Also, Gravity Interactive has released their answers to the official Fansite
Q&A:
1. Why have anti-bot/hack programs not been added yet?
Although the implementation of programs that block unauthorized third party software from
our game servers may reduce the occurrence of illegal character automation for a while, such
action can only be considered as a temporary solution at best. Despite the fact that it is
virtually impossible to prevent all conceivable exploitations of any program, the iRO GM
Team is always taking action against accounts that have been found to have used unauthorized
third party software through a thorough investigation.
2. When will they update their site layout?
The layout for the iRO official website has been updated in March. We hope that users enjoy
the new look and page navigation.
3. Are there any plans to bring the new RO anime to the US? And if so, will Gravity LLC have
any hand in the localization process?
If the Ragnarok Online anime is brought to the United States, the iRO GM Team is not personally
involved in its production. In general, the rights for anime or manga are bought by a domestic
distributing company before release in the United States. It is possible that this distributing
company may be unrelated to Gravity Interactive.
4. Because of the increases of users every month how will you keep the servers maintained e.g
how many ppl on the server and adding more servers.
Currently, the user capacity of our game servers well exceeds the number of users that are
logged on at any one point in time. We may consider adding more servers if the number of users
logging into the iRO game increase to the point that the addition of new servers is necessary.
5. Will u be making other payment options available for players? for example, the philippines
version has a system where you buy "top-up" cards of a particular value from local shops. You
key in the code into your account, and it's paid into there, as well as the time being added.
We do not have plans to implement the cards with allotted subscription time to the iRO
service at this time. However, we have recently implemented the Hourly Prepaid Plan option
that is now available when paying for subscriptions to the iRO service.
6. Considering to maintain the stability of iRO community and the update, is there any
possibilities to fix the connection problems and advertised more to get more loyal customers?
In general, any kind of internet connection problem can result from any point in the connection
from the user to the server in question. Although Gravity Interactive is making every effort to
ensure connectivity on its part, due to the international nature of our service, it may not be
possible to ensure that connections to every nation are functioning properly.
In regards to advertising the iRO game, we are trying to making our presence felt on both
popular websites, as well as videogame related publications.
7. Is there any plans to make a seige time that is a little easier for the people in europe,
like they used to have?
The current War or Emperium sieges times were chosen with the intention of accommodating
players in the United States, European nations, and other participating countries. However,
if users would like to propose different siege times that may be more convenient for the iRO
community as a whole, we encourage them to submit their ideas in an e-mail to the iRO GM Team
sent under the Game Proposal heading of the GM Mailing Service.
8. With the New 3rd classes in Kro out. Will you let the play break the lvl cap of 99/50.
To go past it, to a new reasonable level limt?
The new third class that was recently implemented in the Korean version of Ragnarok Online
is still undergoing testing in kRO. It is likely that we will formulate our policies
regarding the Third character class after gauging the response to the third class by the
kRO community, the effects the third class may have on the communities of other RO
versions, in addition to current considerations of character balance issues. In short,
it is still too early to determine what kind of level limit may be placed on the third
character class once it is implemented.
9. When are we gonna be in time with Korea. Last time they said 1 year and I think that
time is almost up...
Although iRO has made considerable progress in implementing recent updates, it may not
be possible for the update schedule of iRO to synchronize with kRO's update schedule.
Firstly, there is the issue of translating the in-game text in NPC dialogues, as well
as item descriptions and monster description. Secondly, last minute changes in dialogue
or the client program may cause possible problems in running the iRO game. Therefore,
thorough testing of new updates for the iRO game is required before we can consider
adding new features for further testing on the Sakray server.
10. Is Pet Skills going to be implemented in iRO?
Unfortunately, the implementation of skills used by Cute Pets in the iRO game is
uncertain at this time.
11. Is Christy single? (hmmmm)
- Since Christy is not an MVP boss monster, nor was spawned in a town invasion or from
a Dead Branch, the rules of kill stealing apply. In general, Christy is considered
as belonging to the person she first attacks. We�fd like to confirm that Christy
is an aggressive, Shadow Property monster.
12. When will clothes dyeing take effect?
Although the addition of clothes dye in the iRO game is planned in the future, we do
not as yet have confirmation as to when this new feature will take effect.
13. Will there ever be a change of hair style NPC ? or more mixing of the colors
in the hairquest to have highlights?
The addition of an NPC that allows the changing of hairstyles is currently under
consideration as a future update to the iRO game. However, the addition of hair
color highlights is doubtful at this time.
14. A GM Party Up and go just have fun with them?
Due to the nature of game management, members of the GM Team must attend to various tasks
on a day to day basis. Although the GM Team cannot accompany users on monster hunts,
we'd like to assure you that our time is better spent investigating problems
experienced by individual users and dealing with issues that may affect the iRO community.
