Game Info FAQ
1. Technical
Lineage II will use the Unreal 3.0 Engine, though the teams behind Lineage II graphics have tweaked and developed additional systems. Many of these systems help balance out the graphical issues, aswell as make the graphics appeal even more real then before.
As quoted by NCSoft:
We added "seamless" functionality while customizing the Unreal engine. Originally the engine used the zone method for loading the whole map. However, Lineage II adopted a seamless map loading system to make players feel real adventures in a huge cyber world. Battlefields, towns and dungeons are all merged in one huge zone. The customizing for this has been difficult, but so far we are very satisfied with the result.
We also added a real physics engine, which allows us to show cloaks or hair swaying in the wind, character clothing changes, and outdoor effects showing weather and realistic depictions of the sky.
NCSoft has also reported that there will be a few glitches with the system, but all should be cleared up during Chronicle 1 for the NA Side, and things are already being fixed in the Korean Chronicles. NCSoft also has been quoted as saying that they believe that graphics are one of the most important aspects of game appeal, and will work there hardest to make sure they stay one of the best in the buisness.
We have two reasons for choosing the Unreal engine technology over others. The first reason is that at the time when we were choosing an engine, the Unreal Engine had what we felt was the best ability to express outdoor scenes in the way we wanted. The second reason is that the Unreal engine came with an exceptional level editor. Without this editor, we wouldn't have accomplished so much within such a short development period.
Due to the continuing effort on the part of Epic, the performance of the Unreal engine is continuing to improve all the time. Since the time of the engine's first use, its speed has improved greatly, and effects such as expression of translucency and lighting have been significantly enhanced.
The latest version of Unreal that we use requires DirectX 8.0, and we have added many functions with new concepts in order to show off the next generation graphic power. As a result, players can enjoy a greatly enhanced visual experience. On the other hand, they will have to meet higher hardware requirements.
Hyung Jin Kim & James Bae
These are the official Korean, Japanese and North American system requirements.
Japanese:
Computer type: PC/AT compatible machine
Operating System: Japanese edition Microsoft Windows®98/Me/2000/XP
Direct X: 8.1 or higher
CPU: Pentium III 800MHz (Recommended: Pentium IV 1GHz+)
Memory: 256mb (Recommended 512mb+)
Video: GeForce2 (Recommended: Geforce4 Ti+)
Sound Card: Direct X 8.1 Compatible
Hard Drive Space: At least 5gb free, this includes swap space
Internet Connection: Recommended connection 256kb+
Korean:
Computer type: PC/AT compatible machine
Operating System: Microsoft Windows®98/Me/2000/XP
Direct X: 8.1 or higher
CPU: Pentium III 800MHz (Recommended: Pentium IV 1GHz+)
Memory: 256mb (Recommended 512mb+)
Video: GeForce2 (Recommended: Geforce4 Ti+)
Sound Card: N/A
Hard Drive Space: At least 3gb free, this includes swap space
Internet Connection: Recommended connection 256kb+
North American:
Computer type: PC/AT compatible Machine
Operating System: Microsoft Windows®98/Me/2000/XP
Direct X: 8.1 or higher
CPU: Atleast Pentium III 800MHz (Recommended: Pentium IV 1GHz+)
Memory: Atleast 256mb (Recommended 512mb+)
Video: Atleast GeForce2 (Recommended: Geforce4 Ti+, ATI Radeon Etc)
Sound Card: Direct X 8.1 compatible
Hard Drive Space: At least 5gb free, this includes swap space
Internet Connection: Recommended connection 256kb+
It is also recommended that you keep more then 5gb of Hard Drive Space free for future updates.
The current objective of the development team is to allow people to use Geforce4 MX series cards with a minimum Pentium III 800 MHz (although 1 GHz is recommended).
Cards such as the ATI Radeon 9800XT Pro and previous series, as well as the Geforce 4 Video Cards will be used to there full potential with the new Graphics Engine.
Hyung Jin Kim & James Bae
According to the minimum requirements you SHOULD be able to play with a geforce II if you tweak it correctly, though as always your best bet is to go with a better graphics card, contact support.lineage2.com if you cannot get it to work on your geforce II type card, and they will do there best to help you.
