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Inven “Tree of Savior” Development Team Interview
Hello. We are "Tree of Savior" development team. Our interview is on Game Webzine Inven (www.inten.co.kr). Link : http://www.inven.co.kr/webzine/news/?news=109604 There is a saying that trends are keep revolving around and this does not only apply to the world of fashion. Due to improvement in technologies, gamers can see the graphics in real time which were only available in CG videos before. However, there are many people who miss the memories of 2D dot graphics in the past. It may be due to the quality of the games that they had enjoyed in the past or it could be due to the recollections that are still in their minds from the communities in those game. The one thing sure is that they are missing those memories. Back in April 30th, when the information about the newest title from Hak Kyu Kim's imcGAMES was released, lots of people have shown their interest in the game which may be due to the reasons that I stated above. Due to the improvement in the game engines, the games that are being released these days are becoming more and more real, but the decision made by imcGAMES was somewhat different. Back to the past, but not old fashioned, concentrating on the feelings of the classics were the main themes that imcGAMES have emphasized while developing the game. To get the latest information about 'Tree of Savior", which features retro concept, we had an interview with the development team at imcGAMES. Let's listen to what they tell us about the game. 5 months have passed after the first information about the game was released at G-Star, but it seems that the attentions on the game are getting bigger and bigger. A1) We can't deny that we feel pressure on those attentions, but they also give us strength to work on. We are trying our best to release the game as soon as possible. Q2) I know that you had FGT for the first time back in February. What kind of feedback did you receive from the people who had participated FGT? A2) We received lots of feedback and advises on the matters such as balances between the classes, quest flows, difficulty level, controllability of a few classes, interfaces, and etc. Most of them told us that the game is very fun and they enjoyed a lot. They also told us that they will play the game again once the game starts it's service. However, since we had only invited a small number of users to our studio, most of the feedback that we received were concentrated on the first impression of the game and the contents in the game. Therefore, we haven't tested and verified the game's feasibility on the environment where lots of users are connected at the same time. We plan to test this when we launch our CBT which is scheduled within this year's summer. Q3) Are there any changes in the game after FGT? A3) We have identified that the current control system, which may confuse some people who play the game for the first time, may need some adjustments. Also we are adjusting difficulty level of the monsters and modifying some of the items in the game based on the feedback that we had received from FGT. Q4) After seeing the graphics of 'Tree of Savior', lots of gamers are remembering Ragnarok or Arcturus. A4) Our focus was to make the game which can give classical feelings, but not old fashioned, along with expressing the latest trends. As a result, we relied on as many hand drawings as possible instead of using the technology from the graphics engine and we emphasized shapes on designs to have fairy tale impression in the game. We are preparing to explain to all the fans about graphics concept soon at "Tree of Savior" Developers' blog so please wait for our explanation. Ragnarok and Arcturus are not our games. Therefore, those games do not have any relationships with our game. The art director for "Tree of Savior" is Anh Jung Won who has been with us for "Granado Espada" for a long time. [▲Graphics of Tree of Savior] Q5) Did you develop your own engine? A5) We are using the internally developed engine which has been in use and updated since the start of "Granado Espada". This engine was customized to meet the needs to express the impressions of 2D characters, hand drawn art and etc. Except for the graphics side of the engine, we are using the same engine which is being used to develop "Wolfknights", the other game that we are currently developing. Q6) After watching the video which was released at G-Star last year, we thought the sounds in the game are very impressive. We think that the sounds fit the game really well. Who made the sounds for the game? A6) Mr. Dong Il Kwak who was working in SoundTeMP team joined S.F.A team to participate "Granado Espada". And he is now in charge of sound directing for "Tree of Savior". Besides Mr. Kwak, many other artists including SoundTeMP team, Esti, Questrosound, Mr. Joon Sung Kim and the other artists are participating for this game. Among them, there are also some artists from the other countries and the new artists as well. As for "Granado Espada", sound concept was euro-trance genre and classics, and the predecessor's theme was electronic-pop genre. However, this time we are focusing on classical crossover. Please find more about it when we launch the game. Mr. Kwak's interview can be found on the following link. http://www.inven.co.kr/webzine/news/?news=49060 Q7) So you told me that you are planning 1st CBT this summer. How far has the development completed in terms of percentage for CBT version of the game? A7) We think that we are already ready to initiate CBT when we look at the sheer volume of contents inside the game, but we think there needs to be some adjustments on interfaces, game system, skills on each class and some other features in the game. I think we are about 70% complete for CBT. Q8) How