Blade & Soul (A.K.A. NCSoft's Project M)

i was gonna skip this mmo but after watching latest trailer i think i will test it.

if its really as nice as the trailer i will play ffxiv for pve and b&s for pvp

goinna aim for Kung-Fu Master or Force Master to test playstyle

hope both mmo wont come out at same time now so i have time to hardcore on one first ^^

this game is much much better then aion with good graphics and no more stupid lame limited flight pvp.

just need to test the gameplay and combat system now to convince me.

i hope they wont neglect team and community features in this mmo ^^

hmmm the trailers quite interestin...will try destroyer if i play it

Well we still don't know how they will go about the english version , it looks like it'll be a lot of time between korean and english release

frankly i hope it come out after 2011 for english version ^^

I don't think it will come out before 2011 they can milk Aion for quite some time 1st, and they probably will let the huge ammount of mmos coming in 2010 last a little so people start quitting those for other big mmos.

Oww btw that destroyer part of the trailer LOL they show off him throwing that poor gunner guy away 3 times

Well yeah for 2010 I'm looking forward to Star Wars : TOR and dunno when FFXIV is comming out but that too. And I also have big expectations for B&S. I think these 3 will be huge , so I hope they don't all come out at the same time :D

Around this time last year, fans of NCSoft's games weren't just buzzing about Aion; back then, the company had another recently-announced MMO that gamers were looking forward to. But as time went on, Aion's development pushed ahead into the lead, and it won the lion's share of press coverage and hype. The other MMO—out of the limelight, but not forgotten—is called Blade and Soul, originally announced by NCSoft in July of 2008. Now that Aion's time to shine in the world of pre-release excitement has come to an end, many fans are once again looking ahead to "next big thing" territory.

Part of the reason that Blade and Soul's buzz-factor is on the rise is its distinctive art style and high-octane gameplay. Dubbed with the "next-generation" tagline, Blade and Soul's combat more resembles a console-based fighting game than a traditional MMORPG (check out NCSoft's latest video trailer). In fact, rumor has it that NCSoft is developing the game with the intention of releasing a console version at some point after its PC launch. So it's no surprise that, in a time when every MMO developer on the block is slapping the "innovative" label on their product, fans are yearning for something that truly stands out.

When NCSoft announced Blade and Soul, it described the game as an "Oriental Martial Arts MMORPG" that sheds the usual high-fantasy motif in favor of an original world based on "Oriental mysticism." According to NCSoft's initial announcement, the game world is inspired by a Korean myth called "Song of Genesis." Player factions are designed from characters in the mythology, and the basic premise is similar to many creation myths; you fight against God-like forces to bring the world back to its original harmony.

At the time, NCSoft released a handful of concept art and screenshots to accompany the announcement, along with a single gameplay video that showcased Blade and Soul's action-oriented, arcade-fighter-esque combat. The video was well-received among MMO and martial-arts gamers, especially after learning that Blade and Soul's art direction was modeled after famous Korean artist Hyung-tae Kim.

Under the direction of the same team that developed NCSoft's successful Lineage II, Blade and Soul was built with the Unreal Engine 3 (the latest generation of Epic Games' ultra-solid and magnificently-optimized Unreal Engine). By using this engine to design an MMO, the developers will have an easier time delivering on the promise of a next-gen,  "AAA" title—but on the other hand, the more complex the engine, the more time and money it can take to build.

According to this post on a Blade and Soul fansite, the game could be delayed until 2011; apparently the developers need more time to reach the full potential of what they can do (scouting Taiwan's landscapes to create a more realistic game environment, for example). Blade and Soul will also feature a dynamic environment that engages the player in different ways; that is, players can manipulate certain conditions in the environment, just as the environment can manipulate the player's experience.

NCSoft is making some lofty claims regarding Blade and Soul's next-gen aspects, as many bloggers have commented after running down the features list. An MMO with combat that's played out like Tekken? Is it even possible, from the practical/accessible standpoint? NCSoft has remained tight-lipped about Blade and Soul's specific gameplay mechanics, but after all, the company is billing it as a "next-gen" MMO. Maybe this time, a publisher isn't just using the term as a marketing buzzword.

Unofficial fansites like BnSFacts claim to have confirmed various features or gameplay elements, like this fact sheet from the aforementioned blog. According to these facts, there is no skill bar displayed on-screen, your position in relation to your opponent is very important in combat and you have the ability to counter enemy attacks. A "swift jump" ability is also named, which is the only way players can access certain areas of the world. Leveling is said to be dependent on proficiency with weapons, which might imply a skill-based progression system.

The latest round of Blade and Soul news came out of Gstar 2009 in Korea earlier this month, when NCSoft released the 11-minute gameplay trailer mentioned above. There is still no word as to when the North American version of the Blade and Soul will be developed (as confirmed by IGN's recent interview with art director Hyung Tae Kim). However, NCSoft did unveil four new races (the Gon, Jin, Kun and Lyn) and four new classes (Kung-Fu Master, Blade Master, Force Master and Destroyer) in the video.

