GameOgre.com recently had a Q&A session with Thomas McKay of Aeria Games about the North American version of 12 Sky 2. Questions by GameOgre.com are in bold.

GameOgre: What was the reasoning behind having a Twelve Sky 2?

Thomas McKay: There were many things that ALT1 (formerly Gigassoft) wanted to change about Twelve Sky, that they simply could not because of the limitations of the game engine. With the new game engine they have been able to make all of the changes that they saw fit, along with a major graphics overhaul.

GO: How will Twelve Sky 2 improve upon the original?

TM: Twelve Sky 2 is a complete upgrade to the original. It offers a completely automated balance, alliances and faction leaders, improved PVP battles, a 4^th faction (Nangin) and much, much more!

GO: What do you think will separate Twelve Sky 2 from other free MMORPGs when it is released?

TM: The Twelve Sky series offers a unique blend of PVP and player versus environment (PVE) that no other games have been able to offer. Players can PVE to get money, new gear and level up like in other games, but what makes the game play unique is the benefit that they gain from PVP. Players can gain money, experience and gear from PVP! They can also win battle objectives that provide their entire faction with increased experience rates, damage increases and even access to special zones. The Twelve Sky 2 PVP experience is like no other free to play MMORPG on the market.

GO: Will the North American version be identical to the European version?

TM: The North American version of Twelve Sky 2 will have additional features that the European version does not have. Since we have been running Twelve Sky for nearly over a year now, we have a very dedicated player base and we do not want to see their time on the original go to waste. So we will be allowing players to transfer their characters to Twelve Sky 2. We will also be retaining our localization from the first Twelve Sky so those familiar with it should have no problem making the jump to Twelve Sky 2.

GO: When do you predict the game to officially launch? 

TM: We are currently scheduled to enter our first phase of closed beta in April and we are hoping to have it all wrapped up for an open beta in May.

GO: PvP is a major focus in the first Twelve Sky. Can you describe how the PvP system in Twelve Sky 2 works?

TM: Twelve Sky 2 keeps the same PVP focus as the original but adds additional battles for lower level players. Battles start at level 10 now, so every hour players level 10+ can participate in large scale PVP battles. Players who manage to win battles will be rewarded with a large amount of silver as well as experience. There is also an interface for tracking PVP objectives, holy stones and alliances.

GO: How often will updates be made? 

TM: We are working with ALT1 on a daily basis to add new features to Twelve Sky and Twelve Sky so we would like to be able to add an update every 2 to 3 weeks.

GO: Will there be an item shop in the game? If so, will it have any effect on gameplay?

TM: We will be adding an Item Mall to Twelve Sky 2. One of the things we have done with the original is we have tried to make as many of the Item mall items available in game to non spenders. This is something we will continue to do in order to allow more of our players to get the complete Twelve Sky 2 experience.

GO: What is the one feature of 12 Sky 2 that you are most proud of? 

TM: My favorite Twelve Sky 2 feature would have to be the new knock-back feature.

There is nothing more satisfying than dealing a killing blow to an enemy, seeing him launch backward and fall to the ground.

GO: Are there any future features that you can tell us about? 

TM: There are a couple features that are currently in development, the biggest is a new crafting and gathering system. The feature I looking forward to the most has to be the new mount system. I have seen them in game and they are like nothing you have seen before.

GO: Do you any closing comments? 

TM: I would just like to thank the extremely talented and dedicated Twelve Sky community. Without them, Twelve Sky 2 would not have been possible. This is your game and I know you are going to love it! 

Thank you Twelve Sky fans! See you on the battlefield. =)

Thank you for your time!

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