WonderKing Developer Blog

WonderKing is a new 2D, side-scrolling MMORPG from developer Ryu & Soft and Ndoors Interactive, creators of Luminary: Rise of the GoonZu and Atlantica Online. Check in here every two weeks for a new entry straight from the game's developers.

Author: WonderKing

Greetings everyone!

We’ve had several jubilant days of celebration since the launch of WonderKing and we’re excited to see everyone enjoying the game. With commercial release finally here, we decided to host some fun events for everyone to enjoy! We’ve given away 4 different mounts for players, as well as adding the Cloak of Renown and the Antenna Hairband among items that enemies can drop!

As of this moment, preparations are under way for Valentine’s Day. We’re planning numerous events and contests for you to participate in, and our Item Mall is continuing to feature many new and exciting items to enjoy in-game.

Now, all our beautiful female players can flash their pretty eyes, brush their flowing hair, wear stylish dresses and get their very own Candy Basket Ring!

For all the guys out there, you can look sharp and fashionable as well. Get yourself a nice new deft haircut, a fine teddy bear coat and a teddy bear ring! Who knows? Right around the corner, there may be someone that you can impress!

In addition, we currently have an ongoing milestone event called “Share the Wonder”. Share the beautiful world of Windus by bringing in a friend online to inch closer and closer to prizes for everybody in the server! The event features exclusive prizes such as in-game cash items, Game Cards, WonderKing Mouse pads, even iPod Touch’s and an Alienware M17x laptop! Not only that, all users will win an in-game cash item upon every milestone we reach! We have incredible participation in the milestone event and it invigorates us to check back every time to see how many more users are joining us in WonderKing.

So tell your friends to join you in your journey in WonderKing!
 

As we draw closer to Christmas and the New Year, we look back on the months past and are very grateful to our users for testing our Closed Beta phases diligently, in order to make WonderKing better. We are very happy that our GMs were able to interact with the players frequently and provide fun, unique experiences during our Closed Beta phases. We feel very connected with our users and consider ourselves part of the WonderKing community.

Our users make the game better in so many ways: From simple participation in events, to reporting the various bugs throughout Closed Beta, our players have made our holiday season bright. They are a very passionate group of people, but they remain respectful to one another and committed to making the game environment better. In our latest addition to the forums, the Monthly Mentor, we’ve noticed you helping other users, both new and old, and we appreciate it. The community continues to thrive as we look toward the future of WonderKing!

So here’s to you, our players. Thank you for a Wonderful year, and we hope you have a Happy WonderKing Holiday. We look forward seeing you all again in 2010 with the upcoming Open Beta and Launch!

For more information, please visit our website at playwonderking.com/wk.
 

The WonderKing team’s GMs juggle a multitude of tasks. Among their daily duties, the GMs are in charge of managing the game, interacting with the users, moderating forums, and serving as a communication channel between the developers and players. But who are they? What are they like outside the office? We want to take this opportunity to bring a few of our GMs out from behind the computer screen to say hello.

[GM]AK
[GM]AK is a great guy with a very good work ethic. In the office, his main duty is to communicate with the developers and attend meetings with them. He is a reliable channel for other GMs to get their information from and give information to – he makes sure it gets to the right people.

Outside of the office, he’s a jolly guy with a penchant for partying: He lives as hard as he works. As the oldest and most experienced of the WonderKing team, he offers advice to the other members and serves as a mentor. On a more personal note, he is getting married in January to a beautiful girl, and is vibrant as ever as the big day approaches.

[GM]Zabu
Zabu is the head GM of the WonderKing team. His main focus is promoting WonderKing throughout social networks and holding in-game/forum events. He distributes the workload that the WonderKing team receives on an hourly basis and is the most organized member.

Zabu’s favorite past time is reading manga and managing stocks. He has a very formal, businesslike personality at work, but around the WonderKing team and outside the office he is a lighthearted individual. One thing about Zabu – he doesn’t “get” jokes very well… at least not JustWondering’s.

