Khushi

Aion’s client size?

It will exceed 6 GB. (there are cases where some foreign-developed games size up to 18 GB) 

Specs required to play the game?

Geforce 5700 should let you play at 20 FPS. Of course, it would be much more enjoyable with a better spec 

There were 200 initial testers. How do you increase the number of testers?

Undecided. 

How long will the CBT last?

We’re expecting to continue CBT to next year. We’re not entirely sure of when to start the open beta test yet.

  

Is there a weekly character wipe?(CBT)

There will be no wipes in open beta. Once you create a character you will be able to continue playing 

If there are no wipes during CBT it would be disadvantageous for players who joined the test later.

We want to observe how high level players and low level players interact with each other. We want to observe how users play the game with the level differences already present in the game. 

CBT sessions are held only on Saturdays and Sundays. How is it structured?

Players can play up to 10 hours total. For example, if a player were to spend six hours on playing Saturday, he/she would be able to play only four hours on the following Sunday. 

Are Elyos the only playable race during the test?

Yes 

On November 8th, we were told that info regarding the Asmodians would be revealed at G-star. Will we be able to see Asmodians through CBT afterwards?

You will not be able to see them directly. Information regarding the Asmodians will be revealed gradually starting in early December. 

Last June, a FFT (friends & family test) was held. Do the version from back then and the current version differ significantly?

No, we’ve added on more to combat feature, UI and etc. however. We’ve also made some changes to class distinction and made some modifications to quest balances. 

User feedbacks are expected during the test. Do the feedbacks and suggestions apply the following week?

It’s difficult to incorporate user feedbacks in such a short time. It is expected that we’ll wait till they ‘pile up’ and consider them by the order of importance.  

What kind of feedbacks did you receive from the testers during FFT?

Compared to many other debuted domestic games the level of completion was that of an open beta version. We were praised for variety of contents, graphics, and combat system. 

What will you be focusing on during the initial test?

The overall feel of the Elyos world. FFT testers will also be included in the CBT, so we’ll be able to get feedback on differences between the FFT version and the closed beta version. 

There’s nothing unique that is known about Aion’s gameplay. What’s the reason for hiding it?

We do not wish for the game to be criticized for a mere few unique features. We wish for the game to be looked at by its completion. We also do not reveal much info because we do not want the game to be summed up by the several unique features it has. We wish to provide a game with a variety of contents and completion.

  

But shouldn’t Aion reveal a certain amount of unique contents that makes it stand out from other games?

The Abyss, where the Elyos and Asmodians meet, will be the central feature of the game. Anything structural can be confirmed in-game. 

Isn’t ‘flight’ also an important feature?

We don’t consider flying characters to be of paramount importance. There’s quite a number of MMORPGs out there which feature flying. But flying in Aion isn’t simply flying, but a feature that will affect the gameplay significantly. Aerial combat is such an example. 

Aion features excellent graphics. How detailed is the game?

Characters’ polygons count up to approx. 2,000. 

How many will the servers be able to hold once a large-scale test starts?

Similar to existing NCsoft games. About 5,000. 

World of Warcraft allows open-source/third party UI. Is Aion considering this feature?We’re being cautious of the possibility that such a feature could be exploited by hackers. 

Has Aion been submitted to (Korean version of) ESRB?

First result was announced, 15 and older as we had expected. 

There’s an Aion-based book/fiction/novel being written.

A foreign writer completed this quite recently. There’s a preview of the Korean version available. 

 [Interview] Aion, Stygma, and Asmodians!  Classes’ Names  We’ve been told that the names of the classes have been changed.The classes’ names will change in CBT. The reason for this was to make emphasis on the fact that players ascended to ‘Daeva’ from being mere humans. 

Old Name                          New Names

Warrior                             “jeonsa” (warrior)

Fighter                             “geomseong” sword saint(?)

Knight                              “suhoseong” guardian saint(?)

Scout                               “jeongchalja” scout

Assassin                           “salseong” assassin saint

Ranger                             “gungseong” archer saint

Mage                               “beopsa” sorcerer

Wizard                              “madoseong” magic.. saint?

Elementalist                       jeongryeongseong” spirits saint?

Cleric                                “saje” cleric

Chanter                            “hobeopseong” .. no idea

Priest                               “chiyuseong” healer saint 

PVP 

In FFT demo it didn’t matter which direction your character was facing when you delivered your attacks. Is there any concern on Aion turning out to be a skill-spamming game without direction/perspective playing a factor?

Aside from perspectives, PVP in Aion offers a variety of PVP controls/strategy. For example, Suhoseong (formerly Knight) features a buff that returns the damage back at the enemy when struck; an unsuspecting enemy would strike away while the damage being returned at him would kill him. Players can also predict the opponents’ chain combos and interrupt them or run out of the effective range; such are examples of PVP strategy.Perspective will likely be fixed at the final stage. 

