Greetings, Regulars!
This is <Tower of God: New World> PD. Eonsan Jeong.
As the air has become quite chilly, it feels like winter is just around the corner.
I hope you prepare well for the upcoming winter and always stay healthy.
It's already been 3 months since we've been together.
Thank you for your continuous support and suggestions for improvements, even in the face of various shortcomings.
This Dev. Note will talk about various topics, including what is currently being prepared and future improvements.
We will also share more details on the new events and content mentioned in our Roadmap.
Shall we begin? I will talk about each topic in detail.
First, I’d like to talk about what is currently being developed after receiving our Regular’s suggestions.
I really wanted to talk more often about the suggestions we receive, but first we have to evaluate if it's possible to apply them, and then check internally when those suggestions could be implemented.
Despite our efforts, it was not possible to include everything, so we ask for your understanding.
We will always share details related to your suggestions and bring updates related to what is currently being developed through the Dev. Notes.
1. Adventure Mode Difficulty and Rebalancing Rewards
As the number of Regulars playing the game increased, we also increased the No. of Floors in Adventure Mode, quickly increasing the difficulty level. However, we received messages mentioning how the Reward doesn't really match the level of difficulty to clear certain floors.
The main goal of <Tower of God: New World > is to pass the Tower’s test and climb to higher floors,
so we felt the need to keep providing this type of fun to our Regulars.
However, as mentioned through your suggestions, it had the opposite effect, and after reaching certain Floors, the difficulty and rewards did not make the experience more fun.
This is a point we want to make direct improvements on.
To make sure the Rewards match the higher Floors’ difficulty, we are reviewing the difficulty level and increasing the rewards from Floor 16 and above, where the difficulty increase is steeper.
This balance adjustment is being prepared aiming for implementation in the 11/15 Update.
We will share more information on the final adjustments once they are ready.
The adjustment’s goal is to make sure climbing the Tower remains fun, so even after the Update we will keep doing our best to keep filling in any gaps that may appear in the future.
2. New Summon Record Search Function
As promised, we are currently preparing a ‘Summon Record Search’ function.
We shared through the Dev. Note #2 that a function to check the number of times a certain Teammate was obtained through Summon was being discussed and prepared.
This function is being prepared, aiming for implementation in the 11/29 Update.
The history will be available for each Summon category (Welcome / Regular / Friendship) in the Summon page.
Here’s a sneak-peak on what the screen will look like.
[Summon Record Screen Sample (in development)]
* The content is currently under development and is subject to change by the time of the Update.
A [Record] button will be added to the Summon screen, and the above interface will be displayed by tapping it. Through that screen our Regulars will be able to see which Teammate was obtained when.
However, Summon Record represents a large amount of data that needs to be stored yet is not essential for game access and general use, and storing such data brings logistic issues related to keeping this data available for a long time.
Because of that, an efficient data management system must be implemented and cared for frequently to prevent accumulated data from affecting other game usage, etc.
Taking those factors into consideration, we plan to keep Summon Records for the last 3 months.
We believe that the data issue could be improved by manually checking the Summon history more frequently.
3. Alliance Management Improvements
Next, let’s talk about Alliance convenience and efficient management improvements.
Currently, there are only 3 roles in the Alliance: Alliance Leader, Officer, Regular. Having only these 3 options to assign was deemed inconvenient when it comes to dividing roles.
We are developing related features to create more roles to subdivide Administrators more effectively and improve management by granting proper authority/permissions to each role.
It has also come to our attention that the Alliance Chat tends to get buried under other Chats, and that the Alliance Notice feature is not very visible, making it easy to miss.
We are also working on related improvements for those cases.
The Check-in feature improvement, announced on the Dev. Note #2, is scheduled to be implemented on the 11/29 Update.
We read and review every single one of our Regular’s messages, complaints, and requests.
While trying our best to reflect as many of those points, unexpected delays may occur, and we would like to apologize for making our Regulars wait so long.
