Lineage, the flagship product released by a small Korean company called NCsoft in 1998, has taken most of the gaming world by storm. NCsoft built an empire, which now expands from Korea to the U.S. and other parts of Asia, on this single product.
What keeps people all over the world coming to Lineage? Many aspects of Lineage are desirable, but it is LineageΓÇÖs core gameplay and episodic updates that get people in the game and keep them playing. Lineage features many sound, proven game systems ΓÇô especially the combat, siege, political, and social systems.
As with the interface overall, one of the key elements of the combat system is its ease of use. Within a couple of minutes, those new to the MMORPG genre know how to fight. The siege system is something unique to Lineage. The ability to lay siege to castles in the game was available in Lineage first ΓÇô and that system has been refined over the last five years. The political and social systems in the game have many layers. Players may hunt in informal groups, form organizations called Blood Pledges (led by a Prince or Princess), or may make alliances with other Princes and pledges to make their power and influence stronger. Newly introduced political system features include village registration, where a player may become an official member of a particular town or village and reap certain benefits for keeping it safe, and the holding the crown as king or queen of Aden. The Prince or Princess who controls Aden CityΓÇÖs castle reaps many rewards, so there is always another pledge plotting to overthrow the current sovereign.
To enhance the solid core gameplay, Lineage has grown in size and in features through the release of episodic updates. These updates generally occur twice a year and give the players a whole new terrain to play in, with new or enhanced monsters, items and game systems. To date, NCsoft has released twelve episodes under the Blood Pledge theme, enhancing the concept of community and introducing new features, regions and monsters. Another grouping of episodes will be released periodically over the next three years. They will focus on conquest and add a new class choice to the existing four classes currently available in Lineage (Knight, Wizard, Prince, and Elf).
Future enhancements players can expect from Lineage include the addition of specialized dungeons and new features to the siege warfare system that made Lineage famous. The upcoming changes promise a more realistic and intense combat experience.
In order to honor the wishes of over three million existing subscribers, NCsoft has decided not to move Lineage to 3D. However, players can expect a more realistic rendition of Lineage in the episodic updates to come.
Lineage’s unique distribution model is also something that interests players. With Lineage, you get free software by downloading it from www.lineage.com, free weekly and episodic updates and free web-based customer support and community features. And …Lineage is one of the few MMORPGs available on the Macintosh platform.
The variety in this game is also a key to its success. Players can choose from four different character classes, with different skills and abilities. Through each class, players have a very different play experience. The complexity of the experience depends on the playerΓÇÖs class and play style. Not only can you develop your character utilizing the skills and abilities inherent to the class, but you can also take specialized quests to prove yourself ΓÇô and gain special rewards as a result. The game allows you to have fun whether you prefer to fight alone or in a group. However, Lineage is a community based game. Players usually have much more fun when they join hunting parties and pledges, giving them the ability to take on hordes of monsters of varying difficulty at once. This gives players a sense of a common goal, and the opportunity to socialize with others. Hunting and laying siege in groups is recommended, but certainly not required.
Lineage is set in the medieval period and based on the Korean cartoon by Il Sook Shin. The premise of the game is that an evil pretender king has taken over the kingdom of Aden. Remnants of the royal family (those of the Prince class) are charged with creating groups called Blood Pledges and taking over the throne, thus retuning the crown to its rightful lineage. As in medieval Europe, there are frequent arguments as to the legitimacy of each Prince or Princess who wishes to take the throne. Therefore, your pledge might take over a castle, but there is always another group ready to take it from you and install the leader of their choice. This yields high-intensity castle sieges that have become the hallmark of Lineage.
An enhancement to the regular Lineage offering, the Lineage team in North America has developed a new server, called Lands of Aden, focusing on the new player experience. Both novices and seasoned MMORPG players are able to take a variety of tutorials when creating a character on the Lands of Aden (LoA) server. The serverΓÇÖs purpose is to match the North American play style and provide better training to take on the dangers of the world.
Come see why Lineage is the worldΓÇÖs largest MMORPG. Experience the excellent core gameplay systems and episodic updates that keep the game fresh. Enjoy the experiences you can have while playing each class type, fighting hundreds of monsters in drastically different backdrops across the land. Play alone or with friends ΓÇô either way, with the simple, mouse-driven interface you will be playing in minutes!
Key Features
ΓÇó3.2 million active subscribers, with capability to handle over 300,000 simultaneous players
ΓÇóMulti-level, stable core gameplay systems
ΓÇóRegular, free episodic updates
ΓÇóHigh tension combat and siege warfare
ΓÇóSimple, intuitive interface
ΓÇó2D graphic and quarter view features, providing a stable environment and broad field of vision
ΓÇóLands of Aden server available, supporting North American play style and new player experience
ΓÇóCommunity activities available both online and offline