[GM]JustWondering
JustWondering is in charge of balance activities and QA of the game. As the balance project is a big one, he is assisted by the other GMs. His duties include the composition of the balance report from testing, bug report compilations, and assisting Luna in PR articles. JustWondering is known to get lost in what he is working on. Sometimes, if approached or called by name, he won’t hear you because he’s so consumed with what he’s doing. With a mere tap on his shoulder, he will jump out of his seat in surprise. Zabu once sat next to him for ten minutes and JustWondering never even knew he was there.

JustWondering’s main interest is sports. In his time off, he likes to play basketball and is a dedicated fan of the NBA and the NFL. He is also a writer currently working on a story in his free time. JustWondering’s personality is very similar in and out of the office. He is very cheerful, outgoing, and humorous.

[GM]Luna
Luna is the primary PR representative of the WonderKing team. She is well informed in the mechanics of the gaming industry and edits all documents related to WonderKing. She is also an artistically talented individual , which comes in handy when she develops various assets and marketing materials for WonderKing, including the various class videos featured on Youtube.

Luna’s favorite past time is watching anime and shopping on Ebay. She is a very shy person but once you get to know her, she is quite the quirky individual. She is cordial with the other people in the office, and is easily the most amiable person on the WonderKing team.

It was great meeting you! …now we have to get back to work :)
 

During every cool down period, there is always a great deal of work to accomplish and a different set of challenges that the WonderKing team has to face. This is a Behind the Scenes look at the cool down periods of WonderKing.

Closed Beta I – The Weeks Before Launch
Prior to our first Closed Beta, the WonderKing team had many big tasks, but one of which required a great deal of work: Game Text.
We wanted to make sure our text was understandable to all ages. So we worked hard to review the text to make sure everything was written perfectly.
“Even after it was deemed ready to be inserted into the game, I remember so many people working after hours just to make sure that the version of the text we have is perfected upon the launch of our first Closed Beta. We made the effort to color up the text so that they’re not only understandable by players of all ages, but they sound great to readers that enjoy the storytelling element of a RPG,” said [GM]JustWondering.
The WonderKing team finished all the text reviews and they were inserted into the game. Closed Beta launched successfully on June 16, 2009.

Closed Beta I Cool Down Period
During Closed Beta I, the WonderKing team exclusively tested out the second advancement classes. It was the most anticipated feature that we were introducing to the game, so it was tested extensively.
In addition to the second advancement, the WonderKing team focused on the new maps we were introducing. Further text QA, as well as game QA was necessary for this phase. The WonderKing team finished in time for the next phase to launch successfully with these tasks fully accomplished.

Closed Beta II Cool Down Period
When Closed Beta II ended on August 27th, it began the longest cool down period between WonderKing closed betas. This cool down period consisted of game QA activities after new patches were implemented of our newest feature, the Guild War. Upon trials and errors within every patch, it was very important to getting Guild Wars just the way we wanted it.
[GM]JustWondering and [GM]Luna also continued working on articles to further promote WonderKing through various social network channels including Facebook, Youtube, MySpace, etc. This was one of the busiest times for the WonderKing team.
To entertain our fans during this cool down period, the WonderKing team created various events. [GM]Zabu came up with the idea to give our users a great challenge of mounting up fans to achieve certain milestones in Facebook, to give the entire player base to earn a Shabel mount in the next patch. It was a great success and our fans managed to reach the milestone with a week to spare.

