I interviewed AGS and they dropped some BIG INFO (Throne & Liberty)

Summary

In this video, the host interviews Daniel, a Globalization Design Manager at AGS, who oversees communication with NC soft about the game 'Throne Liberty.' They discuss Daniel's extensive experience with the game, the dynamic between developers and publishers, and the influence AGS has over the game's direction. Key topics include the game's monetization model, balancing 'pay-to-win' concerns, progression rates, and the introduction of new content like tier 2 gear. Daniel also addresses player concerns about bots, server merges, and the timing of major in-game events, promising a player-centric approach to updates and improvements.

Takeaways

• 😀 Daniel, also known as Tico, is the Globalization Design Manager at AGS and is responsible for coordinating with NC soft to ensure player feedback is addressed.
• 🎮 Daniel has extensive experience playing Throne and Liberty, including on internal servers and Korean servers, to understand player experience.
• 🤝 AGS and NC soft have a strong partnership, operating as one team with a shared vision for the game, which has led to significant improvements.
• 💰 AGS is committed to a fair business model in Throne and Liberty, with all progression available to all players and no purchases behind a paywall.
• 🚫 AGS is actively monitoring and planning to prevent botting and cheating, including implementing a player trust system and auction house restrictions.
• 🏰 The first Castle Siege in the global version of Throne and Liberty is planned for mid-November, after launch.
• 🛡 AGS is considering the pacing of content releases to ensure free-to-play players have time to progress before new vertical progression systems are introduced.
• 🗓 AGS does not plan to release Tier 2 gear immediately, aiming to balance the game to prevent a power gap between free-to-play and paying players.
• 🌐 Server merges in Throne and Liberty will be based on community health and competition rather than a set timeline, with an openness to regional merges.
• 🎯 AGS aims to catch up to the Korean version of the game, with a goal of near parity, and will release certain content, like the Halloween event, simultaneously.

Q & A

What is Daniel's role at AGS?

Daniel's role at AGS is Globalization Design Manager, which involves coordinating with NC soft, integrating player feedback, and ensuring NC soft is aware of it.

How does Daniel describe his experience with the game Throne Liberty?

Daniel has extensive experience with Throne Liberty, having done the leveling experience around 50 times and playing on both internal servers and Korean servers when possible.

What is the relationship dynamic between AGS and NC soft?

The relationship between AGS and NC soft is collaborative, with both operating as one team and frequently communicating about gameplay and other topics.

How does Daniel view the monetization model in Throne Liberty compared to other MMOs?

Daniel believes Throne Liberty has one of the fairest business models among free-to-play MMOs, with all progression available to all players and no purchases being random.

What is AGS's stance on pay-to-win aspects in Throne Liberty?

AGS aims to ensure that Throne Liberty is less pay-to-win compared to the Korean version, with efforts to increase drop rates and make progression systems more accessible.

How does Daniel plan to address progression rates and the introduction of tier 2 gear?

Daniel emphasizes monitoring progression rates and content release pacing to ensure players reach appropriate power levels before new vertical progression systems are introduced.

What measures will AGS take to combat botting in Throne Liberty?

AGS plans to implement a player trust system and restrict the auction house to trusted players to combat botting.

Will AGS take action against AFK macroing in Throne Liberty?

AGS aims to uphold the integrity of the game, and Daniel personally believes that blatant cheating, including AFK macroing, should not be allowed.

When is the first castle siege expected to take place in Throne Liberty?

The first castle siege is currently planned for mid-November, approximately six to seven weeks after launch.

Does Daniel have a timeline for introducing tier 2 gear in Throne Liberty?

A target timeline for introducing tier 2 gear is late Q1, but AGS wants to be flexible and see how players progress before making a decision.

How does Daniel view the possibility of regional server merges in Throne Liberty?

Daniel suggests that server merges will be based on community health and competition rather than a set timeline, and they are open to evaluating each server on a case-by-case basis.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introduction to AGS and Role

The video begins with an interviewee introducing himself as Daniel, also known as Tico, who is the Globalization Design Manager at AGS. He explains his role involves coordinating with NCsoft, the game's developer, to ensure player feedback is communicated and addressed. Daniel emphasizes the importance of the relationship between the developer and publisher for the success of the game, mentioning their shared vision and frequent communication.

