Ncsoft Spoke About Throne And Liberty Changes: Autoplay, Combat, Progression, New Dungeons And More!

NCSOFT has shared details about the changes coming to Throne and Liberty, covering aspects like Autoplay, Combat, Progression, New Dungeons, and more. In a comprehensive letter, the producer of Throne and Liberty delves into the modifications made during the game's development. These changes are a response to the feedback received during the recent beta version and have been extensively discussed. However, this time, the producer elaborates on the initial development rationale, the implemented changes, and the underlying concept guiding these alterations, shedding light on their objectives with each modification. You can read the complete translated letter below, but before that, we present a concise summary of the most crucial points:

1. Removal of auto-hunt and auto-move features.
2. Revamped combat system, enabling attacks while on the move, eliminating inertia, and excluding collisions in non-combat areas.
3. Increased skill variety, more early-stage skills, and accelerated skill acquisition.
4. Improved weapon swapping for a smoother experience.
5. Elimination of auto-travel.
6. Introduction of new party-play dungeons with final bosses.
7. Enhanced non-hunting content.
8. Substantially reduced leveling time.
9. Increased sources of materials for crafting and enhancing equipment.
10. Accelerated skill growth.

Throne and Liberty: Producer's Letter - Part 1

Greetings, I'm Jongok Ahn, the producer of THRONE AND LIBERTY. How are you all doing? It's been quite a while since we first introduced TL during the beta test back in May. We should have reached out to you sooner, but we've been engrossed in the development process. To be completely honest, I've spent a lot of time contemplating and hesitating about what to convey in my initial message to you. I promise to be more responsive in the future. In this inaugural letter, I'd like to elucidate the changes we've made in our development direction post-beta testing and share our thoughts on the journey. I hope this letter serves as a welcoming update for those who have been eagerly awaiting our communication.

Challenges After the Beta Test: Following the beta test, we've faced several challenges. While we appreciate the compliments, it's the critiques that truly resonate with us. Some of the feedback has shaken our confidence, while others have validated our concerns. We'd like to express our gratitude for all of you who shared your feedback, as it has helped us regain that much-needed "objective perspective" after years of development. We've outlined the primary issues we're currently addressing, and instead of simply stating what's changed, I feel it's my responsibility to provide context and insight into our thought processes. This way, you can understand how testing and your feedback are reshaping TL.

What's Changing: Before delving into the specific improvements, let's first address our perception of the problem. We've identified two main issues highlighted during the beta testing: static combat and cumbersome progression. While these may seem straightforward, there are various design intentions behind them that we aimed to implement. In discussing our improvements today, I want to illustrate how our ideas have materialized and how we intend to realign with our initial intentions.

Dynamic Combat with Options: Combat felt static for various reasons, with a significant factor being the lack of maneuvering freedom. We envisioned large-scale battles with an emphasis on formations, which led to character collisions and limitations on executing most attacks while moving simultaneously. However, these decisions hindered freedom of movement and control. The drawbacks were even more pronounced in non-combat areas, which constitute the majority of the game. To address this, we took the following measures:

1. Modified the overall combat system to allow attacks on the go.
2. Eliminated character collisions in all areas except conflict zones.
3. Minimized the effects of inertia when changing direction to enhance responsiveness.

While we consider these adjustments as an initial step toward dynamic combat, we understand there's more work to be done. We believe character collisions needed reevaluation without sacrificing tactical value in group combat, making them inapplicable in peaceful zones. Effects related to inertia, initially designed for realism during directional changes, were significantly reduced due to their hindrance to movement.

Following the removal of many control restrictions, we shifted our focus to skills. The limited number of available skills hindered proactive thinking. To address this, we worked on increasing combat options and diversifying the experience. Besides targeted skills, we introduced various new skill types adapted to PC control environments, such as orientation and precise targeting. We expanded the number of initial skills and altered the speed of skill acquisition.

During the initial stages of development, our focus was on simplicity, with the majority of skills being targeted, centered around specific targets or self-centered attacks. This approach, combined with the slow skill acquisition rate throughout the game, hindered players from experiencing the full diversity of combat. The introduction of new skill types aimed to break this simple rhythm and encourage more strategic skill utilization. To address this, we made several significant changes:

1. We reconfigured the skill acquisition system, providing players with a broader range of skills early in their journey, offering more options from the outset.
2. Efforts have been made to enhance the fluidity of weapon swapping. While the dual weapon system is a core feature of TL's combat, the available weapon combinations were notably limited. Our goal was to enable players to create various weapon combinations according to their personal preferences and concepts.
3. A comprehensive overhaul of the stat system was carried out. Previously, certain stats only influenced the damage of specific weapons. Now, attributes like Determination, Prowess, Wisdom, and Insight will affect the damage of all weapons, expanding the impact of non-damage-related stats.
4. Passive skills tied to particular weapons were reworked to provide equal benefits across all weapons.
5. The number of early gear crafting and enhancement drops has been increased, reducing the need to carry multiple gear pieces.

For a more engaging and thrilling growth experience, let's talk about auto-hunting. The MMORPG genre has traditionally been associated with extended gameplay. Over the genre's evolution, auto-hunting systems have become an industry standard in MMORPGs. However, we may have adopted this feature too casually. During beta testing, we received feedback from numerous users expressing frustration with auto-hunting. It served as a reminder that players using a keyboard, mouse, or gamepad seek deep immersion in a game with precise control over manipulable content, rather than an automated game where characters act autonomously. To address this:

1. We have completely removed auto-hunting and auto-move features.
2. In conjunction with auto-hunting, we also eliminated auto-travel. While we contemplated retaining this feature for its convenience, we recognized the value in the experience of traversing the game world, interacting with others, and exploring new areas.
3. With the removal of automatic features, the game has transitioned into a more content-focused playstyle, emphasizing meaningful activities rather than repetitive hunting.
4. To enhance the gameplay experience, we have reduced the significance of hunting in Growth Zones.
5. Experience rewards for Adventure Codex, Exploration Codex, and Regional Events have been significantly increased.
6. We are introducing non-hunting mission elements to Exploration Codex and Resistance missions.
7. The development of party-play instance dungeons is in progress, offering new cooperative experiences for players. These dungeons require coordination and strategy, rather than brute force, and they aim to diversify the progression experience.

Cooperative play is a pivotal aspect of MMORPGs, but we recognized that guilds can become too large, limiting opportunities. We have worked on introducing party-sized instance dungeons to facilitate more casual and smaller-scale cooperative play. While this content was not available during the beta, you will encounter it upon the game's launch. Party Instanced Dungeons are designed for a limited number of players, ensuring that success hinges on understanding and effectively countering the dungeon's mechanics. We anticipate that these new cooperative experiences will add richness to your gameplay journey.