It is obviously hard to apply the method of battle system used in the existing 2D game to the more realistic 3D model and topography. In a 2D game, since character and topography are expressed as abstraction, minor problems in animation can often be covered by other production techniques.
In Lineage II, thousands of polygons make up each character. Therefore, even a small abnormality in the movement of a character can immediately cause deterioration in the overall quality of the game, and thus it is necessary to take extreme care in design.
As we are introducing the concept of height in the world of Lineage II, there are many problems to be solved - such as the representation of flying monsters. As we solve these problems, our goal is to have a battle system that allows players to be able to fight freely both in the air and in the water.
Hyung Jin Kim & James Bae
A Small update to this. It would appear that in Chronicle two there will be more air based battles, and water based battles that are going to be avalible, and a steady combat system developed for them. The developers have expressed the facts that they intend to keep upgrading there graphics for combat and environment as the game progresses.
During Seige warfare, players with lower end system requirements will likely suffer more then the higher end computer users, however NC Soft has added options to bring down your graphic quality for the best possible framerate, and is in the process of upgrading there servers to be at optimal speed even during large "zerg" like warfare.
Yes, the Game is P2P, Open Beta Ended the 26th of April, and Retail began the 27th at 11pm Central Standard Time.
2. Development
Since Lineage II is currently using unreal warfare engine we do not have any plan to develop a Mac version client at this time.
The suggestions from users are used as reference material for our game development. We actively incorporate all useful opinions into our development. We appreciate them so much.
The community as a whole is doing a great job of bringing up in-depth and very specific issues, just based on limited beta play, so just keep on rockin'!
3. Combat
Basically, we tried not to lose Lineage's simple interface. There will be some changes in some parts of interface, because Lineage II is a 3D game. However, we will keep the mouse-driven interface.
We will also add new race and class skills and magic with the mouse-driven interface in mind, so there will be no tedious game-play.
Yes.
The siege will play an important role in Lineage II as well. However the siege in Lineage II will be done in 3D, so more things like air battles, breaking down ramparts and sniping will be possible.
Utilizing 3D technology means a more strategic approach to castle sieges, including using large scale weaponry or even catapulting over the castle rampart.
Many activities that are possibly only in 3D environments - aerial warfare, summoning of siege weapons, assassination from atop a watchtower, etc. - are being explored as additions.
Players battle together under a leader and share experience points. Party members can see each player's health (HP) during battle and aid those who are losing their fight. The system supports new features to both leader and members, including party organization.Blood Pledge war system: This system has been enhanced to include alliance and government delegation functions, making war possible on a larger scale.
We will be releasing the game only with the spell animations already in the game. This might be addressed in later updates, but I can't promise anything at this time.
Broadly speaking, magic spells are acquired through books, and each use of magic takes up a set amount of MP (mana points). Magic skills operate essentially like any other skill in the game with different requirements to obtain the skill and sometimes to use the skill.
First off, everyone in the game starts out with their name highlighted in white. Upon attacking a person, your name will change colors. It is currently unclear what color it will change to, but purple is among speculation.
If you cancel the attack on the person, then your name will remain this color for ~45 seconds. If the person attacks you back, then they turn this color as well and you both hack eachother down until someone dies.
If you kill a person who does not attack you back in defense, however, then you will turn red. You cannot be flagged red if you attack a person who is purple.
Upon being flagged red, you will receive negative karma and will have no protection upon death (your corpse can be looted) and people can attack you freely without without being flagged.
4. Blood Pledges
The Blood Pledge is the base of society in Lineage II. More interesting factors for Blood Pledges will be added to manage these groups, like a Blood Pledge homepage, chatting channel, and function-expandable safe house system. We will also introduce 'Alliances' to the game, which is an expansion on the concept of the Blood Pledge. Players can see their alliance's flag waving on the castle they captured, and they would get some bonuses around their alliance's castle. Lots of other interesting things will be added through the 'Alliance' system.
In Lineage II each blood pledge will have its own bulletin board and web page for use both inside and outside of the game. Each blood pledge will also be offered its own chat room and friends list. Additionally, as in Lineage, a powerful blood pledge that is tightly organized can engage in siege warfare.
