Regnum Online Interview - Part 2

In 1816, the South American regions known as the United Provinces of the Rio Plata declared their independence from Spain. They split into four countries including Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay and the largest, Argentina, which borders those three as well as Chile and Brazil. Officially the Argentine Republic, it covers a land area of roughly 2.75 million square kilometers, approximately one-third the size of the US. The terrain is quite varied, from the rich plains of the Pampas in the north to the flat and rolling Patagonia plateau in the south, and the tall Andes mountains to the west. Key sectors of the nation's economy include manufacturing, oil and natural gas, fishing and agriculture. The population is estimated at somewhere over 40 million, with the largest concentration, nearly one-third of the total, residing in the vicinity of the capital, Buenos Aires.

This cosmopolitan conurbation is home to NGD Studios, a team we've been aware of for the past few years; it's the creator of Regnum Online, which has been in live service since launching quietly May, 2007. Its name is based on the Latin word for realm, so it's not surprising that the central theme is the conflict among three domains. Alsius is a bleak, icy land. Ignis is uninviting as well, but volcanic in nature, and Syrtis is predominantly forest. The gameplay focus is PvP, with forts and castles that can be captured; they stand within a central zone where the major battles take place. Offered on a free to play basis, the title now has close to 275,000 registered accounts. We sought out General Manager Andres Chilkowski and Producer Nicolas Lamanna in order to learn what has attracted them.

Includes five exclusive 1440x900 screenshots

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Jonric: Does having your character die incur any penalties like dropped items, lost experience points or temporarily decreased abilities?

Andres Chilkowski: The only real penalty Regnum has right now is that you get an attribute called Necrostacy, which decreases your primary attributes by a percentage. This is temporary, and can be dissipated by killing monsters.

While Regnum has defined class types such as tankers, damage dealers, crowd controllers, etc., the range of skill options allows you to adapt and override these roles. This makes the game much richer and more varied

In addition, you respawn at your current save point, forcing you to return where you died. This is key in the war zone, leading to some interesting strategies. We have plans to incorporate an enhanced system in the near future, involving not only penalties, but rewarding those who stay alive longer.

Jonric: Does Regnum Online have many friendly and neutral NPCs, what functions do they fulfill, and how important are they?

Nicolas Lamanna: There are various NPCs in the world. Most basic items can be bought from merchants. They'll buy your stuff too, and also repair items, for a price. Quest givers are mostly located in the main towns, and will give players some really good rewards.

The other important NPC type is trainers, which will let you advance your character in both disciplines and skills. There are also others that play auxiliary roles, such as teleporters, those that allow entrance to the coliseum, etc.

Jonric: Is there any kind of pet system? If so, are there different kinds, and restrictions on using them? And are mounts available?

Nicolas Lamanna: There are two kind of pets in the game. They play an essential part for specific sub-classes. The Hunter can tame certain monsters in the world according to how advanced she is in the required discipline. The Conjurer can use summons, but they are spawned directly. There are differences between the two but the way they are used is similar.

The game also has mountable horses, although they are part of the premium content. Unlike the class-specific pets, anyone can ride them.

Jonric: How about equipment? Are there lots of different weapons, armors and items in general? Can they be customized and upgraded?

Nicolas Lamanna: Players may find a very wide variety of weapons and armor parts. All combat items provide visual representations, and on top of that you can paint your armor different colors, giving characters a great range in terms of customization.

Also, items have variants that add attributes according to their material and quality. Most of these can only be obtained through loot drops.

Jonric: Since you use a micro-transaction revenue model, are the items that cost money different from those available through play? What are some examples?

Andres Chilkowski: Indeed, Regnum uses a micro-transaction model with a virtual currency called Ximerin. You can buy it via the official website, and then use it to purchase the premium items inside the game.

Special care was taken to reduce to a bare minimum the possibility of these items breaking the balance between paying and non-paying users. Some examples are horses that let you go faster, boost scrolls that give you additional experience, armor paint, tunic dyes, and teleport scrolls. The main idea is that the premium content gives you less downtime, accelerates leveling, and adds uniqueness to your character.

Jonric: How does magic factor into your game design? Is it part of your skill system? Are there different types? Does casting require mana or anything else?

Nicolas Lamanna: One of the major aspects of the character progression in Regnum Online is the skill system.

There are currently more than 250 skills, divided into several disciplines. All of the initial classes have four base disciplines.

The Warriors' are tailored to attacks with different damage types. They may specialize into Barbarians or Knights. Mages have various options ranging from charging your staff to crowd control. They may develop into Conjurers or Warlocks. And finally, the Archers' four are oriented to combat techniques with long and short bows, and tricks. They can become Hunters or Marksmen.

All characters need mana to cast their powers. While Regnum has defined class types such as tankers, damage dealers, crowd controllers, etc., the range of skill options allows you to adapt and override these roles. This makes the game much richer and more varied when fighting different players.