15. Will there ever be an NPC healer present in each town and taking zeny for their services ?
Although we acknowledge that an NPC healer may be convenient for players who have
accumulated large amounts of zeny, such an NPC would decrease the value of Priest
and Acolyte characters. Since one of the focuses of the iRO game is on the community,
we cannot consider the implementation of such an NPC.
16. Is the 15 day free trial permanent, or will it be removed later on? because as many
of us know, the botting population use these as fodder to get most of thier ill gained
loot/zeny.
We will be continuing to offer the free fifteen day trial period to new players
interested in trying the Ragnarok Online game. Although we acknowledge that some
users may abuse this longer trial period, we feel that the old trial period of
three days was insufficient for new players to get a feel for the Ragnarok Online
experience.
17. Any up and coming plans to make iRO more intreasting, apart from the version
updates (e.g. Juno)
In addition to new updates for the Ragnarok Online game, we are always
considering new events that we can hold for our users. We encourage iRO players
to submit their inspired ideas to us by sending an e-mail under the 'Game
Proposal' heading of the GM Mailing Service.
18. Can there be some means made available to increase one's Kafra storage limit?
Most especially with the upcoming implementation of extra character slots, a
storage capacity of 100 just isn't adequate.
Although there is no immediate need to increase the capacity of the Kafra Storage at
this time, we recognize that the implementation of additional character slots may
necessitate a larger Kafra Storage capacity. We may consider increasing the Kafra
Storage limit in the future, depending on the needs of the iRO community.
19. Can we have a card exchange NPC where we can trade cards we don't want for some
that we do, or something like that? (aka What to do with 300 Poring cards?)
Although this is a creative idea with obvious benefits, implementing a Card
Exchange NPC will reduce the overall rarity and value of cards. Furthermore,
there is a strong possibility that this kind of card exchange may disrupt the
in-game economy by drastically decreasing the net worth of some players, while
giving unprecedented economic clout to others.
20. Do you feel that some classes are just a bit overpowered? If not do you think
that the flaws that these 'overpowered' classes have are sufficient enough? Also
will there be anymore skill or class 'nerfing'(changing for the worst for that
specific class?) in the future.
Changes that are made to job skills and job level bonuses are made in response to
imbalances caused in the iRO community by the advantages or disadvantages. If it
is found that certain classes have an overall advantage over the other jobs that
is deemed as unfair, modifications to certain skills or job bonuses for that class
may be considered. Although these 'nerfs' are not particularly enjoyable for
individual players, such actions are taken in the interest of maintaining fairness
and balance amongst the iRO community.
21. Archers have the capability to make arrows of Shadow property and you can by
Silver (holy) arrows. Will there ever be the capabilty of permanently enchanting
melee weapons with these properties?
Although Archers are capable of using arrows imbued with the Shadow or Holy property,
the use of these arrows is uncommon or not very popular. There are no future plans
to implement a feature that will allow the permanent endowment of properties on
melee weapons due to the availability of the many weapons and cards that are
already attributed with a property.
22. What is the etiquette concerning dead branches? Is it rude to just fire away
at dead branches because they are ffa? Is it considered ill manner to use dead
branches to kill AFK players?
Although the iRO GM Team does not officially encourage the use of Dead Branches to
kill players that are away from their keyboards, this action is not considered
ill-mannered behavior due to the nature of the Dead Branch item. Because of the
relative rarity of the Dead Branch item, as well as the chance of spawning powerful
monsters, we think that players have about an equal chance of being attacked by a
powerful, slower spawning monster. However, we ask that players use their common
sense and refrain from using Dead Branches with malicious, merciless intent.
23. Will there ever be more shortcut keys F1-F9? By time characters hit 2nd class
it get's kinda full.
Two additional sets of shortcut keys are made available in the Juno Update. Pressing
the 'F12' key will toggle between the three different sets of hotkeys.
24. Is there any chance of changing monster drops, so that more monsters drop
certain rares? For example, slotted mufflers, were something other than sohees
dropping them then they wouldn't be as expensive and therefore it wouldn't
exclude the poorer players.
Unfortunately, iRO GM Team cannot consider significant changes monster drops in
order to make rare items more available. This action would be unfair to veteran
players who have had a more difficult time in hunting for these items, as would
result in the depreciation of all rare items.
25. You know when you right click on someones name in the party window, and choose
view information? Will that be implemented any time soon?
Currently, we do not have plans to implement the viewing of Player Information in
the Party Window in the immediate future.
26. Are the ingame descriptions of cards and skills correct (doubt it), and if not
are they planning to bring them in line with actual effects at some point?
Yes, the in-game effects of cards and skills will be updated with the implementation
of Juno. iRO users who play on both the Sakray and Chaos or Loki servers have probably
noticed that the card descriptions have changed with the Juno Update.
27. Is there going to be an option to purchase/pay for additional character slots on
the same account at some point in the future?
Although additional character slots for all players are foreseeable in the future
of iRO, we will not be offering an option in which additional character slots can be
purchased.