Hyung Jin Kim & James Bae
Above all the 'Government Delegation system will strongly support the Blood Pledge and alliance systems. The Blood Pledge master can give a right to other members in his Blood Pledge, like recruiting new members, using some function of the safe house or castle, and collecting taxes. If the master doesn't give these rights to any members, he will create a centralized power system. Conversely, when he distributes these rights to as many members as he can, a decentralized or democratic Blood Pledge has been created.
You may delegate a particular power to someone else. Many functions of running a Pledge in Lineage II can be shared. A Blood Pledge master could make a centrally controlled organization. Or, the Blood Pledge master can decentralize the organization of his or her pledge, and give chosen players certain skills to help maintain the group.
You may delegate a particular power to someone else. Many functions of running a Pledge in Lineage II can be shared. A Blood Pledge master could make a centrally controlled organization. Or, the Blood Pledge master can decentralize the organization of his or her pledge, and give chosen players certain skills to help maintain the group.
Players can make their manor a locale where special items are produced, a commercial place where goods are traded, or an important military base. Additionally, manors could be created as a center for the development magic skills, to be an orc stronghold or even an undead city. Depending upon how you set your manor up, how you run it and the alliances you make, you could gather more riches and fortune, or you could bankrupt the manor and be taken over by another group.
In the beginning, all the castles in all the territories of all the countries will be owned by NPCs. When players form a blood pledge and take over a castle from the controlling NPC, the castle becomes the pledge's possession. When multiple blood pledges form a league and take over two or more castles, then the league can be declared as a nation. In this way, the world of Lineage II will go beyond the initially established setting to continue to carve out its own history.
Hyung Jin Kim & James Bae
5. Character
The advancement system of Lineage II is almost identical to the one in Lineage. Players hunt monsters, get experience, and grow up. Characters start in a simple class position but as they grow up, they can select more specialized classes within their race.
While making Lineage II, one area that we changed deliberately from the previous work is the area of character development. In the previous work, instead of allowing a player to customize one's own character directly, the game only allowed a player to equip a character with additional items to increase the number and variety of available activities.
Compared with Lineage, the importance of items has been reduced in Lineage II. Instead, as a character's level goes up, each character is allowed to acquire more skills and to choose from more diverse classes. By doing so, players can steadily grow their characters little by little over time in proportion to the amount of time they invest in the game.
Like Lineage, the core content of Lineage II will be to get powerful players to organize blood pledges to make war with each other. In order to take over a certain area, pledges will surround the castle and fight members of another pledge. However, Lineage II as a 3D game will have a totally different mode of gameplay than the current style of Lineage.
Hyung Jin Kim & James Bae
Players have many classes and characters to choose from. In Lineage II, each race has its own class tree, enabling players to change their character's appearance as they grow in the game. This makes advancing more fun.
Like Lineage, Linage II has six basic parameters (strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma.) However, their numerical values are not decided at the beginning of the game. The values increase or decrease depending on the player's choices while playing the game.
Hyung Jin Kim & James Bae
Lineage and Lineage II share the same concept and background story, but are totally different games. There will be no exchange or movement of characters or items between Lineage and Lineage II.
Players may also raise various NPCs and play them as their own characters.
Human, Elf, Orc, Dwarf, Dark Elf
Morality in players' actions is evaluated in-game. A player may judge other players' behavior as good or evil in the character valuation system. This enables players to solve certain problems in the game on their own. This system could be applied on a large scale, from the punishment of personal crimes to a national rebellion against the king.
Humans are divided into two parts: Fighter and Magician. After initial training, they can develop their skills more elaborately in the world.
Players will not see the type of fighting typical of other MPOGs. Fighting with armor and weaponry adds complexity - timing matters much more. Simple swinging fights will look more realistic, like in fighting games. The combination of easy and safe Default Auto Battle and tense and powerful Special Manual Battle provide the combat style players want at the moment they want it.
After Fighter one can advance to be a Knight, a Warrior or a Rogue. Knight leads to Palladin and Dark Avenger. Warrior leads to Warlord and Gladiator. Rogue leads to Hawk-eye and Treasure Hunter .If you want to participate in violent sword-clashing battles, then choose the path of a Fighter.
