Shortly before the early launch of Throne and Liberty, MeinMMO had the chance to ask a representative at publisher Amazon Games some questions about the MMORPG. It was about differences to the Korean version, bots and more.
As is well known, the early launch of Throne and Liberty will start on September 26, 2024, on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series. A few days later, on October 1, 2024, the official launch for all interested parties will follow.
Before the journey into the fantasy world of Solisium begins, MeinMMO had the opportunity to ask Merv Lee Kwai from Amazon Games a few questions about the great MMORPG hope of 2024.
The Head of Third Party Publishing is responsible for publishing games that are not developed directly by Amazon Games and spoke to us about beta feedback, differences to the Korean version, bots, the secret of the servers and more.
The “Siege the Day” community event will take place on September 24th and 25th – here is the trailer:
Throne and Liberty: Trailer introduces the launch event “Siege the Day”
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Korean versus Western version
Our first question to Merv Lee Kwai was answered a few days ago, with comprehensive patch notes documenting the changes since the open beta in July 2024. However, the Amazon lead emphasized once again that the players’ feedback on the combat experience and character control was particularly important.
The next questions focused on the differences between the Korean and Western versions of Throne and Liberty. Merv Lee Kwai explains that NCSoft and Amazon Games would prefer to create a global version of the MMORPG, so changes made for the Western market often end up in the Korean version at a later date.
The main difference at launch is that the international version will not include the recently released level cap increase and associated vertical progression, allowing our players to experience the early state of the game before we expand the timeline.
The international version offers cross-platform play between Steam, PlayStation 5 and XBOX X|S as well as a number of localizations.
Merv Lee Kwai in an interview with MeinMMO
Currently, the Korean version is a few months ahead, with the release scheduled for December 2023. However, according to Merv Lee Kwai, the first content packs should hit the global servers faster than was the case in South Korea. He also explains that in the future, they would like to release selected features simultaneously around the world.
One thing to note is that not all features will be delayed. We have the ability to isolate and frontload a whole bunch of content, like we did with skill specialization and life skills.
It’s a little early to talk about it, but we will also be releasing a certain amount of content at the same time as in Korea.
We know that players who love Korean MMORPGs often wait for content to be released for the publisher versions of the game, so I personally can’t wait to delight our audience when we announce our first global features in the months following launch.
Merv Lee Kwai in an interview with MeinMMO
The focus on “Massively” versus fans of solo content
Content with more than a thousand players: Throne and Liberty focuses on content for guilds and large raid groups, and thousands of characters are also mingling in one version of the game world. Thanks to the open beta and reports from the Korean community, it is clear that the servers can handle these mass gatherings without lag or severe drops in frame rate. We want to know what the secret of Throne and Liberty’s server architecture is.
In the 20+ years I’ve spent working exclusively on MMORPGs, I’ve never seen combat on the scale that’s possible in Throne and Liberty. That’s something that initially attracted me to the game as a publisher and continues to set us apart from the competition.
During our open beta testing rounds, some servers had over 3,000 characters in the starting areas with minimal latency. On the Korean service, we’ve seen castle sieges with over 1,800 players. We’re getting consistently positive feedback on this topic, and the game consistently delivers good results. […]
As for the underlying technology – I won’t give away the secret sauce, but the combination of NCSoft’s pedigree in game development as a world-class MMORPG maker and Amazon’s industry-leading server hosting and scaling is what brings this dream to life.
Merv Lee Kwai in an interview with MeinMMO
What about solo content? But what about MMORPG fans who prefer to experience their online role-playing games solo or in small groups, or at least at times? Merv Lee Kwai admits that most of the game’s content is best enjoyed in company, but also sees some reasons for these types of players to give Throne and Liberty a chance.
We’ve added a lot of content for solo players, like Taedal’s Tower, the Gate of Infinity, and even our open world Abyss dungeons can be played alone. Small group play is the focus of our critically acclaimed co-op PvE dungeons, where groups of 6 players can complete challenges that reward great loot.
We have a matchmaking feature so solo players have the opportunity to queue up with others and make new friends. In addition, I encourage you to explore the world, complete the Lithography Book, unlock Amitois and Morphs, and try out our life skills like cooking or fishing!
Merv Lee Kwai in an interview with MeinMMO Open Free2Play access versus bots
Last but not least, we spoke to Merv Lee Kwai about the payment model of Throne and Liberty. MMORPGs with free2play access and real money currencies usually have big problems with bots – see Lost Ark. We wanted to know from the Amazon Games employee how they plan to tackle this challenge in the western version of Throne and Liberty.
We’re constantly adapting our detection methods to the changing landscape and leveraging lessons learned from our other games to launch Throne and Liberty with a well-prepared defense. Removing bots from the game is one vertical, but another equally important factor is how we adapt the game’s core systems to make them tougher and less vulnerable to botting activity. We need to do this without disrupting the experience of regular players, so we’re going to focus on being precise and accurate.
Merv Lee Kwai in an interview with MeinMMO
We would also like to know what the current status is of the “Blessing of Solisium”. The optional subscription from the Korean version will not be released in the West for the time being until the best possible adjustments have been decided.
According to Merv Lee Kwai, they are currently considering several options, but are not yet ready to discuss them publicly. The most important thing, however, is that the new version of the blessing fits the core values that Amazon Games had formulated for Throne and Liberty. You can find more information here: Everything you need to know about Free2Play, early access, currencies, battle pass, shop and pay-to-win elements in Throne and Liberty.