05:02

🎮 Daniel's Gaming Experience

Daniel discusses his extensive experience playing the game 'Throne Liberty', both on internal servers and the Korean servers. He highlights the importance of the AGS team playing the game to understand player experiences and feelings. He also touches on his role in communicating with NCsoft about gameplay-related topics and how they work together as a team to address player feedback.

10:03

💸 Monetization and Pay-to-Win Concerns

The conversation shifts to monetization strategies and the difference between Eastern and Western approaches to pay-to-win models. Daniel acknowledges that while Korean players may be more tolerant of pay-to-win mechanics, the Western audience tends to be more critical. He defends the game's business model, stating that all progression is available to all players without paywalls and that purchases are not random, aiming to be fair and generous.

15:04

🚀 Progression Rates and Content Release

Daniel addresses concerns about progression rates and the introduction of new content, such as tier 2 gear. He assures that AGS is closely monitoring player progression and plans to release content at a pace that allows players to reach appropriate power levels before introducing new challenges. The goal is to ensure a healthy player base that is ready for new content and progression systems.

20:05

🤖 Combating Bots and Integrity of Gameplay

The discussion moves to the issue of bots in free-to-play games and how AGS plans to tackle this problem. Daniel mentions the use of a player trust system and auction house restrictions to trusted players as part of their strategy. He also touches on the importance of upholding the integrity of the game and the community's role in this effort.

25:07

🏰 Castle Sieges and Future Content

Daniel provides a timeline for the first castle siege event, which is planned for mid-November, and discusses the pacing of content releases. He also addresses the introduction of tier 2 gear and the Tandra expansion, emphasizing the need to balance content release with player progression and readiness.

🌐 Global Version and Event Timing

The conversation explores the possibility of the global version of 'Throne Liberty' catching up to the Korean version and the challenges involved. Daniel also discusses the timing of in-game events for the global audience, acknowledging the need to balance different regional preferences and the importance of community feedback.

🗓️ Server Merges and Class Choices

Daniel talks about server merges, emphasizing that they will be based on community health and competition rather than a set timeline. He also discusses the possibility of regional merges and shares his personal class choices for the game, hinting at a potential off-meta choice for his character.

🔍 Balancing and Listening to the Global Audience

In the final part of the interview, Daniel assures that NCsoft values feedback from the global audience and will continue to make adjustments based on player input. He gives examples of past balance changes and expresses confidence in their ongoing commitment to listen to players worldwide.

Keywords

💡AGS

AGS refers to 'Asia Game Soft', which is a publisher responsible for bringing games to certain regions. In the context of the video, AGS is working closely with NC soft to publish 'Throne of Liberty'. The video discusses the relationship between AGS and NC soft, highlighting the importance of their collaboration for the game's development and player feedback.

💡Globalization Design Manager

This term refers to a role within a company that oversees the adaptation of products for international markets. In the video, Daniel, who holds this position at AGS, discusses his responsibilities, which include coordinating with NC soft and ensuring that player feedback from different regions is communicated effectively.

💡Throne of Liberty

Throne of Liberty is a game being discussed in the video. It is a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) that is being published by AGS in collaboration with NC soft. The video script includes discussions about the game's development, player feedback, and various in-game systems.

💡Pay to Win

Pay to Win refers to a business model in free-to-play games where players can gain significant advantages by paying real money. In the video, the discussion revolves around the game's monetization strategy and how AGS aims to make Throne of Liberty less 'pay to win' compared to the Korean version.

💡Progression Rates

Progression Rates in gaming refer to the speed at which players can advance their characters. The script mentions that AGS is monitoring these rates to ensure that free-to-play players can reach the same power level as paying players before new content or gear tiers are introduced.

💡Tier 2 Gear

Tier 2 Gear indicates a higher level of equipment in the game. The video discusses concerns about the introduction of this gear and the potential impact on the game's balance. AGS is cautious about the pacing of such content to avoid creating a significant power gap between different types of players.

💡Bots

Bots in gaming refer to automated programs that players use to perform tasks without human interaction. The video script mentions AGS's efforts to combat bots, which can negatively impact the game's economy and fairness.

💡Castle Siege

Castle Siege is a type of in-game event or activity mentioned in the script. It is a large-scale PvP (Player versus Player) event where guilds compete to capture a castle. The video discusses when players can expect this event to become available.