diversely can a character move in the game? I know that there will be 8 directions and jump, but is it also possible to dash and run? A8) When we had our prototype version, it was possible to run by pressing the cursor keys fast enough, but after some tests, we had concluded that it's aching to press the cursor keys repeatedly so we changed that the basic movement will be running (instead of walking), but when stamina gets fully depleted, character will start to walk. Dash feature which enables players to avoid attacks instantaneously will be available on certain classes. Q9) I saw a fireplace in a game screenshot. What is it for? A9) We have some features including "Rest Mode" in the game in order to prepare for what players can do while they are not engaged in battles. The details of these features will be updated in the future. Q10) How does character customization work? A10) Since there are some limits on the characters' style, it is hard to freely customize the characters. You can choose class, gender and hair style. We are thinking about changing eye colors of the characters possible. Q11) I saw crafting system in the game from the video. How does crafting work? A11) All classes will be able to craft some items in the game. However, in order to craft an item, you have to first acquire a manual to craft a particular item. A manual will be automatically recorded on Adventure Journal once the manual gets used and after that the item can be crafted any time. Certain manuals can be taught to the others. When you collect all the ingredient items that are specified in a manual, you can craft the item. Crafting is only possible during Rest Mode, and it could take a few seconds, a few minutes, and more than 10 minutes depending on what kind of items you are crafting. Q12) How big is the world in "Tree of Savior"? A12) Our plan is to have more than 200 territories in the game when we launch OBT. It will include 3 major cities. Q13) I know that there are hair/head accessories. How many kinds of accessories do we have in the game? A13) At the moment, we have about 50 costumes that are not relevant to characters' stats. We will have more before we launch the game. [▲Crowns, hair bands, rabbit ears and etc are already present in the game.] Q14) When we look at the classes, there are clear distinctions between tanker, healer and dealer. When players form parties, are these roles clearly specified within each party? Or even if we don't care about the combinations of the classes, is it possible to clear dungeons in the game? A14) We are keep adjusting and modifying in terms of battle system. We will tell you more about it after our CBT. Q15) It was unique to see the texts that are being typed by the spectators during a tournament match are shown on the screen. What was your purpose on showing those texts? A15) Players who are waiting for the next matches, or the players who just want to watch the matches are all gathered around in the spectators' seats. They can watch those matches from the point of view of the players who are actually engaged in the matches. The texts that are being typed by the people who are gathered around will be shown anonymously on the screen and we think it will be more enjoyable to watch those matches when there are diverse comments coming from many people. A few people who are reading this may have already noticed. We got an inspiration from the one of Japan's famous video sites. Q16) When I look at Adventure Journal, there is something called Adventure Achievements. What is the purpose and when we complete high level Achievements, what kind of benefits can we receive? A16) There are some players who are mainly focused on leveling up their characters and complete only those quests that are mandatory and there are other players who want to enjoy all the hidden contents in the game. Adventure Achievements are for the latter players, but the Achievements in the game can not be achieved simply by killing lots of monsters. There are many Achievements such as collecting all the different kinds of items, searching and navigating all the maps, clearing all the quests including the hidden quests and many more. Your Achievements will be compared to the other players' Achievements and we will show which players have achieved higher points by ranking those players. Certain quests and certain upper level classes are only possible to do and aquire when your accumulated Achievement points are higher than certain level. [▲The latest build screenshot which was first revealed from Inven ②] Q17) We think community features and real life features (such as marriage, having a house and etc) would fit the game well. A17) It is hard to predict how the community in the game will turn out in the future. After collecting feedback from the testers from CBT and the tests after that, we will decide which system to add in the game. Q18) You have recently opened Developers' Blog for "Tree of Savior" and shared with us some information. When can we get the new information? A18) We will collect all the questions from the Facebook and the Blog and answer them from time to time. We will also update our development process. However, our updates will be non-periodic for a while. Q19) So finally, CBT which is scheduled within this summer, How much can we expect in the game in terms of the number of contents? A19) The main purpose of CBT is to test the game when a large number of people connect at the same time. Therefore, we will limit the number of contents that will be released at the CBT version of the game. Still, we will have enough contents so that the testers can play the game for full two weeks. We are collecting the questions that you have given us so far via Facebook and Developers' blog and we will soon answer your questions on Questions and Answers about TOS #2. Thanks.
