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"The 3rd CBT will allow for even lower spec’d computers to enjoy B&S than the listed minimum requirements."

Those were the words spoken from the Lead Programmer Hong Suk-Geun. NCSoft held an interview with its Lead Programmer with the media on the 19th of January and talked about the problems and the talks after the 2nd CBT. Even though he’s put a lot of work into Blade & Soul he is more widely known as the "Master Hong", Master to Tens of Thousands of players.


Team Bloodlust’s Lead Programmer Hong Suk-Geun
First, introduce yourself and the work you do.
I am the lead programmer for Team Bloodlust. My role within the team is to try and connect the server, client and the graphics to work perfectly together. I try and make things run smoothly without compromising one for another.

How did you end up becoming the Master Hong within the game? Also any plans for a reappearance?
It was because the Producer wanted me to. Other than Master Hong, many of our staff make an appearance; we see it as our own little credits. I am glad he’s dead in the beginning and other than him making a slight appearance during the Grand Desert he won’t make another appearance.


Modeled after the Developer Hong Suk-Geun.
What difficulties did you guys run into during the development of this Eastern Fantasy game?
The biggest hurdle for us was the action, it was hard to keep its diverse action and also keep a clean functioning server especially for a large MMORPG. It was difficult to capture both action and keep the server stable.

As an engineer I like to have a set number of things expected to implement into the game. Deciding to implement 100 or 1000 takes a whole different schematic from the start. However, since Blade & Soul took a different turn with other MMORPGs we were not sure how things would turn out. This was one of the greatest challenges developing this game.

Since this game is such an action oriented game we are worried about the "hit boxes", how did you solve this?
Non-targeting games have the ‘all abilities are AOE’ system and because of this hit boxes & syncing became a problem. However, Blade & Soul did not have any of those problems because Blade & Soul is not a non-targeting game. In fact, B&S just displays the targeting differently. We actually are more worried about how to make the action sequences look more fluid.

I’ve heard Blade & Soul uses a different type of system of hit and damage in combat, care to elaborate?
We call it the ‘After Judge’ system which started from a small concept. Unlike other games once you shoot a projectile it does not judge whether or not the projectile hit right from the start. Instead, it judges once the projectile reaches the target. The same system is also implemented for melee combat. Because of this, the players will feel the action while playing the game.

Since the skills and the actions were so fancy and elaborate the combat felt a bit slow. Will this change as your level gets higher?
If you look at it statistically B&S’s combat is faster than most other games but since the game was developed so that you would have to react like an action game it could feel slow. The combat won’t be getting any faster than this and we feel this is the right speed for the game.

You’ve somehow managed to put in many skills with a limited set of hotkeys, were there any difficulties?
The skill interface that changes depending on the situation was implemented to make the action & the auto targeting easier to play on. The concept of “works when certain conditions are met” is easy but actually implementing it to the game was hard. It wasn’t difficult technologically but since it required the perfect harmony from the skill placement & the skill’s actual effect and combat scenario it was pretty hard to pull off. We’ve tried to take a heuristic approach but still testing & remaking the system.


All those different skills lay out within 4 keys.
Problem with a zone style of map is the load times, but Blade & Soul’s load times are very short, how did you accomplish this?
We did not want the player to feel taken out of the game while waiting for the loading screen; we’ve used the algorithm in the game to pre-load the content. Thanks to that the loading times were significantly shorter and we are continuing to work on the technology.

Does the algorithm work when you are standing still?
It doesn’t. The algorithm only works by collecting data from how the player moves around the world.

There were many new approaches with Blade & Soul, were you ever against or surprised by them as a developer?
The thing I hate the most as a developer are the abstract plans and most of the things I’ve thought that was ridiculous worked out great, so I can’t say much about that. I’ve said no to the ‘auto targeting’ the most but it currently works just fine.

You are using the Unreal 3 Engine, what are the pros and cons of the engine?
Whenever you choose an engine to build your game around, you look at the functions and the toolset. Unreal engine had a very solid foundation of this and was easy to take and edit. However, since this was made for FPS type of games it lacked a lot of MMORPG type UI features and we took a long time developing those for the game.