For now, fans are stuck with the familiar waiting game, as NCSoft puts the finishing touches on Blade and Soul in Asia. North American and European gamers will have to wait a bit longer, until the developers officially announce the distribution of NA/EU versions (which will presumably be passed off to NCSoft West for localization).

Got it from Mina.



So far, the only differences for race I saw are:
Jin - Big boobs, very human.
Gon - More muscular and sexy. Something like tough look.
Kun - Elf-like without the ears. Long and slim body and very revealing clothes..
Lyn - Very distinctive with the mouse ear.

So far, the ones which interest me a lot are Jin, Kun and Lyn. Not sure which to pick..

Force Master and that one which uses ink to draw characters (Think would name as Tao master? Lol) seems good to me. Ah~~

I didn't see the class that had all those blades floating behind her in one of the very 1st B&S vids that we got to see in this video. But am very interested in that one

Sounds like Monster Hunter's fighting style.
Hope it won't take too long :)

I've been looking forward to this game, the destroyer seems like the class for me

Hmm not very visual on Wtf is the difference from a Kung Fu master , Blade Master and Destroyer lol . but id guess kung fu master is the class thats all hands on like in the first trailer (2008).

ya moe heh,i guess most of the players will go for blade master since its the flying blades female in first trailer that got most interested in b&s in the first place

anyway according to this poll in mmo forum.b&s have highest players commit to testing it when it comes out

BLADE AND SOUL : 267 CONTINENT OF THE NINTH(C9) : 52 DRAGON NEST : 24 MABINOGI: HEROES : 24 TERA : 81


noticed they didn add in major mmo like ffxiv or swtor in the poll since they mainly want to know who is more commit for the lesser known mmo titles.

with the massive amount of nice mmo coming out in 2010,the competition will be fierce

Supamoe wrote:

Hmm not very visual on Wtf is the difference from a Kung Fu master , Blade Master and Destroyer lol . but id guess kung fu master is the class thats all hands on like in the first trailer (2008).

Blade Master - Sword type. Probably the one who can summon flying blades behind them.

Kungfu Master - the fist type. 1 on 1 close combat.

Destroyer - That huge axe can act as a weapon or a shield (Shown in trailer). One special move I saw in the video is he grabs the victim and hit it far as if the victim is a baseball.

NCsoft unveiled a video recording the interview on the development of Blade & Soul, which had been exhibited at GStar 2009 held in South Korea between Nov. 26 and Nov. 29. Interviewees involved in this video include Blade & Soul's producer- Jae Hyun Pae and art director - Hyung Tae Kim who is also a famous art designer familiar to players, sharing with the audience their ideas about the game. Here is the details in this interview.

As the development director, which part of Blade & Soul do you pay the most attention to?
Pae: Our core goal is to have our players enjoy different gaming experience, so we pay much attention to those seeming to be ignored or hard to reach in the existing games. With "martial arts" as the game's theme, we are striving to allow players to adventure throughout the gaming world as martial arts experts with unparalleled jump skills.

As the art director, which part of Blade & Soul do you pay the most attention to?
Kim: We focus much attention on the game's visual effects and graphics. "Characters", which are the embodiments of players in the game, are the most important thing. Therefore, we're working hard on maximizing the charm of in-game characters.

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In comparison with the existing MMOs, is there anything totally new in Blade & Soul?
Pae: Yes, we are trying to integrate those that are considered taboo or unreachable in the existing MMORPGs. For example, moving the opponent forcefully, catching even wrestling the opponent, jumping as high as 10 - 20 meters, attacking consecutively... All these are what we're pursuing and are of the greatest importance.

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What do you think of the art director, Kim Taehyung?
Pae: Kim Taehyung has been well known for his knowledge on quests and drawing. Actually, he also knows a thing or two about the model construction concerning 3D quests, as well as some other 3D related technologies. Our original character models were just planned by Kim Taehyung himself.

The graphics unveiled last year have enjoyed relatively wide popularity. What's your opinion in this respect?
Pae: Though the game content completed last year has been unveiled by the development team and has enjoyed popularity among players, all developers including me still don't feel satisfied. That's because this is just a small part of what we've planned, and there's still a long way to go.

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Would you give us a brief introduction about the jump system?
Pae: The jump system unveiled last year was not as big as the current one. At that time, we just thought it must be very cool if we could create a system able to connect points. In fact, from the perspective of size, each individual system in our game usually equals to the whole systems of other games. So, just imagine how big our game is, which thus brings the toughest challenges to our programming team, planning team and graphic team.

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What's the role of players in the martial arts MMO?
Pae: Martial arts experts, of course! My goal is to have players act as the martial arts experts in novels and movies after they enter the MMO gaming world.