Closed Beta III Cool Down Period
This is the cool down period the WonderKing team is currently working on. The team completed its first full 1st advancement balance report.
“I felt that we could improve on the first balance report that we gave out. So what I did was to start on another one as soon as possible,” said [GM]JustWondering, “We’ve taken the initiative to complete this as soon as Closed Beta III started and I am very optimistic this will improve balance in the game”
The most memorable experience during the closed betas is the steady increase of the number of fans on social network sites. The WonderKing social network has been growing steadily ever since they first came to be. Currently, WonderKing Facebook boasts 12,033 fans, MySpace has 1,414 friends, and the forum has 9,910 players communicating frequently with each other, anticipating what the next phase would bring. Even now, the number of fans for WonderKing continues to grow.
We’ve accomplished many things so far so that I’m very proud of our team,” said [GM]Zabu, “However, we aren’t satisfied with just this. We will never stop striving for perfection in WonderKing.”
“I really think that the sky is the limit for WonderKing,” [GM]JustWondering states, “Every cool down period had its own set of challenges, and we conquered them all. I have no reason to believe that we will ever fail. Every set of new challenges brings a test to us, and we are fully equipped to meet that challenge. I can safely say that we are getting closer to the launch of WonderKing with every passing day.”
 

WonderKing events promote every aspect of the game. From In-game events, to social network participation, winning WonderKing events is a joy and the prizes given out distinguish your character from others in the game.
The Signature Event

Before Closed Beta I launched, WonderKing held its events strictly on the forums. We held an event where users were able to customize their signature using WonderKing images. We were blown away by the amazing submissions. The shading and coloring of the signatures were exquisite and extremely detailed. Just from our first event, we understood that the WonderKing player base would be filled with very passionate people who would participate enthusiastically in our events.
The Master of Control Event

During Closed Beta II, we held an event in a WonderKing map filled with traps and obstacles that would put a player’s character control skills to the test. The first person to reach the goal at the very top of the map would garner an exclusive event cape that wasn’t available anywhere else in the game. As you can see, our user turn-out for this event was incredible. We emceed our first in-game event and had our forum moderators participate as well.
Cool down: Facebook Milestone Event

After Closed Beta II, we had a cool down period that lasted over a month. During this time, we worked on improving various aspects of the game, as well as introducing new features. However, due to the length of the cool down period, we felt that we owed it to our fan base to do our best in entertaining them over this long period of time. We held various events, such as a forum submission of comics related to WonderKing, inviting friends to receive exclusive mounts, and completing a maze puzzle that was made for our players. However, none of the WonderKing events to this day compare to the magnitude our Facebook Milestone Event.

The Facebook Milestone was an event that had a major impact on every player in WonderKing, both new and old. There were multiple milestones and we chose 100 winners per milestone to receive an exclusive cosmetic in-game prize, but if our fan base were to reach 10,000 fans before the start of Closed Beta III, every single player in WonderKing would receive a Shabel Mount that a character can ride to drastically improve movement speed. Over the cool down period, some players were skeptical while many remained optimistic. Users reactivated their Facebook accounts just to contribute in the push for 10,000 fans. Our fan base reached 10,000 with a week to spare.

“They know we can't reach 10,000 fans and that's why they set such an unbelievable prize. If only I can see the shock on their faces if we managed to reach 10,000 fans.”
- Kill3rThird, forum user.

To this day, we are very proud (and a little shocked!) to have reached this goal.

Closed Beta III Events and more to come
During Closed Beta III, we’ve held numerous events. There have been a variety of challenges: survive one minute against the Game Masters in a PvP duel, a hide and seek event called “Seek Your GM,” and many Halloween events that rewarded players with tons of great prizes.

Closed Beta III wrapped up today, November 12th, 2009. We are already in the planning stages for even better events during future phases. We are thrilled to hold events and are delighted to see that our users love to take part in them so much. WonderKing events will continue to be exciting occasions for old and new players alike.
 

WonderKing’s social networks serve as a direct channel where our users can find information about ongoing events as well as up-to-date WonderKing news. We use these channels to communicate with our users in an informal tone, so that we can have a more personal relationship with our fans. Currently, we use Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace as our primary social sites that coordinate information to promote WonderKing.

