Blade and Soul to go global

[Agent11]

http://www.bladeandsoul.com/en/

I've been waiting for this one to go global for a while now, really good production values and looks to be very fun.

 

[pathos]

I remember seeing the videos of the game a couple of years ago and hoping it would come oversees.

Being a Korean mmo, I'm sort of pessimistic about some of the things westerners hate that Koreans seem to love....like hellish level grinds.

But, the game itself looks pretty cool, and the setting for it interests me greatly. I'm sure I'll try it out when its released. But, heck, I'll try out most anything. Keeping me around and playing for the long term is something thats hard for any game to do.

 

[Mandres]

Cool! I've been keeping an eye on this one for years. Is it released in Korea already? What do they think of it?

 

[Agent11]

It's doing really good in Korea atm ^^

Heres a write up in IGN with lots of video.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/09/13/blade-soul-flashy-action-mmo-combat



And here's a review and more video.

http://steparu.com/reviews/mmo-rpg-reviews/892-blade-a-soul-online-review

 

[pathos]

yup, at least according to the blade and sould website (havent seen any official numbers). Supposedly the best selling game in korea the week of its release. Or some such, I remember reading.

The first game in a long time where I went ahead and signed up for their newsletter, so I'd get consideration for the beta, whenever that rolls out. Really interested in seeing if this one plays as good as it looks (to me)

 

[pathos]

necro!

Actually, apparently they've just announced a release date....many years later.

To be released this fall. Beta's this summer.

I doubt many people are still interested, since it's taken them forever and a day. I am though. I'd like to play an mmo set in the "wuxia" style fantasy, for lack of a better word. And, the few I've tried haven't really amazed me very much.

I'm willing to least try this one out (hopefully I can get in the beta), even if it is a bit dated now.

 

[Denithor]

How in the heck is this a beta launch when the game has been active in Korea for like 3-4 years?

 

[MiRai]

I played the Korean version of the game for a few months last year and it was a lot of fun. The latency from the US over to Asia is what killed it for me in the later levels of the game where split-second reaction time was needed in order to survive. The game has no healing class, and you were required to coordinate stuns and knock downs (and dodges) with the other members of your party in order to take down the big bosses.

I'm looking forward to finally getting a North American release so that the latency is much more manageable.

How in the heck is this a beta launch when the game has been active in Korea for like 3-4 years?

You don't think that they should test any of it with the public before releasing it over here? I'm sure there are plenty of changes made to the game which cater to the NA playerbase.

 

[Denithor]

You don't think that they should test any of it with the public before releasing it over here? I'm sure there are plenty of changes made to the game which cater to the NA playerbase.

Which will likely very much change the flavor or feel of the game. "Dumb it down for those Americans, they gripe and complain too much if it's the least bit difficult!"

Sigh.

 

[JumBie]

I really can't see the enjoyment in these games. One game is the same as the next.

 

[pathos]

How in the heck is this a beta launch when the game has been active in Korea for like 3-4 years?

If nothing else, they'd want to test out their translations, from Korean into English, to make sure they haven't screwed those up. However, I do remember them, years ago, stating they were having to change things up, to cater to the west. Which leads us to....

Which will likely very much change the flavor or feel of the game. "Dumb it down for those Americans, they gripe and complain too much if it's the least bit difficult!"

Sigh.

You are most certainly correct, I imagine. But, perhaps they just changed the amount of experience it takes to level up. Got rid of the old Korean grind that pretty much every game in that area come with (i did not play the korean version, but I can only guess it has it...since they all do)

The part of the mmo game I enjoy are quests, leveling, exploring. The part of the mmo game i hate is endlessly farming dungeons and raids for gear after hitting max level. But, I seriously hate the "korean grind" so prevalent on games from that region.

 

[Zenoth]

I'm tempted to think (and already do) that they're about a year too late for the NA market. The most "direct" competitor would be (will be) TERA, and that one just got released on Steam this month. There's been a huge increase in number of new players as a result (I can confirm, too, I'm playing TERA occasionally, logged-in last week and could definitely see that in action). Also there was a report, back in January I believe, which revealed that TERA was (probably still is) the 4th most profitable MMORPG on the planet right now (just behind WoW, Lineage and Aion, and is even more profitable than EVE Online).