💡Tandra Expansion

The Tandra Expansion refers to a significant update or addition to the game world. The script discusses the possibility of this expansion coming to the global version of Throne of Liberty and how it might affect the game's progression and content availability.

💡Substance Transformation

Substance Transformation is a game mechanic mentioned in the script where players can upgrade their gear. The video discusses concerns about this system and how it might affect the game's balance and the availability of certain items.

💡Server Merges

Server Merges refer to the process of combining multiple servers into one to increase the player population and competition. The video script discusses the criteria AGS uses to decide when to merge servers and the importance of maintaining a healthy community.

Highlights

Introduction to Daniel, the Globalization Design Manager at AGS

Daniel's role involves coordinating with NCsoft and ensuring player feedback is communicated

AGS emphasizes playing the game internally to understand player experiences

Daniel frequently communicates with NCsoft about gameplay topics

AGS and NCsoft share a vision for a unified version of Throne and Liberty

Daniel watched a previous video on monetization and discussed it with NCsoft

AGS aims for a fair business model in Throne and Liberty

Discussions on pay-to-win and efforts to make the game less so compared to the Korean version

Plans to monitor progression rates and content release pacing

Intent to ensure free-to-play players can reach power caps before new progression systems are introduced

Prevention of bots is a priority with lessons learned from Lost Ark

AGS will be cracking down on AFK macroing and cheating

First Castle Siege is planned for mid-November post-launch

Introduction of tier 2 gear is being carefully considered based on player progression

Tandra expansion and its content will be introduced in late Q1

Runes and trait residents will be released separately to manage player progression

Challenge dungeons are coming but not tied to the release of runes

Substance transformation will not be in the launch version and will be adjusted for the global audience

Server merges will be based on community health rather than a set timeline

Global version of Throne and Liberty aims to be near parity with the Korean version

Lucent will be account-bound, allowing its use across different servers and characters

Event times for the global version will be earlier to accommodate the player base

AGS is committed to listening to the global audience for balance patches

Daniel's personal playstyle includes considering playing as an Invocator or a Crusader with a Greatsword

