Do you like free games that require few system resources to run? How about cute games that you can play with your children or your weird friend Tom? I have the perfect game for you! Angels Online. I sat down with Eric Lin, one of the Product Managers over at IGG to talk about their Free to Play (F2P) title that recently released a new expansion titled "The Lost Atlantis".

Allakhazam : Hello! Thank you for sitting down with us to talk about Angels Online!

Eric : Thank you. I’m Eric, the Project Manager for Angels Online. It’s my pleasure to be sharing Angels Online with all your players.

Allakhazam : Can you just tell us a little bit about Angels Online?

Eric : Sure. Angels Online as developed by UserJoy Technology Corp, and it is an IGG published game that prides itself on its cute characters, rich storylines and tons of fancy items.

As a cute MMORPG, it continues to be popular with many teenager players. It offers players various professions and skills to choose from, meanwhile, lovely pets and rides in game are always very attractive. The complete quest system, the funny Totem Battle and Holy Battlefield offer players a shortcut to obtaining abundant reputation and experience. Angels Online also lights up player’s worlds with its cartoonish paintings.

With the release of the new expansion “The Lost Atlantis”, the highest character level in game will be extended to 100. More than that, many new systems such as Card Collection, Gleaming Weapons and Holy Battlefield will be available for all players to enjoy!

Allakhazam : On average, how many players do you have currently playing the game on a daily basis?

Eric : Hmmm…generally speaking, more and more players have joined Angels Online since its closed beta on December 3rd, 2007. We are also expecting a leap in the game population because many old players will come back to the game and many new players will join as well after the new expansion is released. At present, it has more than 10,000 concurrent online players.

Allakhazam : Angels Online is completely free to play? Will that ever change?

Eric : Yeah, it’s totally free to download and play. It is a Free-to-Play MMORPG forever. Players can log into the official website and register for an account. Then download the complete AO game client. After they create a character, they can begin their adventures in Eden and enjoying the game.

Allakhazam : Is there a US server for Americans to play on?

Eric : From the very beginning, Angels Online has always been aimed at the North American market. Apart from ‘Havoc’ which is special for the European players, the other 5 servers are set up for American players in particular because of their close proximity to them.

As one of the biggest game platforms in America, IGG has reliable technological support which guarantees the stability of the game and offers players a smooth gaming experience.

Allakhazam : Currently there are currently fourteen character classes. Are there any plans to introduce new classes in the immediate future?

Eric : At present stage, Angels Online offers players 14 distinct professions including swordsmen, mage, and more. Each profession is unique and charming. If players would like to learn cool skills from more than one profession, this game helps to make their dreams come true. There is no need to create a new character and learn skills. Players can choose the skills they prefer to use from the Skill Angel, an NPC in the game.

Because each character can change its skills with the help of the Skill Angel, each profession in the game is distinct. We currently have no plans to introduce new classes. Players can even create unique professions by learning different skills. But with the release of the new expansion, things may be changed some time in the future. Let’s wait and see.

Allakhazam : There are many different types of spells in Angels Online. How are these balanced between the four magic classes?

Eric : There are four magic classes in Angels Online including Life, Earth, Death and Chaos. Each class has its own strong points and they supplement each other. I’d like to say a little bit about this today.

Life : Life Mages possess powerful healing spells. They can help their teammates restore HP in time. They are very important on a team. A powerful Life Mage decides the team’s progression in an instance.

Earth : Although Earth Mages possess certain healing spells, they are not as excellent as Life Mages. However, Earth Mages have the supernatural power to communicate with monsters. More than that, they can tame these monsters and make them their pets. In a team, Earth Mages help their teammates by healing and doing damage.

Death : Death Mages possess super skills with high damage and added DOT effects. As the only class that can summon in game, Death Mages can summon powerful assistants who are very important for character to level up by killing monsters or in PvP.