I guess that time will tell. But I feel that even though B&S is doing well in Korea, that it doesn't exactly mean that it'll do well in NA. Had it been released about a year ago then perhaps they'd be on equal grounds with the competition (not just TERA, mind you). I for one am curious to see what that game is about, it seems interesting to some degree (I certainly don't wish to see it die before it even gets released, but objectively-speaking I do feel that it's too late to be successful here).

 

[pathos]

apparently free to play, and they say it wont be pay to win. other tidbits here

http://www.siliconera.com/2015/05/2...y-uncensored-and-will-have-no-fatigue-system/

 

[MiRai]

Which will likely very much change the flavor or feel of the game. "Dumb it down for those Americans, they gripe and complain too much if it's the least bit difficult!"

Sigh.

Sure, they'll have to tweak the way certain systems are set up because the last time I played it there was an unreal amount of RNG that was put into crafting, but beyond that, BnS in Korea, like most games in Asia, requires you to log into a website and launch the game through that—There is no launcher or login screen built into the game. So they have to build, and test, a whole new authentication system, as well as server stability and any translations (as has been mentioned already).

I think skipping any sort of beta test, and moving directly to a full ready-to-launch retail game on day one, would be setting themselves up for an absolute failure on launch day.

 

[futurefields]

I really can't see the enjoyment in these games. One game is the same as the next.

 

[pathos]

Well, somehow managed to get into the alpha test, so played alot last weekend. Enjoyed it. You can tell that the game was made several years ago, from the graphics. Still pretty, but kind of dated.

The only bug I personally ran into was alt tabbing out and pulling up firefox, would crash both firefox and b&s. Other than that, it was fairly smooth. Well, guess thats natural, since this is an alpha test of a game thats been out for a few years

The actual combat reminds me of Tera, to a certain extent. There are differences. And, B&S seems more in depth, with all the different abilities, whether general or situational.

Also, I'll note, I've been using sdfc as my default movement keys, for any games since quake 1. Wanted to use that here too, but changing the keybinds in this game are a serious pain...so rather than doing it, I've been relearning how to use wasd, like everyone else on the planet. It's....quite difficult to change habits formed from 20 years of gaming history. I'll try and grab a downed npc, to find myself strafing left instead. I still can't figure out why wasd became the default of gamers all over the word. Having my ring finger on the w key for prolonged periods of time feels so unnatural, since my fingers, at rest, are usually on asdf. And, using my middle finger, instead of my ring finger, for forwards and backwards is just so much more comfortable. But, I digress.

I guess my only real complaint is, there are several quests its easy to completely bork up, and not be able to continue them. From, being locked out of an instance, among other things.

For example, they give you the items you need to upgrade your weapon at the end of 1 quest. Then, standing 50 feet away, is someone who gives you a quest to upgrade your weapon. If you upgraded your weapon before getting the quest, then you pretty much can't finish the quest. And, the tutorial quests like that put up a banner accross the screen giving you hints on how to do it, that dont go away until you actually do it, or abandon the quest. So, you're only option is to trash the quest itself.

I think I've had 4 or 5 instances of having to delete quests that I couldnt continue. Really annoying.

Well, it is an alpha, so hopefully this gets addressed before release.

Oh, guess I'll mention the pvp. At least, from the low level perspective. You basically join factions. Early on, you choose between factions a or b. Later on, you get to choose between factions c and d. Pretty sure there are quite a few more later, too.

You get costumes to wear as a member of any factions. So, you'll have costumes for a and c, if those are the 2 you chose. If you put on your a costume, then anyone from faction b, who puts on their faction b customer can attack you. If you put on your costume c, then anyone from faction d, who puts on their d outfit can attack you.

Also, any npc's from different factions will attack any pc who puts on their rival factions costumes too. I found this out after trying 1 out right next to some rival factions guards. Was a bit surprising.

Looks like there are quite a few factions in the game. No clue how many you can join, when its all said and done.

 

[Mandres]

three years later I'm still looking forward to this one :awe: of all the Korean MMO's designed for their super-low-latency network I think B&S might have the hardest time translating over to NA. They say competitive PvP is almost as complex and timing dependent as Street Fighter at a high level and I don't see that working well here where 100ms +/- is the average ping. Then again, TERA played quite well so there's reason enough to be optimistic.

