing

NCsoft aims for Aion to be second only to WoW in US

by James Egan Aug 12th 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, MMO industry, New titles, News items

NCsoft has big plans for their fantasy MMO Aion in the west, and they're hoping to emulate their Asian success in the North American market. Kris Graft reports for Gamasutra that Aion generated 40.6 billion won (USD 32.7 million) in Q2 2008, which he notes is a strong start. In an earnings call, NCsoft CFO Jaeho Lee said, "I believe the performance of Aion in the US and European markets will be very successful. ... We are guessing that Aion will be -- could be -- the second [most] successful MMO in the US market next to World of Warcraft."

Bold optimism, to be sure. What really caught our attention, though, was that Graft pointed out a mention of the now dead-and-buried Tabula Rasa during that earnings call, another title NCsoft once had high hopes for in western markets. In answer to a question about how many boxes of Aion will ship as opposed to Tabula Rasa, Gamasutra quotes Lee as having said, "It's very unfortunate to hear the name of Tabula Rasa at this conference call... and we all want to forget and erase that memory from our performance."

Tags: aion, asia, earnings-call, fantasy, gamasutra, jaeho-lee, korea, kris-graft, mmo-industry, ncsoft, new-titles, north-america, tabula-rasa, united-states, world-of-warcraft, wow

Korea's Dungeon Fighter Online sets sights on the West

by James Egan Jul 13th 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Betas, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, Free-to-play

As graphics in massively multiplayer online games push ahead year after year, a few developers are taking a different approach to these games, some with a stylized 2-D look. "Different" is an understatement when it comes to Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online -- a blending of an MMO with an old-school arcade game which Massively previewed at E3 2009.

Although the side-scrolling action is reminiscent of games like Street Fighter, Dungeon Fighter Online will have classes and subclasses, skills, and a level-based system of advancement as with the majority of MMO titles. The game has done very well for itself in Korea (where it's known as Dungeon & Fighter) and is coming to North America, with a closed beta on the way.

Tags: 2-d, 2d, arcade, asia, betas, brandon-sheffield, dungeon-fighter-online, free-to-play, gamasutra, interviews, korea, mmo-industry, neople, new-titles, nexon, north-america, yunjong-kim

Which version of Aion will be available at launch?

by James Egan Jul 1st 2009 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Aion, Launches

NCsoft is hoping that the pairing of flight and fantasy in Aion will prove to be a hit in both North America and Europe. Gamers who were accepted into the betas have been asking the Aion team about which version of the title the Western markets will see at launch. NCsoft has announced: "Aion is planned to release with version 1.5, the third major game update, bringing the content as up to date as possible. The Aion team strives to keep the game content consistent between territories, and releasing with this game version brings us one step closer to this goal."

Our own Lesley Smith has been writing about her experiences with the game through Aion's various beta test phases, particularly the experience of becoming a Daeva as an Elyos or as an Asmodian; we recommend reading her hands-on series if you're interested in this title. Massively will continue to cover Aion leading right up to the game's September launch.

Tags: aion, aion-the-tower-of-eternity, asia, asmodian, betas, daeva, elyos, europe, fantasy, flight, korea, launches, mmo-industry, ncsoft, north-america

NCsoft aims to bridge the East-West divide with Aion

by James Egan Jun 18th 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles

Stereotypes and ingrained perceptions can be frustrating to deal with, but let's face it -- some stereotypes do exist for a reason, and this can certainly apply to games as much as to anything else. There have been no small amount of Asian import MMOs that have been localized poorly for the western market, and this has certainly left a bad taste in gamers' mouths. Localization is a major challenge for any developer, and there's a rather wide chasm between what makes a game popular in an Asian market like Korea and what players embrace in the west. The westward-bound MMO that many people are focusing on right now is Aion, from NCsoft.

The westernization of Aion is the subject of another solid interview at The MMO Gamer by Steven Crews, who sat down with Aion producer Brian "Xaen" Knox, the person largely responsible for NC West's localization of this title. Knox talks about what he sees as being the best aspects of both East and West in terms of game development, and how some western influences on Aion's design have actually proven to be successful in Korea. It's a fairly in-depth interview and hits on a number of Knox's ideas about how a game can begin to bridge the game culture divide between East and West, seen in the context of Aion. Check it out over at The MMO Gamer.