We have our largest following on Facebook. We held an event during the cooldown period between Closed Beta II and III that encouraged users to bring in their friends to form a fan base in Facebook that is ten thousand strong. Even after said event, our fan base continues to grow. As of right now, there are 11,749 fans. You can also find cool photos of our WonderKing team’s trip to Austin GDC 2009 and screenshots of the first in-game event we held, “The Master of Control Event.” (http://www.facebook.com/WonderKing)

Twitter is quickly becoming the next social phenomenon, and WonderKing is not missing out. We decided to do something unique with Twitter – have our GameMasters (GMs) socialize with the users. We want our users to feel that our GMs are available, even for a short conversation. Currently, [GM]Zabu (http://twitter.com/GM_Zabu) has 662 followers, [GM]Luna (http://twitter.com/GM_Luna) has 394 followers, and [GM]JustWondering (http://twitter.com/GM_JustWonder) has 454 followers. Feel free to drop by for news about WonderKing, or just to have a casual chat with a GM!

Myspace is the newest addition to the various WonderKing social networks. The WonderKing page was formed late September (http://www.myspace.com/playwonderking). In less than a month, our network of WonderKing friends quickly grew to 1309. We anticipate even a larger increase in the number of friends over the next month.

Additionally, we currently have a YouTube channel that we use to display the action in WonderKing. We have ten videos consisting of each class’s moves, a PvP video between two of our GMs, and a riveting compilation video of various WonderKing skills. Be sure to check them out at http://www.youtube.com/user/GMLunaWKO.

WonderKing social networks have been a huge success. The social sites emit a vibrant, friendly environment that welcomes all ages to enjoy themselves and lounge around. Be sure to stop by and say “hello!”
 

 Mages have the two most contrasting skill paths of any character class in WonderKing. One path leads to the most powerful spell caster in the game: the Wizard. The other leads to becoming the most essential member of any group: the Priest.

Initially, Mages get off to a slow start due to their dependence on their mana supply. Their low vitality combined with the mana drain involved in essential spellcasting forces them to drink a lot of positions, and the cost adds up quickly. Furthermore, their lack of combo attacks makes it tough for Mages to hold their ground, especially compared to other classes. However, despite their shortcomings, they are by far the most powerful “area–effect” magic class. Given time, Mages attacks can do status ailments on multiple enemies with a single skill, while dealing devastating damage. They also gain the “Magic Shield” ability that serves as a powerful line of defense, bolstering their current physical armor while converting some of the damage taken into mana. For the patient player, Mages are one of the most rewarding characters in the game.

At level 30, Mages make a major decision; they can either become a dynamic damage-dealer or WonderKing’s best support class. Wizards are masters of elemental magic, while Priests are skilled healers who are essential for successful party play.

Wizards start off fairly simply as they bolster their previous elemental talents. Upon reaching mid-level, their spell arsenal becomes a major force to reckoned with. Gifted in the use of elemental magic, Wizards are able to sprout volcanoes from the ground, summon bolts of lightning from the sky, and launch a legion of ice needles at enemies. These abilities are useful for more than simply attacking foes. The volcanic eruption stops enemies in their tracks, stunned by the fiery boulders that shoot up from the ground. The lightning bolts can shock enemies, while the ice needles push enemies back and freeze them in place. A Wizard excels in burst damage, taking away a chunk of an enemy’s health at once, but the cooldown in their ability forces them keep a safe distance. To keep clear of foes, Wizards have a teleportation ability in lieu of the other characters’ dash. The teleport ability moves the Wizard further than a regular dash, while bypassing all physical obstacles that get in the way. This is a unique feature given only to Mages. Upon reaching level 80, Wizards delve into the realm of dark magic, adding to their already impressive knowledge of elemental manipulation. When they harness the darkness, Wizards earn the right to call themselves Warlocks.

Priests take the opposite approach of Wizards. They have the largest supply of character enhancements with which to bolster their party, as well as curative magic to help their allies stay in combat longer. Priests are indispensable when parties explore a dangerous dungeon. While they don’t deal the most damage, they are not to be underestimated. The Priest is able to launch an exploding Holy Cross from their staff, knocking enemies back multiple times and stunning them in the process. Although the Priest does not boast a great defense, enemies will learn to regret attacking this holy warrior. The Priest can summon a holy bolt, harness it and turn it into armor. This divine might will instantly strike any foe who dares to approach. At level 80, the Priest becomes a Saint. This powerful character is loved by the gods, protected by the divine, and revered as a hallowed being among humans.

