On 14th, Mabinogi's historic content 'Uladh Dungeon' has finally received a Makeover. As it was a long awaited update, players showed a lot of reaction, and new items available from various events and Dungeons have drawn users back to memorable Uladh Dungeons.
Mabinogi GameAbout interviewed Mabinogi Director Woojin Kim (Kim) and Contents Unit Leader Kyunghoon Min (Min) to ask few questions about Uladh Dungeon Makeover, new contents, mysterious character on main page, etc.
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/RsQspnE.jpg]
[SIZE="5"]Uladh Dungeon Makeover[/SIZE]
We want to know the reason for Uladh Dungeon Makeover at this point where the game has been 12 years old.
Kim) Makeover was needed. Although Apostle Raids, Alban Knights Training Ground or other new contents are important, we thought it'd be nice if players could enjoy some fresh air in old contents. Of course, Makeover isn't over yet.
There were a lot of 'they should have done it ages ago' in reviews, so I guess it was pretty late.
What was the hardest or complex part of Makeover of Uladh Dungeon?
Kim) There were a lot. It was a content that was barely touched, so it took a while to analyse the coding. Each and every process weren't easy. Especially analysing rewards or item drops weren't easy. We thought reward is the most important part, but due to technical difficulties, we had a hard time analysing the situation.
A lot has changed, but there are people saying that the Dungeon is too long, or boring. We want to know if there are plans for further Makeover.
Kim) We're going to speculate for now. We're still listening though. We can't get on with further Makeover just because there are one or two opinions for Dungeon Balance or Difficulty. If there are things that are different from intended, there will be more patches, however, further patches should be based on communication with players and deciding where the Makeover is heading to.
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/6Pb6zpG.jpg]
There's no 'Hard Mode' in any Dungeon. Are there any plans for it?
Kim) Yes, there is. But we thought it's time to think about end-game contents since there are so many high level players. The new upcoming content is for end-game players. The Dungeon Makeover was done for the beginners and intermediate players, next content will be something end-game players will find enjoyable.
Dungeon entry has been all set to 1~4 people. Is there special reason for this?
Min) In earlier days of Mabinogi, overall combat system including 'Scissors Paper Rock', was quite static compared to now. There was enough playability even if 8 people enter same dungeon. However at this point where combat system has changed so much, it's much more action based and fast paced. So for enjoyable playability, we concluded that it was hard for 8 people to squeeze in. We gave a lot of thoughts after revamping and testing, and came to 4 people restriction.
'Abyss Dungeon' entry number is the same, but are there plans to increase the number instead?
Min) The target of this revamp was 'old and abandoned Dungeons' so they were left out. We might balance them at a later date if needed.
Kim) Personally I feel different about this. If one wants to test his strength, current system is sufficient.
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/tPi0bxI.jpg]
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/o1tZFE3.jpg]
New Robe Pattern comes out from end of road chests. Is there a reason for this?
Kim) Seeing a dead-end is pretty stressful. We made this to decrease the stress a little. Removing dead-ends wasn't the answer just because it was stressful, and we wanted to at least prevent players from going back empty-handed from a dead-end.
There are a lot of speculations about the piercing on new robe, can you tell us in detail?
Min) It won't apply higher than level 10 piercing. We can't say it in detail, but it's the same as previously existing ones.
Getting Dungeon passes are harder. Advanced/Hard Mode passes are traded at high prices, are there plans to adjust the supply?
Kim) Investigator NPC will keep selling Basic Passes permanently. We gave a lot of thoughts to balance. Between releasing a lot of passes/reducing reward drop rates and limiting passes/higher rewards, and we believe we have achieved the best balance. We may adjust it after we get data on players' pattern, but there are no plans for now.
Some EXPs acquired in Dungeons are awkward. Such as monster before Boss giving higher EXP...
Min) Monsters got jumbled up during the Makeover. So some monsters give more EXP, and there are other issues. They will be fixed.
When the X2 EXP Event ends, won't the Uladh Dungeon plays decrease again?
Kim) We thought Uladh Dungeon has to be differentiated from Shadow Missions. If Shadow Missions are efficient in EXP and Gold, we wondered if it's okay to have Uladh Dungeon give same merits. (We thought that's not the case) so there are no plans to increase EXP after X2 EXP event.
Monster count has significantly increased. It would be a good place for training skills, but the Combat Power isn't balanced. When will Combat Powers get a revamp?