Transcripts

guys so it happened I'm here and I have

an opportunity to talk to AGS directly

and that's exactly what we're going to

be doing in today's video don't forget

to like And subscribe for some of you

guys who have who have been following my

content excuse me uh some of you guys

may know that I was able to talk to NC

soft directly about throwing Liberty and

today I get to talk to AGS and

apparently you are the go-to person to

talk to would you uh mind introducing

yourself and tell us who you are sure

yeah so my name's Daniel uh my developer

name is is Tico so feel free to call me

Tio if you prefer um at AGS my role is

globalization design manager so really

that's a fancy way of saying I'm

responsible for coordinating with NC

soft uh talking with them about a lot of

the systems that are making their way

into the game uh obviously taking the

feedback from our players here um in our

regions uh and making sure that NC soft

is aware of them as well uh so that's

the role I hold gotcha so um I've been

told that you have a pretty solid

experience and background when it comes

to actually playing the game Throw

Liberty can you tell me a little bit

about maybe your play experience there

yeah it's pretty varied because of

course we play a lot on our internal

servers as well as we prepare the

version for our launch I've probably

done the leveling experience 50 times

something like that so I also play some

on the Korean servers um when time

permits of course uh and we also have an

own internal server we actually have a

tenant on our team one of our core

tenants is to play the game so we feel

very strongly that uh we're at our best

if we play the game if we play the game

we know what our players are going

through we know what they're feeling and

so we want to make sure that internally

we're playing the game as well so we

have play times that we set up with our

teammates uh we do a lot of the shared

content of course you know bigger things

like Castle sieges are a little bit more

difficult to coordinate but we really

make a huge emphasis to play the game

across the team right so from my

understanding you're kind of the point

man when it comes to that direct

communication with NC soft when it comes

to throne yeah I mean I think it's a

team effort so I don't want to say I'm

the only person here uh but I do

communicate them frequently especially

as it relates to a lot of our uh

gameplay related topics okay so I want

to get straight into this we'll try and

keep this short you guys know how long

my videos get every time I say that but

um okay so can you tell me a little bit

about that the dynamic between you guys

in NC soft because you know developing a

game and Publishing a game is very is

very different uh usually the developer

has a lot more control with the actual

product can you tell me how much

influence you guys actually have over

thrown Liberty yeah so I want to back up

to the kind of earlier part of your

question which is to sort of reiterate

that I would agree the relationship

between the developer and the publisher

is really crucial um if you have a

strong foundation and a strong

relationship there then you're going to

have an opportunity to do something

really great with the game um and I

think that we have that with NC soft you

know we signed this game about 18 months

ago now um and since the beginning we've

had this sort of shared Vision that we

would operate sort of as one team uh

with one version of the game uh and

that's paid off tremendously um I think

if you look you know you probably know

from all the time that you've played you

look at all of the changes that the game

has gone through uh they're massive and

I think the game is in a much different

place now uh than it is then um so we

have a lot of healthy debate about

topics we communicate frequently maybe

they're tired of hearing of me I don't

know uh we talk so much but um we really

do have a lot of uh really healthy back

and forth and we're together in it and

that's how we see it gotcha so I have to

ask you I did po I publish a video when

I went to NC soft had a chance to talk

to him directly as I mentioned in the

intro did you guys watch that video by

any chance did you watch it by any

chance I did watch it okay so I'm I have

to ask this is very like this is a

personal question I want to know did

that was there any conversation maybe

after that or even before even prior to

that about the monetization because

let's be real here the monetization

practice in the East versus the West

they're very different right I know for

a fact that Koreans also don't really

like pay to win but I could also say

that they're definitely more tolerant to

it than in the west and you know I told

them in that interview which I stand by

this statement that regardless of what I

think there are certainly a lot of

people that have called throne in

Liberty because you could purchase

Lucent they've called it pay to win

trash like verbatim right now our

version is for sure as someone that has

played the game extensively is for sure

less pay to win than the Korean version

lost AR is also less pay to win than the

Korean version and obviously the one

game that you guys did develop new world

that's one of the three MMOs two or

three MMOs that are like you know

everyone knows it's not pay to win right

now what I want what I would like to

know is has there been a lot of

discussion how much discussion has there

been around the pay to win and is that

something that you guys really pushed

back on with NC soft or were you guys

just like hey let's make money buy and

loose it or

selling yeah I I would sort of echo what

I I said on my previous statement right

which is we really view it as a part

ship um so we talk about all topics we

talk about our business model we talk

about gameplay and so when I think about

thrown in Liberty what I think is if I

compare it to other free-to-play MMOs on

the market it has one of the most fair

business models out there why do I think

that uh all progression is available to

all types of players all of our core

game content is available to all players

without a pay wall none of our purchases

are random it's direct purchase um

