Interview – 5th Anniversary and The Future of the Game - MMO Hut
MapleStory is celebrating their fifth anniversary with a boat load of fun events. In order to discuss the upcoming events and the future of MapleStory, I had the opportunity to have a short email interview with someone over at Nexon. Check out the interview below:
Omer Altay (MMOHut): Can you please introducer yourself to the MMOHut.com readers and tell us your position over at Nexon America?
Crystin Cox (Nexon): My name is Crystin Cox and I am the producer of global MapleStory at Nexon America.
OA: What kind of events and celebrations can we look forward to as MapleStory celebrates its Fifth anniversary in North America?
CC: Five years is a big deal, so we’re having a wide variety of events all month. We have player favorites like Maple Weapons, givea-ways, in game buffs, and new events designed especially for global MapleStory. We hope that Maplers, old and new, join us in celebrating the game and all our players.
[Image: http://mmohut.com/wp-content/gallery/news-images/maple0628_mmohut.jpg]
OA: You guys have been adding many new classes recently. Can we look forward to more class additions?
CC: Definitely. Classes are all about offering different ways to play, and we believe there is room for a wide variety of players in MapleStory, but it’s not just about additions. While you will certainly see new faces joining the Maple World soon, we haven’t forgotten about our classic classes. We have some big changes coming soon that we believe our players will be very excited about.
OA: Party Quests are playing a larger role in MapleStory. How committed are you towards Party Quests as a method of leveling over traditional grinding? Can we expect to see any new Party Quests soon?
CC: Games are just more fun with friends, and MapleStory is no exception. We see Party Quests as a major part of our game and we plan to continue to support them by adding more and tweaking existing quests.
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OA: I know when MapleStory first released here in North America, there were very few quests. Over the last few years you guys have done a phenomenal job with adding new quests to the game. MapleStory used to be very ‘grind oriented’, but the game now has hundreds of quests which make leveling easier. Do you plan on continuing this strategy and expanding on it? Do you feel that Western gamers prefer quest based progression over grinding?
CC: Western gamers are definitely more familiar with questing, but the rise of quest-based progression is not limited to the West. MMOs around the world have seen quests evolve in the past five years to become more than just NPCs asking for favors; they’re now an important part of leveling and a key component of an immersive game experience. The additions of quests in MapleStory have allowed us to add more stories, more rewards, and more fun to the game. Don’t expect the flow of new quests to stop as Maple World continues to grow.
OA: Traveling in between continents has always been a hassle. Can we look forward to any new features in the future that makes travel at least a bit easier?
CC : It’s true that as the Maple World has grown, transportation technology has not kept up. We are definitely looking into ways to make travel more convenient. We recently introduced the Dimensional Mirror that allows users to teleport directly to dungeons and Party Quests they are qualified for, we will continue to add locations to the mirror in future updates.
[Image: http://mmohut.com/wp-content/gallery/maplestory/maplestory-jumping.jpg]
OA: With competition from games like WonderKing and LaTale, do you guys plan to add PvP (Player versus player) content to the game? If not PvP, can we expect any new major gameplay changes or additions in the coming year?
CC: The great thing about an online game is it’s always evolving, MapleStory is very different today from how it was five years ago. We are always thinking about what we could add to make the game better, and believe me, anything and everything gets tossed around. Ultimately, we want to add the things that players want the most. Big changes and new features are definitely in the works for the coming year.
OA: As MapleStory gets another year older, Nexon has done a lot to fight hackers and botters, but there are still plenty of them around. What have you learned and how do you plan to fight these problems in the years ahead?
CC: We have learned a lot since global MapleStory’s launch five years ago and every month our defenses get better. But the biggest lesson we’re learned is that hackers are persistent and to combat them we have to be equally persistent. Sometimes the obvious fix to an issue is not the right one, since hackers will quickly bypass it too. We have to evaluate even our exploit fixes for vulnerabilities. This process can be time consuming, but it is an important and constant part of maintaining the game.
[Image: http://mmohut.com/wp-content/gallery/news-images/maple0635_mmohut.jpg]
OA: Thank you for your time. MapleStory is actually one of my personal favorite free to play MMORPGs. Keep up the awesome work!
CC: Thank you very much, it’s been a pleasure!