How were the glistering fighting scenes in the game created?
Kim: It is common that characters in the existing MMORPGs simply stand in their place without response actions and seem somewhat mechanical. Contrary to this, our game does integrate interaction elements. That is, instead of formulaic actions, characters in the game will respond to their opponents' actions accordingly, so as to have the combat run naturally with changes. To tell the truth, we've made a lot of efforts to render all these actions.

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Many people are worrying that the game will set high requirements for the PC system. Would you say something in this respect?
Pae: The graphic quality and the PC specifications are both double-edged swords, no matter for Kim Taehyung or the drawing/programming team. And I've set a goal - "highest-quality graphics and lowest PC system requirements" that is internally contradictory. The reason why I'm still using the computer which I bought 3 or 4 years ago and has never been upgraded is that I wanna use it to put pressure on the development team. So I'm confident that the game will be able to run on extremely low end computers.

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In comparison with the existing MMOs, is there anything totally new in Blade & Soul?
Pae:
Yes, we are trying to integrate those that are considered taboo or
unreachable in the existing MMORPGs. For example, moving the opponent
forcefully, catching even wrestling the opponent, jumping as high as 10
- 20 meters, attacking consecutively... All these are what we're
pursuing and are of the greatest importance.


Rawr tekken mmo

[Part I] B&S Interview: New Elements + Jump System + Low System Requirement

Here is the part II of the interview, let's continue!

What's the major difference between Blade & Soul and the existing martial arts games?
Kim: Though the existing martial arts games do look classical and take the martial arts seriously, most of their control systems actually display a style similar to those common in western fantasy MMORPGs, which is quite different from the essence of martial arts. However, many aspects in Blade & Soul will bring a strong feel of martial arts, including the people and things players would encounter during advancement.

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What about the races?
Kim: There will be a total of 4 races in the game, with each endowed with distinctive skills. As we know, in-game characters are the embodiments of players and are of inestimable value. So, we are doing our best to detail each race as fully as possible and make it available for our players to beautify and level up their dream embodiments.

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JIN	GON
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KUN	LYN

It's said that the development is an extremely unusual process. Would you tell us what kind of difficulty you've encountered during this process?
Kim: As for actions, those who aren't familiar with this aspect, with an easy tone, just ask us to solve the big problems by applying the motion capture technology. But the difficulty is that no one can provide us with the real martial arts actions. So, without assistance from various industries or repeated tests, our animation team just cannot bring forth all these actions that we can see today. It's really a hard process, in which many things grow out of nothing.

Pae: It's indeed difficult to create what you've never seen with the factors of high difficulty and technology taken into consideration.

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Can the concept of 100% graphics be reached in the MMORPG?
Kim: It's somewhat difficult since as we know, large amounts of online gamers are involved in the MMORPG at the same time. And the synchronization between servers is another problem. Besides, on the same screen, some unexpected things may happen during a combat, especially when there're more than two combatants. However, we are still confident that our planning team will make it.

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When will this game be made public to players?
Kim: Frankly speaking, the finished game content gives us an ordinary and characterless feel. We are now anxious about players' feedback.
Pae: How to say~~ It seems that the mount system that we introduced at the very beginning of the development last year and seemed to be the most wonderful thing has become the most ordinary content.
Kim: We're also worried whether the project can be completed as our requirements become higher and higher. We won't stop till we meet our own requirements.
Pae: If Aion was not that popular, players would be more eager for Blade & Soul. But Aion is actually enjoying wide popularity. Thus, there's more time for us to perfect Blade & Soul, which makes us feel both excited and worried.

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Finally, would you say something to those eagerly awaiting Blade & Soul?
Pae: We are really putting all our energy into presenting you with an interesting, cool and epic project. Just wait and see!
Kim: Please enjoy the video and stay tuned! We'll also be so grateful for your suggestions!

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the way they comparing blade and soul to aion make me anxious heh...since aion not as popular as it was suppose to be when it first started ^^

anyway hope they do a better job this time around lolz

It's not really comparing aion to B&S, it's just that they prolly will milk Aion a bit longer before throwing in B&S at us. And Aion is really popular in Korea I belive more then the US version.

Anyway this means B&S will take even longer to come out but ll be more polished hehe

Awwww that sucks a longer waiting period hope it doesnt take that long though

The game Blade & Soul had gained worldwide praise when it was unveilled by NCsoft 3 months ago. Recently NCsoft releases a new record for players, and schedules to launch it in 2009.

We notice the background music is not original for Blade & Soul but Mononoke Hime's rhythm. They may won't release it at first according to the guess. The 8 minutes video shows us the latest character, BOSS and new sceneries.

english website is active

http://www.bladeandsoul.com/global/en

Ashura wrote:

english website is active

http://www.bladeandsoul.com/global/en

ahh that's good, that promises an english version faster :)