New Alliance content and improvements will be constantly added to the game.
Whenever our Regulars send their suggestions we will carefully review, and implement as many as possible to the game.
4. New Teammate List Filter Options
Regulars who grow their Teammates constantly need to check their Teammate’s Rapport, Proficiency, and Equipment status.
In order to check growth information a bit more conveniently, Rapport, Proficiency, Exclusive Equipment Lv. and more will be added to the filter options in the Teammate List.
We’ll bring more details about this soon.
5. Equip Equipment From the Inside of the Arena Simulation
After the Arena Simulation addition, many Regulars have been using it to test new Teammate’s performance, or to experiment with various Teammates in different Team formations.
[Current Arena Simulation]
But the current Arena Simulation is only possible to set allies and opponent’s Limit Break Tier, Exclusive Equipment Level, and Shinsu Link Rank, missing out on Equipment information settings that could influence the battle.
To test strategies and check a Teammate’s performance with even more precision, including Equipment-related variables, we are developing a feature to include Equip Equipment to the Arena Simulation.
More details will be available once the development process is a bit more advanced.
6. Underground Laboratory Grade Improvements
Currently, the Underground Laboratory Grade is calculated as follows:
< Current Underground Laboratory Grade Calculation Cutline Criteria >
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① 1st Season (Regulars participating for the 1st time) - If a value set by the Dev. Team is reached, the Master Grade cutline is set.
② Next Seasons - The cutline is calculated automatically based on the amount of damage dealt by the top 50 Regulars from the previous Season. |
Following this criteria, as Underground Laboratory Seasons progress, the max. damage dealt continuously increases, leaving a lot of Regulars concentrated at the lowest Grades since the damage dealt by the top 50 keeps rising.
In order to achieve a more reasonable grading in the Underground Laboratory, we are considering applying a similar criteria to the Event Boss Battle, where the Grade is calculated based on fractions of 100% (top X%).
We’ll share more details once the development plan for this is completely set.
7. Teammate Balance
Many of our Regular’s suggestions also mentioned the need to improve Teammates' balance.
Among the requests, we received many regarding SSR+ [Thorn] Viole. When it comes to Viole’s skills, I wanted to have a closer look at what was originally intended for him during planning, and the parts that seem to be causing a bit of confusion recently.
① Viole’s Passive Skill ‘Viole’s Blue Oar’ Activation Conditions
Once hit by a close-ranged attack, Viole’s Passive Skill ‘Viole’s Blue Oar’ activates, increasing ATK, and making Viole move to a safe area on the battlefield.
However, if Viole’s Exclusive Equipment is enhanced to +30 or above, he will become invincible for 10s when using his Special Move ‘Thorn’. During these 10s, Viole won’t be attacked by the opponent, so his Passive Skill does not activate during that time.
This performance is normal, and it was intended to be like this since the original planning.
② About the font ‘Invincible’ text is displayed during Invincible Status
Currently, when [Data] Zahard is Invincible, an [Invincible] text is displayed. However, the same does not happen when Viole is in the same situation (the [Invincible] text does not appear).
Also, when Invincible [Data] Zahard is hit by the opponent, the damage is not taken, but the numbers still appear, leaving room for our Regulars to be confused about what is actually happening.
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Invincible Viole (with Exclusive Equipment Lv.4) |
Invincible Zahard |
To reduce confusion, if Viole with Exclusive Equipment at Lv.4 becomes Invincible, he will also have the status text to match other Teammates, and while [Data] Zahard becomes Invincible, the damage numbers will no longer be displayed.
Viole’s performance is currently applied as intended during planning, but we apologize for the confusion caused by the text displayed in the game as they may have confused our Regulars.
We will talk a bit more about the current balance work that is under review.
③ Status of the Teammate Balance Review
Considering how beloved Tower of God Webtoon’s IP is, it is natural that the performance of a character would be a sensitive topic, especially if someone’s favorite character is not as good as expected or if their skill is different than what their fans were hoping for.