Magicians can do things like call lightning to their opponents, control zombies, and summon Sky Dragons! Players can develop their magicians to specialize in a certain kind of magic: White Magic, which symbolizes life and justice; Black Magic, symbolizing the power of death and evil; and Summon Magic, a magic that transcends good and evil.
Depending on one's training, one can perform various wonders such as summoning evil spirits, healing injuries, or unleashing strong attack magic. A basic Magician can advance on to become Wizard or a Cleric. The Wizard is more damage based, leading on to become either a Warlock, Necromancer or Sorcerer. Clerics are strong healers and always appreciated in battles. They can later become a Bishop or a Prophet. If your desire is to possess a strong and brilliant capability rather than to participate in mere weapon wielding battle, then choose the path to become a Mage.
Born through the blessing of Einhasad, Elves are the race that worships the gods through their beauty and wisdom. They ruled the world after giants, but were betrayed by the human race and expelled to their own forest. They are conservative and inflexible now, living in the forest under the protection of the World Tree.
Unlike the impression one gets from their slender physique, Elven Fighters are powerful warriors with nimble body movements and precise sword handling. When they wield, like a whip, their long and narrow swords it creates a stunning scene to behold.
An Elven warrior can advance to become a Knight or a Scout. The Knight is more based toward damage, and can become a Temple Knight or a Swordsinger. Scouts advance to bea Plains Walker or Silver Ranger.
Since Elves are the race with highly developed magic skills, the magic used by an Elven mage is very potent.
However, since the Mage class of the Elven race tends to have very weak physical strength, you should give it careful consideration before making your choice. They can be considered magic specialists.
The Dark Elves, or Drow, are the enemies or the normal Elves. They have lived in spite of each other for ages. A Dark Elf can become a powerful and sly Fighter, or a strong and terrifying Mage.
Dark Elf fighters are very powerful. However their main weapon is not their strength or weapons, it is their agile body. Dark Elf Fighters are very quick, and will often catch you off-guard if you aren't careful.
A dark elf fighter can advance through several paths. Off of fighter they may become a strong Pallus Knight or a swift Assasin. Pallus Knight leads to Shillien Knight and Blade Dancer. Assasin leads to Abyss Walker and Phantom Ranger. If you want to persue a life of swift death's, be a Dark Elf Fighter.
Dark Elf mages are very powerful, however they are mostly based on attack as opposed to defense.
A Dark Elf mage has a wide variety of choices. They can become a Shillien Oracle or a Wizard. The Shillein Oracle leads on to become a Shillien Elder, and the Wizard has a choice of a Phantom Summoner or a Spell Howler. If you would like to use powerful magic, choose a Dark Elf Magician.
Orcs are very strong barbarians with a green-tinted skin. They are based mostly on fighting, however they still have the option of magic.
Orcs are extemely powerful beings. They have very high health and strength. An Orc is the most powerful of all races as a Fighter.
Orc Fighters can advance into a couple different proffessions. They can be a Raider or a Monk after the initial fighter proffession. Off of Raider comes Destroyer, and Monks advance to be Tyrants. If you really want to do some damage, try an Orc Fighter.
Although Orcs are mostly muscle and barely brain, they still posess magical abilities.
An Orc mage advances to become a Shaman. Off of shaman they have the choice of becoming either a powerful Overlord or a dominant Warcryer.
The Dwarves are a stocky race of people. They are strong and creative thinkers. A Dwarf can be a Fighter only. They do not have a Mage class because the Dwarves have the ability to craft.
A dwarven fighter has 2 different courses they can take. They can be a creative crafter or become a powerful fighter.
Dwarves have the choice, after fighter, of choosing Artisan or Scavenger. The artisan can start to create items, while the Scavenger is more efficient in finding unique treasure. They are both good fighters. After Artisan one may become a Warsmith. Warsmiths are very profficient crafters and powerful fighters. The Scavenger advances onto Bounty Hunter. If you are interested in crafting and treasure hunting, you're sure to find pleasure in a Dwarf Fighter.
Your character gains experience through fighting and defeating Monsters. Each Monster has a set amount of Experience, most often referred to as Exp or XP, that it grants upon the death of the monster.
