Dragon Oath is one of the most played free MMORPGs and it’s still to be launched to American players. We delve further into this success story.

FreeMMOGamer: Can you introduce yourself and describe your role in Dragon Oath?

My name is Martin Tan, General Manager of ChangYou.com (US) Inc. The company is a U.S. subsidiary of ChangYou.com Ltd (NASDAQ: CYOU), one of the leading MMORPG developers and publishers in China.

FreeMMOGamer: What’s the story behind Dragon Oath?

The main story of Dragon Oath is set in ancient China during the time of the Song Dynasty in 960 AD and revolves around an elaborate saga of complex, troubled relationships among numerous characters from various kingdoms and sects during China’s Northern Song Dynasty. The warring empires involved in the story are those of Song, Liao, Dali, Western Xia, and Tubo. The struggles the characters experience within their combating factions affect the bonds between themselves and their families, societies, ethnic groups, and countries. As a result, strife and conflict abound, and each player will find himself quickly pulled in to the fray, striving to evolve and leave his mark. Part of this evolution involves choosing one of the nine martial arts classes. Once chosen, the player’s class will foster development of uniquely powerful skills and abilities that will define the player as a true force with which to be reckoned.

FreeMMOGamer: Dragon Oath is an enormous success, especially in China. Why do you think it stands out among the other free-to-play MMORPGs?

I think Dragon Oath’s success lies in the variety of exciting missions and in-game activities that it offers the players in its gameplay mechanics. The most unique feature is that Dragon Oath has a large emphasis on teamwork and community. The players with their friends can team up to form a guild. Guild not only allows players to communicate more effectively to a large group but also add some wonderful features that all can enjoy. All missions and game plays were designed to be playable by groups instead of a single play. In other words, it is very difficult to play and enjoy Dragon Oath if players do not interact with each other and play together. This aspect is somewhat unique compared to other free-to-play MMORPGs. Players communicate with each other in real time through an in-game instant messaging system, adding an extra dimension of fun to the game. It makes the game more enjoyable and exciting

FreeMMOGamer: Any particular concerns with the westernization of Dragon Oath? Any important changes or improvements that needed to be made, besides translation?

The localization is always the toughest part. The first issue that we are concentrating on is the translation. The words or phrases used refer to the Chinese Mythology which is difficult to understand for western players since they are not familiar with the storyline. Also, through the Pre-Closed Beta, we are trying to optimize all of the systems/features so that Dragon Oath fits well with the American players. Thankfully, Pre-Closed Beta participants have given us such a positive feedback about most of systems/features that no major changes are required. However, some of adjustments are necessary.

FreeMMOGamer: Do you think American players may be slightly less appealed to Dragon Oath, given its origins – the Chinese novel “Tian Long Ba Bu”?

The setting, story and quests are intricately woven in the game and we believe this uniqueness of the story will grab the attention of the western players. Of course, Americans are not familiar with the novel “Tian Long Ba Bu” which is very popular in China. However, I believe that many Americans are always curious about ancient histories and novels therefore I believe our storyline will attract players easily. I think it is to our advantage that we have a new story to offer and it will enhance the overall experience of the game.

FreeMMOGamer: How many different characters are there and which one is your favorite?

Dragon Oath features 9 classes or characters – Assassin, Beggars Alliance, Lotus Order, Minstrel, Pyromancer, Royalty, Shaolin, Taoist and Voodoo. I am quite biased and like all of them as each of them have something unique to offer to the players. Below is a brief description on them-

Assassins are the masters of the physical and ice attacks, dealing quick powerful combos, but the most terrifying skill is their ability to move unseen.

Beggars Alliance has fighting style that is based on a series of moves that build and increase the strength of their next attack. The apprentices base their attacks on the physical and the use of poisons milked from venomous snakes and insects.

The Lotus Order apprentices usually study the personal virtues of the Buddha to pair with their Kung Fu. Their studies have given them abilities and skills to not only absorb damage, but also to heal as well.

