Greetings, fellow gamers! How’s everyone doing? Have you caught wind of NCsoft’s latest MMORPG. Throne and Liberty? It’s set in the expansive open world of Sollisium. promising an exciting adventure. While the beta test has wrapped up. Ahn Jong-ok provided Throne and Liberty Producers Letter 1 for the community to maintain anticipation for the official release. Now. delve into all the details and discover the thrilling features that Throne and Liberty bring to the gaming table.
Throne and Liberty Producers Letter 1 – Game Improvements and Revamp Combat System
“Hello. This is Ahn Jong-ok, producer of Throne and Liberty. Are you all doing well? The beta test where I first showed Throne and Liberty to you all was in May, so it’s been four months since I posted my greetings.
In the Throne and Liberty Producers Letter 1, I would like to explain the development direction that has changed since the beta test and the concerns I had during the process. I hope this will be a welcome letter to those who have been waiting for news for a long time. After the beta test, there was a lot of time to worry about our assignment after the beta test. Because the results of the test were not at all optimistic. It also served as an opportunity to recover the “objective perspective” that had been buried while focusing on development for a long time. Below we have summarized the major issues we are currently improving. I could simply tell you what I changed, but I think it is my role and responsibility to share with you all the situations and concerns I had before and after. We would love to see how testing with you is changing TL.
Before telling you what kind of changes are taking place, I would like to share our awareness of the problems we have. We defined the game’s problems revealed in beta testing as two-fold. It’s static combat and boring growth. In explaining the improvements today, I would like to tell you how our thoughts were expressed and how we will correct any deviations from our intentions.
Dynamic battle with choices, There were many reasons why the battle felt static, but the biggest reason was the lack of freedom of operation. When planning the shape of a large-scale war, we considered formations to be important. So, we implemented collisions between characters and set most attack actions so that they cannot be performed simultaneously with movement. However, our decision resulted in inconvenience in movement and infringement on freedom of operation. The shortcomings became more noticeable in battles in peace zones, which took up most of the playtime, rather than in large-scale war situations. To improve this, we have taken the following steps:
- The overall combat system has been changed to allow attacks while moving.
- Conflicts between characters have been eliminated in all areas except conflict areas.
- The inertial effect applied when changing direction has been minimized to increase the responsiveness of the operation.
Of course, this does not mean that the combat system has been fully improved with the above modifications. However, the first step to changing static combat to dynamic was to start with moving and fighting at the same time. Conflicts between characters were also judged to need to be reexamined without damaging the tactical value of group battles and were changed to not apply in peaceful areas. The inertia effect, which was a device to enhance realism when changing direction, was also a factor that doubled the frustration of movement, so the experience was drastically reduced.
After removing the many restrictions on operation, what I focused on was skill. There were limits to the skills that could be used, which prevented players from thinking actively. Therefore, work was carried out in several areas to increase combat options and diversify combat aspects.
- In addition to targeting skills, many new types of skills have been added, such as specifying a direction or hitting a specific point according to the PC operating environment.
- We increased the number of skills initially given and quickly changed the learning speed of new skills.
In the early stages of development, we focused on easy operation, so most skills consisted of only target attacks, target-centered wide-area attacks, and self-centered wide-area attacks. The monotony of the control method increased, and the slow pace of acquiring skills during the growth process made it difficult to experience the variety of battles. Adding a new skill type was a task to change the existing simple operation rhythm and make it possible to use the skill more strategically. By changing the setting where the number of skills given at the beginning of play was small, and the learning speed was slow, we made it possible to play with a variety of options from an early stage.
We are also working on ways to make weapon swaps more seamless. The weapon system of wearing and using two types of weapons is a very important feature of TL combat, but the actual combination of weapons used has clear limitations. As the system expected to complete various weapon combinations according to individual tastes and concepts, a change was needed on this issue as well.
- The stat system, where certain stats only affected the attack power of certain weapons, has been completely overhauled.
- Fighting spirit/Skill/Wisdom/Insight affect the attack power of all weapons, and the effects of additional abilities other than attack power have been expanded.
- Weapon passive skills that were only effective when using certain weapons have been adjusted to have an even effect on all weapons.
- We have reduced the burden of operating multiple equipment by increasing the number of sources for making early equipment and obtaining reinforcement materials.
Fast and colorful growth experience
To discuss growth, it would be best to start with the story of automatic hunting. The MMORPG genre has inevitably been accompanied by long-term play. As the history of the genre accumulated over a long period of time, we decided that the existence of an automatic hunting system was increasingly recognized as a natural thing in MMORPGs, and we also followed that trend and introduced automatic hunting. However, I think this decision was taken too easily.
Through beta testing, we heard voices of disappointment about automatic hunting from many users. We reflected on the fact that what gamers who play with a keyboard, mouse, and pad expected was not an automatic game where the character moves on its own, but a game that could be immersed through detailed control of content worth manipulating.