 

[imaheadcase]

apparently free to play, and they say it wont be pay to win. other tidbits here

http://www.siliconera.com/2015/05/2...y-uncensored-and-will-have-no-fatigue-system/

However it kinda is. You can buy everything you get in the game, so yah you can get it in game, but still can do it faster with shop.

I know people call pay to win differently than others, but that seems kinda a easy way out.

Don't get me wrong, its not like you can buy best gear and be the best right away.

 

[pathos]

However it kinda is. You can buy everything you get in the game, so yah you can get it in game, but still can do it faster with shop.

I know people call pay to win differently than others, but that seems kinda a easy way out.

Don't get me wrong, its not like you can buy best gear and be the best right away.

Well, gear is quite a bit different in this game, than in other mmo's.

At level 22, I was still using the same axe I was given in the tutorial. It had just been upgraded a few times. You also have accessories, like rings, earrings, and a necklace. And, those get upgraded too.

There might be replacement gear later on, but I'm guessing you go through the whole time using the same gear you started the game with. Other weapons and accessories do drop...but, it's used as upgrade fodder for the old gear.

They had the item shop up and running during the alpha, but I only browsed through the costume section, so I didn't check out anything else being sold.

If I had to guess, they probably will sell items that speed up the growth of your weapon/accessories, so instead of taking "x" amount of fodder items to level it up, it might take "x/2", or something like that. I'm guessing at end game, the last few upgrades will take quite some work, so there might be some attraction to buying something like that, I dunno.

From what I understand, end game for this game, is either pvp, or it's farming pieces you need to make costumes. Supposedly there isn't that much of a gear farm. But, I wouldn't know, since I only hit level 22 or so, on the weekend.

Well, end game for mmo's is the least interesting thing for these games for me. I prefer the leveling experience over mindless farming dungeons and raids for gear.

 

[aigomorla]

BOOBS AND SOUL!

its finally coming out...
i wonder if its gonna be heavily censored like Tera was compared to the Korean version.

 

[pathos]

BOOBS AND SOUL!

its finally coming out...
i wonder if its gonna be heavily censored like Tera was compared to the Korean version.

They say no, no censorship.

But, if thats true, then even the korean version didn't have much in the way of sexy clothes for the little people in b&s. Cause I havent seen anything controversial in game for them.

Iirc, in tera, that was pretty much the only censorship. toning down the small race fan service, from the korean version to the western release.

 

[pathos]

Well, gear is quite a bit different in this game, than in other mmo's.

At level 22, I was still using the same axe I was given in the tutorial. It had just been upgraded a few times. You also have accessories, like rings, earrings, and a necklace. And, those get upgraded too.

There might be replacement gear later on, but I'm guessing you go through the whole time using the same gear you started the game with. Other weapons and accessories do drop...but, it's used as upgrade fodder for the old gear.

They had the item shop up and running during the alpha, but I only browsed through the costume section, so I didn't check out anything else being sold.

If I had to guess, they probably will sell items that speed up the growth of your weapon/accessories, so instead of taking "x" amount of fodder items to level it up, it might take "x/2", or something like that. I'm guessing at end game, the last few upgrades will take quite some work, so there might be some attraction to buying something like that, I dunno.

Well, was trying to upgrade my axe level today, from level 10, to the next tier, and ran into a situation that might would spur people into using the cash shop. So, I can't refute that it's sort of pay to win

Basically, on weapon levels, at intervals of 5, you need a specific weapon to continue your upgrade path. Some are rather easy to get. Others though, take a bit more work.

Say, you get a reward for running a dungeon, and it's a weapon box. You need keys to unlock the boxes. You get lots of keys from doing daily quests. But, using normal keys on the box will give you a random weapon, for any class. It might take you running a dungeon 25 times before getting the correct weapon.

There is a chance you'll get an elite key from doing doing the daily quests, but its pretty rare. The elite keys are guaranteed to give you the item your class needs to do their upgrade.

Or, you can break down and buy elite keys from the cash shop....

