Tarisland, or 塔瑞斯世界, is an upcoming MMORPG from developer Locojoy (a subsidiary of Tencent Games), and it’s caused quite the ruckus in the gaming world since its announcement earlier this month. With its Western style for the graphics, and gameplay that will have World of Warcraft players scratch their heads, the game has certainly kept people’s attentions thus far. In a recent interview with 18183, located on Weibo, the site had a chance to site down with the Producer of the game. In the interview, the Producer was asked a series of questions, including intricate details, about the game and what players could expect.
Below the video will be a transcription of the interview that took place on January 12 on Weibo.com, and translated to English; only a few questions will be available. However, for a quick look at the questions and reactions towards the answers, check out the video below.
18183: We noticed that Tarisland has chosen an American cartoon art style, which is rare in China, is this due to the consideration that the world view is more compatible? Or is it for global distribution?
We decided the world view and direction at the beginning of the project, which thanks to much research, we were able to determine what players would like aesthetically.
Based on the world view and direction, we had decided on this style at the beginning of the project, but we also adjusted the art many times during our research stage, making sure that the style would be something that would be enjoyed by all ages. With this style, we can express a humorous side to the game, and at the same time show detail for a character. We believe that thanks to this style, young players will be able to enjoy it a lot more, and older players will feel at home with it.
18183: Now the style of painting may make people expect the game is a classic fantasy game, but the world of Taris seems to be not quite in line with the classic MMO audience expected, for the target audience game is how to do research?
The word Classic has been redefined time and time again, we expect to create a good product in order to to lead the interests of users, rather than just to cater to the current market. The classic audience has been changing for more than ten years, and users are growing and accepting new art forms and art styles, so we think that as long as we do well enough, it can become a classic. Of course, we are not yet a classic, we need to go through several rounds of user verification, constant adjustment and tuning, and then hopefully that would bring us a title of becoming a classic. We are just starting out and are in the mindset of learning and moving forward to make the game.
18183: Previously in the video, it was stated that the weather system is something that is important. How important is the weather system exactly? Will it have any impact on the player, the activities the players will be taking part of, or will it just be for display purposes only?
Now there are two designs associated with the weather system, one is the overall living collection. Combined with the weather system that we have designed, it may cause for certain materials to appear different, both in quality and type of material. The other design, is based around actions, such as the Frozen Snow Tree Quest, which the Boss will have very different skills and effects based on the weather, such as a Sunny Day versus a Snowstorm, this will affect many things in the outcome of the boss fight.
18183: Regarding the classes, many players are concerned about the game classes balance, do we have any methods to ensure that the classes will be relatively balanced?
We will definitely try to do balance in numerical value, the upcoming first test and the subsequent multiple tests, we will go to real-time monitoring data, with the patch constantly adjusted. Of course, sometimes in order to highlight the characteristics of a certain occupation, give him more specific application occasions, if there is really a certain difference, we will see whether it is because of the occupation characteristics of certain occasions specific problems or global problems, and then to make the corresponding adjustments.
18183: The latest testing phase mentioned that there will be a new class every season, and so that means that class updates will be more frequent. Do you believe there to be a possible problem with similar classes? What are the plans to avoid some of the issues that can come with this?
Most of the game’s classes will have a dual-function, and the characteristics of each of the different different classes such as Tanks, DPS, or Healers, will be different in each scenario. For example, the Bard in the Healing stance, compared to the Priest class, will initially be weaker. But depending on the atmosphere and location, the Bard may be much more powerful in their healing abilities. The same can be said about the Tank stance with the Fighter class, in comparison to the Warrior class. Each environment will provide a pro and con for each class, allowing for every class to be useful in any situation, but not necessarily stuck in their sub-class. So, our goal is not to have any one extremely powerful class, but rather a balanced situational based strategy.
18183: A lot of players are now very concerned about the specifics of the game’s PVP system, and I want to ask whether the game is currently designed for PVP, whether it favors traditional field battles or has exclusive play such as setting up arenas?
PVP in Tarisland is independent. First of all, if the player does not play PVP, it will not affect the experience of PVE. Currently, we have planned for arenas and battlefield types of PvP based gameplay for the players that enjoy this type of experience, and wish to test their might.
18183: I’ve played quite a few mobile MMOs in the past, and they all seem to offer a pathfinding option. Is this a feature that will be available to Tarisland?
The current version won’t offer this, as we expect the pace of the early players to slow down a little, and we do not want players to rush forward. We want them to see the world, interact with the NPCs and learn about them, and become part of the world that we have created.
However, if a player has established a strong reputation with a certain part of the map, which means that the player has done all of the side quests, events in the area, main quests and so on, then due to this prestige or reputation, the player will be able to quickly find their way around in an area.
But in the early stages of the game, for example when you arrive to a new map, you still need to learn all about the map, including the teleportation points, exploration events, main and side quests, etc. This is something that the player will have to do all by themselves, without any help from systems such as auto-pathing.
18183: The game seems rather competitive in its core aspect, how will you balance the game in terms of monetization? Will there be Pay to Win?
First of all, officially, we will not be selling any item on our store that will affect gameplay or the combat power of a player. We will only be selling Cosmetics. When it comes to equipment, materials, enchantments, etc. this is something that will be created and maintained by the players.
So, it looks like the game is heading towards an interesting direction. Where more and more MMORPGs have been focusing on revenue, NFTs, the metaverse and other ways to make money off players, this is now one of the few Chinese MMORPGs that are seeming to promise a completely fair business model. That is something that has been rare to see, and was only recently seen with Swords of Legends Online, though its issues are more publisher-related it seems, but nonetheless, only time will tell what fate will bring this interesting not-at-all inspired by World of Warcraft MMORPG that’s set to release in 2024 for PC and Mobiles.
For the full interview, visit Weibo.com.
