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Dragon Nest Classic Server Interview: We listened to advice this time

Lian Po

2024-08-06

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Author: Lian Po

Original Contribution

Comment:

With awe.

It was probably 14 years ago that the first batch of domestic players came into contact with the game "Dragon Nest". At that time, this classic online game with excellent action experience and diverse content and gameplay was born out of nowhere, attracting countless players overnight and creating unforgettable youth memories for many players.

Recently, the release of the Dragon Nest nostalgic server has attracted many exclamations, doubts and concerns. Although it is not uncommon for old online games to open "nostalgic servers" in recent years, many of these "nostalgic servers" are obviously products of selling dog meat under the guise of sheep. Whether they can truly present the "nostalgic" and "fun" aspects of the game to current players has always been a concern for everyone.

We were also honored to receive an invitation from Century Huatong to talk with the production team of Dragon Nest Classic about this work. In the process, we learned that a considerable number of members of the development team are old players of Dragon Nest and are familiar with the early experience of the game, which made the whole interview more sincere. During the conversation, the development team kept emphasizing the word "listen to advice" to us, which was also impressive.

The following is a transcript of the interview:

Q: The official launch of the nostalgic serverHas the time been determined?

A: The official launch time has been determined. We will start unlimited and non-deleted testing on August 20, 2024.

Q: Nowadays, many old players have entered society and are working, and they no longer have as much time as before. Have any improvements been made to the equipment system in the game that takes a long time to build?

A: In the nostalgic server, we have made some adjustments to the equipment system, including a guaranteed enhancement plan. This is mainly to optimize the experience during the enhancement process and make the enhancement process smoother. At the same time, we have also added an equipment enhancement transfer function. We believe that the addition of this function will greatly reduce the frustration of needing to accumulate enhancement levels again during past equipment iterations.

Q: Are there any optimizations in the game to help players quickly get started with the nostalgic server?

A: Yes, we have done a lot of work in this area. We are not only game practitioners, but also game users, so we are quite familiar with the current mainstream user habits in the market. Therefore, the nostalgic server has also made adjustments to many earlier systems, such as adding a novice guidance system for the official server, and adjusting the daily task system. In the past, daily tasks were automatically completed and the rewards were sent to players via email. Players opened the email and didn’t know why, but suddenly they received a bunch of rewards. Therefore, we adjusted the implementation form. Now there is a separate interface for daily tasks, and after completion, players will be prompted to enter the relevant interface to receive rewards. There are many similar optimizations.

Q: Has the frequency of version updates for the Classic Server been determined after it is launched? Can you reveal the specific update cycle?

A: We have an internal update plan for the next year. The current plan is to open the 40-level version in September after the server is opened on August 20, and open the Lion Scorpion and Apocalypse Lair at the same time. The normal mode of the Sea Dragon Lair will be opened in October. The 40-level version will last for a while and will not reach level 50 soon. At the same time, the version will be updated monthly, and new gameplay or systems will be added every month to continuously ensure the user experience.

Q: Many dungeons in the official server were quite difficult at the time, and ordinary players could only pass them through level crushing brought by subsequent updates. Will the difficulty of these dungeons be adjusted in the nostalgic server?

A: Yes, we have spent a lot of energy on this. We have a keyword for the nostalgic server: dream fulfillment, which means that we hope that users who did not have time to experience the complete content of the old version in the past can experience all the content in the nostalgic server. Users who have participated in the pioneer test on July 2 should have a more obvious feeling. We also conducted corresponding data analysis for the July 2 test, and the adjusted nest clearance rate is in line with our expectations. Of course, we will also pay attention to the fact that the reduction in difficulty may reduce the experience of players who like to challenge the limit. Therefore, we have also added a challenge mode for the nest this time, which will have new AI and new rewards. However, the rewards will not be linked to the growth content, but will tend to be honor-oriented rewards, such as mounts. The purpose of doing this is not to want the new challenge mode to become the previous hell mode, but to truly challenge it.

Q: The imbalance in strength between many game professions is an old problem that is often criticized. Will there be any adjustments to the strength of the professions in the Dragon Nest Nostalgic Server?

A: Professional balance will be a relatively large topic, which involves professional skill settings, equipment systems and attribute systems. We currently have dedicated students responsible for balance research and the formulation of adjustment plans. There are not many adjustments to the current level 32 version, because it is relatively balanced. From level 40, there will be corresponding adjustments. Of course, because we are developing a nostalgic server, any adjustment cannot simply start from numerical balance and end with numerical balance. The process in between will incorporate many players' previous experience suggestions, just like when you sing a song, if it is a brand new work, there is no comparison, but if it is a cover, users will definitely compare it with the old version. At the same time, different users like and dislike different points, especially the game also involves the interests of different professional players, we need to consider more points, so any adjustment will be more cautious.

Q: Can we re-experience the old skills and action systems that old players love in the nostalgic server?

A: We chose the level 60 version as the basis for development, in order to be able to use the old version's action system and relatively early skill settings, such as the professional team buffs that players are very concerned about. At the same time, we can answer a derivative question, that is, will we return to the settings of the official server after level 60? Here we can explain more clearly that we will develop versions after level 60, but we will not copy the settings of the official server, but will develop based on the design ideals of the old version.

Q: In the long-term operation after the nostalgic server, will there still be a situation where the speed at which players make equipment cannot keep up with the frequency of equipment iteration?

A: As mentioned earlier, we have developed an equipment enhancement transfer function, which will greatly solve the problem of equipment iteration frequency.

Q: The version used in the previous nostalgic server internal beta test was the highest level 32, and the final copy was the Hellhound Lair version, but the actual version of the game is level 60. Will this version continue to be used when the nostalgic server is officially launched?

A: Yes, we are using the 60-level version as the basis for development, but we also compared the values ​​of the previous 32-level, 40-level and 50-level versions. The purpose of this is to ensure that the nostalgic server can continue to develop versions in a stable and continuous manner.

Q: Do you have anything to say to old players who are planning to return to the nostalgic server?

A: Whether you are a current or former fan of Dragon Nest, I hope you can go home and have a look. No matter how many promises we make, it is not as real as seeing it with your own eyes and experiencing it in person. We hope to create a nostalgic server that truly satisfies players, just like we said internally: "We will listen to advice this time." This is not just a slogan, but our actual code of conduct.