【Opening】
After its official release this spring, Onmyoji Arena has been on its journey for half a year. Let us express our deepest gratitude to the players who support us, and hope you would walk along with OA into the future.
Since it is a beautiful autumn day with a cool breeze, we have invited our development team to have a chat with us, and answer some common questions our players have sent us.
【Shikigami and Skins】
Paper Doll:
Let’s start with a self-introduction shall we?
Lark:
Hello everyone. I am Lark and is the director of Onmyoji Arena’s Development team. I am glad to be here to answer questions from players!
Paper Doll: Thank you for being dragged……*cough*making your way*cough* here. Dear players, if you have something to blame for in this game, this person will be the one to go to!
Alright, first of all, something I believe every player is interested is the release of new Shikigami and Skins. How exactly is the order decided? Currently, there seems to be very few support Shikigami in the game, what considerations does the development team have in regard to the different roles?
Lark:
Well, there are many factors to consider when releasing a new Shikigami, the current game environment, development progress, ability designs, or even the upcoming festivals to name a few.
Some Shikigami, for example, the tank/support Samurai X can take on different roles, therefore the number of pure support Shikigami will be relatively few.
We also design our Shikigami with reference to their “Onmyoji” counterparts, which to a certain degree decides what role that Shikigami could take on, but occasionally we would also adjust the abilities of a Shikigami according to the current game environment and the numbers of Shikigami available for a certain role.
Paper Doll:
Hmm, so that’s the case! So could you give us a hint on the new Shikigami for the next 6 months or so?
Lark:
Sorry but players will just have to stay tuned to find out. I guess a hint for the next Shikigami wouldn’t hurt though…… Alright, the next Shikigami doesn’t fight alone. (Maybe this Shikigami consists of 2 people, or 3?)
Paper Doll:
I think this is more of an answer rather than just a hint lol. Alright, enough with the Shikigami, let’s talk about their skins! OA has some really fabulous skins, and recently there was the “Heian-Kyo School” series. What sparked this thought?
Lark:
As everybody knows, Japanese style artwork is a big selling point for OA and Onmyoji, and we believe that is also what many of our players appreciate and attracted to. However, this is also a limit when it comes to new designs and creativity. We try our best to not make the skins look like templates or replica of others, and for that purpose sometimes it is necessary to jump out of the frame.
Thus, the Heian-Kyo School series were born. We believe the Japanese school uniforms which represent both the modern style and Japanese culture, would bring some freshness to our Shikigami, while the parallel world setting wouldn’t mess up the Heian World.
Paper Doll:
Would there be other series in the future? You know, like swimwear, maidsetc.?
Lark:
Absolutely. MOBA games need variety to maintain its liveliness, so that is definitely an option we are considering. However, OA is based on the Onmyoji IP, so careful consideration and planning are required before we release more of these series.
Paper Doll:
I really think a swimwear series would be a hit! Just think of all those handsome and beautiful Shikigami in their swimwear……
Ehem. Speaking of skins, currently, there are some Shikigami who only have dyed skins. Are there any news on skins for Itsumade, Hone Onna, Maestro, etc? Will they get their share before the year ends?
Lark:
We are considering releasing skins for those who don’t have them yet. However, when the skin will be released has many factors to consider, so we’re sorry but can only ask our players to stay tuned.
Paper Doll:
Actually, I’ve already taken a sneak peek into the Art team’s storage folder, so I guess players will really have to stay tuned! Another question, I believe players would like to know how a skin is borne behind the scenes.
Lark:
It all starts with a design concept, then our illustrator will produce a concept art. Our team then discuss the details and make adjustments, finally getting the concept fixed and adding in the details. Afterward, we work on its 3D model, action and special effects. Sometimes there may be special voices or dialogues, then we have to rely on our talented and very busy voice artists.
All of the above procedures are reviewed very seriously, even if just one detail is wrong, we would make adjustments and optimizations. After all the steps are completed, we start preparing for promotional materials (one of which is the GuessWho segment), before the skin can finally be released. All in all, to design a skin from scratch until it is officially released can take up to 3 to 4 months.
Paper Doll: As the saying goes, patient work makes a fine product. We will be waiting for more high-quality skins for the Shikigami!