Kim) For now, we have to keep our eyes on players' play pattern. Combat Powers need a lot of attention to detail, so it's not easy to push a revamp. Additionally, other than Combat Power revamp, we can solve it by making Dungeons higher than Hard Mode, so simply adjusting Combat Power isn't the way to go.
Can you tell us in deatail about your plans on Compat Power adjustment?
Kim) We're thinking about making end-game contents. Detailed adjustments are needed, but we're trying to solve the problem by pushing out conetents.
5 minute Dungeon Re-entering has been implemented. But there are a lot who can't log back in 5 minutes. Are there plans to increase the limit?
Kim) We're pulling data to see if that's actually happening. If there are a lot of failures to re-enter, we can evaluate this. However, Dungeon is a content that keeps regenerating, so increasing time limit can become a heavy load for the server. You can say 5 minutes is just enough for the server to handle.
There is a play using 'Dungeon Re-entrance' and multi-client, what do you think about this?
Min) We saw that there is a trend for that, and we expected that happening. Firstly, it wasn't intended for that, but it was designed for 'disconnected players', so unless there are victims from this, we won't touch it. But if there are negatives from this play, we'll have to adjust it.
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/1gpP8UZ.jpg]
There's Castle Dungeon, Iria Artifact Dungeon if it's old and abandoned Dungeons we're talking about. Are there plans for those?
Kim) Not yet. If we're going to touch those, I think there has to be a clear goal.
Some are saying Basic Dungeons are more difficult than expected.
Kim) We heard a lot of those. We intended it to be easy for beginners, but we're still analysing whether it's an issue on balance design, number of monsters, HP increase or etc. As we said earlier, since it's not a one off patch, we'll do more patches if there's a need for it.
There are some that have increased floors. Is there any special standard when it comes to floors?
Kim) Deciding number of floors was to reduce clear time.
Min) Therefore there was no intention to increase Dungeon floors. We'll check if it was a mistake while working with data.
So there are no plans for Shadow Missions?
Kim) That's correct. If we're going to touch those, we might relieve Elite Pass restriction, supply more Passes or other things. Currently there's no discussion regarding basic playability or rewards.
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/KZItBne.jpg]
Are the special bosses or rewards based on number of party member decided by the number upon entry?
Kim) Yes. Even if you disconnect before Boss, corresponding boss and reward are given for the number of party members at entrance of Dungeon.
There are some wanting more patterns for monsters themselves.
Min) Purpose of Uladh Dungeon Makeover wasn't really for 'various fun'. It was aimed to bring up the old content to a level where players won't feel that it was a waste of time. We're going to try new patterns when making new Dungeons or other new opportunities. Additionally, Uladh Dungeon has special patterns like Lycanthrope, so it's awkward to change it up.
Artifact site 'Poulnabrone' has been added. As the lore says it's currently being investigated, it kind of relates to Dragon Statue of Gairech. We want to know if Poulnabrone is related to story just like Dragon Statue.
Min) It's hard to talk about the story, but it's related to Erinn's history. It's a site with lore, so there are possibilities for other stories.
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/MU3wuB8.jpg]
Is Poulnabrone also from Celtic Mythology?
Min) Yes. It's a dolmen in Ireland. Its actual use was for rituals or graves. You'll see how it works out in Mabinogi.
Are there plans to improve Dungeon specific colour or length, overall environment and other aesthetic things?
Kim) We're improving on things like Fiodh's object that covers view, walls that cover when zoomed out and etc.
There are people saying Math Dungeon's colour makes them sleepy. What do you think about adjusting these things?
Kim) Dungeon's interior environment is perceived differently between individuals. Sometimes I get sleepy as well in Math Dungeon, I thought it was because I had too much work. Since it's a symbolic colour for each Dungeons, we haven't really thought about changing it.
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/nuIFDIo.jpg]
There are a lot of speculations about silhouette at login screen. Is there any that got it right?
Kim) There were few that were close to the answer. I was surprised when people guessed our previous models 'Eric Nam' and 'Yua' on Facebook just by looking at silhoutte. We expected a lot of people getting it right this time too, I think Mabinogi players' sixth sense is exceptional.
It's a character related to the new Dungeon. We're working hard to release it on planned date.
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/ToVpE9G.jpg]
Just like how Math Dungeon is a 'Music Dungeon', are there plans to emphasise Dungeon's concepts?
Min) We patched it with that in mind. We didn't think about other things, but we think it's about time we show something new.
Fomor Scroll Collection Quests' rewards have increased, but Party Quest is the same. Are there plans for improvements?
