Atlantica Online at GDC

"This year, during the Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco, CA, NDOORS held a press event revealing exciting upcoming updates lined up for Atlantica Online. Several members of the press and associates alike attended presentations set up by NDOORS. Rio Hartwell, Atlantica’s Community Manager, explained a few updates coming to the world of Atlantis. Additionally, Tae Gon Kim, Atlantica Online’s executive producer, flew all the way from Korea to reveal what he and his development team have been up to. From new dungeons to new mercenaries, Atlantica Online is preparing to beef up the game this coming year. Here is an overview of the updates revealed, for those of you who couldn’t make it out to San Francisco:

 

1. Bulguksa Dungeon



The first new update is a new dungeon called “Bulguksa,” which will continue the main story line of Atlantica Online and lead players further into the mysteries of Atlantis. It is being designed for players who are level 112 and above. The dungeon, itself, will bring players back to the mountains of Korea, where they started their adventure in Atlantica for an epic battle against the ancient powers that have been corrupted by the mysterious substance, “Oriharukon.” The dungeon will be similar to the way other story line dungeons have been designed, in that players should be able to complete the dungeon by themselves, if they are skilled enough. Bulguksa will also bring a new gear set, weapons and quests for players to enjoy.

 

2. GoonZu World





The second upadate, “GoonZu World,” will be crossing the boundaries of reality and making its way into the world of Atlantica very soon. It is designed around one of the original titles at NDOORS – Luminary: Rise of the GoonZu. The dungeon is part of a new system being developed called “Event Dungeons,” and will only be available for play at certain times during the week. Goonzu World, itself, draws heavily from the art and design of Luminary. Players familiar with Luminary will see many recognizable faces such as Evil Raccoons, Mushroom Boys and a boss designed around the executive publisher himself, Tae Gon Kim called, “Dr. Gon.” The dungeon will also offer up some unique rewards and quests.

 

3. Okuni’s Hometown



This hometown is an area based around the origins of the Shaman mercenary. In Okuni’s Hometown, players will discover the origins of Okuni – her salvation by the warrior Amano who saved her from the devastation of war. Okuni’s Hometown is the first in a series of dungeons being developed based around the origin stories of the mercenaries that players can recruit in-game. This system of dungeons will be a continuation of Atlantica’s upgrade dungeon system in which players can journey through a challenging quest line and receive a powerful piece of gear at the end, usually for their main characters.



 

4. The Titan Server



The Titan Server is an upcoming update that will be implemented very soon. Titan will be a cross server PvP area, where competitions for players from all servers will be held. Players will be able to take a ship from their server to the Titan server. There, different PvP tournament s and competitions will be hosted throughout the day. It will also give players a chance to determine the best of the best across the six servers. Plans are also being made to develop a new continent for the Titan server, which will have controllable areas for servers to compete over.



 

5. Tactical Battle System





A tactical Battle System designed to strengthen and add to the massive raid battle and strategic teamwork aspects of Atlantica is probably the biggest update that will be implemented this year. It will improve the strategic factor with utilization of terrain, construction/unit upgrade through resource production, and weather. There will be a total of two hundred players across eight regions that can join in PvE and PvP tactical battles. Players can collect various resources all over the map, letting players create traps and special buildings. Players will have to utilize terrain and resources to get ahead in these battles. Many of the core aspects of this system have been completed, but even after release they will continually be updated and balanced as the game continues to evolve.



 

6. Housing System

 

Atlantica’s housing system is the next biggest feature that the development team has worked hard to design. It will enhance community interaction, and enable players to share their own unique style. The living room will have a diary in which actions of the owner of the household will be publically documented. For example, items that the player successfully enhanced, bosses that he has defeated, or whoever has used PK on the player will all be recorded. Korean style houses along with housing styles from all over the world will be implemented in the future. Everything from the front yard to the inside of the house can be decorated. A pet can be raised in the front yard, and mounts can be kept in the back yard stable. Every room in the house serves a purpose, whether it is a room for educating mercenaries and children or a workshop for crafting. Of course, these rooms require maintenance, so mercenaries who fought in battle beside you can be hired to work in the house. This housing system is going to be implemented soon.



 

7. North American Scenario



The newest North American scenario that will be added is the Grand Canyon. This dungeon will feature level 120 monsters, making it the highest level dungeon currently in the game. The story revolves around a Native American town called “Eagle Mountain.” The town’s most cherished treasure has been stolen, and it’s up to the players to uncover the robbers’ lair. This quest is the latest addition to North America, but with various raid dungeons and the rest of the world to explore, the adventure has no end in sight.



 

8. New Mercenaries





Starting in May, new mercenaries for the player to hire are set to be introduced to the game. They will be released on the North American client in June. Three new mercenaries, Hwarang, the Punisher, and the Enchantress, are currently in the works, and new mercenaries will be added on a regular basis. Most importantly, these new grade C mercenaries are easy to hire and they will use a variety of weapons to encourage the players to use a variety of tactics. Hwarang will be the first mercenary to be implemented. He is a famous figure of Korea’s Shinra Dynasty. He is a grade C mercenary who is strong against the Musician class. Players can hire him at the Bulguksa dungeon.



 

9. Light Version Client

A light version of the client has been developed to allow new players the ability to download and start playing with minimal fuss. The size of the installation file is 700MB. Players will be able to explore up to level 20 as soon as the light client is installed, and while they play, the rest of the game will download in the background.



 

In addition to the press appointments, we had a fan gathering in which several lucky players were given a sneak peek of the upcoming updates that were unveiled for the first time during the appointments. Players were able to mingle with each other and at the end, had a Q&A session with the head developer. With six pizzas, a bucket full of sodas, a goodie bag full of swag and personal time with GMs and head developer, the event was an overall success. Hopefully we can put together something like that again soon so more players can come out!"

It looks like this is going to be a good year for Atlantica Online (Yes, all this is projected to be put in by april of next year).  I can't wait for the housing and enchantress

P.S. this is off thier site :P

http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/center/gdc/main.html

you can hit skip under the movie window if you want to not watch the intro movie they did at GDC, but after you have to hit skip to get to their "The New Beginning" teaser, where you can learn more about all the stuff listed above. Enjoy!