The Mage class may suffer at low levels, but quickly becomes a powerful character with highly sought-after skills. Higher level Mages make great partners, filling both destructive and supportive roles. Mages are easy to overlook, but deep down they are a powerful ally and an asset to any battle.

When it comes to the Thief class, there are two ways to play – as a ranged attack-based character throwing ninja stars or as a melee-based character wielding twin deadly blades.

A ranged Thief is able to keep enemies at bay from afar. They are also able to repel enemies by spinning their bodies, creating a tornado that launches enemies in the air. Ranged Thieves don’t mind being surrounded by enemies, since they have the agility required to throw multiple ninja stars in both directions. With the addition of powerful defenses, a clever ranged Thief is a nightmare to any foe.

A melee-based Thief takes chances by diving head-first into hand-to-hand combat. He doesn’t mind rolling the dice, and likes to get up close and personal with his enemies. Playing a melee Thief can be tough, but also very rewarding once you learn to keep your foes at a safe distance. Due to their low health, they are not able to take many hits, but make up for it with their utility skills. After each attack, there is a slight cooldown period for every class. Thief players must not overlook this strategic opportunity. In that vulnerable instant, the thief can hurl sand at their enemy to slow them down. A melee Thief can juggle enemies in the air using a variety of twin blade and kicking techniques. They are, by far, the most nimble class in WonderKing.

Upon reaching level thirty, a Thief has two unique ways to evolve. Ranged Thieves will follow the path of a Ninja, the cunning shadow of the night, whereas melee Thieves prefer the path of the Rogue, the elusive opportunist.

A Ninja has mastered the flow of their inner spirit. They never lose their cool and maintain a focus as sharp as a blade. Ninjas are able to channel fire from their lungs to burn enemies or summon a sphere of pure energy into their palms. The Ninja’s agility allows him to fling explosive daggers that erupt in a fiery explosion. They may also hurl a smoke bomb to disorient their opponents or pass by undetected. At level eighty, a Ninja evolves into an Assassin, the agent of deception and true master of shadows.

The melee-based Rogue is the aggressive phantom of darkness. Fancying themselves as sneering nightmares of the underworld, Rogues enjoy rushing up to their enemies before they have a chance to react. Opponents who strike the Rogue will be met with a sinister grin, because the Rogue has already launched a counter attack. Terrified enemies who attempt to flee will be dragged back into combat by a chain sickle. Frozen with fear, they forfeit their lives to the Rogue’s swift attacks. Rogues are powerful opponents who have mastered the one-hit kill. At level eighty, the Rogue advances to Knave, the poison-wielding, remorseless joker.

The Thief class is one that favors quickness over power, and his fast attacks can add up in a hurry. When mastered, Thieves can seize even the slightest opportunity to counter-attack their enemies and turn the tides of battle.
 

The Scout is a ranged-class character, equipped with evasive maneuvers and defensive spells. Scouts are experts in dictating the flow of combat and are masters of manipulating enemies like a puppet master and its dolls. When we designed the Scout, we wanted the player to have various options available at all times. For a person to excel as a Scout, he or she will need quick thinking and foresight. A Scout’s main stat is dexterity, the stat that increases hit-rate. Hitting every shot is very critical to damage output as well as the manipulation of combat. To truly control a battle, a Scout will need to think ahead and be one step quicker than the opponent.

Scouts have two weapons in their arsenal: guns and bows. Bows have a faster attack speed and fire twice on every other shot. Guns have a slower attack speed, but do more damage with each shot. Each type of weapon has unique strategies. For example, a Scout using a gun’s slower attack speed would have to employ clever tactics to make an opponent think that he or she could launch a successful attack on the Scout, only to have the Scout cancel the attack and use a quick back-step to leave the enemy exposed.