The Minstrels are often depicted as na-er-do-wells and charlatans who prefer not to meet challenges head on. They rely heavily on traps and devices to confuse their enemies. Their devices normally implore the aid of magic and fire elements.

Pyromancer Kung Fu is characterized by preemptive attacks; they give up defense for a short while in order to have the most powerful attack among the nine classes. Pyromancers believe the Holy fire will bless them to be reborn and will choose to die in combat rather than flee from battle.

Royalty Kung Fu prefers to use the finger instead of the sword and is most famous for the ‘Six Veins Divine Sword’ which attacks the body’s vital points to stun the target or reduce the target’s magical power. Royalty Kung Fu is much harsher in training and over time builds up the apprentice’s resistance to poison, fire, thunder, and ice based attacks. It is said that Royalty Kung Fu is the bane of magic users.

Shaolin Kung Fu has a long history and is trademarked by its legendary iron body skill providing both tremendous offensive and defensive power. Fighting with the same force and power of a thunderstorm, the Shaolin always defend their companions first and then themselves when in a group.

Taoist Kung Fu has the strongest mastery of the elements of magic, leveraging heavily on their mastery of thunder, and fighting enemies from afar. It is believed that the Taoist philosophy, which is ingrained in their training and promotes going with the flow and living simply and in harmony with nature, cultivates leaders of men.

Voodoo Kung Fu is the weakest of the martial arts and relies heavily on the use of poisons to inflict damage, in most cases before the battle has even begun. The Voodoo has developed a strong defense against magic

FreeMMOGamer: Dragon Oath focuses heavily on the social aspect. Can you give us some examples?

The best example would be the game play itself. Unlike other Free-to-Play MMORPG titles, for Dragon Oath, it is very difficult to raise characters’ levels even if players are equipped with highly valuable weapons and armors. Of course, these will be a great help, however players must party-up and fight against monsters in order to raise their levels faster. In other words, what players have on their pockets are not the primary factor in raising their characters’ levels faster, it is rather how well they team up with others in combats.

In addition, many quests are designed to promote players to play together as well. Many quests do not make party-up mandatory to complete, but very difficult to finish alone.

This is the fundamental game play of Dragon Oath. This game is designed to promote the community by enforcing players to play with each other. This single factor will bring a huge impact on the community within the game which will naturally spread outside through word of mouth or that’s what we are hoping for.

In addition, some of features that Dragon Oath has promote social interaction like a great trading system, football tournaments and Chess tournaments. Such extra features that are not directly related to the storyline of Dragon Oath will bring high interactions between players within the game.

FreeMMOGamer: Dragon Oath supposedly isn’t much about grinding. What are the alternatives and do you think grinding should end once and for all?

Like any other MMO there is grinding involved if you want to be the best – highest level, wealthiest, strongest skills, etc . Anything worth something doesn’t come easy. This is what is expected and wanted from our genre and I don’t see it changing anytime soon, however I do see it evolving. I would love to see in future generations of MMO games a world without numbers. Meaning the end user or the player would become immersed in a world where a user would know from trial and error what monsters they can fight, that they can handle an axe or a sword with some skill– but know that they should not attempt to hunt with a bow, or even think about mixing potions. But until this day comes one of the great things about Dragon Oath is that you pay for your level of enjoyment. Some people love to grind some people would rather get to the end game quickly and we offer to both.

FreeMMOGamer: Dragon Oath is on Pre-Closed Beta and the Open Beta shouldn’t take long. When do you think the game will be released?

As of July 31st, we are undergoing a small Pre-Closed Beta test primarily for the localization process. We are welcoming suggestions from all our beta testers and working hard to incorporate them. Dragon Oath is scheduled to start its Closed Beta on September 10th. Regarding Open Beta, we expect to start in the beginning of October of this year.

FreeMMOGamer: Thank you for your time!

Thank you so much for considering me for the Interview. I would like to thank you on behalf of Dragon Oath team for showing interest and excitement towards our game.