Auto-hunting and auto-movement have been completely removed.
Along with automatic hunting, automatic movement has also been removed. We considered keeping automatic movement in terms of convenience due to its size, but we decided to boldly remove it because of the value of the experience of moving around the world, meeting people, and exploring new areas.
From the point of removing automation, the game had to transform into meaningful content play rather than simple repetitive hunting. Of course, it’s not that our game didn’t have those elements, but we needed to add new content types to improve quantitatively, and we also needed to supplement existing content to improve qualitatively.
- The proportion of hunting in the growth section has been significantly reduced.
- Experience rewards for adventure codex, exploration codex, and regional events have been significantly increased.
- Various mission elements other than hunting are being added to the exploration codex and resistance quests.
- We are preparing a number of party play instance dungeons that require boss clearing.
Cooperative play is a very important element in MMORPGs. However, guild units are too large and opportunities are limited. We have prepared party-level instance dungeons so that you can enjoy casual cooperative play in smaller units. This is content that was not shown in the beta test, but you will be able to see it after the official launch.
Unlike fields, party instance dungeons must be conquered with a limited number of people, so they cannot be conquered simply by the strength of the number of people, and it is important to understand the gimmick of the dungeon and respond accurately. We hope that these new cooperative contents will enhance the diversity of the growth process.
In addition to adding new content, it is also important to reduce the proportion of hunting in existing content. In beta testing, we found that many people were immersed in the behavior called “exploration.” As growth is filled with content play, changes in growth speed naturally follow. Manual play cannot require as much play time as before. The growth time required to level up was drastically shortened, and the time required to adjust equipment and develop skills also had to be shortened.
- The time it takes to level up has been significantly reduced.
- We have changed the growth of equipment faster by increasing the sources of materials needed to make and strengthen equipment.
- Skills are acquired automatically as the level grows, and the amount of materials needed to strengthen skills has been increased to speed up skill growth.
Level growth time has been adjusted based on manual play to the max level. The time to reach level 30, which was shown in the beta test, has been reduced by 1/3, and the time to reach level 50, which is the maximum level for opening, has been reduced to 1/10.
All of the above-mentioned issues are urgent priority measures, and many other improvement works are underway at the same time. Some of the improvements will be reflected and tested in Amazon Games’ upcoming Technical Test Closed Alpha, and we will complete the game in a better form. We promise to continue to refine and fix it until the day we present it to you again.
And I started this letter because I wanted to listen to you rather than just talk to you. We have set up a “Tell TL” bulletin board as a space to listen to your opinions. Please leave any stories, including the improvements we described today. Your thoughts are always a great inspiration and motivation for us. We are continuing to think about ways to listen to more people’s stories than through a bulletin board. In the next letter, we would like to introduce content that has not been released yet. I think you will be able to understand a little more what kind of game TL is. I will send you a letter again soon. Thank you for always.Posted by Throne and Liberty producer Ahn Jong-ok”
In the Throne and Liberty Producers Letter 1, Ahn Jong-ok emphasizes the team’s commitment to player feedback. Expressing genuine gratitude for the insightful comments received, he ensures the gaming community that the team is actively engaged in refining the overall game experience. In the Throne and Liberty Producers Letter 1, Acknowledging identified issues in the Throne and Liberty, the team commits to addressing concerns raised during the beta test, specifically focusing on expanding combat options for a more engaging and strategic experience. He also discuss in the Throne and Liberty Producers Letter 1, the changes in the game which includes introducing new skill types, enhancing skill variety, improving weapon swapping, and diversifying gameplay aspects. These changes are designed not only to cater to the current player base but also to attract new gamers seeking a dynamic and customizable gaming experience.
In the Throne and Liberty Producers Letter 1, it provided throne and Liberty`s proactive approach to maintaining engagement is a smart move for a newly developed game. By continuously improving content, introducing cooperative play, emphasizing exploration, and adjusting growth speed, the team ensures a diverse, immersive, and enjoyable gaming experience. This Throne and Liberty Producers Letter 1 demonstrates commitment to quality and player satisfaction, contributing to the Throne and Liberty’s success. The team expresses gratitude for player support and pledges to continue delivering an improved gaming experience for players of Throne and Liberty.
Thats it for the Throne and Liberty Producers Letter 1, Stay tuned for the next Throne and Liberty letter, from Ahn Jong-ok because it will introduce unreleased content, giving players a better understanding of what to expect from Throne and Liberty.
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For reference here is the Original letter: Producer Letter 1
This is the end of Throne and Liberty Producers Letter 1. Ready to dive into this thrilling journey and claim your spot at the summit? Stay tuned for upcoming updates about Throne and Liberty like this Throne and Liberty Producers Letter 1 by joining our Discord community and exploring our website for game guides. Let’s set out on this new adventure together!