In Lineage 2 there are, more or less, 2 types of Exp. 1 is normal Exp, used to gain levels and advance your character to new proffessions. The other type of experience is SP, or Skill Points. Upon defeating a monster you gain a set amount of SP that you can save up and purchase new skills with.
The two work together tightly. This is a great system because in order to get new skills you need to gain levels, or maybe a new proffession. Every set of levels has a set of skills that you can spend to earn new Skills.
6. General
Lineage II's background story is 150 years earlier than Lineage's time. In the age of Lineage II, Gunter hasn't been to the Talking Island, and King Decon (Lineage's main character Depardieu's grandfather) has not been born. It is an unstable time when the world of Aden had just unified. Elmore, the strong country in the north, and Gracia, a mysterious country overseas, are engaged in a triangular struggle with Aden as well.
The world 150 years ago is different from the one in Lineage, but subtly same. You'll run into places, people and monsters you might hear about in Lineage.
Of course. We know that consistent updating produces a positive effect on an online game. It will not be updated as frequently as Lineage; it will have around two major updates per year.
However, to balance the game, we'll do minor updates when needed.
There are over 70 people on the Lineage development team, working hard to further develop Lineage. There will be continuous updates for Lineage. We'd like to emphasize that Lineage and Lineage II are separate, and Lineage will not disappear because of Lineage II. Lineage will continue to be developed.
'The Chaotic Chronicle' subtitle of Lineage II was the outcome of several brainstorming sessions. We hoped that the subtitle of Lineage II would express the large-scale war, strategies, conflicts, and collaborations that we hope to encourage among players.
The Lineage II world represents the historical time before legitimacy was established by blood. It is a chaotic time in which every person is harboring his or her own ambitions. The inherent struggle is to establish your own legitimacy and justice.
Hyung Jin Kim & James Bae
The game will be available in a retail box, sold to retail outlets like EB or Best Buy. The game client will not be available through download like in Lineage I.
Yes. Though it does work slightly differently than the original system. Karma cannot be increased above zero, but unlawful actions (such as PKing) can decrease your karma into chaotic range.
There are no current plans to change the running animation
Voices will stay as they are.
As originally posted on the official site:
NCsoft has banned many accounts since the beginning of the Open Beta phase for Lineage II. Our aggressive stance has been required to combat the following abuses: the use of 3rd party macro software (such as bots), account theft, attempts to hack the game client, acts of fraud against other players, and any other acts that we deem malicious or against the Terms of Service.
In the interest of everyone's continued enjoyment of the game, we will aggressively identify and subsequently ban those who continue this kind of abuse. The NCsoft support team will swiftly respond with GM involvement, potentially leading to account suspension and even legal action.
This is part of our commitment to providing a fair and enjoyable gaming environment to all of our legitimate customers. We refuse to allow a few bad apples to ruin it for the rest of those who are enjoying Lineage II for the actual experience in the game.
7. The World
The world of Lineage II consists of two continents, and three countries. Each country is made up of six separate territories. Each territory has five to ten hunting grounds. Each country and territory has a unique background, natural environment, and unique set of living creatures. The diameter of a small hunting ground is several meters long, while the diameter of a large hunting field can be as long as several kilometers.
It is a vast world where, from the moment a player enters the game, no loading will be required to move from one zone to another. It will not matter whether a player is located in a gigantic tower or in a vast dungeon.
Hyung Jin Kim & James Bae
The three countries in Lineage II are Aden, Elmore, and Grecia. In the beginning, Lineage II will have a predefined setting that is established by using the game's basic system: blood pledge/league system and castle siege system.
Hyung Jin Kim & James Bae
There are three fundamental types of Dragons which differ in their abilities. However, I think you are referring to the outward appearance of a Dragon. A Dragon will change form as it matures, first appearing as a pet dragon, upgrading to a land based dragon, tentatively known as Stryders and the last form being a flying dragon, tentatively known as Wyverns. You can ride on both the Stryders and Wyverns. Unfortunately, the white dragon you are referring to is an NPC monster, and not the type that you can raise. There are no plans to grant customizable dragons at this time.
8. Quests
Yes. Lineage II utilizes the quest system actively.
In addition to the simple quest that was available in Lineage, a large scale quest that can only be cleared by the simultaneous action of tens of users will be also available in Lineage II.