Kim) Currently, there is none. We're looking at Guild or Party focused analysis. Not just Uladh Dungeons, we're looking at various forms.
There would have been a lot of things to fix in Dungeons.
Kim) As we said earlier, everything was hard.
Min) Unexpected things were happening left and right.
Kim) It was an ancient content, so everytime we touch something, bugs appear somewhere else. Because of this, preparation took a long time. It took longer to analyse than to actually change the Dungeon. It was probably harder than making it from the scratch.
But since you've already started, wouldn't it be easier next time?
Kim) There are a lot of parts where it overlaps with other contents. If we touch it again, we might see problems in other parts. It's something that development team has to carry on with and care for.
Tiro now sells age potions. It looks like a way to activate Dungeons, are there any other aesthetic things you guys prepared?
Kim) Other than Tiro, there is none.
Are there no changes for Dungeon fountains?
Min) There are additions to help activate Dungeon playcounts.
[SIZE="5"]Various Other Questions[/SIZE]
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/qHfsBA6.jpg]
You read the questions beforehand so you'd already know, but there are a lot regarding things other than Uladh Dungeons.
Kim) We even had 'Secret. Talk.' conference to hear players' voices since before Tutorial Improvements last winter. We're thinking we should keep communicating. We're not sure if it's going to be same format, but we're pushing it.
Upon Dungeon Makeover, more differences started to show in combat and talents. How do you see this?
Kim) I think so too. Mabinogi isn't too specific on classes compared to other games, so we're focusing on actual fun instead of balancing. Instead of making weaker talent as strong as other stronger talent, we're going to adjust slow, inconvenient and unfair things.
Alchemy's 'Heat Buster' brings up the question 'is it fair?'. It's affected by Stamina, but Alchemy uses Stamina, so damage output decreases as time goes by, it doesn't match 'one shot one kill' concept.
Kim) If there are unfair things that doesn't match with concept we'd look into it, but there are so many talents so we'd have to look at them one by one. As new contents are released, differences in talents would be more visible but I think we should observe and decide a definite solution.
There are a lot of players who are curious about their usual daily contents when there are news for revamps or patches. What do you think about this?
Kim) Mabinogi's very much a sandbox, so there are definitely things that one prefers to do or a preferred talent. We think it's obvious that there are people talking about this.
'Spirit Weapon' is one thing that keeps popping up when talking about these things. What are the plans for 'Spirit Weapon' revamp?
Kim) It was something we gave a lot of thought since long ago. There were users simply wanting new Spirit Weapons. There are a lot to fix, so we started analysing the system, but it's taking a while because it's as old as Dungeons. You can say we're looking at where we're at before deciding how it should be changed. There are a lot of other things that overlap with Spirit Weapons too. We're looking forward to making Spirit Weapons more enjoyable.
Special Upgrade Step 7 has been added. What was the intention? Additionally, are there plans for cash items such as 'Special Upgrade Protection Potion' or something?
Kim) We wanted to tell people that you can get strong just by acquiring in-game ingredients, and you could reduce NX dependence along with activation of Dungeons. We never thought about Special Upgrade Protection Potion. We're still monitoring.
Are there plans for increasing number of weapons that can be Special Upgraded?
Kim) We're trying to increase the number of weapons. There would have been reasoning when it was first implemented, but it's time to re-interprete that. We don't have plans in detail yet.
There was tutorial revamp. How's the feedback?
Kim) A lot of players like it. Existing users who experienced the tutorial are saying it's graet. There aren't any special negative opinions. Statistically, there are a lot of people who learnt from it for the first time. But we need to double check whether it's because of the clothing reward from tutorials, but we're satisfied with the result. There are things to improve in the future. We performed FGT both internally and externally, we could hear a lot from players who don't know Mabinogi. There's certainly room for improvement.
Are there more players who stick to Mabinogi after the tutorial improvement?
Kim) There are more. It's only been a month, so we'd have to keep watching it but it's getting there.
Character deletion has commenced since 'First Impact' on 3rd of March, there are a lot of negative opinions from old players. What was the reason for pushing this?
Kim) To be honest, all other games do it. It was to relieve new players from making character names because it's an old game. I wish old players could come back to the game. New contents, revamping previous contents are all promotion for them to come back. There were a lot of "I just logged in for once." on the feedbacks.
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/VlLml1r.jpg]
Are there users actually helping since Help System has been implemented?
Kim) They're helping a lot. Mabinogi players like to help, so we were hesitant on making it into a system, but it was made so that beginner/returning players could easily ask for help when needed.
