Lord of Dungeons is the latest innovative dungeon management mobile game by EKGames. A small development team based in Korea but with a game launched globally, they may be a bit hard to reach to gamers worldwide. In order to let their users understand them better, QooApp was invited to have a discussion with the team representative, Eun Ki Cho, about what motivated the birth of Lord of Dungeons and what is upcoming next.
▍Lord of Dungeons is different from most mobile games nowadays. It stands out because of its depth. How did you come up with a core system that merges 24-hour management simulation with tower defence/offence?
At the early production stage, we had a discussion on making a game that provides an untraditonal gameplay. We had this idea – what if dungeons are not only for conquering but also for getting profits? And then we focused on running and breeding dungeons just like people do with an amusement park. Rather than optimising the mobile control, we paid more attention to simplifying it and providing “the joy of thinking”. We wanted to make players think about what they have to do even when they are not playing. The result is what we have here – Lord of Dungeons.
▍The game is so different in that its contents are complicated and contain many words. Were you not worried about driving players away?
In order to deliver “the joy of thinking”, being different and complicated is unavoidable, and the UI may contain a lot more words than usual; however, this issue weights much less because we would rather spend time on creating a new kind of joy and influencing our players. This is the best we can do as a small team. We did feel very unsettled before it launched.
▍What kind of players do you think will be interested in it or good at it?
Our game targets at players who look for “the joy of thinking”. We expected those people who plan for getting better results to like it. Before it was out, we thought they would be hard-core gamers minor in number. It turns out there are actually a lot more.
Many players contributed guides after it was released in Korea. There were contents that we didn’t expect to see. Players are really constantly surprising us! Those who played early on have already found an almost perfect route by collecting information effectively and doing analysis. We will continue to update the game in the way that brings them “the joy of thinking”, so that they will keep on enjoying our game.
▍What advice would you give to newcomers? What should they take note of to get hold of it better?
It’s undeniable that Lord of Dungeons has many words and is complicated. Newcomers may question “what on earth is this”, but they will find joy that they can’t get from other games as they proceed. It’s not of utmost importance to win in battles. It’s more about how to grow. Players must pay attention to the progress and solving problems.
Since it’s not battle-centric, growth depends on how players explore and set up their areas. Profits needed for growth depends on the facilities’ growth speed.
▍The game is a classic kakin-for-gacha (kakin: pay to win) game. It has no advertisements viewing for getting diamonds. How did the team balance interests of those who pay and those who don’t pay?
There are advertisement sections for non-kakin players. These sections can capture monsters and help bear the risk of losing a battle, so they are also the settings for enhancing players’ experience and enjoyment. There are various ways to get jewels. Non-kakin players are able to get a bunch of jewels with hard work.
▍Some players complained about how time-consuming it is to collect rewards locations by locations. Are you considering a single button for collecting rewards once and for all?
At the beginning of the gameplay, there are too few companions for exploration and it takes a certain amount of time to be familiar with it. The larger the map is, the more locations for exploration. Once the scale gets big enough it is possible to collect all rewards in Exploration Report.
▍After all the locations shown on map are unlocked, is there a new map? Or a new kind of gameplay? What is it like if there is one?
There will be both new maps and new gameplay. At later stage the management part becomes increasingly important. We have plans to add more modes of management for continues growth. Bosses and monsters that reward players generously will visit players’ territories.
▍Newcomers have a small range of activity choice. They can complete what they have to do in little to no time. Also, a simulation game’s progress vary from players to players, which may lead to disappointment and loss of interest. What do you think?
The most crucial part is Expedition, which helps shorten the cycle and speed up the pace. By that stage it is difficult to just give up and quit. Players need to make use of Expedition to experience a fast tempo. Contrary to what you have said, a lot of players actually told us they had too much on their plates at the beginning and they had to keep an eye on the game all the time.
▍Is there plan to collaborate with famed gaming and anime titles? What would it be? Will it be DonPachi?
There are many possibilities and some discussions on-going. We can’t say anything since nothing has been confirmed, but we are indeed preparing for a crossover. Please wait for it!
▍Is there anything you would like to tell our users overseas?
Lord of Dungeon is the fruitful result of us trying to deliver a new kind of joy. Despite being difficult to play at the beginning, it will reward you with fun time that you have never had before. We will bring you new interesting contents in the near future. Please support us as always.
READ MORE:
• Lord of Dungeons: Area Management
• Mobile simulation Lord of Dungeons is out today
