With the North America release of Luna Online approaching, FreeMMOGamer has a chat with Elliott Coward, Producer for gPotato.com. After the releases of Rappelz and Flyff, what can Luna Online offer to the MMO crowd? Read the exclusive interview to know all about it.

FreeMMOGamer: Could you please introduce yourself and explain your role on the development of Luna Online?

Of course. I’m Elliott Coward, Producer of Luna Online for gPotato.com I’m basically the person in charge for the North America release. While we aren’t the developers of Luna Online, (they are based in Korea) I have been working very closely with that team to really tailor Luna to the North American market.

FreeMMOGamer: What is Luna Online, and what are the main features that will distinguish it from other MMORPGs?

Luna Online is a completely socially-focused game centered around a fantasy floating land where players can meet, interact, go on instanced dates with the match making system and even start a family farm. With Luna Online, it´s incredibly easy to distinguish yourself from other players. With more than 40 different job choices and hundreds of unique skills, you can really personalize your character to exactly fit your play style. The robust job system, coupled with the extensive costume and equipment variety, means you’ll be hard pressed to find someone just like you in Luna.

FreeMMOGamer: How does the Match Making System in Luna Online works?

Luna Online takes the typical LFG functionality of many other MMOs and adds a touch of social networking and blogging to the mix. With the match making system (MMS) you get the chance to describe yourself - your likes, dislikes, and even an introduction other players can view any time. The MMS then takes these inputs and compares you with every other player on the server and rates your compatability based not only on complimentary job class, but also also on these personal interests.

When players match above a certain compatilibity level, a special couples-only date instance becomes available, allowing you and your match to select where you want to go, who is paying, and even who gets first dibs on the drops. Just like real dating... to an extent. We currently have 3 date instance environments but plan on more than 10 in the future.

FreeMMOGamer: Luna Online has been successful in the Asian market. Will the US version introduce any significant changes?

Initially Luna Online will follow the same content path; however, we have been working with the developers very closely, and have a lot of input in the development process. We have a lot interesting ideas and plan to really define Luna Online as a Western game, not just another Korean free-to-play MMO. Our biggest change is going to be the EXP curve in general. We have spent a huge amount of time analyzing data to really tweak the game to not have the same sort of hardcore grind at higher levels. I’m not going to say the grind is gone, but the game is significanly more accessible.

FreeMMOGamer: The cute manga graphical style means Luna Online is aimed at younger players?

I think it’s definitely appealing to younger players, but I don’t think it’s the only appeal. It’s certainly an adorable looking game, but as you progress through the game, the art style gets darker and more intimidating, but still maintains the same cute charm throughout. It’s a good balance that is very easy on the eyes. I think that the older gamers may take a while to adjust, but will be sucked in with the gameplay and depth of the content.

FreeMMOGamer: Gala-Net has released some successful games, like Flyff or Rappelz. Have you considered releasing a game that isn’t free to play or you think you’ll stick with this model to the end?

Gala-Net is definitely sticking to the free to play model. We were one of the first in the industry and the free to play market has expanded exponentially in a very short period of time. We feel that the free to play model is the future of not just MMO gaming but gaming in general. With the inevitable pirating of pay to play games, and current economy, we think that free to play is looking much better to gamers than all the other options.

FreeMMOGamer: With the closed beta about to begin and the release date approaching, how high are your expectations right now?

We have been really amazed by the welcome we have received from our community. Our forums went live a bit over a month ago, and since then we have received a huge outpouring of patiently, and not so patiently, waiting posters. We definitely have high hopes for Luna and if the community is any sign, it’s destined for a long life with a very loyal following.

With all the activity we have been seeing, we are really expecting Luna Online to be the first of our next generation of super successful free-to-play games.

FreeMMOGamer: Any specific release date you can give us?

Well obviously the Closed Beta Test will begin on April 17th. That will last about 3 weeks, with Open Beta tentatively scheduled for mid-May, depending on required bug fixes and minor localization changes, of course. Following that we plan on introducing our item shop about one month after Open Beta begins.

We are also planning significant content releases at least every six weeks. These will include things like the level cap being raised, PvP features, as well as many casual features. Of course along with each of these updates there will be a release of new costumes, items, and awesome events to go with it.

FreeMMOGamer: The whole Twitter thing will play a part of the Luna Online universe. Do you intend to use it for special announcements, exclusive events and the like?

Haha, yeah I really enjoy tweeting. I find that I often update my Twitter before I even start to write up the announcements or game blurbs most of the time. It’s just to easy to let people know and then make everything official.

As for exclusive Twitter events, it’s definitely in the plan. Obviously I don’t want to give any specific dates, but there will be time after Open Beta to reward players following and keeping up-to-date with us through Twitter. We know that its the next big thing with social networking and we don’t want to be left behind!

One of the first big plans is going to be a special player shop I’ll host in-game and I’ll tweet coordinates so my Twitter followers can get first dibs on awesome in-game items for dirt cheap.

FreeMMOGamer: Besides playing Luna Online, are you playing any other MMO for now?

Well, one of the downsides of being a gamer and working in the gaming industry is often times you don’t have the time to really commit to an MMO. Most recently I’ve been playing casual games when I’m not playing Luna. The last MMO type game I played for any amount of time was Saga. I met the developers at the SF GDC recently, very cool guys with really interesting and diverse backgrounds. But like I said, my focus is 100% on Luna right now as both a producer and a player. I just hit level 58 on my ‘no-help’ default character on the test server and am still having a blast. Even knowing that I could uber my character I have no desire to do so because it’s just too fun earning everything.

FreeMMOGamer: Thank you for your time!

My pleasure! I’d like players to know that if they have any questions and weren’t covered, I’m almost always on the luna forums (luna-forum.gpotato.com) and always chime in as much as possible! Thanks again for the interview!