Tags: aion, asia, brian-knox, east, fantasy, game-design, game-mechanics, interviews, korea, localization, nc-west, ncsoft, steven-crews, the-mmo-gamer, west, xaen

Jaeho Lee moving to Seattle, not running NC West from Korea

by William Dobson May 19th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: MMO industry, News items

When the news came out last week that Jaeho Lee, former chief financial officer for NCsoft, would be taking over as CEO of NCsoft West, a lot of people (including press) assumed that he would be calling the shots from Korea -- after all, NCsoft had said that the change was about "global management" and working together across business units. However, we are now being told that Lee will make the journey to Seattle to join the NCsoft West team. In response to the earlier reports of NCsoft shifting leadership of its Western division to Korea, a rep had this to say to Gamasutra:

"Jaeho Lee is moving to Seattle, so nothing has shifted except him. A similar change of personnel happened in our Japan office, so this was a strategic move on the part of our headquarters in Seoul to streamline global management."

The rep also mentioned that Lee ran other departments such as marketing and production while in his position as chief financial officer.

Tags: ceo, chief-financial-office, global-management, jaeho-lee, korea, nc-west, ncsoft, ncsoft-west, seattle

An introduction to the Daeva

by Jon Shute May 12th 2009 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Lore, New titles, Professions

MMORPG.com have a new developer journal for Aion, NCSoft's new MMO which is due to make it to the west later this year. Aion launched in Korea last year and has already proved highly popular. This journal introduces us to the Daeva, humans who have undertaken a sudden mystical evolution.

Daevas are revered by the people of Atreia and are created when the invisible lifeblood of Aion, Aether, infuses a human. This often happens to somebody who is undergoing trauma or pain. The human will then sprout feathery wings, break free from the bonds of gravity and mortality and become the first line of defense against the invasions from the Balaur and incursions from Daevas from the other side of the world.

You can read the full developer journal at mmorpg.com.

Tags: aether, aion, atreia, balaur, daeva, korea, ncsoft

Atlantica Online selected for Game and Game World Championship 2009

by James Egan May 6th 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Events, real-world, MMO industry, PvP, News items

Atlantica Online, the free-to-play turn-based MMO from NDOORS Interactive has been selected as an official title of the 2009 Game & Game World Championship (GNGWC). For those unfamiliar with this event, what is GNGWC? It's an annual Korean game festival and tournament that's held in major cities around the world representing different regions -- Los Angeles, Leipzig, Singapore, São Paulo, Tokyo, and Yongin (South Korea). Regional tournament champions are ultimately invited to the Grand Finals held in Korea. GNGWC is run by the Korea IT Industry Promotion Agency (KIPA) which aims to promote Korean games to players globally.

The announcement mentions Atlantica Online being played in GNGWC 2009: "Selected as a GNGWC title for the second year in a row, Atlantica Online features a revolutionary turn-based battle system that utilizes free PvP leagues and a new 100v100 tactical battle system for PvP combat. Atlantica has proven to be an ideal title for e-sports competitions with its unique PvP combat." Top-ranking competitors can earn prizes, including cash prizes in the Grand Finals. Beyond the NDOORS Interactive title being a prominent aspect of GNGWC, the release also mentions that Atlantica Online will be expanding to new territories in Asia: Taiwan and Vietnam.

Tags: asia, atlantica-online, e-sports, gngwc, korea, mmo-industry, ndoors, ndoors-interactive, pvp, tournament, tournaments, turn-based-strategy

Lord of the Rings Online launches in Korea and Russia

by William Dobson Apr 23rd 2009 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Lord of the Rings Online, Launches, MMO industry, News items

Turbine has issued an announcement regarding the regional availability of their number one title. Just ahead of Lord of the Rings Online's second birthday, the folks over in Russia and Korea are now able to join in the Tolkien-inspired fun with new localized versions of the game. Pictured above are the logos for the two new regions, Korean on top and Russian underneath. Noticeably, the Korean logo is in the Mines of Moria format that we've all become used to now, whereas the Russian logo takes after the original logo from vanilla LotRO (Shadows of Angmar). We aren't sure whether this means that Korea's LotRO is Moria enabled and Russia's is not. Perhaps a couple of our readers could translate the sub-headings and shed some light on the issue (and yes, they did! See the comments for info).

Korean company NHN is handling their region's version following a deal from December of 2007, and IT Territory made a similar agreement to bring the game to Russia in January of 2008. Both of these companies made statements emphasizing their high expectations for the success of LotRO in their respective markets, but the real test of that begins now.

Tags: it-territory, itt, korea, korean, localization, lord-of-the-rings-online, lotro, mines-of-moria, nhn, russia, russian, turbine