How much of the physics engine was implemented within Blade & Soul?
If you want to implement a physics engine you have to do it server side. However, currently there are no such physics engines that can run server side. Even if it exists we thought it wouldn’t match with our server. Also, hardware acceleration was different depending on the brand so it was hard to implement within the game but we are taking full advantage of the client side stuff such as the outfits.

What is the goal of optimization for Blade & Soul?
We’ve bickered a lot with the art team about the optimization and worked hard on it. We should never expect people to get better specs as the time passes; internally we’ve experimented on high end specs from 5 years ago and other various options. We just know that the 3rd CBT will require less power than the 2nd CBT to run.

How many people can you server take?
We can’t say the exact numbers but it will be the same amount as previous NCSoft games.

During the 2nd CBT people experienced a lot of PVP imbalances because they weren’t sync’d properly, were these issues fixed?
We do CBTs because our internal tests are never enough and we’ve received a lot of feedback during CBT. Truthfully we’ve received an overwhelming amount that exceeded our expectations and sync problems are almost solved now.


During the 3rd CBT the placement sync will be addressed, which made many Kung-Fu Masters angry.
Have you thought of ways to reduce player fatigue caused by playing the game so we can enjoy the game longer?
From the results of the 2nd CBT, we are pretty optimistic on this issue. Besides this is not really a developer’s problem it is more for content distribution.

Most AAA titles have some kind of means to connect with their mobile devices; will Blade & Soul follow this path?
We can’t say exactly but we will probably have more things to do on your mobile devices than other games.

What is the one thing that the development team is most focused on?
Preparing content & implementing it is a large work load, but ‘Will this content be stable and ready?’ is the biggest worry. Also there were many things we needed to prepare before launching the game fully. The development team members complain saying “We just want to program the game.”

What would you like to say to your fellow team members as a lead programmer?
First and foremost I would like to tell the Bae Jae-Hyun Producer to stop trying new things and make stale system and tell my team members to go home already. Most in this industry think working day & night is common but that is not very good for a long project like this one. Projects like this that take years and years to complete won’t depend on a few team members staying all night working, in fact what’s better is to go home and rest up so you are fresh and ready work the next day.

What would you like to say to those who want to become a developer / programmer?
It is a good thing that you love games and play them but most important thing is to finish school. Just because you play a lot of games don’t mean you’ll start becoming a genius at coding. In truth, when we interview employees we first look at their academic achievements.


Hong Suk-Geun smiling with the character modeled after him.
Source: GameMeca. Article translated by Yuan and Nayami. Special thanks to Seraphy for the find.

The Year of the Dragon has arrived! Team Bloodlust left the 2011 year with a warm message for its loyal community, thanking us for such a great year.

We at the Dojo would also like to thank you, Team Bloodlust, for creating such a masterpiece and giving us the chance to finally try it out with two fantastic closed beta test events in 2011! We look forward to CBT3 in 2012's first quarter and official Korean launch this year!


Source: Blade & Soul's Official Site. Translated by futilepath.

Hyung-Tae Kim, Art Director of Blade & Soul Chinese Interview
The past several weeks have not been the most lucrative times for those seeking out information in regards to Blade & Soul, but they haven't been the worst either. All good things come in time, and hopefully within the foreseeable future we'll have plenty to show and many new shiny objects to drool over. In the meantime we'd like to present you with a quick recap of a few significant tidbits of information that came into light via various interviews and Q&As straight out of Shanghai.

First we'd like to present to you the Chinese Interview with Hyung-Tae Kim, the Art Director of Blade & Soul. During this interview he talks about their artistic goals of how they wanted each race to have a specific feel, the inspirations that influenced his artistic style, and what the future holds for Blade & Soul. We've been able to translate all of Hyung-Tae Kim's statements, but have currently been unable to get a clear translation of the Chinese questions and commentary. However, it takes almost nothing away from the over all experience as we still get an in depth look into the mind behind the art of Blade & Soul. Enjoy!


