5. Visiting NCsoft Seoul (Interlude)

In November 2006 I took my first trip to Seoul, Korea, to visit the NCsoft office and get in a little sightseeing and fun. After a very long plane ride and some adjustment to the time change, I was ready to get my first look at the NCsoft office.

The NCsoft headquarters office in South Korea is spread across three buildings in the heart of Seoul. A new building is under construction now to house all of NCsoft Seoul under one roof. One of my favorite parts of the NCsoft headquarters is the cafeteria, where they serve food and beverages named after Lineage favorites (like "Wind Walk") to thirsty NCsoft employees.

The E&G office is in another building, where they work on the design, graphics, development, and sound of Lineage II. At first glance you would think it's a typical business office until you notice the amount of toys, manga, and anime posters decorating the cubicles. But no one had time for playing around -- everyone was working hard on the Interlude update!

The Studio E&G office

The Lead Designer of Lineage II, Jae Hyuk Han, and the leader of the Lineage II Live Team, Ki Byung Chae, took a break to chat about Interlude. Interlude will add even more land and monsters to conquer, as well as features requested by the global Lineage II community. New weapons and head accessories, new skills, new pets, and over 100 new options for creating unique items are just a few of the exciting additions planned for the Interlude update.

Jae Hyuk Han and I strike a pose

Character Art Director Jung Hyun Woo showed me some of the new monsters making their debut in Interlude, including dinosaur-like creatures who inhabit an island for brave and intrepid adventurers to explore. The lush jungle island will be a challenging area where you will always need be on your guard!

Jung Hyun Woo takes his own sneak peek

All members of the graphics team were busy filming the Interlude gameplay trailer. Each member was logged into the game, listening carefully for instructions shouted by the director in the middle of the office. I wanted to log in and get in on the action too! Gameplay trailers take teamwork and careful planning, and the team hopes that you enjoy their efforts.

The sound team, Yong Jin An, Hae Young Jung, and Jung Hun Kim also paused for a moment to talk about the music and sounds in the game. They hope you enjoy the melodies of Bill Brown and Inon Zur while you play Lineage II.

The Lineage II Sound Team takes a break

Not only is the Lineage II team in Seoul hard at work on Interlude, but they are already designing and developing the next major game update. What other new and innovative features does the future hold? 2007 will be a very exciting year in the world of Lineage II!

Thank you to everyone at Studio E&G and NCsoft that made my first trip to Korea very memorable and enjoyable!