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Analysis on Blade & Soul's System(s)
A sneak peak at the G-star 2010 playable demo version interface, control, combat and combo systems.
Blade & Soul has come up with a unique system to make elaborate and fancy actions without stressing so much on controls. For this to happen things like 'action keys' and the auto targeting system exist in this game. Such systems are hard to find in other MMOs. We've tried to analyze this system during G-Star 2010 through the Blade & Soul Demo there. Let's take a look at the game's interface, controls and how the combos happen.
An Interface that Changes Depending on Your Class
Blade & Soul's UI is similar to your standard MMORPG. However, the visuals are considerably different and unique. Let's take a closer look at the user interface.
Blade & Soul's Demo Interface screen
It should first be noted that the interface varies slightly for each class. In the G-star version, the Blade Master and Kung-Fu Master when compared to the Force Master and Destroyer had two different status bars.
The common thing about all classes are HP gauge and Qing Gong. These two work like how they show. The Qing Gong Gauge drains as you use it, kind of like a stamina bar. The Qing Gong bar also drains when you glide and when you stop using it the guage quickly recovers.
Destroyer's Character Status Bar differs from Kung-Fu Master and Blade Master's.
The middle bar is used like a power bar, and each class has their own resource. Kung-Fu Master's use 'Fighting Spirit', Blade Master's use 'Sword Chi', Destroyer's use 'Rage' and Force Master's use 'Inner Chi'. How you use and recover them also differs from each class.
Kung-Fu Masters, Blade Masters and Destroyers gauges deplete when they use abilities like combos. This resource gains substance as you use normal attacks. Destroyer's Rage starts as 0 but as you engage in battle and spend time the rage bar fills up. Destroyers use Rage to use skill and action.
Kung-Fu Master and Blade Master (top). Destroyer (bottom) have different looking status bar. But how you gather them is the same, through standard attacks.
For Force Masters it is the same as the familiar MP / Mana system. You start off with it full and it goes down when you use skills and you can use potions to restore it. To put it generally, Kung-Fu Masters and Blade Masters use a point system where as Destroyers and Force Masters use a gauge system.
Force Master's UI is similar to the Destroyer's but you start off with a full gauge.
Aiming to Make Control Easy to Access
Blade & Soul went ahead with simplistic controls and because of that the keys used in-game are actually not that numerous. The keys used for skills and actions are Tab, numbers 1 ~ 4, R and F.
Generally you move with arrow keys or W, A, S, D keys and the mouse to control your camera angles. You can use the Q and E keys to make your character strafe left and right while keeping the camera fixed facing front. Other number keys are used for the items or action / skills.
The keys that are most used currently are R and F. F is used in normal playthroughs like picking up items or talking to an NPC. The R key is used for attacking as it is basically the first key you would press to initiate a battle. After the R key you would press correspondingly like you are solving a quiz.
Instead of explaining through text, let's look at some in-game footage.
'I' key is used for opening Inventory.
F key will allow you to talk with NPCs.
F key is also used commonly to interact with objects as well.
NPC In screenshot explains pressing W twice will enable Dash.
Combo and Skill System Synergy
Something to look out for in Blade & Soul is the actions caused by combos.
R will start up the initial combo and depending on what you press next, your combo will vary. NCSoft explained this as using simple controls to initiate a variety of attacks. And this is not false, Blade & Soul contains many combos but every combo starts with the R key.
R Key initiates the Combo system, it is the ignition key for all combos.
Now add auto targeting and the action becomes more exciting and enjoyable. Blade & Soul's targeting works by targeting whatever is in front of your character and is the nearest. If you compare it with a console game, it would be like the similar system of Devil May Cry. This means you won't have to worry about picking your target, just worry about what kind of skills you would use.
The combos vary on what status your enemy is in. If your enemy is knocked down, there will be a combo for that. If your enemy is up in the air, there will be a combo for that and if you evade an attack, there will be a combo for that. You get the basic idea of it; combos for every situation.
Different combos for different situations.
Let's say we are fighting someone right now if you mash the R button, you'll get a standard combo. However, the skill on the R hotkey will change depending on what status your enemy is in. If you fight someone in a groggy state the Kung-Fu Master will get two skills active and that will be Force Punch and Landslide.
All these controls are established with the number keys 1 ~ 4 and the skill initiating keys 'Tab' and 'R'. Depending on the class you also use Z, X, C, V keys as well. So, depending on what status your opponent is in you can choose which combo to use with the keys and initiate them with Tab and R.
Once you press the Initiate keys, 'Tab' or 'R', skills on 1 ~ 4 will become a combo hotkey instead. The reason behind you not needing so many hotkeys is because the skills on your bar constantly change depending on what situation or what combo you are currently doing. Let's take a look at Kung-Fu Master for example.
Once you attack with the R key, you press the number 1 key (Block) and if that is successful you can use the Tab key (Mounting), after that you can choose to use R key for Strong Punch or Tab to Mount them
When you press the Mounting key, the 1 ~ 4 hotkeys will become the mounting combo keys. You would again then choose what combo to use.
Pressing 1 (Twist) to finish the Mounting combo.
Other than the given situations, there are many more combos and situations for said combos. For each combo you press there will be more selections waiting for you right after your decision. As for skills, there are abilities that are made for single target or multiple targets. For example the Chul-San-Go will be for the enemy in front of you and the Spin Kick will hit all surrounding enemies.
Each skill can create a situation like knock back or aerial status or AOE attack.
What Other Systems are There?
We couldn't experience it all with this year's G-Star version but there are many other systems within Blade & Soul. The weapon enchanting system and the Bo-Pe fusion system for example.
Bo-Pe Fusion system is like making your current Bo-Pe better with other ingredients. Bo-Pe normally raises stats for your character and you can make them better to add new abilities. Bo-Pe will be the key system in adding to offensive or defensive traits. Bo-Pe will be one of many customization options to come.
Window of Bo-Pe fusion and Weapon Enchant. There was no use for them in G-Star client.
Weapon enchanting works much like it sounds. You're putting an enchanting stone in an existing weapon. However, we are not certain as to what kind of improvements it would actually bring to the weapon. This is something that is being discussed. New skills are learned by paying money and buying a Martial Arts book to learn it.
Character Stats window, Martial Arts Book sales window. You see the Bo-Pe slots in the middle of the Character Stats window.
You can read your quests like a novel through Quest Journal window.
You can check the current quests and the reward of the quest.
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