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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.
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