1. Technical 2. Development 3. Combat 4. Blood Pledges
5. Character 6. General 7. The World 8. Quests

1. Technical
1.1 What engine does Lineage 2 use?
Lineage II will use the Unreal 3.0 Engine, though the teams behind Lineage II graphics have tweaked and developed additional systems. Many of these systems help balance out the graphical issues, aswell as make the graphics appeal even more real then before.

As quoted by NCSoft:
We added "seamless" functionality while customizing the Unreal engine. Originally the engine used the zone method for loading the whole map. However, Lineage II adopted a seamless map loading system to make players feel real adventures in a huge cyber world. Battlefields, towns and dungeons are all merged in one huge zone. The customizing for this has been difficult, but so far we are very satisfied with the result.

We also added a real physics engine, which allows us to show cloaks or hair swaying in the wind, character clothing changes, and outdoor effects showing weather and realistic depictions of the sky.

NCSoft has also reported that there will be a few glitches with the system, but all should be cleared up during Chronicle 1 for the NA Side, and things are already being fixed in the Korean Chronicles. NCSoft also has been quoted as saying that they believe that graphics are one of the most important aspects of game appeal, and will work there hardest to make sure they stay one of the best in the buisness.

1.1.1 Why the Unreal engine?
We have two reasons for choosing the Unreal engine technology over others. The first reason is that at the time when we were choosing an engine, the Unreal Engine had what we felt was the best ability to express outdoor scenes in the way we wanted. The second reason is that the Unreal engine came with an exceptional level editor. Without this editor, we wouldn't have accomplished so much within such a short development period.

Due to the continuing effort on the part of Epic, the performance of the Unreal engine is continuing to improve all the time. Since the time of the engine's first use, its speed has improved greatly, and effects such as expression of translucency and lighting have been significantly enhanced.

The latest version of Unreal that we use requires DirectX 8.0, and we have added many functions with new concepts in order to show off the next generation graphic power. As a result, players can enjoy a greatly enhanced visual experience. On the other hand, they will have to meet higher hardware requirements.

Hyung Jin Kim & James Bae

1.2 What computer specs should I have to play the game?
These are the official Korean, Japanese and North American system requirements.

Japanese:

Computer type: PC/AT compatible machine
Operating System: Japanese edition Microsoft Windows?98/Me/2000/XP
Direct X: 8.1 or higher
CPU: Pentium III 800MHz (Recommended: Pentium IV 1GHz+)
Memory: 256mb (Recommended 512mb+)
Video: GeForce2 (Recommended: Geforce4 Ti+)
Sound Card: Direct X 8.1 Compatible
Hard Drive Space: At least 5gb free, this includes swap space
Internet Connection: Recommended connection 256kb+

Korean:

Computer type: PC/AT compatible machine
Operating System: Microsoft Windows?98/Me/2000/XP
Direct X: 8.1 or higher
CPU: Pentium III 800MHz (Recommended: Pentium IV 1GHz+)
Memory: 256mb (Recommended 512mb+)
Video: GeForce2 (Recommended: Geforce4 Ti+)
Sound Card: N/A
Hard Drive Space: At least 3gb free, this includes swap space
Internet Connection: Recommended connection 256kb+

North American:

Computer type: PC/AT compatible Machine
Operating System: Microsoft Windows?98/Me/2000/XP
Direct X: 8.1 or higher
CPU: Atleast Pentium III 800MHz (Recommended: Pentium IV 1GHz+)
Memory: Atleast 256mb (Recommended 512mb+)
Video: Atleast GeForce2 (Recommended: Geforce4 Ti+, ATI Radeon Etc)
Sound Card: Direct X 8.1 compatible
Hard Drive Space: At least 5gb free, this includes swap space
Internet Connection: Recommended connection 256kb+

It is also recommended that you keep more then 5gb of Hard Drive Space free for future updates.

1.2.1 Will the new abilities the Geforce 4 video card has be noticeable?
The current objective of the development team is to allow people to use Geforce4 MX series cards with a minimum Pentium III 800 MHz (although 1 GHz is recommended).

Cards such as the ATI Radeon 9800XT Pro and previous series, as well as the Geforce 4 Video Cards will be used to there full potential with the new Graphics Engine.

Hyung Jin Kim & James Bae

1.2.2 These Requirements are just too high!
According to the minimum requirements you SHOULD be able to play with a geforce II if you tweak it correctly, though as always your best bet is to go with a better graphics card, contact support.lineage2.com if you cannot get it to work on your geforce II type card, and they will do there best to help you.

1.3 How is the design and combat different in a 3D environment?
It is obviously hard to apply the method of battle system used in the existing 2D game to the more realistic 3D model and topography. In a 2D game, since character and topography are expressed as abstraction, minor problems in animation can often be covered by other production techniques.

In Lineage II, thousands of polygons make up each character. Therefore, even a small abnormality in the movement of a character can immediately cause deterioration in the overall quality of the game, and thus it is necessary to take extreme care in design.

As we are introducing the concept of height in the world of Lineage II, there are many problems to be solved - such as the representation of flying monsters. As we solve these problems, our goal is to have a battle system that allows players to be able to fight freely both in the air and in the water.

Hyung Jin Kim & James Bae

A Small update to this. It would appear that in Chronicle two there will be more air based battles, and water based battles that are going to be avalible, and a steady combat system developed for them. The developers have expressed the facts that they intend to keep upgrading there graphics for combat and environment as the game progresses.

1.4 Wont there be a lot of lag with a major siege?
During Seige warfare, players with lower end system requirements will likely suffer more then the higher end computer users, however NC Soft has added options to bring down your graphic quality for the best possible framerate, and is in the process of upgrading there servers to be at optimal speed even during large "zerg" like warfare.

1.5 Is the game P2P?
Yes, the Game is P2P, Open Beta Ended the 26th of April, and Retail began the 27th at 11pm Central Standard Time.