I've dug up a nice new interview with one for the B & S developers, again :D go meee ♥
I got to it before bns dojo did~ I tried my best to translate the Korean so I'm totally sorry for
the screw-ups in translation I know I must have made D: D: I've only been studying korean for 2 years.

The original interview can be found here and here ^_^

Interview with Blade & Soul's lead artist of the environmental art team: Creating a blend of things that are the best of the best~

In this latest of the series of interviews, lead story artist Cho Yong-Hwan felt as if, with the development team and it's supervisor, the storyline that has been underway, has become a little closer to the finish.

Everyone seems to be fuzzily remembering the second CBT ... and the interview about the environment was filled with interjections ~ "Ah~ What's that??~". Blade and soul is now in the optimized shape - the game is completed, and from this interview, we will have little things about the third CBT, to tell you.



Q. Now, the environments are really beautiful and spectacular, but could some of the low-end computers allow it to be seen as beautifully?
As for the specifications...I'm sorry, but there is so much provided by B&S to see the scenery in much detail. Working with low specifications will cause a slight loss of information, but you would be able to see just fine. I would say right now, that we've put a lot of coding into the development of light and shadow, and once you turn off some of the graphics options, the more these aspects would disappear, and the more you would miss out on. In conclusion, until one has the option to upgrade, distance watching would not be all that awesome.

Q. You've got so many fans, but on the B&S website, you do not speak of the optimized PC specifications. Perhaps you'll give a detailed description in early may?
Hmm ... just use the middle of the slider bar for optimum graphics? Hahaha .. just kidding. Seriously though, I cannot say the exact specifications, except that that computers in the PC room we've had were enough.

Q. (Insistent) But when B&S is implemented, one would not want to miss things, so what is the reccomended level of PC?
(Pausing and closing his eyes for a bit) A 64 bit operating system and 4gb or more of memory shoudl be nice enough. It's low compared to the initial wpecifications that we've released. (chuckles) We emphasize that we will continue to optimize the game! "How will I be able to play well on low specs!" is always a challenge.

Q. Could the actual best graphics be raised more?
How to address this concern... Well, in the future the premium graphics option will change more than ever. The overall atmosphere and the lighting itself may have a different feel. I don't really have the words to explain this.

Q. In making all this, did the environment team have some sort of "spark"?
Initially, the light industry did not have such great specifications. What we've done is replaced the original light industry with a new one. We had been directed by the feeling that the concept was the only limit, and we jumped to the change. We all were preparing for it to be an imporved situation. We would plenty of trouble anyways, but we started with a changed heart, and kept growing and improving. It was hard in the beginning, but we kept growing and developing more and it became very great.

Q. In this context, does the planning team need anything we can do?
The planning team uses itself when it has problems. If change is really needed, but the satisfaction is already quite high and everything has been already developed to a very advanced stage, when the time comes to change something "Why now..." is a very sad question.

Q. The answer might expect a bit of trouble. I'm not sure if I can ask this question since its about the new area. The question leader has asked "Will there be a new area in which it will feel as though there is more freedom to move about?"
Haha ... the question is "What is the next area?" I think he wants to ask if one will feel more freedom and freshness in the new area. First of all, there are many new regions and even existing regions underwent a lot of changes. The new area will have a colorful, calm feel.

[2 UNTRANSLATED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS GO HERE]



It's about the best blend of the best choices.

More than anything, this interview shows Blade & Soul is intensely collaborating and have much pride in their work. It is emotional to express that pride. Team Bloodlust believes very much that the future entails more cool backgrounds and I think they've really shown the best combination.There is around one month left for the B & S family to wait - the game was created for you, and there was a small hint that CBT 3 will pass through soon. Of course, the exact schedule of the CBT 3 is not there yet and this may provoke the people waiting, but wait a little longer~ not everything needed is yet available. To not bore you, we will try to deliver morestories like this one, of Blade & Soul. We'll see you next time in out letter interviews!!


And now, here is a more personal interview with Cho Yong-Hwan


[p1 here]

Lead Environmental Artist, Cho Yong-Hwan

First, please give a simple introduction of yourself!
Cho Yong-Hwan: I've been working at NCsoft for over 11 years. The first 4-5 years, I've been working on Lineage 2, and I was the environmental team leader. I've worked on reasearch and development for the other games. Ever since the Blade & Soulproject began, I've been working on the planning levels and the design and now I've once again returned to the environmental design team.

[q2 here]
As for the current team, there are 30 people, but they can be divided into integration, asset, currency, and the technical artists.
[CHECK THIS FOR WORD CORRECTION]
[a2 here]


The design team also brings a little life to their work with little things, like a bathroom :D

[2 untranslated questions go here]

So far, many of the disclosed backgrounds show a lof of dark atmosphere.
In fact, there are many dark parts. I'm personally fond of this feeling. Theres a lot of of silhouettes and shading. In this style, there are glowing parts, and some concepts of shadow, dark reflecions, and backlight.


There are many pictures of the poisonous atmosphere of the dark side.

[ONE UNTRANSLATED QUESTION]
At first, a simple sketch is designed.



Then a "gray world" is made, to determine mase points in 3D.


Next, the detailed design and light effects are checked.


Finally, here is the finished appearance of the bamboo village.

Were there any certain places from which the creative motif had been captured?[ONE UNTRANSLATED ANSWER HERE]
Scenery in game, showing the shape of the valley.



This is Zhangjie, one of China's tourist attractions. Blade & Soul made a reference of this area.

[2 untranslated questions here]

[ 2 more untranslated questions]


[TRANSLATE CAPTION][2 more questions]


Some showcase screenshots of the 3rd cbt areas.
[ONE UNTRANSLATED QUESTION]
[captionand question]


[2 more questions]

[2 more questions]