Gravity’s David Kim talks about the world of R.O.S.E.
By Michael Lafferty

“…the game world has largely been designed to have a fairy-tale sensibility and to provide a wholesome, fanciful medium for people to inhabit”

It is a world that is R.O.S.E. Online and is different from what one might expect in a massively multiplayer online game. It begins when, as a visitor, you are tasked with killing jelly beans and bugs that bear a remarkable resemblance to caterpillars. And the game only gets more imaginative from there.

Sporting classes that are somewhat familiar and yet strangely different, the game is built for younger players and those looking for a break from the more starkly real online RPG experience. It is somewhat magical, certainly fantastic and a treat for the eyes.

It begins, innocently enough, with a journey as a visitor to the Akram Kingdom, and moves quickly forward. With seven planets to explore (and the ability to form groups and fight for dominion over those lands), factions as well as supply and demand economics, the game is seemingly built for ease of use, and for fun.

David Kim, the marketing manager for Gravity Interactive took time to chat with GameZone.com about this world.

Question: With the world of MMOs being inundated with titles, what do you think separates Rose Online from the somewhat stock fare currently in development or just being released?

David: “ROSE has most of the features that MMO players expect to find. But the game world has largely been designed to have a fairy-tale sensibility and to provide a wholesome, fanciful medium for people to inhabit. We wanted to make a game that people of all age groups can enjoy but that is still very much an MMO game.”

Q: What prompted you to translate this game for the English market?

David: “The game was developed with an international audience in mind. The graphical style of the game was also conceived to match the quality of console style games which are generally more popular in western countries than they are in Asian countries.” 

Q: Does the game follow the standard of create a character, level up, select new skills and refine your character, or is there something more that you offer to enhance the immersion in the game?

David: “The game does follow the basic RPG character leveling and skill selections.
However, as a player progresses in their leveling they are given choices to specialize in their job classes. As players wander through the game world they will encounter quests and NPCs that gradually illuminate the overall storyline of the game.”

Q: Does the game have crafting, and if so, how does it improve the game over drops or quest items?

David: “Crafting is an important part of the game because it allows players to get gear that is often times better than what they can get from an NPC. Only members of Dealer class have the ability to craft. This class also has the ability to refine and dismantle items into its component materials. Crafting is done with a variety of normal monster drops with additional crafting materials to create special armor, weapons and projectiles.”

Q: Does the game support clans? What can a clan accomplish that the individual can not?

David: “The game does have a clan system, this system allows for a visible clan name and emblem as well as access to Clan Fields where there is open PvP and only members of clans can enter to level.

“There is also a Faction system that players can join which offers various quests and benefits for faction members. Factions have a small control over the politics, economics. Each faction has its own list of alliances and hostilities.”

Q: Do players have an impact on the game world? Do decisions they make affect what happens in the world? Is there housing?

David: “User involvement determines a lot of what happens in the game world. Spawn rates and boss monster spawn rates are determined by how many users are hunting mobs in a particular area.

“The user community also affects the quest system. Because materials for creating items are distributed differently in various areas, quests will be generated to acquire these materials. So for example, if the fur supply in town A is low, an NPC will give out a quest to get them even though this material may drop in abundance off some monsters near another town.

“The economy dynamically fluctuates based on supply and demand. As a result, when a town possesses too much of one item, the price of that item will go down automatically. Conversely, when the availability of a specific item goes down, the price of the item increases and the town immediately activates a quest which encourages users to gather the materials to balance out the economy. Users can take advantage of this in-game economy by buying an item at a low price in one town and selling the item at higher price in another town.”

Q: What modes of transportation are there?

David: “There are lots of ways for players to get around. There are airships that allow travelers to move from one planet to another. There are NPCs that teleport users from place to place. But as far as personal transportation goes, there are two things available to players: the cart and castle gear.

“The cart is what it sounds like;—a four-wheeled go-cart. Having this vehicle allows users to travel faster from point A to point B but really, we wanted them to be a product of personal expression much like cars are to people in real-life. These go-carts come in different models and can be tricked out with faster wheels, spoilers, and other accessories to improve their performance and looks. Aside from the ability to customize the carts, the best feature about them is that you can take a passenger along for the ride too.

“The other major form of transportation is castle gear. While not the ideal choice for transportation, these giant mechanized weapons are great for pummeling enemies and laying siege to castles.” 

Q: Does the game support PvP and if so, how is it handled?

David: “PvP is supported in the game, and it’s only accessible within the Training Grounds (a PvP based map) and on Clan Fields, which only clan members may access. More plans for PvP are currently in development.”

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