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It's a real
honor to actually meet the Production Team of Lineage
II, of whom I had only heard (laugh). The thing
that players say most often when they see Lineage
II is, of course, "What a large land mass!" The
history of the land, origin of the regions and sources
for things like the etymology of words --where did
you get those ideas?
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Team Head Hyeong-Jin Kim (hereinafter,
referred to as "Kim"): Of course, the mythology
of Lineage II was influenced for the most part by
Lineage I. There are many cases where the locations
and characters have been borrowed directly from
Lineage I. In fact, they both take place along the
same timeline, so it's natural that there would
be the same locations and characters.
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When we
look at the story, we can see not only the myths
of Creator Einhasad and Gran Kain but also various
behind-the-scenes stories for various gods. In particular,
it was very shocking to have established the close
relationship between Shilen, god of death, and Gran
Kain, who is his father. Could there be some other
areas that were influenced by ancient mythology
too?
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Kim: You say that it is shocking and that really shows your interest (laughs). There aren't any myths that have had a direct influence on the myths of Lineage II. On the other hand, the myths of northern Europe and Greece, and the traditional fantasy myths of Tolkien and others can be said to form an overall framework.
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Oh, really!
The mythological factors are very important in Lineage
II and it seems that they are embedded all over
in the game. I mean, roaming around in the world,
there just seem to be so many carefully prepared
areas that stand out. Does the Tower of Giants in
the Cruma Marshlands have a mythological background?
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Cruma is in the shape of a giant turtle and is one of the genesis creatures created at the beginning with the gods. There are various types of genesis creatures in addition to Cruma. In fact, the Worldtree in the Elven Forest is also one of the genesis creatures. And the other genesis creatures will also make their debuts one at a time with the progression of episodes in Lineage II.
The Giant Tower had a lot of strong power while
being prepared for battle with the gods at the end
of the Titan Era, but Cruma, which was in the shape
a peaceful creature, was a laboratory used in an
attempt to change it into a battle fortress. Core
is a creature like a main computer that controls
the entire laboratory. The titans were destroyed,
but the ruins of the titans remain here, and they
are performing some functions. What could Core be
thinking about in the deep places of Cruma Tower?...
That's something nobody can know.
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Here is something I'm thinking of from the perspective of an advance look at future updates (laugh). Lineage II strongly satisfies the visual desires more than any online game. Perhaps it's because the characters have strong avatar characteristics with detailed graphics, but the game is being recognized as having a feminine feeling. What do you think about that? In particular, what "feeling" did you intend to give to players who access the game for the first time?
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Kim: This is really something to be addressed by Head of the Graphics Team (all laugh together). I don't really know about the graphics all that well, but the graphic concept envisioned by our Development Team was a feeling of "advanced-ness". This is related not only to the graphics but also to the content of the game itself. Rather than putting together something that's just "different", we were trying to achieve our successful outcome through the differences in pure qualities. Therefore, we have really put a lot of effort even into the parts that can't be seen well and we have put our full heart into each of the small details.
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When was
the first plan for Lineage II hatched and how many
people were involved at the beginning? Lots of people
are curious about how the plan came into being,
so please tell us a bit about it.
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Kim: If I have
to say when the initial plan started, I'd say that
the first concept itself is something I did myself.
However, at that time, it was no more than an idea
sketch, so the time that we really started the plan
to create the game (laugh) must have been around
November of 2000. There were two other designers
that worked with me at that time.
The way that we designed the game -- well, I'll
explain it this way. There is a table around which
the four of us from the Planning Team sit with our
backs to it. If someone has an idea, we gather at
the table and have a meeting. Also, there is an
idea bulletin board on the company computer network,
so whenever someone that isn't in the Game Design
Team has an idea, they can easily share their opinion.
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When we look at the game story, it is set up in a structure of three kingdoms established through the mythological period that keep each other in check. Are there territories to be added later? And if there are, can you provide us with a simple introduction and explanation of the functions of those territories?
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Kim: Unfortunately,
the territories that we are showing in the open
beta are only some of our original plan. It's a
game that shows the fighting between three countries,
but we're sorry we weren't able to release even
the full territory of one country so far. Perhaps
the Aden Kingdom can be completed in the update
by the end of the year. Then at a rate of about
one update every six months, we'll update the new
territories. Please be looking forward to the entrance
of the vigorous Elmore Empire to the north and the
mysterious country Gracia across the sea.
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OK, then finally, please give a word of advice to the many gamers who are dreaming of becoming planners.
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Kim: Planning is something that is divided into the two tasks of "dreaming" and "solving problems". It's difficult enough to dream up clever ideas, but actually realizing those clever ideas is something difficult that requires a talent for solving the problems that come up.
The ability to dream things up is something that's somewhat inherited, so nothing can be done about that, but there are good methods for developing the ability to solve problems. The advice that I always have for people that want to get into designing is to "study hard in high school". High school studies include all the knowledge necessary for a designer. And you can learn a lot of stuff in a very short time. A high school level of math is required for making games and in particular, the subjects of politics, economics and world history are also important.
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