business model so everything that you

purchase you know exact what you're

getting back um and we intend to be also

um uh we intend to be generous as well

um and it's not just in what you

purchase being generous but also some of

the changes you're probably aware of

like with the abyss dungeon drop rates

that were increased significantly and

buffed and so that's where I think that

we are with the business model right now

thr in thrown in Liberty so what they

have done uh I mean every MMO has more

vertical progression as a Vertical Press

game uh but when you have a system where

you can purchase Lucent or buy gold um

when anytime you add more vertical

progession systems it

becomes you know more pay to win simply

because there's more things to pay for

now if you've played thrown in Liberty a

lot of the people that kind of try to

defend the game they say well the pay to

win isn't bad because you can hit the

caps and the gear levels that a Pay to

Win player can obviously it will take

you longer but you can reach it versus

in other games where you can never reach

the power level uh in performance of a

Pay to Win player and thrown they've

actually made it easier over time to

trade out your gear for those of you who

don't know who trade what trading is

just think of it as making your

character stronger okay but like you

trade out your gear um and that system

has actually been alleviated what my

question to you sorry for the long

question is how much are you guys paying

attention to the uh progression rates so

for example if we were to release tier 2

gear trait residents out the gate I mean

that is going to be a huge power

discrepancy between pay to win and free

to play free to play will never catch

the Pay to Win how important is it for

you guys uh and how much are you

monitoring that progression speed and is

it something that's on your plan to

allow players free-to-play players to

realistically hit these caps before

increasing vertical progression yeah I

mean it's way up there on our radar it's

one of the things that we're going to

monitor most often I would say both for

progression but also content release

Cadence you know that's a big part of

how quickly we want to release content

because we want to make sure that

players have hit an appr appropriate

power level before we're putting new

content in front of them or a new

vertical Chase in front of them as you

said uh so that's a big part of that uh

it's one of the reasons why for example

we don't plan to release uh tier 2 gear

when we release our two star dungeons um

we think that you know we will end up

releasing those sooner than they were in

Korea and if we release tier 2 gear we

think it's too fast you know it's not

appropriate for a player base to have to

move that quickly into the tier 2 gear

set uh so we're very aware of that and

we absolutely want to make it so that

players feel that they have a chance to

really progress through what they're

experiencing right now get a full build

enjoy that build uh before they enter

kind of another Chase for power so are

you saying that you're going to make

sure that the pacing is done in a way

where free-to-play players are going to

reach caps be able to enjoy being at the

same level of players who are paying um

before you re reach before you increase

the cap and and do things like introduce

tier two gear it's a tough question

because you know that generalizes sort

of an a player base right and so it's l

about the type ofender that you are and

it's more about where is our player base

as a whole moving forward um and so what

I am saying is that we want to make sure

that uh we have our player base in a

healthy state where they're ready for

new content or ready for new progression

um and so it's less about are all non-s

Spenders uh in a certain place and it's

more about is there enough mass in the

audience that we're actually ready to to

bring on new systems or new content Bing

was a major issue in Korea huge issue um

from my understanding obviously a lot of

things have been changed in Korea with

how you go about upgrading your gear and

from my understanding uh some of that

was done to combat botting Now Bing is

way less of an issue in Korea but

there's also less players playing in

Korea obviously the launch of a game

versus 10 months

later in the west a free-to-play game

usually is just Infested by Bots and AGS

doesn't have the best track record with

Bots when it comes to Lost Arc it has

improved in Lost Arc now tremendously

but the player base also came down

there's going to be a lot of players

playing thrown in Liberty at launch is

there a plan in place to prevent Bing

how confident are you with that yeah so

I think you touched on a good point

which is the Improvement right and I

think there's a lot of lessons learned

that we have from our previous games

that we're bringing into throning

Liberty so that we're more prepared at

launch time um there's several things

that we're doing for bot detection and

other things um so we are heavily

focused on making sure that we're ready

to combat Bots and there's probably one

thing that I would kind of explicitly

call out which is there's sort of two re

uh avenues for preventing Bots one is

detecting them and of course trying to

ban them another is just making it more

difficult for them to actually do

business you know how do they impact the

economy how do they exchange goods

things like this um so one of the things

that we'll be doing is our player trust

system so some of our players um from

other games may be familiar with that

we'll be bringing that into thrown in

Liberty as well uh with some

improvements um and the auction house

will be restricted to trusted players um

so that's one of the things we're doing

don't want to reveal too much uh but we

are hyper aware about Bots um and we are

definitely bringing those lessons

learned from previous games into the

throne launch in Korea i l a big

Alliance of players and we were playing

competitively and there is a huge

emphasis uh not exclusive but there is

an emphasis on competitive play between

guilds going for the castle and all

these things there are rankings how hard

are you guys going to crack down on like

AFK macroing is that even allowed uh

