War Rock Interview

Today marks the end of a cease-fire period for War Rock, as the North American version of the game, which finished its open beta a week ago, enters live service. Initially developed by Dream Execution Technologies and adapted for western audiences by regional publisher K2 Network, it's a multiplayer first-person tactical shooter with persistent characters. The action takes place in the fictional nation of Derbaran, which is one of the two playable sides, the other being called the NIU. Whichever you choose to support, five classes are available, including combatant, heavy weapons, engineer, scout and medic. In these roles, you'll have access to quite a wide variety of arms such as assault rifles, pistols, sniper weapons and rocket launchers, as well as a diverse selection of vehicles that ranges from jet aircraft to attack helicopters, tanks, motorcycles and boats.

Success in battle is rewarded with the game's currency, dinar. Characters can also level up, gaining additional health points, although the increases may seem small for those used to playing RPGs. The money can be used to rent better weapons for various lengths of time. The basic version of the game may be downloaded and played at no charge. However, K2 is also offering options for individuals who are willing to spend money to play. For example, certain armaments and upgrades are only available to those who purchase a special inventory slot. There are also monthly subscription-like packages that offer different mixes of content and enhancements, and it's also possible to buy a premium boxed copy at retail. We recently had the opportunity to learn more about this intriguing title in a question and answer session with K2's Theresa Cho.

Includes seven exclusive screenshots

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Jonric: As an introduction to War Rock, what kind of game is it? What's distinctive about it, why might it be of interest to those who usually prefer massively multiplayer and role-playing titles?

Theresa Cho: What we have in War Rock is a constantly evolving modern military shooter. By evolving, I mean that the game will be regularly patched with new content, story, etc.

Character development at this point in time consists primarily of leveling, which is done by completing games. Your experience gain is based on factors like kill count, flag captures and assists

Players can expect a game with a wide variety of scenarios on all sorts of terrain, from special ops missions under the cover of falling snow to dogfighting F-15 Eagles over a jungle valley. Most games just hand you a bunch of guns and tell you to frag each other or cap flags; War Rock lets you choose what and how you want to play.

As an MMO player myself, I think that the draw in War Rock is that in many ways, it is an MMO. Players maintain persistent characters that earn ranks and better armament, join guilds (clans), and participate in a factional war, which will become more important as the game expands. And with the content patches, we bring in new items, weapons and maps that continue to expand the world of War Rock.

Jonric: When did the game go live in Korea? How have you adapted it for the western audience? What is the revenue model there, and what will it be here?

Theresa Cho: War Rock went live in Korea 2004, fueled by micro-transactions. Although we plan to have similar options in the future, we'll be starting off by selling dinar, the currency of War Rock, in various increments, packaged with premium benefits like increased experience point gain, voice communication, access to an integrated clan system, and so forth.

Aside from standard localization, we've given the players some new features to play with, as well as more controls to make their game experience more customizable. Jonric: What is the overall setting in which War Rock takes place? And to what extent can we expect a story element?

Theresa Cho: A long time ago in a galaxy not so far away...

Actually, Derbaran is a fictional country in the Middle East. A civil war has broken out, and you'll be enlisting with either the rebel NIU or the Empire - I mean, the Derbaran army. It seems like a pretty simple plot, but it'll get a bit more tangled as it unfolds.

Each of the maps has its own backstory and ties in to the overall plot, which will be released in episodes, via the website.

Jonric: Is play entirely instanced, and how do the various maps differ in terms of size, terrain, architecture et al?

Theresa Cho: All actual gameplay is instanced; any player can become a Room Master and create an instanced room, choosing the conditions like map, size, number of players and so forth. As I mentioned previously, there's a lot of variety in terms of size, terrain and architecture; we've got everything from deserts to jungles and posh hotels. Jonric: With respect to the player characters, how would you describe the class system? Does it have any unusual elements?

Theresa Cho: Players are not restricted to picking a class and then developing it; you can switch classes (we refer to them as branches) whenever you re-spawn in a game. There are five basic classes - Engineers, Medics, Assault, Snipers and Heavy Troopers.

Aside from basic statistics and branch-based abilities, many weapons are restricted to specific classes and levels. Your main concern will be what equipment you can afford from the armory, which may force you to favor one branch over another.

Jonric: What about the system for advancement of the persistent characters over time? How does that function?

Theresa Cho: Character development at this point in time consists primarily of leveling, which is done by completing games. Your experience gain is based on factors like kill count, flag captures and assists (healing teammates, repairing vehicles, etc.).

Each endgame awards you a bounty, which you can then spend on weapons and equipment - which are, in turn, unlocked by promotions. We're considering the possibility of stat increases based on level, but it hasn't been finalized yet.