May 12, 2008
Developer Diary
– Lineage II: The Chaotic Throne –
Hellbound – Fantasy Isle
Lineage II
enjoys its reputation as one of the most hardcore player vs. player (PvP)
massively multiplayer online games in the market today, and its die-hard
community reflects this in many ways. New players are coming to the game in
greater numbers and enjoy the unrestrained gameplay and intense battles, and our
recently released 4th Anniversary Edition box awards the
loyalty of our long-term veterans with discounted player services. When our
passionate players and clans aren’t involved in long-term castle sieges or
fortress battles, what do they do to wind down or just want to have some fun?
That’s what Fantasy Isle is for. We recently
added the island to the game as a place for players to explore, socialize, and
have some fun. Fantasy Isle is a peace zone, where there is no fighting, except
in special areas (like the Underground Coliseum), so all characters can enjoy it
without worrying about being stabbed in the back (or worse). It’s essentially a
giant amusement park.
The first thing you’ll notice upon arrival is
that the Isle is completely different from the rest of the lands of Aden and
Elmore. The environment is frequently bright and alive with color, featuring a
beautiful town, lush fields of grass, jungles, hills and many other interesting
places. As you can imagine, Fantasy Isle is not a small reef of land, but a huge
island, steeped in its own mysteries and places to visit. The local people and
creatures are all rather small and cute, and fit within the happy themes of the
island.
In March we held an event to formally open
Fantasy Isle, which we called the “Bunny Money” event. Players could travel to
the island and hunt for pieces of various treasure sacks, which would contain
various random goodies we were giving away. With a special skill you could
discover all sorts of treasure chests, featuring Rabbit Transformation Scrolls
and a special magic eye that let you see even more hidden treasure
chests. This two-week event gave the players a chance to explore the wonders of
the island while scrounging for some great stuff, including S-grade armor and
shadow Agathion bracelets.
The opening of the island is just the start of
what’s coming. For the release of Hellbound two new features were added
to Fantasy Isle: the Underground Coliseum and the Monster Parade. Featuring a
new type of team-battle PvP (essentially team deathmatch), the Underground
Coliseum pits teams of players against each other in a series of matches—the
team with the most accumulated kills wins. The winning team moves on to the next
match, while the losing one has to sit out or enter in another series. Each team
has to consist of at least seven players, and there are four different
coliseums, split up by level, and one coliseum for players of all levels.
Players can access the coliseums from Fantasy Isle, offering up another fun
diversion from the normal style of play (or PvP) that regular Lineage II
players know.
The Monster Parade occurs four times a day and
is a procession of each type of NPC in the game, making its way through the play
area of the Isle. Players will be able to see the wide variety of NPCs
throughout Aden and Elmore in one place. Some of the participating monsters and
NPCs will also show up at the performance area on Fantasy Isle, where they may
partake in some special performances, including circus acts and even talent
shows.
Of course, that’s just the beginning of what we
have in store for Fantasy Isle, not the end. The Isle lets us hold large special
events that all players can enjoy at once in one area, which also is a big plus
for us. Bunny Money was just the beginning, and shows a fraction of what we’ll
be able to do. Also, to keep with the amusement park-style theme, we’re looking
to integrate all sorts of mini-games on the island, to keep the area fun, fresh
and vibrant. When you’re on Fantasy Isle, we want you to relax and have some
stress-free fun.