boding and essentially kind of cheating

the system because we felt like in Korea

we're going against these other guilds

and alliances that were really cheating

their their activity points and we kind

of felt cheated by the system because

they weren't being banned and we're

trying to do it legit is this something

that you guys are going to crack down on

you know I would think of that as a way

that when I view that it's how do we

uphold the Integrity of the game by we I

mean the publisher we the developer NC

soft the players the community um so we

all have to work together to uphold kind

of the Integrity of the game make sure

that we're trying to stamp out that type

of stuff I'm not personally kind of

responsible for the policies and

procedures we have for that we we have

separate teams that really monitor and

do all of that but my opinion as a

player as a personal player is you know

that type of blatant cheatting doesn't

belong in the game and so I think that

we will make an effort on that to be

clear is AFK macroing going to be

allowed I believe in NC at I believe in

Korea NC soft did make a statement

because at the TL Meetup Korean players

pressed them because there were a lot of

Korean players that are like hey um you

know you have a uh a specific mouse that

allows kind of like macroing and stuff

is this allowed you know this isn't Bing

it's AFK macroing are you guys going to

allow it because I believe ncof said no

for the Korean version yeah I mean what

I think is that you should be at your

station if you're playing the game if

you're on a PC or on Console since we're

crossplay you should be sitting at your

keyboard if you're playing the game um

and so that's the type of Integrity that

we hope to maintain within thron and

Liberty so Milestones are a big thing in

throne when can we if you can answer

when can we expect the first castle

Siege to take place uh yes so Milestone

system I want to say two things about it

one is it will be a little bit sped up

um compared to what it was in the Korean

launch um and so that will play out in

various types of content not just the

castle Siege as you said Boon stones and

World bosses and stuff like that right

now the cast Castle Siege which you will

notice at launch in the Milestone system

but it's set for Mid November um so

roughly that six to seven week Mark

after after launch is what it set for

right now we monitor it you know maybe

the as I mentioned before the audience

isn't quite ready for it the player base

isn't quite ready for it um so we might

make an adjustment but that's what it's

you know we're targeting mid November

right now do you have any timelines in

mind when you will when you are planning

on introducing tier 2 gear it's a tough

question

because we have to see how our players

progress you know we have some idea of

it because you know we've looked at some

of the anonymized data from the Korean

service so we have some idea of how

players progress through thrown in

Liberty of course um but we're a

different region you know things have

changed in the game the pacing at which

you might be able to progress is

different uh maybe some of our rewards

have increased or decreased you know all

of these things play a factor nobody's

actually played this version of the game

yet um and so we do have a Target that

we're looking at which is probably in

late q1 but let's see you know let's see

how the players progress we want to be

flexible because what we don't want to

happen is that we're just gatekeeping

content we don't feel that's the right

thing to do so we want to have Targets

in mind that we're aiming for or

shooting for but if it's appropriate we

want to move that forward Ward or

backwards to make sure it matches the

pacing of our players to Landry was a

huge expansion that just dropped I mean

it was massive the world size almost

doubled and along with it came a lot of

content do you have any timeline for

maybe when tandry is going to come out

yeah I think I'm going to sound like a

broken record a little bit here uh so

quickly just say again I think it

depends a little bit on how players are

consuming the existing content pre

tandre um but we are targeting for late

q1 there so runes trait resonance

substance TR

for those of you who don't know what

that is it's more vertical progression

keep in mind you have to add vertical

it's the vertical progress game this

isn't like a Guild Wars 2 this is a

vertical prog progression game game has

been out for 10 months in Korea and this

was the latest vertical progression

systems introduced to the game uh along

with the Tandra expansion how long do

you think until we get those yeah those

are a bit trickier because you know I

would say they're not in our launch

version uh so they won't be there in our

launch version and that's something that

we're still working with NC soft we

think maybe it needs to mature a little

bit more before we bring those systems

into our version um so we don't actually

yet have a full timeline because we're

still working through that with ncof

figuring out what types of tweaks um we

can make into them what we don't want to

do is introduce systems that are you

know not really ready or going to be

really favorable for our player base um

so that's why they're not in our game

yet what I would say is that we have

pled specifically to not introduce runes

and trait residents at the same time uh

this just kind of goes back to what you

were mentioning before about the

progression um and we feel that that's

probably a little bit too much um

especially because as maybe we're

catching up or going a little bit faster

um than the Korean Service um we don't

want our players to feel a little bit

too much pressure there so we do plan to

release runes and trade resonance at

separate times for those of you who

don't know the sign significance of that

it that's significant that's that's

awesome I'm actually like I'm hearing

this for the first time and that I think

that's fantastic I think that's really

goodes I want to follow that up with

another question though because runes

are directly tied to challenge dungeons

now challenge dungeons is something I

feel like a lot of people are looking