In particular, Viole is a main character loved by many of the original webtoon’s fans.
For Viole, even though other skills must be activated after activating his Special Move [Thorn] to gain an advantage, many people voiced their dissatisfaction and mentioned that the skill activation order should be different.
The Dev. Team is reviewing the suggestions we received, but when it comes to Skill activation order, it was not possible to provide a faster reply because it is not something that affects only Viole, but the rule is applied to all Teammates, and several variables have to be considered since it can change depending on the Teammate combination used in battle.
Also, in Tower of God: New World, we try to avoid making balance adjustments after the release of a Teammate because that may result in losing the trust of Regulars who invested in upgrading and enhancing that Teammate.
However, if we look back, 3 months have passed since the game launch and we identified a few Teammates that need to be balanced. We are currently evaluating and reviewing the Teammate’s overall balance in the game, including Viole.
Along with Viole’s skill, we are currently reviewing and considering adjusting the performance of other Teammates such as Karaka, Hansung Yu, Quaetro, Gyetang, Prince, Xia Xia, and [Data] Zahard.
It is important to highlight that changing one Teammate’s balance affects the balance of opponents that appear in various contents of the game, and many things need to be considered during the review, making this a process that takes a bit of time.
We will keep doing our best to improve the performance of Teammates our Regulars are looking forward to through these balance adjustments.
8. Other Topics Under Review
We are currently also reviewing the following topics brought up by our Regular’s suggestions. Thank you so much for sharing your opinions with us!
● Blocking spam messages in the Regular Chat / Restriction-related Issues
● Issue where it is not possible to complete the ‘Play Adventure n time(s) with Specific Character’ mission from the Growth Missions Event.
→ This mission will be replaced by another one that all Regulars can participate in.
● Issue where the game doesn’t save the Round you won when playing Stages that require multiple Teams.
● Issue where there is no way to use leftover Equipment.
● Various other suggestions by our Regulars.
As I mentioned earlier, I am really sorry for not being able to reply quickly to various suggestions on the development schedule.
Be sure that even if they are not listed here, the Dev. Team is checking every single one of your suggestions. It might take a bit of time, but we are reviewing them in order to share our future development plans.
Next, I would like to change the atmosphere a bit and introduce the upcoming content for November.
First, let’s talk about the new dungeon, ‘The Secret Floor’, and the ‘Ignition Weapon System’.
1. New Dungeon Content, The Secret Floor
In the original Tower of God webtoon, ‘The Secret Floor’ is the space where Zahard’s data and other rankers’ data live. In the game, it is presented to our Regulars as a new dungeon.
[The Secret Floor]
As briefly introduced in the previous Roadmap, the Secret Floor is a Dungeon where you can acquire a ‘Ignition Weapon’, and will be unlocked in conjunction with the adventure stage.
In the Secret Floor, a new monster ‘Golem’ appears. You can enjoy a different kind of fun than before because you have to devise a strategy considering the boss's characteristics.
The image below is the sneak peek of the newly added monster, ‘Golem’.
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[The Secret Floor Monster - ‘Golem’]
* The content is currently under development and is subject to change by the time of the Update.
Along with the new monster, 'Golem', a new system called ‘Restraint Point’ is applied to the Secret Floor.
Restraint is a figure that applies debuffs to allies and buffs to enemies during the Secret Floor battle, so our Regulars can have fun selecting and combining them.
[‘Restraint System’ UI (Korean)]
* The content is currently under development and is subject to change by the time of the Update.
Restraint Points exist depending on the type of Restraint, and you can obtain an Ignition Weapon by clearing linked missions according to the Restraint Points accumulated during the Secret Floor battle.
2. Ignition Weapon System
Many Regulars have been showing interest in the Ignition Weapon system since it was mentioned in the last Dev. Note.
As you can see in the Tower of God original webtoon, the Ignition Weapon has a personality sealed in the weapon, like the Black March of the '13 Month Series'.
