GDC: Aion: The Tower of Eternity Hands-On
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NCsoft - or, we should say, NCsoft West - is in a rather odd position with Aion. Its first major MMO launch since the ill-fated Tabula Rasa has already debuted in Korea, and is proving to be a major draw. The company isn't talking total player numbers, but not long after launch it saw a peak concurrency (number of people online simultaneously) of 200,000, a huge headcount by anyone's standards.
If you're lacking background on what will probably be 2009's biggest MMO launch, start there. The executive summary: Aion is a highly polished and largely conventional MMO, blending the ornate artwork and large-scale player-versus-player endgame of Korean tradition with the more vibrant world, storyline, and rich questing of World of Warcraft. Eight classic character classes belonging to four archetypes; two factions warring with each other; a third, AI-controlled race in the central Abyss; a Stigma system that allows you to equip skills from other classes, and combo-chain combat; the power of flight and a pretty pair of wings for everyone at level 10. |
We were then taken on a tour of the Abyss, the central zone controlled by the AI Balaur faction. It can be accessed from the mid-levels, but is mostly a maximum-level zone for questing, raiding and PVP. It's designed for full flight, and the Ether fuel that is in limited supply and restricts flight elsewhere is abundant here. Most MMO furries make us wince with embarrassment. These, we like. All this is grist to the Korean players' mill, of course. By all accounts it's working well over there - but when even Warhammer Online, a game specifically engineered for massed open-world PVP, struggles to attain critical mass in such battles, we have to wonder if it can ever work in the West outside of purely player-driven games like EVE Online. This is one of the biggest areas of divergence in the cultures of eastern and Western online gaming. However, the trick up Aion's sleeve is the Balaur, who effectively turn high-end PVP and raiding into the same thing by their presence. Given a smooth introduction and stuff for smaller groups of players to do, it could still work. Hands-on, it's clear that one area that's a problem for many MMOs at launch, even quite high-profile ones - moment-to-moment polish - isn't a worry for Aion. Strong sound cues and animations make combat feel slick and robust, although we didn't have long enough with the game to get a sense of the extent of its depth and balance, and the user interface is hard to fault. The creature designs are fantastic in every sense, and the environments are lush and colourful. This CryEngine game has a sharp, defined and detailed beauty, pushing its fabulous art ahead of effects. Click here to read the full article.
It's a cavernous 3D space criss-crossed by spidery pathways and studded with fortresses. These fortresses, initially under Balaur control, will grant access to hunting grounds and specific vendors that can be taxed by the owners. They have many entrances and are difficult to defend, and also surrounded with lesser control points called artefacts that give a huge advantage. The Asmodian and Elyos will likely run into each other here on their way to wresting fortress control from the Balaur. Korean servers are seeing spectacular pitched battles of some two to three hundred players at a time around the Fortresses.
There's a ranking system in effect in the Abyss. Similarly to Warhammer Online, players will earn points for contributing to their faction's struggle in both PVP and adventuring, although the balance is most likely tipped towards PVP - and towards the individual scores of a dedicated elite. High rankings will bestow special skills, including one that actually turns the player into a raid boss.