Heart Stickers are limited in benefits and actual use are a bit inconvenient. Are there plans for improvements?
Kim) Currently there is none. There were a lot of people who volunteer for free, so we considered if they even need a benefit. I think rewards are needed, we didn't look into Heart Stickers, but if beginners can use it nicely, there could be room for improvements.
Need for improvement on systematic convenience is definitely being voiced. We pushed many things for convenience improvement for the past 1~2 years, but we'll need to see if it's what we really want to improve or if there are things to add.
Recently, there are crashes when closing Mailbox or watching a Cutscene. People are disabling 'Windows Error Detection System' to temporarily fix this, but are there any actual solutions planned for this?
Kim) Windows reports when Client stops. It needs to give it a little time after the delay, but there's an issue during the delay. I've experienced it a lot. The anti-cheat software has its own problems but there are conflicts with Windows itself, so we're analysing it from both internally and externally. We're also looking at anti-cheat software's memory problem. We're trying to optimise it ASAP.
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/FSvH1qQ.jpg]
There are people who want you guys to look at PVP.
Kim) We haven't thought about it but we'll consider it.
Min) In order for PVP to do well and get attention, balance has to be considered. I even wonder if PVP is fit for Mabinogi due to the game's characteristics. There are things to be done before PVP gets a turn.
Kim) While doing the Mafia event, we looked at what players could enjoy by directly interacting with one another. PVP could also evolve into an event. We'd like you to just look at it as a priority issue.
There was an issue with playing instrument. There seems to be improvement for performance system, but players want a proper revamp. Are there any further patches?
Kim) We're looking into it. Playing instrument system is Mabinogi's signature content and players like it. We want as many players to enjoy it together. We restricted it because of some ill mannered players, but we wonder if it was the right thing to do. It was something to enjoy altogether, but would systematically restricting really be the answer? So we think minimal restriction is the way to go. We just thought extreme circumstances have to be avoided.
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/zTVDMj7.jpg]
Ill mannered players' IGNs have been all revealed, are you guys going to ban them?
Kim) Annoyance in an open space is not something to be banned for. We can request them to stop, but there's no ground for a ban. So making a seperate concert stage and restricting summoning pet or using skills was the only answer.
'MapleStory 2's' Playing system is similar but better, so there are a lot of people who envy this.
Kim) It was a game made in 2015. We're analysing the issue of breaking melodies or muted melodies in Mabinogi, but the system itself is a bit complex. I don't know MapleStory 2's development form in detail, but Mabinogi has a lot of things intangled and it's really complex. There has to be a game developer with knowledge in Music System, but it's hard to find someone like that.
There are users who make their patches for Music System, can't that be applied instead?
Kim) I received a plan regarding that. We looked at it in great detail, but there wasn't anyone who understood nor could apply the plan into action. We're really interested in Playing Instrument and Music System. Related BGMs were made with lots of work. We're working hard internally, but also using external forces to increase quality. There are certainly thoughts, but it's hard to do because there are a lot to think about before touching playing instrument system.
Are there plans to expand 'The Divine Knights' into official Drama Fiction or other means of Media Mix?
Kim) We're thinking about merchandises. Such as making figurines with 3D printers. We thought about 'The Divine Knights's' fiction novel, but since the chapter isn't finished, we're only planning it. We think making goods as another form of entertainment, so we're developing those. Although ones we make are good, but ones made by players are very good as well, so we wish to keep allowing players to make their own goods. We think there are a lot of talented people in Mabinogi.
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/f2Rt47c.jpg]
'My Knights' app has been updated. It's rare to have an online game's app update, what's the reason for special attention to this app?
Kim) Largely because of player feedback. We wondered how often and easily players could enjoy the contents when developing online game. Mobile was the solution for that. We wanted to give a lot of features, but it was an extension of online game so it's quite limited, so that's a bit sad. We did release it on planned date, but there were a lot of requests so we thought we needed to reply to all those feedbacks, so we further patched it.
iOS version has also been developed, but it's not coming out because of examination. There are a lot of people wanting it, but we're sorry for the delay. We're doing our best on examination so that it can be released ASAP.
'My Knights' app itself was a new challenge. We wanted to growth simulation content properly. To design something that doesn't just go one-way but multiple ways, we gave it a lot of thoughts. It was somewhat difficult to develop. We're happy that a lot of people are enjoying it.
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/Tic9JRf.jpg]
There's also 'Expert of Life' mobile app, are there plans for improvements?