"We’ve tried very hard to show the perks of each race from its physical appearance. Jins were designed to show idealistic beauty of the Human Race. As for the Gons they were made with more mature taste, strong male and sexy female. Unlike the Gon and the Jin we’ve had a lot of problems designing the Kun and the Lyn. For the Kuns we wanted to express the beauty that was beyond the human race, a beauty unlike this world and more of a unique beauty. Lyns we wanted to show the ultimate cuteness with this race, but nothing of niche cuteness but more likeable whether you are male or female."

"One of the ways to express the sexiness with the female models is my instincts as a male; they are basically what I find attractive. I think if I was a female art director the males would have received more sex appeal. What I try to do when I design female characters are try to really bring out the attractive parts but make the other ways bland to make the other areas pop more and ultimately I think that’s what got most people’s attention and the reason why people like my design."

"My inspiration for my art comes from all the objects around me. I don’t get inspiration from just staring at normal things, rather I try to look at things from a different perspective or reinterpret them and apply it differently. That way you will still get this familiar feel yet a fresh feel because it could be located differently and what not. Let’s take a shoe lace for an example, I could put that on the shoes like it usually is but I could take it to the hair and give a familiar yet refreshing vibe to it. Of course I also take in to player feedbacks and apply that to my design, such as a really good place for a background or a natural monument."

"I think the attractiveness of the Eastern Fantasy games are not just visuals but also the gameplay and the feel you get while playing it. For that reason I try to add more of Eastern Fantasy vibe with the Story and the combat, however since Eastern Fantasy has been done a lot there was a risk of our visuals being stale. That is why I tried the method from before, look at it from a different perspective and reinterpret it to give it a design that knows no borders or time and tried to build a whole new Eastern Fantasy. That is why our game could look a bit different than the past Eastern Fantasy games but when you actually get in there and play it you will get the strong Eastern Fantasy vibe stronger than other games currently out there."

"When I illustrate, I take a piece of paper and a pencil then sketch after that I take that to Photoshop to tidy up the lines then I paint and color. Now a day, unlike before they use 3D Data to decorate the background and in-game effects. We also sometimes bring the whole game screenshot to illustration. When we made the game, we tried very hard for the in-game graphics to simulate the illustration feel close as possible."

"Blade & Soul showed some of its content with the 1st and 2nd CBT but we still have many things we haven’t revealed yet. A vast open world and brand new cities, and lots of unique NPCs to accompany on your journey, I urge you all to wait for Blade & Soul with love and enthusiasm and explore the world of Blade & Soul when it is available. "


The Future Classes of Blade & Soul
The developers of Blade & Soul recently confirmed a few things in regards to the future classes that will have some jumping for joy, and some crying in a corner. First off, there will never be a pure healer class in Blade & Soul as of right now. This will probably ultimately prove to be a good decision by the developers as many of the game mechanics revolve around the players ability to avoid damage and ultimate control and out play their enemy. By avoiding a healer class this ensures that these game mechanics will continue to be a fundamental part of Blade & Soul.

With that said and done, Team Bloodlust did confirm two new classes that have a guaranteed spot within the game. The first is one I'm sure everyone has heard of already; The Summoner. The second has been highly anticipated and almost expected; The Gunner. The summoner will be playable during the next phase of testing. As for when the Gunner will see its debut on the battlefield, that is yet to be determined. There was also talk during a Q&A session in Shanghai of a Chinese influenced class, something along the lines of a Taoist-like class that would use curses to debilitate and cripple their enemies. Whether or not this intriguing class idea ever sees the light of day, well, we'll just have to wait and see!



Closed Beta Test; Phase 3
That's right! CBT3 finally has an estimated time that is actually practical! Team Bloodlust mentioned in Shanghai that Blade & Soul will commence its third phase of closed beta testing in Q1 2012. This new phase of testing will feature content up to level 40 and a new playable class; The Summoner. Now, obviously this is a bit of an upset for some that had hoped to see it sooner, but at least we now have a more realistic time frame of when to expect CBT3 to actually start. The delay will probably also mean a more complete Summoner class and much more content well into level 40. We might even be able to expect new cities, towns, and possibly even a new dungeon! But regardless of what new content there is to see during this new beta phase, the Summoner will surely steal the show.


