MMOsite.com: To start, can you basically introduce yourself and your company?Carlo: I am Carlo "Wauks" Ople, the Ragnarok 2 Brand Manager. I work for Level-up Games, the leading online gaming company in the Philippines. Level-up has several multi-awarded and successful games in their portfolio: Ragnarok, Fly for Fun, Pangya, RF Online, Freestyle, ROSE, Khan, Silkroad, Perfect World, and of course, Ragnarok 2.
MMOsite.com: Just give us an overview of RO2.
Carlo: Ragnarok is actually the game that built the online gaming industry here in the Philippines. No other game can even come close to the success that Ragnarok has achieved. Ragnarok 2 will be the next big thing, and it will definitely take the country by storm! We have so many plans to promote RO2 and other companies are willing to support us when we finally launch the game sometime late this year.
The story of Ragnarok 2 takes place just right after the first game. Basically Midgard is left in shambles and the Normans (Humans) flee to another continent wherein the meet the small elf-like creatures, the Ellr. As the years go by, some humans become violent and a bloody encounter takes place and the Ellr are forced to leave the continent. They go to their real home, the Life Tree, but the tree is dead. Saddened, the Ellr move back into the continent where they left the Normans. Another race also surfaces ¨C the Dimago. Half-demons that have been sleeping for centuries but they are suddenly awoken for no reason.
As you can see, other than ground breaking game features, RO2 also has a rich and deep storyline which will definitely affect game play and will enrich the over-all gaming experience.
MMOsite.com: As we know, RO2 is the sequel to RO. So how do you compare RO2 with its predecessor? What improvements have been made in RO2?
Carlo: There have been a lot of improvements for RO2. The characters, animation, and environment are now fully 3D and they are simply breathtaking. Other than the graphics, Gravity is also going to introduce a lot of new game features such as the complex job system and the personal legend weapon. There are so many things to do and I am sure that everyone will have one hell of an adventure when they visit Midgard once again come Ragnarok 2.
MMOsite.com: RO2 has a very unique weapon system. The novice weapon itself can gain experience and level. Can you give us a little more idea on how it works?
Carlo:
Basically everyone will get one personal legend weapon. It is your first weapon and you can actually name it. It gains experience and it gets stronger when you use it more and when you get other items to upgrade it.
MMOsite.com: How many classes are available in RO2? And what are they? Players can change their job freely. Just tell us more about the job change system in RO2. How does it differ from RO1?
Carlo: When RO2 launches, there will be 5 available job classes:
Swordsman - Melee warriors who like the action up close and personal.
Enchanter - Mystical mages you can cast devastating spells and support buffs.
Recruit - Symbol of human advancement. Recruits can various guns!
Thief - Shady people who attack from the shadows.
Clown - Happy yet very cunning and dangerous individuals.
Unlike other MMORPGs, in RO2 you can switch job classes but you retain the skills of your previous job. You can be an Enchanter that casts deadly spells from afar and then whip out a Great Axe when the monster gets near! This opens the door for hardcore gamers who like to tinker and experiment with builds. It is a great way to customize your character to your playing style. That also means that you will never run out of stuff to do!
MMOsite.com: The OST of RO2 is great, especially its opening music gives me deep impression. Can you say something about the composer behind these gorgeous music?
Carlo: The OST of RO2 is done by critically acclaimed Japanese composer ¨C Yoko Kanno. She is behind the music of great anime hits like Cowboy Bebop and Ghost in a Shell. In Korea, they actually launched the RO2 OBT by having a Yoko Kanno concert and it was sold out!
MMOsite.com: What sort of graphics engine is used in RO2? It looks so fantastic. What were your considerations in making RO2 a 3D game? Just because it is a trend?
Carlo: The developers used the Unreal 3D Engine 2.5 for Ragnarok 2. The decision to go 3D was a no-brainer. The real question is how to go above that. The developers invested a lot of time and effort into synching the facial expressions and other details of the characters to their actions. RO2 has a lot of emoticons and I am sure that you guys have seen some of the movie trailers already. The emoticons will be a good way for gamers to express themselves in-game. This way you can really share how you feel to everyone in Midgard.
MMOsite.com: How about the quest system in RO2?
Carlo: RO2`s quest system will be tied to the story of the game. I can not say much about it yet, but I am sure that it will be one of the most important features. You can level-up faster if you complete the various quests compared to just hacking away at the monsters for hours.
MMOsite.com: When will you release RO2 in the Philippines? Do you think it will conflict with RO?
Carlo: It is hush-hush yet so I can not give an exact date. All I can say is that we will launch it late this year. We believe that it will not conflict with RO1 because RO1 already has a thriving and very supportive community. RO2 will definitely attract RO1 gamers but we believe that because of the established community, RO1 will continue to live on successfully.
For more information on Ragnarok 2, feel free to visit my blog at
http://waukster.com. Thank you MMOSITE for the interview and happy 2nd anniversary!
This post has been modified on Jul 18 , 2007 08:48:36 PM by daimon_hunter.
hope there is no foreign ip ban
