Massively Exclusive: The MapleStory developers talk about the Root Abyss

     When dealing with international games like Nexon's MapleStory, it's a simple reality that updates are often going to be coming out later for US players. It's just the nature of the beast; new updates have to first be tested natively, then localized. But the upcoming Root Abyss breaks the mold, with the full version due to be released on the global servers on January 16th before the Korean servers get a live push of the update.

     But there's more to the dungeon than just the release date -- there are four new bosses and a variety of updated prizes for everyone to earn. If you're looking for more insight into how the dungeon was designed, click on past the break for an exclusive developer diary from the Korean design team. You can also check out the dungeon's trailer, which features a quick preview of all four monstrous and disturbing bosses.

     What is the inspiration behind the Root Abyss?
     The story of the World Tree was completed a long time ago, but we never had an opportunity to reveal it. Root Abyss which is a great opportunity!

     The team members stretched their imaginations and thought about how the World Tree would have spent its time after the Black Mage forced it to seek refuge deep beneath Sleepywood. Root Abyss is a place of darkness and energy, so we took inspiration from movies and games set in dark and gloomy worlds. Creating the look and feel of a place like Root Abyss was challenging, but we're very happy with the way it turned out. Buy And Sell MapleStory Mesos Online

     How did Root Abyss change during development?
     Early in development, Root Abyss's bosses were all going to be gigantic like Vellum, but after internal testing, we realized that while the giant bosses looked cool, they were all very similar and weren't as fun as smaller, more agile bosses. In the first iteration, one of the bosses was even larger than Vellum!

     Needless to say, we rethought our boss encounters and created Von Bon, Pierre, the Crimson Queen, and Vellum, all with unique strategies and personalities.

     How do Root Abyss's bosses differ from the other bosses in the game?
     Root Abyss's bosses require a party with tight collaboration and a plan of action! The bosses are difficult to beat alone, but shouldn't be a problem for parties that work together. In Pierre's fight, you can only attack him when he transforms into a certain color. If you're wearing the blue hat and he's blue, you can't hurt him, so you need a teammate with the red hat to keep on dishing out damage. Teamwork is essential, and death count and reward distribution have been changed to reflect this.

     All the bosses have their own unique patterns, and if you take the time to learn these patterns, you don't have to be max level or decked out with perfect equipment to take them down.The Global MapleStory Service is getting Root Abyss before Korea. Isn't it usually the other way around?MapleStory Mesos

     We're very excited to be bringing Root Abyss to the Global MapleStory first (which includes Nexon America's service territory)! We always planned for Root Abyss to be released after Tempest, and since the global release of the 3 Tempest characters was so condensed, we were able to launch Root Abyss there first.

    Global MapleStory players have just created their Luminous, Kaiser, and Angelic Buster characters, and now we're giving them some powerful bosses to fight!

    What do you think players will like most about Root Abyss?
    The rewards, of course! Players can collect Yggdrasil Runes to purchase the Sealed Box, which contains many surprising items. The bosses also drop unique Hats and Chairs that can be worn as a badge of honor for conquering Root Abyss. On top of all that, there are also daily quests designed for players who want rewards but don't have much time to invest.

   As for the bosses, we expect the Crimson Queen to be quite popular... We look forward to seeing the reaction when players meet her for the first time!
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How Much is Too Much?

     With one of the last updates of 2012, came one of the most warmly received updates of the year: Player-Owned Ports. Jagex have not only managed to introduce a new way of acquiring high end armour and items outside of engaging in combat with boss NPC's, but they have reassured players that they haven’t forgotten about the Eastern Lands. The fabled continent may not have been implemented in the way that many players imagined they would be though, and the release of ports with their extensive use of the mysterious islands has reminded me of something Jagex stated many moons ago.

   “We don’t want to release a new continent / landmass until the current game world has been finished and filled out with content.”

    I may be paraphrasing slightly, but it is a statement that was repeated recently by Jagex in a recent live stream regarding the future of RuneScape. Years ago, I understood this sentiment entirely; large parts of the game world still needed to be fleshed out, not just in terms of empty towns and cities but also in relation to unfinished or abandoned quest lines.

    However, in the years since we first caught wind of the Eastern Lands, there has been a massive influx of small and large updates: adding new mini games, Distractions & Diversions, and area re-works that have added a multitude of new features to old areas.

    I can still recall the early days of the Al-Kharid desert being almost entirely devoid of life except for a slave camp, an insect infested hive and a few, small quest related camps. Don’t get me wrong, I'm not viewing the game through rose tinted goggles, longing for the days when the game was noticeably absent of content, but there are no longer really any parts of the game world left that are simply there for skill training or gatherings; areas that aren't littered with distractions or NPC's designed to pull you away from what you are doing.  

   The repeatedly cited issue of being too familiar with the game world to really get lost in its many locales and not have the slightest inkling where you are is a definite contributor. With Menaphos and Prifddinas being the only two major landmasses left to be revealed (to our knowledge) on the continent, I can’t help but feel that the game is actually becoming too crowded, the result being that certain areas feel largely saturated with content. sell cheap runescape gold

   Obviously there are still places like Yanille that have been largely neglected and feel like they exist for the sake of filling up space. At times, the imbalance between recently updated areas with content around every corner and older members’ areas that haven’t seen a front page mention in literally years make the contrast more startling as every week goes by.

   Perhaps Jagex do have something planned for an expansion to the game, but I'm inclined to believe that if they did, it would be something they would jump at the chance to advertise for publicity like the Evolution of Combat or the upcoming ‘RuneScape 3’.

   It is definitely an issue that Jagex will need to consider within the next few years if they wish to keep expanding their audience. The irritating inclusion of ‘portals’ to new areas like Soul Wars and even Ports is starting to make the world feel disjointed - and although they could certainly add these areas to the existing landmass of the game, I feel they are starting to run out of space for future content plans. There really aren't any blank canvas areas in the game left for them to introduce anything entirely new and refreshing, like ports, without hiding it away behind a magical doorway.
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Guild Wars 2 is Named the Top Video Game of 2012 by Time

    Do you know what's the best video game of 2012? If you pay your attention to Time magazine, or you are reading the headline of this article, cases are that you will know the answer.Time's website counted down this year's top 10 video games, and Guild Wars 2 is honored to be the top of the list.(1)

    The author seems taken with the game's dynamic event system: "All those events and hundreds more play out in real-time -- with, as Bono would say, or without you -- lending Guild Wars 2 the feel of a living world, and the sort of compulsive anywhere-you-go play ability other MMOs only dream of."

    Torchlight II also made it into the list at the number 10 spot, with the author saying that it delivered the same action-RPG rush of Diablo III at a third of the price. However, if you are able to decide the top video game of 2012, which one do you think to be the top video game of 2012?

     Guild Wars 2 is competing with other games in MMOsite Reader's Choice event. Vote for it now!



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