Today we present this exclusive interview with Rolf Kloeppel, Neonga CEO, about their first client-based MMORPG, Dragon Soul.

First of all, could you introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi, my name is Rolf Kloeppel, I'm the CEO at Neonga. DragonSoul is our first client-based MMORPG so I am really looking forward to present this great game to our players. I would like to thank you for the opportunity to introduce our upcoming Free-to-Play MMORPG DragonSoul to your readers.

How would you describe DragonSoul to someone who has not heard about it before?
DragonSoul is a PvP focused 3D-MMORPG. In battles players have to prove themselves and try to become the king of one of the eight rival kingdoms. DragonSoul has a competitive gameplay in which the best skilled and tactically organized fighters will be superior and rule over thousands of other players. Tactical decisions before the start of a battle determine the outcome. Players can also actively shape their own world by deciding whether a peaceful or aggressive king shall dominate their kingdom.

Why did you call the game as DragonSoul? What does it mean (aside from the obvious)?
Large parts of the game are based on ancient Chinese history and mythology - especially the period known as the "Three Kingdoms" period. At this time the DragonSoul was used as a royal insignia and was also known as a character trait. The story starts with the death of the great Liu Bei in the year AD 223 and takes place in the Zhongyuan area. After Liu Bei's death the leaders of the provinces could not agree on the emperor's succession and decide to wage war against each other.
The Chinese emperor's carried the dragon not only in their official seal but it is said that only the chosen one blessed with the soul of a dragon will be able to unite the eight kingdoms and become the new emperor and the sole ruler.

What’s the current status of the Beta? Is there a date for the first Closed Beta, the Open Beta or the final release?
Actually we are already accepting closed beta applications and as soon as the closed beta starts we will select a number of players from the list and invite them to join us on our mission to optimize the localization of the game and find bugs. The good news for everyone who isn't included in the earlier phases of our closed beta tests is that we are trying to limit the timespan these phases take to a few weeks only. So the time between the closed beta, the open beta and the launch won´t be long.

Could you give us a sneak peek of the backstory?
Will try to do that, but it is hard to condense this huge story. For better a comprehension of the shattered world of DragonSoul I will sum up the keys facts.
After the fall of the mighty dynasty a century ago, the once united empire has fallen apart. Now the eight remaining kingdoms are at war, locked in a struggle for supremacy. Now it is up to the player to choose which of the rival kingdoms he wants to fight for. The contribution of any player is crucial for the success of his fraction.

Let’s talk about features. What are the main features of DragonSoul?
In DragonSoul players can actively influence their social environment. It is up to them who shall be king and how the kingdom develops. This also includes the answer to the question whether there should be war against another kingdom or peace. Another great feature of DragonSoul is the extensive pet and mounts system. Over 200 different pets and about one hundred different mounts grant the players not only a faithful companion but also a tactical opportunity. The ability of the player to use his pets and mounts has a major impact on the outcome of battles.

The political system seems to be impressive. Is it true that anyone can be King?
Basically everyone can become king. But it is necessary that the player is the leader of a legion - an alliance of up to ten individual guilds. The political system is a core feature of this game which gives the PvP part of the game a deep gameplay experience. Players can vote their king in a fortnightly election. The king then promotes his chancellor and his field marshal/general. Besides that the king can form alliances between the 8 kingdoms and the chancellor can raise taxes. The field marshal/general can build defensive buildings which are essential for the safety of the kingdoms borders. To be elected as a king should be an honor to a player. He is the highest representative of his homeland, and for that reason has a lot of responsibility. The king’s task is to ensure that rival factions won´t raid the kingdom, moreover as in real politics, he has to ensure that all secretaries fulfill their duties. In return for their hard work the whole kingdom will gain many different benefits and of course the king and his counselors will receive special rewards, carry special titles and use exclusive mounts and pets.

From your point of view, why this game is more fun than others?
DragonSoul blends the best of classical MMOs and new-gen MMORPGs. Like in older MMORPGs, alliances and teamplay are getting more important and on the other hand DragonSoul features elements from new MMORPGs like harvesting resources, crafting items and support the guild. Players are fighting not only for themselves but rather for a whole virtual nation. Especially for players loving competitive gameplay and the social aspects of a virtual life within a guild DragonSoul is a game to consider. The combination of great graphics, an enormous variety of content, a challenging endgame experience and the fact that the game can be downloaded and played for free is the key to success in my point of view.

How does it differ from other games?
As far as I know there is no other game that comes along with a feature setup like DragonSoul. You have a huge political framework within epic PvP battles, the necessity to contribute to a whole nation, the opportunity to not only partake in the PvP battles but also to support one's guild and legion through crafting and gathering, breeding pets and much more.

Would you like to add something?
If you’re interested in “DragonSoul” visit Dragon Soul if you haven’t signed up for the beta of “DragonSoul”, yet! We will cater closed beta accounts on a first come first serve basis.

Thanks you so much. It’s always a pleasure.

The pleasure is all mine

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 13th, 2011 at 11:00 pm and is filed under MMO News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.