On a side note, the funniest part, is when running my first dungeon, it took me 2 runs before i figured out how the loot system works. You bid on items, instead of doing random rolls. And, when i say bid, you are bidding real in game coin, although its usually just copper. (well, money is hard to come by at this point of the game. I think I still only have 15 silver saved up, no gold yet)

But, You can get into bid wars that take 5 minutes to complete, all the while running through the dungeon. I guess it's a good thing that mostly it's just fodder items dropping for the most part. Most of the stuff I actually needed came as the results of quests for doing things, not as random drops.

 

[imaheadcase]

Yah that aside, seems like it will be fun game. I watched people on twitch play it during alpha days seem like a blast. I will try it out for sure.

I sur wish they made games the old way though

 

[Zenoth]

I've watched some recently-uploaded videos (sorted by upload date, I watched the ones that date no longer than a week ago) on YouTube of the Alpha that's apparently going on at the moment. It looks like a fairly fun game (at least as far as the combat goes, but there seems to be a fleshed-out story as well which I do appreciate in MMORPGs).

I have some questions for those of you here whom might be participating to the Alpha right now, questions that I've had no answers for by watching footage on YouTube:

1) Since the game is only scheduled to be released in 2016, and right now the NA version is apparently still only an 'alpha', then what portion(s) of the game's content is missing if any? (for example, is the game playable until the 'end' of its story? Is there end-game dungeons? Is the level cap already attainable? Or do the developers still need to implement a large portion of the game?)

2) I see that right now it's possible to buy one of three packs (on the official web site) which allows access to betas. Does that count for the alpha that's currently happening? Or do they really mean later when it reaches beta status per se?

3) Linked to the above question, is the game currently too bugged or unoptimized, or unpolished for it to be worth trying? Those of you who played the final Korean version perhaps can tell immediately if there's a long way to go, or if right now the game might perhaps be surprisingly "playable" already.

4) Is there any indication, so far, that the game is headed towards any shape or form of Pay2Win? I have read on another forum that supposedly "everything" can be purchased in the game, gear-wise, meaning that potentially if you have the money to burn you could literally gear-up for end-game by merely buying everything you need without any efforts on your part, is that true?

That's about it for now. Generally-speaking I am considering it (not buying packs, but at least considering giving it a try next year at release).

 

[velillen]

Ive watched quite a bit of the alphas on twitch. Mostly just had it on so havent been paying 100% attention to it but ill answer what i can.

1) Since the game is only scheduled to be released in 2016, and right now the NA version is apparently still only an 'alpha', then what portion(s) of the game's content is missing if any? (for example, is the game playable until the 'end' of its story? Is there end-game dungeons? Is the level cap already attainable? Or do the developers still need to implement a large portion of the game?)

Im not sure on the end game. But currently the game has everything up to max level at a minimum. Actual end game content i dont know as i havent seen anyone playing it. One thing i did notice is level 1-35 or so goes fairly quick and then it slows down a fair amount. Which i like...make you work a bit to get max level.

2) I see that right now it's possible to buy one of three packs (on the official web site) which allows access to betas. Does that count for the alpha that's currently happening? Or do they really mean later when it reaches beta status per se?

The closed beta starts Oct 30th. The first alpha was pretty much invite only. This weekend's alpha people who bought the founders pack were getting invites as well (not sure if all did but quite a few did).

3) Linked to the above question, is the game currently too bugged or unoptimized, or unpolished for it to be worth trying? Those of you who played the final Korean version perhaps can tell immediately if there's a long way to go, or if right now the game might perhaps be surprisingly "playable" already.

I actually havent noticed any real major bugs. Couple minor things but nothing that prevents playing the game. Its not quite optimized yet so a couple streamers i watched were getting lower than normal fps but nothing terrible. Overall its looked pretty well polished on the major things with just minor things needing tweaking. But seeing as the core of the game has been out for awhile in Korea this should be expected.

4) Is there any indication, so far, that the game is headed towards any shape or form of Pay2Win? I have read on another forum that supposedly "everything" can be purchased in the game, gear-wise, meaning that potentially if you have the money to burn you could literally gear-up for end-game by merely buying everything you need without any efforts on your part, is that true?

Right now the Devs have released their model and it, as of now, looks like the game wont be pay2win. What you can buy is cosmetic and bonuses like xp boosts. Whether that stays the same or not is to be seen.



I know ill be checking out the game. The combat looks fun