Returning Savior Event: Homecoming Gift (Sep '18)
Greetings, Saviors! If you've been away from TOS for a while, make sure to login after the scheduled maintenance of August 21 to get your hands on some exclusive returning player goodies! Event Period FROM the scheduled maintenance on August 21, 2018 TO the scheduled maintenance on September 18, 2018 Who Can Participate - Players who haven’t accessed their TOS account in 30 or more days How to Participate STEP 1. Log into your TOS account and retrieve the Homecoming Gift (14 Days) from the Message Box in your lodge. This item will be sent automatically to all eligible players. - A total of 1 Homecoming Gift will be sent to each eligible account. STEP 2. Open the Homecoming Gift from your character’s inventory to receive the following rewards: - Returning Savior's Book (14 Days) x5 [Grants all party members + 2000 maximum HP, + 1000 maximum SP, and +1 movement speed for 1 hour. Cooldown is 1 hour.] - Returning Savior's Potion (30 Days) x1 [Grants +500 physical attack and +500 magic attack for 1 hour when used. Can be used multiple times (is not consumed). Cooldown is 1 hour.] - x8 EXP Tome (14 Days) x2 - Attribute Points: 500 (14 Days) x1 - Skill Reset Potion (14 Days) x1 - Stat Reset Potion (14 Days) x1 STEP 3. All players eligible for this event can also visit the Event Notice Board in Klaipeda to receive one Boost Pack (14 Days), regardless of Team Level or Character Level! - Click here to read the Rookie Savior Event announcement and see the prizes you can win with the Boost Pack. - The Boost Pack can be received only once per team. If you already got the Boost Pack from the Rookie Savior Event, you will not receive another one during the event period. Important - The edition of the Homecoming Gift announced here will be available to eligible accounts until September 18, 2018. After that, the Gift’s contents can be changed for future iterations of the event. - The Homecoming Gift is not transferable via Team Storage, so make sure to retrieve it with the correct character. Items received on the wrong character will not be exchanged or transferred. - Items with time limits cannot be moved via Team Storage and they will begin to count down as soon as they are received in your character’s inventory.
[EDITED] Scheduled Maintenance for November 14, 2017
Greetings, Saviors!We would like to announce the details of our weekly maintenance for (November 14, 2017). Make sure to check below for the maintenance schedule and patch notes.Please note that other issues and bugs are also being worked on even if they are not mentioned below.
Weekly Question and Answer – November 11th, 2016
Q1. The statement on trade restriction that we can retrieve our silver in 48 hours from the market. Will you consider making more comfortable for us? In-game market is inevitably tied to malicious criminal acts such as RMT because it is the main distribution channels in the in-game items and currencies. We are continuously monitoring the transactions of major RMT-items on the market and requires a period of delay to detect illicit activities and prevent such actions from significantly affecting iTOS. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience you have experienced with the 48 hours restriction. It is difficult to remove 48 hours restriction, We are examining all the options for reducing the current waiting time more in the future patch. Q2. There is no function and system to change our companion even we typed wrongly. Is there any plan to allow us to change companion's name? We've usually received suggestion about changing companion's name. So we did make a plan to allow our players to change your precious companions. We firmly promise that it will be applied in a future patch. Q3. When can we meet any of new Gestures and Emoticons to express our characters as eating popcorn and etc ? We are planning to develop new Gestures and Emoticons for our players as possible as we can. However, we firmly focus on fixing bugs as the top priority.
[UPDATE] Scheduled Maintenance for December 15, 2020
Greetings, Saviors!We would like to announce the details of our weekly maintenance for (December 15, 2020). Make sure to check below for the maintenance schedule and patch notes.Please note that other issues and bugs are also being worked on even if they are not mentioned below.
Scheduled Maintenance for May 15, 2018
Greetings, Saviors!We would like to announce the details of our weekly maintenance for (May 15, 2018). Make sure to check below for the maintenance schedule and patch notes.Please note that other issues and bugs are also being worked on even if they are not mentioned below.
Weekly Question and Answer – October 21st, 2016
Q1. It is very difficult to tell elite monsters from regular monsters. Do you have any plans to distinguish them with a certain clear indicative effect? We are currently in the process of making a method to highlight elite monsters. We understand that, at the moment, players may have trouble instantly recognizing elite monsters which might hinder intuitive gameplay. This may also reduce the fun factor of finding and defeating these relatively rarer monsters. What we are planning to do is indicate them visually on screen and also their names will reflect their elite status to add a sense of drama as well. Such features are on their way. Q2. The monsters run away so fast that it somewhat hinder the gameplay. Is the current speed of monster retreat intentional? Additionally, would there be other gameplay elements regarding the monster fleeing AI such as a monster running away to call for a backup? We also see that the monster fleeing AI can be improved in a variety of ways to improve gameplay. We have come up with some ideas and are now in the final testing and execution stage. Certain changes will be implemented to make the monster behave more organically, less intrusively and allow players to experience the thrill of the hunt. Q3. There is no clear indication of critical evasion and other chances through the character statistics. Are there any plans to make them more intuitive? The chance calculation of critical evasion and alike is based on not just the character’s statistics but also that of the target. Therefore, it is very difficult to have a fixed number representing such chances. However, that is not to say the status quo will remain completely the same. We are internally discussing and experimenting with some ideas to make the gameplay more informative such as displaying target monster’s critical evasion chances on the monster info UI.
Scheduled Maintenance on June 4, 2019
Greetings, Saviors!We would like to announce the details of our weekly maintenance for (June 4, 2019). Make sure to check below for the maintenance schedule and patch notes.Please note that other issues and bugs are also being worked on even if they are not mentioned below.
Scheduled Maintenance for February 19, 2019
Greetings, Saviors!We would like to announce the details of our weekly maintenance for (February 19, 2019). Make sure to check below for the maintenance schedule and patch notes.Please note that other issues and bugs are also being worked on even if they are not mentioned below.