And, taking advantage of this concept, the Tower of God: New World's Ignition Weapon, which will soon be coming to our Regulars, was also planned as a spirit sealed on the weapon.
We will show an illustration of the Ignition Weapon, ‘Myeongwol’, which is currently under development below.
[Ignition Weapon ‘Myeongwol’]
* The content is currently under development and is subject to change by the time of the Update.
Myeongwol is a romanticist who sealed her soul in a sword in order to be with the person she has waited her whole life for, and has the concept of opening her heart and lending her strength only to those who dedicate the affection to just one person.
We designed it so that our Regulars can feel the charm of Ignition Weapon itself.
The Ignition Weapon system is unlocked by clearing certain adventure stages and achieving the equipment growth of your teammates to the certain level.
* Detailed unlock conditions will be informed later in the Update Details Notice.
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[Carrier(currently under development) - Ignition Weapon UI]
* The content is currently under development and is subject to change by the time of the Update.
Currently, you can see a locked slot called ‘Carrier’ in the [Teammates > Equipment] tab.
Taking advantage of the original Tower of God webtoon's 'Carrier' concept that can hold a variety of equipment, we have prepared a total of 5 slots for equipping an Ignition Weapon in the carrier when the unlock conditions for the Ignition Weapon system are met.
These 5 slots can be equipped with 5 Items of the Ignition Weapon’s spirit, and you can take optional effects as you equip the Items.
[Ignition Weapon’s spirit, Myeongwol’s Items]
* The content is currently under development and is subject to change by the time of the Update.
Main and sub options can be found in the spirit’s Item and can be obtained through the 'Secret Floor’ dungeon, which is the main acquisition source.
The set option is activated when you equip the Items that match the Ignition Weapon’s spirit, and there are 2 set and 4 set options.
We hope that you will have fun growing your favorite character more powerfully through options and Ignition Weapons that match your character position.
The Ignition Weapon will be a powerful help when climbing the Tower.
We are working hard to prepare them to not only make it easier but also provide new fun when clearing the adventure stages of 16F or more, so stay tuned for the upcoming update.
3. Element Training Event
Next, we will introduce new events that are currently being prepared.
The first is the Element Training Event that was introduced through the 2023 Second Half Roadmap.
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[Element Training Event UI]
* The content is currently under development and is subject to change by the time of the Update.
The elements of Tower of God: New World are composed of a total of 5: Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, and Purple. In the Element Training Event, Regulars can have more fun utilizing these five elements.
[You can earn Element Crystals and exchange them for desired items.]
* The content is currently under development and is subject to change by the time of the Update.
Through the Element Training Event, Regulars can choose and challenge an opponent, acquire Element Crystals in proportion to the elements of the characters on the team, and exchange them for desired items at the exchange shop.
[Element Training Event Challenge UI]
* The content is currently under development and is subject to change by the time of the Update.
The opponents you can encounter in the Element Training Event are of a similar level to the opponents you can currently meet in the normal Arena.
Not only can you change the opponent by searching again, but the challenge opportunity is not consumed even if you lose. So try the event with various combinations and strategies!
4. Shibisu's Strategy Lesson Event
The next is Shibisu's Strategy Lesson Event.
Shibisu's Strategy Lesson is an event where you can choose 3 different formations and fight against given enemies. When you win or lose, you can collect tokens for that formation and exchange them for desired rewards at the Exchange Shop.
[Shibisu's Strategy Lesson Event UI]
* The content is currently under development and is subject to change by the time of the Update.
You need to think about character combinations according to Balanced Formation, Guard Formation, and Wedge Formation. Your opponent will also be composed of a team of a similar level to that of the normal Arena, just like the Element Training Event explained earlier.
We hope you will fully experience the different strategies depending on the formation in [Tower of God: New World] through Shibisu's Strategy Lesson coming on November 15th.
In addition, the development team is continuously preparing to provide more new and diverse events to our Regulars.
In that sense, we will give you a glimpse of the UI under development for the new event ‘Secret Room’ that will be released in November.
