Knight Online Interview with the associate producer Joey Hibbard

Gameogre.com had the chance to talk with Knight Online recently about their game and their recent exciting World Championships.



Gameogre.com: For the benefit of those who are unfamiliar with the game, please tell us briefly about Knight Online?

Joey Hibbard: Knight Online is a Free to Play MMORPG which has a heavy PvP focus. The game takes place in the world of Carnac which is in chaos due to the ongoing conflict between Karus (Orcs) and El Morad (Humans). Not only are these two nations trying to gain control of Carnac but also the clans within each nation are battling for ultimate supremacy.

Gameogre.com: What makes Knight Online stand out among other PvP-heavy MMO's ? Are there any options for players who are focused more on role-playing or PvE?

Joey Hibbard: What really stands out about Knight Online compared to other games is the wide array of PvP options available to the end-user. We have epic wars between Orcs and Humans on a semi-daily basis which typically has up to 600 players battling it out to see which nation will ultimately prevail. After the nation has destroyed the opposing force, they can then invade and lay siege to the home city of the enemy.

This even includes vehicle-like war machines, such as the catapult, ladder trucks and battering rams. Ladder trucks are used to breach the enemy walls while battering rams lets you bash down the gates of the enemy fortification. The most used vehicle is the catapult which is used as a crushing offensive and defensive force.

This is just one of many PvP offerings that Knight Online has. Other then daily events we also have zones where a player can experience the heart pounding action of PvP combat 24/7. While the PvP is what I consider the games focal point, we do also offer much in the way of PvE.

We have a daily PvE event known as the Forgotten Temple which pits a group of players against an onslaught of monsters. We are looking to add additional PvE based events which will be released this year or early 2011.



Gameogre.com: What is the World Champion Tournament all about? How do you win the tournament? Is this an annual event and if so, how long has this been going on?

Joey Hibbard: Knight Online currently has three licenses worldwide; Knight Online Korea, Knight Online Japan and Knight Online World (which is us!). Every year for at least the past 5 years, these three versions of Knight Online have come to battle it out to see who will prevail in a World Championship Tournament. Sometimes this even includes previews of forthcoming content updates; last year players battled over a castle which had multiple operable turrets and traps that could be used to decimate groups of other players.


Gameogre.com: Can you please give us a brief idea of the scope of this event? How many participants are there and how many teams or groups?

Joey Hibbard: The World Championships is based off a round robin system. On a given tournament day the combatants enter a war that can have up to 300 versus 300 battling it out simultaneously. The war lasts 60 minutes and the winner is decided by the nation with the most kills. The loser of the semi-final is eliminated from the tournament and the winner is sent to the finals for the final battle. Typically there is about 2,000 or more users participating through the tournaments duration.



Gameogre.com: What were the prizes up for grabs for the participants and the server?

Joey Hibbard: We are giving out rewards based on our ranking in the tournament and additional rewards to players who played exceptionally well during the tournament. There are several rewards we will be handing out; some of them are still unannounced as they will be delivered next week. One of the items we are planning to give out are silver trophies since we placed 2nd in the tournament. This is a unique item which we have never given out an in event before.

Gameogre.com: What the aim of hosting large scale inter server tournaments such as this is?

Joey Hibbard: It builds friendly competition and it gives players a chance to represent their country, server and clan. If they do well, there is definitely a lot of pride involved and some gloating too.



Gameogre.com: How do you level the playing field for the participants of the tournament?

Joey Hibbard: When logging into the World Championship, all players start off with high stat characters regardless of what class they choose to play as. All players also have the same access to high level armors, weapons and accessories. Basically, everyone is on equal footing for the World Championships.

Gameogre.com: What was the most exciting thing that happened during this year's world championships?

Joey Hibbard: I’d have to say our surprise smashing of Korea in our 2nd match of the World Championship Tournaments. This in large part due to the commanders on our side which were making intelligent strategic decisions and directing players according to cooperative tactics. With their leadership we eventually forced Korea back into their base and lay siege to it with a never ending assault of AOE spells and catapult payloads.



Gameogre.com: Was it a surprise that Korea won the tournament?

Joey Hibbard: Korea is always very organized and seems to have an upper hand against us in every tournament. This year we proved they could be defeated in our first encounter with them, so I had a lot of hope that we could win this year’s tournament; so yes I was a little surprised.

Ultimately, Korea came very prepared for this match and they were highly organized. I felt that we didn’t show the same level of organization as we did in our previous match. We were also outnumbered as the tournament was held during peak hours in Korea, which isn’t the same peak hour for our players.

Next year we will come totally prepared and we will crush them!

Gameogre.com: This year’s tournament is done but I’m sure some of our readers are already considering the idea of joining next year’s event. Any tips for them?

Joey Hibbard: Be a team player! Keep in mind that the rules in the World Championship aren’t the same as regular wars in the game! Some players were confused and tried to kill the Warder and Keepers which is a condition for victory in the normal game, but have no bearing on the score in the World Championship. Also, make sure to login to the World Championship server at least an hour before it starts so that you can get your character fully prepared beforehand. Too many players logged in just before the war started and I am sure they didn’t have enough time to get their characters setup.



Gameogre.com: What’s next for the future of Knight Online?

Joey Hibbard: We are looking to expand our event systems to include some exciting new content and updates to our current events. In November we are looking to release a Castle Siege War update. The way it works now, attackers try to destroy a Crystal Artifact within the walls of a castle while the defenders and allies work together to stop them. In the new system, players will not be able to destroy the crystal but instead the offensive force must capture and control the crystal for at least 30 seconds to gain control over the castle. Once that has taken place, the current defenders will be teleported out of the castle and sent back to the starting area with the other offensive forces. There will also be guard towers added to the defensive fortifications to help aid the defensive armies.

Other than that, we have some other major updates in the works, including a redesign of the Moradon Castle and a brand new kind of event for 200+ simultaneous users to participate in at one time.


Knight Online World – Free to Play Online Fantasy MMORPG & Massive PVP Multiplayer Game – Gamers First