At level thirty, a Scout is at a crossroads of two incredibly different paths: ranged dominance or organized chaos. A Scout can advance to Archer to rule the world of ranged attacks. Or, the player can advance their Scout to a Gunner. This character is a wild cowboy who can seemingly be everywhere at once.
An Archer uses the power of Mother Nature to deliver deadly attacks. They call upon fairies that guide an arrow to mercilessly pierce their enemies. They are also able to summon magical projectiles that become devastating cyclones upon contact with the enemy. Mother Nature will never leave her child unattended. Archers can summon roots from the ground to trap earthly foes in place, giving the Archer numerous options in eliminating them. An archer can conjure leaves defensively, or attack enemies with their sharp leafy blades. Although novices in the art of natural magic, upon reaching level 80, they are able to advance to Ranger, the guardian of all animals.

A Gunner presents Windus with a combination of the Wild West and futuristic machinery. Gunners are fearless renegades who crash into enemies by rolling through melee range and knocking down everything in their path. They are able to use a shotgun that scatters bullets, knocking back all enemies within a short range. When push comes to shove, a Gunner will pull out a bazooka to blast enemies away with thunderous impact. When a Gunner reaches level 80, they may embark on a quest to become the expert of untamed fusion skills, the Gunslinger.

The Scout class has a higher learning curve than other classes. However, when mastered, they can become deadly opponents who are both feared and revered.
 

The Swordsman is a melee class with defensive talents that can equip both a one-handed sword and shield, or a two-handed sword. A lot of their damage output is dictated by their weapon, but the fluidity behind their role lies in their choice of sword. With a one-handed sword, a Swordsman has a shorter reach in comparison to the two-handed sword, but their physical defense is greatly enhanced by the option to equip a shield. With a one-handed sword, the damage they can inflict upon enemies is very stable and they can knock enemies back with a shield. With a two-handed sword, the amount of damage a Swordsman can dish out is unpredictable. For example, if a one-handed sword can do 250-255 damage, a two-handed sword will do 100-450 damage. The potential to inflict great damage unto enemies lies in the rage behind a great claymore, whereas the ability to protect your allies is embedded in the fortitude of a shield.

A Swordsman’s skills work harmoniously with each other. Combos that a Swordsman can perform are easy to use, and devastating to opponents. The first three skills that a Swordsman obtains are Upper Flash, Flame Break, and Crash Down or Shock Stinger, depending on which skill tree you want to climb. Using these skills in the proper order will set off a combo chain. Upper Flash will knock enemies into the air, Flame Break will launch them far away, and Crash Down or Shock Stinger will propel your character forward and finish them off with overwhelming force.

At level 30, a Swordsman’s talents are greatly enhanced upon completing the character advancement quest. This is where your character faces a difficult decision between two paths that will determine the fate of who you will be: A Warrior; an unstoppable force, or a Knight; an immovable wall.

Choosing the path of a Warrior will give you only one choice: live and die by the sword. As a Warrior, you must be willing to sacrifice your own life force to take down the enemy. A Warrior harnesses the blaze of an inferno, binds it to a two-handed sword, while burning oneself in the process, to deal an impressive amount of damage. Excelling in the obliteration of all that oppose you, a Warrior’s melee talents are unquestioned. Upon reaching level 80, a Warrior will be allowed to evolve into the reckless zealot known as the Berserker.

A Knight’s path is one of courage and sacrifice. A Knight is the first person to charge into battle and take enemies head on. A Knight’s extraordinary defense allows the class to be the first and only choice as a party’s main tank. As a holy soldier, a Knight is able to utilize a wide variety of light-based attacks that is able to electrify enemies into submission. Upon reaching level 80, a Knight will be allowed to evolve into a celestial champion, the Paladin, Windus’ greatest shield.

The Swordsman class is very well-rounded and has a high ceiling. Strategies and how you play your character may alter depending on which path you take and what skills you invest in, but both advancements are very fun to play.