[Secret Room Event - to be updated in November]
* The content is currently under development and is subject to change by the time of the Update.
We will continue to check our Regular's suggestions related to the event and continue to strive to provide more fun.
5. Xia Xia’s Black Market (Tentative Name)
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* The content is currently under development and is subject to change by the time of the Update.
It looks like Xia Xia is trying to take you somewhere.
In a dark alley, a black market filled with flashing neon signs, Tower of God teammates are gathering together for a festival.
And, rumor has it that High Rankers are often spotted in this black market.
What will await you at the place where Xia Xia leads you?
Stay tuned to The Black Market coming to you soon.
So far, we have introduced new content, system, and events being prepared for the November Update.
Finally, I would like to carefully give the development team's thoughts on the things that our Regulars are currently talking about through the community.
1. Character Collaboration Event
First, let's talk about the character collaboration.
Many Regulars are concerning about the collaboration in the following aspects:
First, the fact that characters unrelated to the original webtoon, ‘Tower of God’, will appear when a collaboration event is held.
Second, If the collaboration character's performance is superior to that of the existing character, there is a possibility that the tail wags the dog.
Regarding this, the development team has a goal of creating a game that many Regulars not only in Korea but also around the world can enjoy together, as [Tower of God: New World] is a game operated globally.
The collaboration event is also planned for this purpose.
If people who don't know much about 'Tower of God' webtoon but are interested in the collaboration IP play the game, this becomes an opportunity to become interested in both the game and the original webtoon.
I think we can create [Tower of God: New World] together with more people through this.
Therefore, when carrying out collaboration, we have strict standards that ensure the collaboration characters should not have a sense of difference from the Tower of God, or have performance that is superior to existing Tower of God teammates.
We are preparing an original story that allows the collaboration characters to blend in with Tower of God: New World so that our Regulars can naturally meet the characters, and are also putting a lot of effort into graphic design to ensure that there is no discrepancy with the IP.
Additionally, during the collaboration event period, we are preparing to make it easier to obtain and grow characters through 'collaboration summon' that are different from existing teammates' summon.
We promise that we will basically focus more on increasing the fun of the Tower of God itself.
We will strictly adhere to these standards in future collaborations so that the collaboration event becomes an opportunity to share [Tower of God: New World] with more people, as well as a festival that all Regulars can enjoy.
2. Story Mode - Main Story
We would like to inform you about the progress of the Main Story of Tower of God, which many Regulars have been waiting for.
Currently, [Tower of God: New World] has completed Part 1 of the main story and is preparing Part 2.
However, since we are preparing a large volume to satisfy many Regulars who like the IP, it is taking some time to develop graphics and production.
We would like to apologize for not being able to provide the main story to Regulars, who have logged in with love for the Tower of God original webtoon, and would like to inform you that the release of Story Mode Act 7 is tentatively scheduled for January 17, 2024.
From now on, we will make every effort to continue to provide the main story on a regular basis.
The image below is a partial public version of the animatic storyboard being prepared.
* The content is currently under development and is subject to change by the time of the Update.
3. Events that Rewards Growth Goods
Lastly, we are receiving a lot of feedback that despite the need for a lot of growth goods, there is a lack of support to obtain them in the game, mentioning that even when they are available through reward or push rewards, the quantity offered is not enough..
However, since Tower of God is a global game, instead of spamming everyone with push notification rewards, we are considering making fundamental changes and gradually increasing the supply available in the game and in event rewards.
As we fully agree with and recognize our Regulars' opinion, we will make gradual improvements through ongoing discussions on increasing in-game rewards.
That’s it for the November Dev. Note.
We would like to thank our Regulars for always loving Tower of God: New World.
With a beginner’s mindset, we will always listen to the opinions of our Regulars to improve and make your adventure more enjoyable.
The days continue to get colder. Be careful not to catch a cold, and I hope you keep having a fun adventure with Tower of God: New World in November.
We'll see you again with more news.
Thank you.
