By Donna Desborough
The anime inspired arcade styled MMO Lunia is part of the GNG World
Championships. I was lucky enough to talk with the developers to find out just a
little bit more about Lunia's part in the competition.
Donna: Can you tell us a little about yourself and what you do at
Lunia?
Kyoung-yeon: I'm Kyoung-yeon Choi, the leader of the Public
Relation team and at the same time a PM who is wholly in charge of GNGWC project
of 'Record of Lunia War'.
Donna: How does Lunia fit into the GNGWC?
Kyoung-yeon: 'Record of Lunia War' opened GNGWC championship at the
same time it started its global service last July, which aroused much
participation in GNGWC as well as the users' interest in the game itself. Lots
of users showed interest in action arcade RPG because of its uniqueness as an
online game genre. In August 23rd, Europe Final tournament successfully ended in
Leipzig, Germany.
Donna: So how will the Lunia rounds work? What exactly do players have
to do?
Kyoung-yeon: At present, 'Record of Lunia War' has ahead its Korean
final in September 30th, American final in October 17th, and Japanese final in
November 17th. The qualification for a player is anyone who has played 'Record
of Lunia War' PVP at least once. Eight players are selected on the basis of
their victory percentages and records in PVP during the regional online
preliminaries period, and each of them gets to participate in their regional
finals. At the regional finals, players compete at the one-on-one tournament in
the 'Battlefield in Deep Forest', an exclusive stage for PVP. The quarter-final
and the semi-final are played in best two out of three, and the final in best
three out of five.
Donna: Is this the first time Lunia has been part of something like
this?
Kyoung-yeon: Yes. This is the first time since the 'Record of Lunia
War' started global service for the worldwide users to compete for the best seat
among our game players. I believe this is a very good opportunity for them.
Donna: How will the competition fit into Lunia's ongoing story? Is the
tournament part of the player's story or totally outside of it?
Kyoung-yeon: In 'Record of Lunia War' semifinal hosted in Germany,
European players gave full play to their abilities that they had cultivated all
the while, and they were just as good as the Korean players; they showed a
splendid, lively match. The one-hour-long final was hosted in a highly tense
atmosphere, and numerous spectators swarmed in and watched the whole game
breathlessly. In particular, the native spectators showed high interest in
various keyboard-controlled combos and the demonstration of magical barrages in
'Record of Lunia War' match.
At the end of the intense battle, the final victory was taken by a German
player, Alex Danvlov(18). "The most attractive part of 'Record of Lunia
War' is the realistic action controlled by the keyboard." This 12th grader
spoke in the final champion interview. "I'm honored to have been invited to
Korea, and I will try my best to win the final match in December."
Lunia GNGWC Europe Regional Final
Donna: Lunia doesn't seem to be a very championship type of game. Why did
you decide to include it?
Kyoung-yeon: At first glance, 'Record of Lunia War' might not seem
to be appropriate for a championship type because it basically takes the RPG
game style. However, the producers of 'Record of Lunia War' concentrated on
e-Spots from the beginning of production, and they developed PVP which made
controls and combos that were not seen in online RPG possible. It could sort out
the winner in individual or team match from one-on-one to four-on-four, each a
single round, and the average time required on each match is 5~10 minutes. Like
'Virtual Fighter', in case of individual match, the strategy differs depending
on your own class and your opponent's class, and in case of team match, the type
of class your team and your opponent's team are composed of greatly influences
the game.
Also, PVP is highly satisfying to lots of users' desire in that rather than
depending on the usage of equipment and potion for deciding the champion, it
depends on individual players' control, teamwork, and strategy. Presently,
'Hero-War GP 2007' which selects the best player of 'Record of Lunia War' PVP,
is hosted in Korea all year round. After selecting the monthly champions, the
final round will be hosted at the end of the year. From August, 2007, GNGWC
Korea preliminaries, with the name of 'Hero-War GP Season 2', is proceeded in
parallel with it.
Lunia PVP Screenshots
Donna: Will there be future tournaments for Lunia to be part of? Will
it have its own?
Kyoung-yeon: Of course. 'Record of Lunia War' PVP will transform
ceaselessly with continuous changes, and we will provide various opportunities
for the players of 'Record of Lunia War' so they could truly enjoy the game.
With all the wonderful prizes to be won and the suspense of the competition I
can't wait to see who becomes the world champion. I'll certainly be cheering on
the Lunia players as they battle their way through.
For more information on GNGWC or Record of Lunia please visit http://global.lunia.com/
and http://www.gngwc.com/.
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