When is a player able to participate in PVP?

Specific PVP skills will be granted starting at lvl 40. It is ultimately up to the players that determine this, however. 

How long does it take to get to the level cap?

It’ll be much like Western games. The rate of leveling has been raised significantly since FFT. Stygma and crafting skills will continue to advance even after reaching the maximum level, however.

  

Are there other contents available for players who reached maximum level besides PVP?

Of course. New PVE contents such as instanced dungeons and raids will not be added regularly, but for players who enjoy PVE there are ways to gather materials and such to contribute to the war indirectly.This way, casual gamers can gather resources to prepare siegeing machines while ‘heavy users’ can get out in the fronts. We believe this will bring satisfaction to a lot of players.

So does that mean all contents relate to PVP in the end?

Yes. It was mentioned from the beginning that Aion is a game that focuses on the conflict between the Elyos, Asmodians, and the Balaur.

  

Explain ‘Abyss,’ where PVP in Aion takes place.

It’s difficult to explain the Abyss due to its immense variety and contents. Two services will be provided; one for beginners and those who seek real battles. Further details will be revealed at Gstar. 

Are Asmodians’ classes identical to Elyos’? If so, are there any differences?

The basic structures are the same. Each race will, however, be given race-specific skills. The effectiveness of these skills will make PVP against the other race feel completely different. 

Are there places to level up where both Elyos and Asmodians have access to?

Yes. In fact, both factions will come across each other very frequently. 

Character & Stygma 

How do the skills and stats work?

The characters will progress automatically. Aside from slight changes made in stats from becoming a Daeva, there’s no specific need for the players to distribute stats points or anything like that. Most skills will be obtained through ‘training system’ and some skills will be granted through hunting mobs or completing quests. 

Then how do you propose to make the characters more distinctive?

Through stigma. The stigma are stones that contain the Daeva’s memory which allows characters to use skills of other character class. For example, a plate-armor wearing sorcerer or a teleporting assassin can be made this way. Through uses of different stigma it is possible to create diverse and unique characters.Stigma will not be equipped in the same places as standard equipments. There are also limits to how many stigma one can use, so each user will have to use the stigma that fit their style.In addition, stigma can be recycled and much like Draconic item sets and PVP item sets, it is possible to assign specific sets of stigma. 

From what level can stigma be used?

We’re thinking maybe 20 and up. We cannot disclose how many stigma one can equip at a time, however. 

During FFT, the combos activated randomly so it was difficult to get used to the system. How will this be used in CBT?

There will still be random combos and depending on the conditions given specific combos will also activate. Players should search for themselves ^^; 

During FFT, priests and elementalists were difficult characters to solo with. Will there be any changes made to this during CBT?

Priests offered a ‘safe’ game play, but their constant pattern made many users feel bored of them. A large number of elementalists’ skills were damage-over-time, and due to the lack of visible effects they were perceived as weak. Their actual damages were quite high.

During CBT we’re planning to make the priests a bit more hunt-based and elementalists a bit easier to control.

  

Raids 

There are several types of raids; one of which is merely pushing with numbers and firepower, while the other could be intricate and strategically planned much like WoW’s or EQ’s raids. What kind of raiding experience will Aion offer?

We’re considering both. The interesting thing is, Elyos’ raid monster could be an important NPC to the Asmodians. So it’s possible for a raid to develop into a war. Especially since raid monsters give buffs and heals to their allies, depending on the situation it may be required for players to form war-specific parties as well as raid-specific parties. 

Closed Beta How long is the closed beta expected to last?

We want to launch Aion as soon as possible. But as developers, we feel that we cannot make the release if the game is incomplete. Postponement of CBT can also be attributed to this.In addition, FFT testers will be able to feel that the current version has changed significantly from the FFT version. 

What kind of functions are available in CBT?

Guild creation and crafting are already established within the game. CBT will limit the contents only by the level cap; players will be able to enjoy most contents available for their level.

 Items 

How are the items’ hierarchy structured in Aion?

There are normal, abyss, and draconic items. Normal items are items that form the majority of items within the game, then there are abyss items which are rewarded by the faction through PVP, then the draconic items which are crafted through materials obtained from slaying the Balaur.Then, they’re further divided into normal/common/rare/unique categories.
(subject to change in CB) 

Will the binding system be applied?

Depending on the item’s property there will be those that bind and those that don’t 

Misc. 

Will there be other cities besides the one in Elysium?

There will only be one ‘capital’ city for each faction. There will be small towns, however. 

Don’t you think that most of the contents are targeted towards high-level players?

The game will be relatively easy to play in the beginning and will become more exciting and fun as more contents become available to the player. The reason we made leveling-up quick and not having to worry about skills and stats can also be attributed to this.