Chaos : Chaos Mages are unable to cause the kind of outstanding damage that Death Mage deal. However, Chaos Mages can make enemies scared with their AOE skills when they face many monsters or enemies in an instance or a PvP battlefield.

In a word, each class has its own characteristics. Only the cooperation among classes can help the team win in battle.

Allakhazam : On the subject of class balance, what kind of issues have you encountered balancing these 5 very distinct melee classes?

Eric : Well, the five melee classes include Protector, Warrior, Swordsmen, Spearmen and Bowmen. Each team needs cooperation among the different classes to win in battle. I’d like to say there is no one especially strong class in the game. Each class has both strong and weak points.

Protectors are a key member of any team. They feature outstanding defensive abilities but weak offense. Their class name implies self-sacrifice, and when players choose this class they should expect to be the one to take a bullet for the team. However, an eligible Protector decides whether the team can win the battle or not.

Warriors are best when using an axe or hammer. They have a strong will and powerful attacks. They are always on the front line of battle right in the middle of the melee. However, they are unable to directly challenge BOSSes because they don’t have the defensive skills a Protector does.

Swordsmen are quick and light on their feet. They can attack and move fast. They help increase the flexibility of a team and the possibility of survival. Swordsmen should learn to control their “Threat” because of their high output damage. Otherwise, they will be unable to heal themselves in time when a BOSS takes aim at them.

Spearmen are the only melee class with AOE skills. They can cause critical attacks on enemies from long-range and be the hero who always saves teammates from a fight.

Archers are as observant as eagles. Their attack scope can reach the upper limit of their eyesight. They can attack enemies from long-range and are used to snipe and pin down enemies in battle.

If you played to a higher level in Angels Online, you should have a better understanding of it.

Allakhazam : Pets have been listed as one of the game’s major features. What role do they play in Angels Online?

Eric : Pets in Angels Online are different from those in traditional MMORPGs. Here pets are useful assistants instead of naive toys.

It is to say pets have their own skills. They can take different shapes depending on how they are raised. From an egg to a medium pet and even to an advanced one, each pet can be distinct because its master raises it differently.  In a word, pets add much more fun to this cute game.

Allakhazam : What kind of PvP exists in game?

Eric : Wow, you just hit the points. PvP is one of the most exciting things in playing Angels Online.

There are four factions in all and each faction has a kind of totem as a symbol. Totem Battles are a fierce competition among the four factions. Guilds from different factions should try their best to protect their totems.

As a symbol of a guild, the totem is the same as the flag in PvP. With a totem, the guilds hope to take over the resources available. When the guild owns a totem, it means that guild members can monopolize the resources where the totem is.

Each totem has 12 frames in which production players can build Defense Towers to protect the totem. If players from other factions would like to capture the Totem, they have to destroy the totem first so that they can control the land.

By all accounts, the Totem Battle in Angels Online is different from the PvP system in other MMORPGs. PvP doesn’t equal to endless killing. It enhances players’ enthusiasm and creates more cooperation among players in the battle.

With the release of the new expansion “The Lost Atlantis”, a new PvP system called ‘Holy Battlefield’ will be available. Players from different factions should capture as many crystals as they can to win the battle.

Allakhazam : Last question! Mounts only seem to be a cosmetic achievement. Correct me if I’m wrong but do they actually provide any beneficial gain to players? Faster run speed perhaps?

Eric : Hehe I like the way you say mounts are cosmetic achievement. Actually rides (mounts) in Angels Online are helpful. Rides bought from NPCs are unable to satisfy most players when they are at a higher level.

It is better for players to finish quests or take part in the PvP events so that they may obtain powerful rides. Of course, if they are brave enough to challenge bosses, they may obtain cooler rides which have much better movement speed, attack abilities and defensive abilities.

Allakhazam : Thank you again for sitting down with us to talk about Angels Online -- we’re looking forward to future enhancements to the game!

Eric : Thank you so much for all these amazing questions. It’s very nice talk with you!

Andrew "Tamat" Beegle
Editor-in-Chief
Allakhazam.com