Kim) Although it was released quite a while ago, a lot of users are enjoying it. We're going to focus on optimisation and stabilisation instead of new contents.
Although there are Mabinogi's mobile apps 'Story Book', 'Guide Book' and 'Mabinogi Talk', but players rarely use them. Especially 'Story Book' could be updated with Divine Knights, are there plans for those?
Kim) One of Mabinogi's strong points is story, so we're trying to present in various forms. There are feedbacks requesting Divine Knights to be replayable like Iria Saga, but there are too many things to take care of like keywords. We're going to do it next time for sure. Just looking at these things confirm that a lot of players care about story, so we're putting a lot of efforts into development.
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/fIRKq6Z.jpg]
'My Knights' characters have drawn a lot of attention, some are saying previously pushed 'Zero Heroes' are getting dumped. Can't there be extended stories with them involved?
Kim) They're always on my mind. Merlin, Starlet... There aren't any detailed plans, but we're thinking about extended stories in various ways. We're thinking about earlier days NPCs and recent NPCs' relationships or RP Dungeons, but we could also use events for this.
Will The Divile Knights end this year?
Kim) There are plans to present next chapter this year, but we're still thinking if we should wrap it up. It's an issue of developing time frame and new challenges, so we're adjusting with the schedule.
How's the Bug Busters going? Players seem to like that.
Kim) We're doing it again this month. We're trying to do it once a month, but there were too many issues on December so we couldn't do it then. We think player feedback is positive. Fixing bugs cannot be a content, it's something that must be done, so it feels like a constant work of optimisation. We consider Bug Busters' detail a lot internally, but we mostly listen to player feedback.
[SIZE="5"]New Dungeon[/SIZE]
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/lVubNBZ.png]
Please introduce to us about the 'New Dungeon' that could be guessed from login screen's character.
Kim) Basically, it's something a high leveled player would enjoy. It's an improvisation of Hard Mode, Abyss Dungeons. We might present 'new pattern' as requested by players in the Uladh Dungeon update. We're on the finishing touch so we're working hard to push it out ASAP. There are new things we tried in this.
What's the concept of this Dungeon?
Kim) It's harder than Abyss Dungeon. To describe in colour, black & red.
Min) It feels sort of R18, but it's just the colour and visual atmosphere that are similar. It's intended for high leveled players, so we chose appropriate colours.
What is a 'high level player' defined in Mabinogi Development Team?
Min) We don't think it's something decided by Total Level.
Kim) It's not definite so it can't even be balanced. Instead of Total Level, think of it as a higher level than Hard and Abyss Dungeons.
Min) We think all current contents are easy for high-end players. New Dungeon will be harder than those, and the targed playerbase is those people.
Is it harder than 'Alban Knights Training Ground' Heroic?
Min) It will be. Currently something difficult is a lot of monsters with multiple aggroes, but we tried to do a lot of other things in terms of difficulty. Revival and other things also define difficulty, so we tried a lot of things. It's not just a matter of a lot of monsters and being strong.
[b]'Divine Link' is helping a lot since its creation.
Min) We made it in hopes of making pets more useful in combat.
A lot of players think it's a shame that 'Divine Link' cannot be used on partners, why have they been excluded?
Min) Partners are different in terms of combat design and specs when compared to pets. Divine Link itself is designed for pets, so applying it to partners will make them overpowered. But decreasing bonuses for partners were also awkward, so we excluded them. Changing up specialties or combat bonuses on partners would be the way to go.
Kim) Partners' implementation was focused on 'communication' and 'play'. Samhain event was also trying to emphasise that. We're trying to make more use of partners.
Is partner character hard to release as mobile app?
Kim) We did analyse mobile synchronisation in technical terms. WiFi would solve the network problem, but we wondered if that's the right way to increase partner character activity, so we don't have detailed plans yet. We think it would be fun to do that even if looked from technical view, but we're not sure how to use it so we think it should be considered further. 'My Knights' was made to enjoy growth simulation easily on a mobile device, but partner characters should be looked at giving other entertainment traits when developed, so they're different goals.
This years goals and anything you want to say to players?
Kim) We're still in the middle of development so we didn't really write up any vision for this year. In a big picture, we're trying to strengthen our core and build up on that. Enhanced storyline, new system for new fun, we're putting a lot of effort into presenting contents. If it was refining stage until last year, we'll try our best to shojw a lot of new things this year.
[Image: http://i.imgur.com/4gz8xd6.png]
Source: http://gameabout.com/mabinogi_notice/3501138