Hello Milletians!
Please see below for some question and answers from our development team!
1. Were there any plans to have a guild system update? Is there a possibility that it would be considered later?
Guilds have had a large influence on player cooperation and community creation since the game launched. It is our understanding that the system is still active and many people are registering in guilds and engaging in activities. We are considering guild system improvements, such as content for guild participation and bonuses for guild hunting, so that these sorts of activities will have more merit for players. It is difficult for us to put an exact date on it, but we are contemplating the importance of guilds and the direction in which to improve them.
2. Is there a possibility for the starter hair/outfits to be updated? Or is there a possibility that the polishing done to Tir Chonaill's NPCs will be applied to the player models?
The game has been around for a long time and, since we there is definitely demand for past outfits and the renewal of old NPC outfits (regarding NPCs, we have proceeded with a renewal in the past), we are currently planning to prepare a way to conveniently purchase and try on outfits that were sold through limited character cards in the past very soon.
3. Are there plans to add dungeons, or is there a possibility of a renewal of currently existing dungeons?
As time went on, many things were changed and developed further, but it is true that the early stage dungeon system has not caught up with these changes. Although we realize that playstyle, difficulty, resulting rewards, and several other parts of the dungeons don't reflect the current state of the game, as mentioned previously, the dungeon system is one of the existing systems and we are unable to approach it easily. Regarding this, our dev team's position is that it would be good to listen to the feedback from you players and review it.
4. Is there a possibility that new Homestead functionality will be added in the future? For example, being able to enter a Homestead house, or selecting backgrounds for Homesteads, or expanding the Homestead beyond level 15?
Our dev team is thinking about player needs and possibilities regarding the Homestead, and we are considering having customization options. We don't have a concrete date yet, but we plan to develop it further so that players can customize their own personal space with various items and enjoy the Homestead more. Also, we are considering separating the housing in the housing channel from the Homestead in a more explicit manner. We are also considering content that will remain faithful to what makes the Homestead enjoyable.
5. Are there any plans for a Spirit Weapon renewal soon?
Spirits for the newly released weapons is currently on the dev team's work queue. Also, we are considering polishing them up so that they are comparable to the newly released items. We are also considering enhancing the intimacy and communication between the spirit and the player, as well as enhancing combat capabilities. The goal is to develop more advanced spirits that can be customized in diverse ways.
6. Players want to be able to change Mabinogi's font. Are there any plans to include this option?
We are contemplating providing diverse fonts for the players, but adding a font style will not simply change the text. It will also require consideration for UI and also for different images stored for each font, and so there are many difficulties with client size and data storage. We believe that we can provide more diverse fonts if these parts are improved.
7. Mabinogi is different from other games in that it is fashion-centric with a diverse array of outfits and armor. What is the design process for outfits like, and where do you get your inspiration?
As you already know, we get our inspiration from multiple sources. We sometimes decide on concepts for seasonal events, such as Christmas and Halloween, or we make concepts that fit with the content and story that is being released. Also, sometimes we have player competitions and we use your wonderful ideas and designs to create outfits.
8. Are there any plans for the developers to enjoy NA Mabinogi along with the players? Could you communicate with the players in-game or through the forums?
We consistently check the official forums, player posts, and in-game player feedback to understand the real needs and satisfaction of the players. However, there is a big time difference, so we don't have any plans for it currently, but we are contemplating direct communication with the players if the opportunity presents itself.
9. What kind of food do you eat while developing the game? Do you eat junk food or healthy food?
It's difficult to give a definite answer, since we have a lot of people working on the dev team, but, since we engage in creative work, doesn't it seem like we would prefer snacks, iced coffee, and food with lots of calories?
10. Do you have any ideas for improving old content to improve the player experience?
As mentioned before, since Mabinogi has been around for a long time, there is a vast amount of content. This naturally does become an obstacle for beginners and we are discussing ways to improve the new player experience. Also, we are considering making the unpopular dungeons more dynamic and fun so that more players can experience more diverse content.
Source: Thread.
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My commentary, personal thoughts, and thories...
1 - Seems like a "we understand the want and are considering if it's worth the time and effort" type of response. The guild system seems pretty dated (anybody who manages a guild with the interface can tell you how web-1.0 it is) and hooks into a lot of old stuff, it'd probably need a partial rewrite on the backend and expansion might be a bit more work than expected. In addition what actual benefits or improvements could be made need to be considered as well, some things being easier than others and some things mattering more than others.
2 - Doesn't really seem to answer the question? But it does show something upcoming, from the way it's worded it sounds like permanent return of old card-only outfits. This could be a very nice thing for a lot of players, as by far the majority of outfits in Mabi aren't available at any given time. The wording also hints that it's not actually being made just yet, though, still in the design/draft phase.
3 - It's good of them to admit that it's not an easy thing to update. Technically it wouldn't be difficult to update dungeons in terms of just making the monsters and graphics and rewards more varied at the least... the problem is how many other things the dungeon system ties into. The older gens are highly dungeon-centric, newer ones use them from time to time as well, and that's not mentioning how many events, RP quests, and minigames involve dungeon running. All of those would need to be considered as well. So any sort of update to the dungeon system would risk messing with other parts of the game, it'd be a bigger project.
4 - Vague, but it talks about additional decorations as if they're actually upcoming (maybe other than the Fate/Heel Whateverâ„¢ decorations), while the wording for other changes and improvements hints that they're still in the idea/design phase and not under construction yet.
5 - Good news and directly-stated, too. I wonder if they're considering revamping the scaling and feeding mechanics, or if they just intend to raise the level cap across the board. I hope it's the former, currently spirits are far too much work.
6 - That's uh. A strange thing to be included here, wasn't expecting this question. And it has a direct answer too, modded fonts that are wider can escape boxes, overflowing into other things. It's a byproduct of the old "Asian versus Roman letters" system where it takes less glyphs in an Asian font to spell out things so English versions tend to have less space for the same phrases.
7 - Doesn't answer the question much, but I guess that would have been an answer from the designers rather than the coders, and may have been too much effort or something to go into.
8 - Games where devs interact with players in-game tend to have a better understanding of game issues than ones where feedback is through one set of forums.
9 - (Insert 12-paragraph ranting theory about the inner meanings of this here.)
10 - Was hoping the answer would focus on more in-game explanations and stuff, but in a roundabout way getting older players to do dungeons and stuff that newer players would also be hanging around might help the two groups mix better.