Shanghai Online Question & Answer
During the Tencent Games Carnival in Shanghai, the developers for Blade & Soul held an online Q&A. Now obviously not all of the questions were answered, but a few very interesting ones were addressed that fueled some of the information for this article. Here are some of the more interesting questions and their answers.

Will Blade & Soul be adding a class influenced by Chinese culture?
We will think about adding a Taoist-like class who uses curse spells and also a more Chinese influenced class. But we will be designing a gun-wielding class for future content.

What can players do after reaching max level? The PvP seems boring and without characteristics.
Combat is the game's core system, and players can engage in PvP combat after reaching level 20 and wearing a faction;s costume. We will be adding special PvP maps which will require more players' participation, more strategies and teamwork. We will also consider adding a DOTA-like PvP map into the game.

Why is there a need to add in the FPS-like crosshair on the screen?
Majority of the skills in Blade & Soul will not require players to highlight the target, but it is needed for skills which are aimed at only a single target. The crosshair is actually there as a guide, player need not use it like in a FPS.

Can players fish or cook in the game?
We have a number of life skills in mind for the game currently, but we will be adding them step by step. I personally like activities like fishing and cooking, as combat can get tiring. During this time, I would rather find a quiet place and relax.

Will the current 4 races have some uniqueness other than looks and the classes available?
Earlier in development, we thought about having different racial abilities and life skills for each race, but after internal discussions we felt that it was too bland. We are shelving this differentiating process for now, but it will happen in the future.

Are the classes in the game balanced now?
In Closed Beta 1, we got much positive feedback for the Kung-Fu Master. In Closed Beta 2, we buffed the stats up a little for the other classes. From then on we can see each class having both positives and negatives against at least 1 other class.

Closed Beta 3 for the Korean server was delayed until Q1 next year. What new content can we expect to see?
The delay happened as we are editing some game content according to feedback from the first 2 beta phases. In order to optimize the game, the delay had to happen.
The 6th class will be playable in Closed Beta 3. More content between level 30 and 40 will added as well, especially open world battles. After Closed Beta 3, we will be adding SNS (social) features to the game.

In both PvE and PvP, is equipment the main factor in a players potency or is it how players control their characters?
While both aspects contribute to gameplay, the controlling of characters stands out. The type of loots players are rewarded in the game depends on how well they executed their moves to defeat the targets.

From what we have been shown, Qinggong only involves speed running and some high jumps for now. Can they be utilized during combat?
We are currently looking at how the skills can be integrated into actual combat and will be added in the near future. For example, players will be able to enter combat once Qinggong is used.

Will there be any healer classes added in the future?
No, there will never be a pure healer class in Blade & Soul.

Are there any limitations to costumes characters can wear?
No, there is not. Other than the default undergarment, characters are not restricted access to any other costumes.

A special thanks to Yuan for translating the Hyung-Tae Kim interview and MMOCulture for the Q&A.

A games environment is one of the most important aspects of a video game. What would a game be without an environment to immerse yourselves in, without terrain for your avatar to tread on, or uplifting music that sets the mood? Team Bloodlust seems to know this quite well and has, in my opinion, taken it to the next level, setting the bar extremely high for MMORPG graphics and sound tracks. Utilizing Unreal Engine 3's full potential and comprising an originally composed, fully orchestrated sound track, Team Bloodlust nearly achieved perfection with Blade & Soul's oriental fantasy atmosphere.

Enough with the chatter! Let's get right down to the media, shall we? Below you'll find some footage and over 800 down-loadable screenshots of Blade & Soul's first two zones, the Dragon's Forest (Levels 1-20) and the Great Desert (levels 20-37). Both videos contain over 30 minutes of first person zone footage paired up with over 15 original Blade & Soul tracks that can be found in each zone.