Leon Ha conducts a tour of the new MMO, Knight Online
By Michael Lafferty

“We are on the forefront of what the market dictates”

Two nations, one world – the battle was inevitable. It is not so much a battle for world domination, for lands and territories, but much deeper than that; it is a battle for survival.

That is the premise behind Knight Online, a massively multiplayer online game from K2Network. The game features only two races, but a huge landmass, quests and the battle between the nations is but one of the cornerstones to this title.

The game officially launched December 6, and seems to be at the forefront of the next wave in MMOs, namely those that do not charge a monthly subscription for basic online play. If you want better items, you will have to pay to get them, but if you are looking for a more casual experience, then not a cent is charged.

But what lies behind this fantasy world, and what will players find there that they have not experienced elsewhere. For the answers to these and other questions, GameZone.com turned to Leon Ha, director of Sourcing / KOL Team Leader.

Question: This game is offering unlimited access to gamers who wish to play online free of charge. What was the reasoning behind this?

Leon: We are on the forefront of what the market dictates. Much like there is pent-up demand for a la carte pricing for individual cable channels, or individual downloads of music files, we are giving what the customers want. Hence, we are offering a free basic version to all users. However, from our observations and activities in the Asian markets, we see the revenue trending to small purchases for special items, weapons, and objects with the game itself being free. Ultimately many users end up spending more than they would on a monthly subscription but are much more satisfied with the purchases they want to make. We see no difference here in the U.S. However, in addition to the free plans, we are offering the traditional monthly plans where heavy users will find the game play much more enjoyable. For example, our Premium and Ultra Premium plans allow better hit rates, access to new and unique weapons, premier access to new zones, and so on.

Q: What will those who subscribe to the premium service get that those who do not subscribe will not have access to? How will the company make money if the majority of players decide to take the free aspect of the service and call it good?

Leon: As mentioned above, many free users do end up spending some funds ($5-15 a month) on item purchases. So we do not fear that our free users will be perpetually free. We have seen this model work with an online sports game we have - fxgolf.com and the result is quite similar. It is a near-MMOG where the users are 30-60 year-old males who on average spend more on item purchases than they do on subscriptions. The Premium and Ultra Premium members will receive many benefits, such as faster healing rates, lower cost of repair of goods. We have and are packing enough features to make the subscribers very happy. However, we want to make it clear, that no one user can "buy" their way into dominating the Knight Online system.

Q: Tell us a little about the game itself. Is this game based on an Eastern-style philosophy, or is the game created on mythology unique to the game? What type of characters will players be able to have, and what races are available?

Leon: The game is based more around a Western fictional medieval-fantasy setting with the two main nations of humans and orcs, who are perpetually battling each other. Users have the option of joining the human race (El Morad) or the orc race (Karus), and can get involved in individual or group quests, castle sieges, and wars. Furthermore, this game is very different in that a good player is not only determined by his/her individual play ability in killing monsters but just as well as his/her ability to earn the respect of other online players. With perpetual war servers, this game really fosters clans and armies to develop in order to succeed. Thus, players are "forced" to join together, but then have the ability to act independently by becoming "leaders" of these clans and armies through their actions. Characters include the traditional warrior/fighter, magician, and rogue classes to name a few.

As far as game design, we are seeing an evolution into universal playing formats. Arguably, KOL is the first MMORPG, designed in Korea with input taken from American developers. Initially the game took some time to gain momentum in Korea due to a playing style that is more Western than Eastern. Going forward in the future, we will be seeing more and more titles that will be adopted and modified for universal appeal that incorporate Western/Eastern elements. On the other end, we are starting to see some casual Western near-MMOGs penetrate the Chinese and other markets (e.g., Puzzle Pirates).

Q: Does this game have the basic leveling elements that other MMOs have - as in gain experience, level and unlock new skills and traits - or have you forged some new ideas into that formula?

Leon: Yes, in addition to the ones mentioned in the question we feature a National /Clan Point system where a clan can compete for top spots in the server rankings. Basically individuals can earn points and experience much like traditional MMOs, but one also earns group points when performing acts on behalf of a clan or a nation. For example, national points can only be gained through war experiences. We also have a Manner Points system. This is the aspect where leadership is measured. Players earn Manner points by being helpful to others, being successful in difficult situations or various other instances defined in the game.

Q: Will players have the opportunity to craft in the game, or are all armament and weapons gained through drops and NPCs?

Leon: Knight Online does not yet have the forging feature, but it does have a unique weapon-upgrade feature where gamers can upgrade or add certain elements to their existing weapons to create "new" weapons. 

Q: What kind of guild aspects does this game have? Will players be able to have ownership of any areas of the land - as in houses or such?

Leon: Knight Online features a clan system with different grades to distinguish them. There is a castle where a clan can take a control of to collect taxes, etc. The castle is not permanent however. Any qualifying clan can challenge the clan in control to take over the castle. This is known as a castle siege war and which is being hosted weekly on all the servers. 

Q: Will the game support PvP?

Leon: It does support PvP in certain zones in the game. We also host massive weekly wars among nations and clans. Again, a nation is made up of many, many clans.

Q: What elements do you think sets this title apart from all the other MMOs?

Leon: Knight Online is different in that it separates the users not only by their clans but also by their nationality in the game (El Morad & Karus). Additionally, Knight Online is unique in that it truly incorporates the functionality of individualism with teamwork (Western vs. Eastern). Tasks are measured both individually and how well that person works well with others. Lastly, KOL is different in that it sets the gamers in an environment where they constantly have to battle each other for ultimate control.

Q: Will the target for this game be, primarily, the Asian market, or will you have North American and European servers as well?

Leon: Our primary target audience is North American market; in fact the majority of our players here in the US are American and European nationals. The Asian market for KOL is already being served by localized servers over there. Localized servers for Europe are planned in the near horizon as well.

Share | Digg This | Glink It

---