Today Bandai Namco hosted a livestream about its upcoming anime-like MMORPG Blue Protocol.
First of all, we get to see dungeon gameplay, showcasing the new dungeon that will be introduced in the closed beta.
The developers showcased a nice chunk of really spectacular gameplay, showing off party play. Unfortunately they wiped before reaching the boss, but they weren’t far,
The second gameplay setting focused on the arena. Despite the name, it isn’t a PvP feature. It’s basically a horde mode prompting players to defeat waves of monsters solo or in a party at ranks ranging from C to S.
You’re also timed, with 30 minutes to get to the end.
Another look at the menus showcases controls customization, including gamepad support. It’s even possible to have a different setup for different classes.
Even more gameplay shows the ability to follow other players automatically.
It’s also possible to simply walk instead of running (which is good for roleplayers).
We get to see “Talk Mode” which is basically the game’s chat. It can be used while walking around.
We learn that in closed beta accessories will be limited, but the developers plan to include about seven slots for the finished game.
The main questline can be played solo and of course, you don’t need to spend a dime in order to enjoy it (The business model was explained last week).
The closed beta will have a party matching feature that allows you to find people to play with, and a menu that can be used to join and recruit other players.
In order to be able to receive loot during combat in the open field, your party needs to deal damage to a monster. Even if someone kills an enemy that you already damaged, they won’t steal your kill.
All players involved will get 100% of the experience and if a quest requires to kill that monster, it’ll count whether a player in the party did any damage or not.
During missions (dungeons, arena, raid, and time attack) everyone gets loot depending on their class.
When there are treasure chests everyone eligible for loot can reap the rewards on the field. In missions, everyone gets it as well.
At the end of a mission everyone will also receive more loot.
This will encourage players to help each other even if they aren’t in the same party.
The day/night cycle will last 48 minutes for one day, so one hour in the game will pass in 2 minutes in the real world.
Dying doesn’t make you lose experience, but in dungeons, you revive with only half your HP and a debuff to your speed.
It’s possible to enter dungeons and raids with a party that doesn’t include the maximum number of players, and others can join after you entered until that number is reached.
There are different chat options including local, field (basically the equivalent of shout in other games that can be seen across an area, and party. The size of the chatbox and of the fond can be customized.
Raids will include 20 players. It used to be 30, but that was adjusted. This change could be reverted after further testing.
A photo mode isn’t in the game for now, but the developers would like to include it going forward.
Exploration will reward players by finding hidden side quests. It’s also important to talk with NPCs.
Asked about the possibility of a global release, the developers mentioned that the intention is to have a global release from the very start as said in Japanese interviews.
To be specific, the developers don’t yet know whether the release will be 100% worldwide or it’ll include only certain regions, and encouraged fans to wait for further announcements.
That being said, the game will launch in Japan first.
If you want to see more, you can take a look at the latest screenshots, the previous images, extensive gameplay footage, at even more screenshots, the previous gallery, some more recent gameplay footage, the previous trailer, the initial announcement trailer and the first screenshots, and the second batch of screenshots, another gallery, another look at the Aegis Fighter class, one at the Twin Striker class, the first look at the Blast Archer, and the reveal of the Spell Caster.
You can also enjoy more videos of the character creation for an older guy, a cute girl, a pair featuring a boy and a sexy older sister-type, and plenty of recent gameplay from the alpha test.
Blue Protocol is an online JRPG in development for PC by a team named Project Blue Sky, which is a joint initiative of Bandai Namco Online and Bandai Namco Studios. At the moment, there is no set release date.
While a western release has not been announced yet, the recent discovery of a career opportunity ad for a localization director strongly hinted to an upcoming English version of the game.