forward to for those of you who don't

know challenge dungeons are essentially

like Mythic plus dungeons but in thrown

Liberty does that mean we're not going

to really see that content until

obviously the runes are released way

later then well first of all I don't

know that the runes necessarily have to

come way later you know let's see if we

can make those tweaks or adjustments

that are needed that we feel like the

system is where our player base would be

happy with it um but I don't think that

those systems necessarily have to be

connected I know they are right now as a

reward structure but I think other

things could be found there so I I

wouldn't say that challenge and runes

have to be together they are right now I

would say it's probably a goal of mine

personally that they still be um but we

want to make sure that they both make

sense but they don't have to be together

so there is a CH there is a possibility

that some of the content that we get in

our game will give different rewards

possible It's Tricky it's a tough answer

because as I mentioned before we want to

be in this kind of one version um so

really it's more about how do we work

together with noft that we create a

palatable version for all players you

know all International Players across

all regions and that's that's kind of

that sweet spot we're striving for

gotcha substance transformation is a

system that I there's no way I can

explain it right now for this video but

you can look it up but this is you

essentially feed gear into a system and

then you get these fragments that are

used for the trait residence as well as

as well as gear like a random piece of

gear this is a system where a lot of

people feel like could completely change

the launch of the game which you

confirmed it's not going to be in our

launch simply because you can get boss

gear that hasn't really been unlocked

when you do introduce the system if you

do introduce the system my question to

you would be number one are you planning

on making any adjustments and number two

well I guess this is the same thing as

number one but like like would you lock

out specific pieces of gear from being

obtainable through that system yeah I

think this is a good example of where

different rewards could be possible

mainly because we're at a different

state in the in that player Journey that

we talked about before right yall are

already in the level 55 cap in the

Korean Service our players won't be

there and so uh this is an area where

we'll definitely make sure that the

rewards are appropriate for substance

transformation I think it's not as black

and white though as will you ever be

able to get this item or that item it's

more about when could you possibly get

certain items from from Key Systems is

it a situation where many players have

had a chance to earn them kind of the

traditional way and this is an

opportunity for for some players to

catch up or things like that so there's

more Nuance to it than I think just yes

or no uh but absolutely we'll make sure

the rewards are kind of tuned

appropriately for when it releases um

and yeah I would say the system is is

not going to release in its current

state it we'll have to go through a

little bit more kind of maturity before

we release it in our version also one

more thing substance transformation not

being in our version trade residence not

being in our version out launch for the

foreseeable future very very good

especially towards freetop playay

players great change happy um uh server

merges this is a part of thrown in

Liberty for those of you for those of

you who don't know uh it was always kind

I think it was planned from the start

from day one even in Korea that servers

were to be merged hitting the top guilds

in alliances from their respective

servers against each other there's all

there's also obviously cross server

content and stuff when can we expect

server transfers to happen in our game

you know I would frame the response a

little bit differently because I

actually don't think think that time is

the real factor for Server merges I

think it's what's the population look

like um what does the community look

like in that server is there healthy

competition between guilds or has a mega

Alliance form that's kind of weeding out

competition and those types of factors

are significantly more critical than

just time um so you know maybe this

sounds a little bit like a Dodge but I

really believe this it's not hey we've

reached this point it's time to merge

it's let's evaluate each server on a

case-by casee basis let's see is the

community healthy in that server are we

getting the types of players that they

want and if we are then we want to you

know of course enable that merge um

we're not afraid to do it we're we're

open to doing it we're willing to do it

but when the time is or when the moment

is right because it's not about timing

would it be possible for regional for

Regions to be merged so like na West and

NA East you know that's something that

we've talked about a little but we've

been really so focused on launch it you

know it hasn't been a major Point are

now so we're really focused on launch at

this point can we ever expect the global

version of third and Liberty to catch up

to the Korean version yeah it's a dream

uh for sure right you know it's one of

our goals to catch up I would say it's

it's more like reaching near parody um

because there are always things that we

need to do as the publisher before we

can kind of release certain content uh

localization QA if there's

infrastructure changes needed so all of

this has to be considered uh but it is

our goal to kind of get to this near

very near parody State what I will say

though is that we are you know this is

one of the great things about having a

strong relationship with NC s is that

we're working closely with them so that

we can have certain pieces of content

that do launch at parody um with the

Korean Service uh the first of those

will be the Halloween event that's

coming up later this month so that will

be the same event going on in Korea and

um in the AGS version um there's some

other stuff that I won't I won't spoil

yet but there's some other stuff coming

