GAMES was lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend time with the developers behind the MMORPG, Aika, published by gPotato.
1."""""" The staff at GAMES has been hoping to interview the team behind Aika for a while now so hopefully this interview will turn out great!" My first question is, has there been any releases in the game recently in terms of features or items in general? I saw that a “Lucky Box” has been released into the item shop." What exactly is that?
The Lucky Boxes give players a chance to get some of the newest and most powerful items in the game. Occasionally, we change the contents of the box and community feedback helps us determine what to include. Players appreciate the chance to get rare and otherwise expensive reinforcement items for a lower cost, especially the reinforcement protection items, which let players have a penalty-free attempt at reinforcement. We also include items that have not been available in the cash shop for a long time, and new items like portable repair kits and Pran costume pieces.
With The Last Bastion, we've also added tons of new features, including a level cap of 70, new quests, new skills and an all new zone with dangerous terrain and deadly creatures. We’ve also added new items, new mounts, new Honor Gear for level 65 plus, portable repair kits, and more!
2."""""" "What types of events are there for players to do? Are there events for that are made for specific level ranges? What new events should players expect to come out soon?
There are a lot of regular PvP events every week. Battleground is open to citizens of every level and allows players to earn rewards based on their individual performance. At least once a week the GM’s join in on the fun, fighting side by side with players on both sides.
We also hold a twice-daily PvP event called Aitan Arena, where teams of 100 players per side battle it out. The Arena keeps a level playing field by sorting players by level to find appropriate adversaries. The only guideline is that you’ll have to be at least level 11 to join the Arena.
Castle Siege is as popular as ever–that’s the PvP event we hold once a week where guilds get a chance to vie for control of their nation! There are some great advantages to winning the Castle Siege and becoming the Lord Marshal or a member of the Lord Marshal Guild. "The ruling guild gets to set the nation's tax rate and is responsible for fortifying security around the nation's sacred relics!
Speaking of relics, the battle to steal another nation's relics is always on, so in other words, Relic War is a constant in Arcan.
In addition to these events, we run a maintenance game every week and most of the time we offer in game prizes. We try to run one major event every month as well as mini-events in game, just for fun, so it's best to check the Official Aika Webpage to stay up to date on the latest in-game events.
3."""""" What is the current level cap? Are there any plans of a raise anytime soon?
The cap has just been raised to 70, and there's lots of new content in the expansion area to help get you there! We estimate that it will take players at least 2 months to go from 60 to 70 and they’ll have to work hard to do it that quick, so there aren't any plans to raise the cap again soon.
4."""""" The holidays are here and the New Years is coming up soon." Does Aika have anything special planned for its players?
Our Level-Up and Race to the Cap events coincided with the release of the expansion, so we had an entire week of double xp to help players reach the cap back when it was 60!
We do as many seasonal events as we can. Aika is a ‘Live’ game, so we’re working on improving it every day and part of that is the creation of ‘current’ events. You can expect that we will do something for every major holiday and a lot of the minor ones too!
5."""""" What sorts of changes have been made to the game to accommodate both lower and higher level players? I saw in your most recent patch update that the Anvile was upgraded to create level 64 armor and weapons, which looks pretty cool.
We recently released a mount package for the lower level players. Now, instead of waiting to reach level 40 to get a ride, you can do it at level 10! We’re reviewing the quests to make them more compelling, and working overtime to keep the economy stable and the chat channels free of Spammers. Players seem to love it, which makes us happy.
The new craftable gear is one of the coolest things the higher-level players gained. Aside from items, the content of the expansion is really enjoyable and there are tons of cool new creatures to fight! The quests are interesting and players will finally get some direct contact with people and places they've been hearing about since they were a new Aitan. Players approaching the new cap will also be happy to have more stat points to spend on their new skills as they level up.
6."""""" Do you have anything additionally to say to your players?
Yes! First- don’t buy gold! It is a bannable offense and we are cracking down on gold sellers and buyers. An inflated economy effectively breaks a free to play game.
Second- the full potential of Aika lies in PvP and can really be enjoyed once players reach the higher-levels.
Finally, thanks for playing and we hope to see you in game!
