NCsoft is pleased to release an in-depth interview with Senior Game Designer, Kyoung Won Choi about its forthcoming MMORPG, Aion: The Tower Of Eternity.

1. How extensive will Aion character customization be?
In the game client, which was being showed at the Games Convention Leipzig ‘07, the player had the ability to choose between several different hairstyles, colours, shapes of their face, skin colours, character height and voice. It is also possible to alter eye colours and to add tattoos to the character face. A character build feature is currently being planned, which will affect the size of the character, ranging from skinny to big.

2. "Tradable wings" have been mentioned. Exactly what does it mean?
It was most likely a misunderstanding. Wings are not bought in Aion, but changed by other factors such as a rising PvP-rank.

3. What will you do in order for Aion to appeal to casual players?
We want to have short-term goals in the game, such as quests fitting within shorter timeframes. There will also be appropriate rewards for completing those. Very powerful game items (weapons and armours) will be attainable in different ways, making it easier for casual players to gradually work towards them.

4. Are the Asmodians significantly different from the Elyos?
It is possible to see that the Asmodians and Elyos come from the same origin. They have the same, fundamental humanoid shapes. An analogy would be to compare elves with dark elves.

5. Will there be player housing?
Not at launch, but definitely as soon as possible. It is likely to be in the first expansion.

6. Will there be mounts in Aion?
No. There are currently no plans to implement regular mounts in Aion. Transport will be done by foot or by flying. There will also be a long-range teleport system and short-range travel-services in which you let the game control the flight to your destination.

7. Will flying timer and cool-down change with character level?
No, probably not. There will, however, be items and skills which can enhance these abilities. In practice, this could mean that as the character progresses to higher levels - it also gains access to these skills and items.

8. How do sieges work in Aion? Are there any guild-specific advantages to controlling a castle?
The main PvP area in Aion is the Abyss. There are several castles in Aion, all which can be captured by player guilds on behalf of their faction. A siege is in its very fundament a raid. Initially, each castle is controlled by the Balaur, who will not gladly give it up. A guild leader would gather his or her troops and initiate an attack on the castle and its defenders. After defeating the NPC defenders, the castle changes ownership. Since the battles take place in the Abyss, it's always possible that the other PC faction might interfere to either defend or attack. Once the castle has a new owner, there are a few hours during which no PvP can take place on the island. After this period, however, the castle is again open to attacks from the opposing faction.

There are many benefits to be gained from controlling a castle. The castle will have NPCs who vend unique items, whose sales the controlling guild may put taxes on in order to gain a bit of extra income. Guilds will also have direct access to the hunting grounds and resources surrounding the castle.

9. Will Aion battles and sieges be as massive and monumental as in Lineage II?
The Abyss is an open area with many strategic points. There are no set times for sieges or battles, but instead something that the players themselves may decide. It was one of our goals to not require the vast amounts of players as sieges in Lineage II did. While there are no technical limitations and a charismatic leader could well gather hundreds of players for a siege, 2 or 3 groups should be enough too, if circumstances are right.