there's some other stuff coming soon uh

maybe in the December update following

up on that games like Black Desert

online have actually caught up and

sometimes they're like a week behind

lost St lot closer but they're still

months behind do you think it's possible

that the global version of Throne will

ever get to the point where it's maybe

like a week behind that close or is that

probably not possible I think it's just

it's tough to answer right now um

because we're not even live yet you know

we need to see what types of challenges

we have in a live setting when we're

getting new builds getting new content

and I think it also just it depends on

what content is coming as well you see

right now for example example we're not

releasing substance transformation or

other of these types of things that we

think still need some tweaks and if we

feel strongly about that in other cases

we want to make sure that we're only

giving content that's you know going to

be uh really good for our players so

it's just a really tough thing to say in

black and white yes or no one of the

most popular questions that I've been

hearing that I really haven't heard a

solid answer on is Lucent being account

bound now in Korea it's bound to your

character or excuse me your account so

if I have it on this this character and

I'm and I'm rolling on this server with

a different character I still have the

same amount of Lucent what's going to

happen with Early Access and regular

launch October 1st what's going to

happen with the Lucent can I play on The

Early Access Farm Lucent and then use

that Lucent in the regular servers yeah

so Lucent is a count pound uh so just to

clear that up Lucent will be a compound

and if you earn Lucen on one server you

will be able to use it on a second

server okay so here's probably my

opinion the most important question for

for everyone that's playing okay they

just you guys don't know it yet this is

really important in Throne Liberty all

the events the major events they are

scheduled so for example in Korea Siege

is every other Sunday at 900 p.m. local

time all of the guild vers Guild Wars

take place 11:00 p.m. Korean time Ark

bosses take place at 10 p.m. 10 p.m.

right I think 10 I think 10 p.m. uh yes

10 p.m. 9 p.m. yeah 10 p.m. 10 p.m.

local time have you guys decided on what

time these events are going to take

place for the global version I've heard

a lot of people say oh and na it's got

to be

earlier I've heard people say it's got

to be later because of work I feel like

this is very significant because I know

a lot of people from the West want to

play on the East but they might not be

able to actually make some of those

Guild times depending on the on the uh

the the times yeah uh we have decided

the times our plan is to let the players

see that at launch so I won't tell you

what times they are now what I'll tell

you is is two things though one is the

dates so the day of the week that the

events occur have not changed um and we

have changed the times we've brought

them to be not as late so earlier in the

day I'm more in line to what we would

say is kind of the core gaming hours for

our player base so I I I'm just going to

push back a little bit on this one don't

you think it'll be better to let the

players know what time these are take

these these events will take place on

the server so that players can uh better

choose their respective regions you know

I think there's some Merit to that so

why don't we do this I'll take that back

as feedback and then maybe I'll chat

with the team and see if that's

something that we want to put out there

for the players ahead of time I

appreciate that all right so last

question I have to say this I'm going to

get a lot of support from my my KR

veteran okay Brethren whatever um a lot

of us call thrown in Liberty tanks in

Liberty it like tanks are insanely

powerful okay but the core of my

question is more will amaz or excuse me

will NC soft or how much will NC soft

actually uh how much will they listen to

the global audience when it comes to

balce Patches because sometimes metas

are different perspectives are are

different will we be heard in the west

if we think a weapon like sword and

shield is insanely overpowered and

something needs to be done but let's say

the Korean audience is just like

whatever about it will we be heard yeah

I mean I think you will I think that NC

soft is already showing that um we're

already showing that we've been

listening to our players in our betas uh

we've been listening to all the

commentary on forums and Reddit and

YouTube and creators um and there have

been as I mentioned before so many

changes to the game already right I mean

I think you would probably say the same

thing um about there being a lot of

changes to the game for the better um as

for example the dynamic event Dominion

mode that's a big one where there was

some unbalance there and they made

adjustments to that or the conquest

battles as well so um I would do expect

that NC's going to continue listening

players from all of our regions

including the AGS region um and I feel

really confident about that yeah Okay I

lied I'm going to ask you one more

question random question I don't know if

this is I don't know if you can answer

this because of perspectives or whatever

but um what class do you

play I play

invocator I don't know what that is

that's that's a little tease for you oh

my gosh okay all right fa what class are

you going to play at launch I don't know

the name of the class but uh I plan on

playing either SNS Greatsword or I might

go off meta and go SNS bow I might

actually do it SNS great sword you mean

Crusader is well that's that's what they

call a a tease in the vi okay I love it

I love it I appreciate that well Daniel

thank you so much for your time I

appreciate the opportunity it's been

it's been a pleasure um guys Throne

Liberty is dropping dep I don't know

when this is going to be published I'm

going to try my best to publish it as

fast as fast as possible Early Access is

dropping on the 26th of this month with

the full release release dropping

October 1st don't forget to like And

subscribe and once again thank you so

much for your time yeah really great