Aion Interview page 2

Will updates for Aion be released simultaneously worldwide?

Although we all strive to release updates as close as Korea as possible, each territory has its own update schedule. In the West, we are launching with version 1.5 of Aion, which synchronises us with Korea's updates. After launch our goal is to release updates at least least 2-3 months within Korea's updates.


A big feature of Aion is that characters can fly from level 10, which enables them to get around, but also opens up aerial combat. As you know, Champions Online launches around the same time as Aion. It also features flying from early on in the game. What does Aion have to offer that other MMOs don't?

Aion offers extreme customisation. Players can customise everything from the angle of their nose to the way they play the game. Not only can players create a truly unique character using our character creator, they can also tweak the stats of their armour, weapons, and class with items like manastones, godstones, enchantments, and the Stigma system. This gives players ultimate control of what they go into battle with.

Aion offers player vs. player vs. environment play. This system gives players a different kind of gameplay customisation option that really makes us stand out from the rest of the MMORPGs on the market. Players can choose to focus on PvE style (such as trading, gathering, crafting, questing and instances), or they can enter the Abyss and take part in PvPvE.

Aion offers tactical flight. When designing the game, we wanted flight to be more about a new way to battle and less about just flying around the world for travel or to hop around from one gathering node to another. It's a strategic part of combat and will give players and Legions a new element to implement to incorporate and master.


Why did you decide to go for the subscription-based model for Aion here in the West, when you have other successful games, like Guild Wars and Dragonica, which are free to play?

NCsoft specialises in MMOGs, and we realise that there isn't just one type of MMO player out there. Different players play different types of MMO experiences and as such, we offer a variety of ways to experience our games.


Will there be any added extras we can pay for with microtransactions, such as additional customisations, in-game pets, and so on?

We haven't announced anything regarding microtransactions, but stay tuned. We are going to focus on paid services at launch.


Which is more popular with players during tests so far here in the West: the Elyos or Asmodians? Does this differ from players in the East?

We have quite a few systems in place that balance the races while the servers are being populated, so you won't see an Elyos-heavy server or vice versa. Generally, we're seeing a pretty fair split between players wanting to play both factions. They can also create an Asmodian on one server and an Elyos on another, giving them the chance to experience both factions.

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