28. Also, is it ever going to be possible to move unused slots from one server to another?
It is highly unlikely that we will be offering the option to move unused character slots
from one server to another. This may give an advantage to users that are dedicated to
one server over those that choose to play on characters on different game servers.
29. What are the rules regarding Kill Stealing and snipers? Does a sniper have priority
over a player on the same level?
Regardless of whether or not a player is attacking from a long distance on a higher
level, the kill of the monster belongs to the person who attacks the monster in
question first, or is first attacked by the monster in question.
30. Will the 2-2 class job change quests be implemented immediately or will there
be a period wherein simply changing at job 40 is good enough?
The 2-2 class job change quests will be made available upon the implementation of
the Juno Update. These quests have been available on Sakray ever since Juno was added
to that server.
31. What actually counts as foul language? As Far as I'm aware there is no list of
terms. Not all terms are blocked by the filter ( I heard of a case where someone was
banned for a word unfiltered) and some words that are acceptable in some countries are
unacceptable in others.
When accounts are investigated for the use of foul language, the iRO GM Team
generally looks for the use of language that is intended to represent extremely
profane words, as well as the player's intent. Slang and terminology that is
considered racially offensive is also not condoned by the iRO GM Team.
32. Are there any plans to clarify the rules on the iRO website? They're very open
to interpretation (as not all player read the BBS) and would make players more
aware of what is and isn't acceptable in game.
Currently, we do not have plans to reword the iRO Rules and Regulations as the
behavioral guidelines outlined in our Game Policy addresses the majority, if
not all, of the instances of in-game misconduct reported by our users. We also
feel that using this set of guidelines will accommodate inevitable changes that
accompany new updates for the iRO game. Lastly, the iRO GM Team posts
announcements regarding the implementations of new rules and policies
on the iRO official website.
33. Two paid, legally played accounts, allowed or not?
Yes, players are allowed to legally play on more than one account. However,
if one of these accounts is permanently suspended as a result of a violation
of the iRO Rules and Regulations performed by the main user of that account,
it is highly possible that the other accounts registered by this user may
also be suspended.
34. Would it be acceptable to report an area rather than individuals, where
there are a few people suspected of using third party programs rather
than screenshots of each one? In some areas the number is so high I
honestly cannot be bothered.
It is acceptable for users to submit reports of maps in which the use of
unauthorized third party software is currently popular. However, the iRO
GM Team will not take action against all characters present on the reported
map. Instead, each character on this map is individually investigated.
35. Considering the rarity of them and the difficulty gone through to make them,
why is Hat of the Sun God (Solar God Helm) not a tad more useful?
The appearance of the Hat of the Sun God item is intended to be its appearance.
For some people, the sheer gaudiness of this hat, as well as the undisputable
sense of royalty felt by the wearer, makes it well worth its price.
36. How do you go about getting rid of bots? Are you in the active search
of them, or do you randomly pic places to "patrol"?
The iRO GM Team actively patrols and searches for characters that may be automated
by unauthorized third party software. We also respond to ill-mannered reports
submitted by players and investigate reported characters.
37. Are there going to be more cards available in the future?
It is possible that the addition of new cards may be in the future of iRO. However,
at this point in time, we do not have any plans for implementing new cards.
38. Will there ever be a time when alliances can access guild dungeons?
If not then what is the actual point of alliances? Seeing as the alliance
gets nothing. Even if they could only access it with an escort of a member
of the guild castle.
Unfortunately, we doubt that alliances will eventually be given access to the
guild dungeons. The Guild Dungeon is designed to only accommodate the guilds
which currently own the guild castles through which the dungeon is accessible.
We suggest that users find other means to support their allies and maintain
equality amongst their alliances when occupying a castle.
39. Any plans on a 'Guild Storage System'?
There are no plans to implement a storage system for the exclusive use of guilds
in the iRO game at this time.
40. Will there be a GM patrol that'd be on all servers and available all the time.
Currently, we are working on an in-game support plan that will enable the iRO GM
Team to offer more assistance to players within the iRO game.
41. Will you block using dead branches in towns ?
It may be possible that the use of Dead Branches may be blocked in towns in the future.
42. When will we have the new MVP loot system like on kRO ? (or getting back the old
system, i.e. the loots goes directly in the inventory)
There are no plans to change the MVP system or reward system at this time,
although changes may be made to these systems with the implementation of future updates.
43. When will you solve the party/guild bug during WoE ?
We are currently working on investigating possible causes for problems with the
Guild and Party chat that occur on the Chaos server during WoE sieges. Although
we cannot estimate as to when this issue will be resolved, we would like to
assure our users that fixing this problem is among our highest priorities.
44. When will we have a list of all the changings and updates we have in the servers
like on kRO ?
Changes, bug fixes, and updates are announced in announcements that are viewable
in the iRO Patch Client, as well as the News Page on the iRO official website.
45. When will the PvP zone work properly ? because before entering a PvP zone,
the NPC always displays something like "Prontera 0/128"
The NPCs which allow entrance to PvP zone now correctly display the number of players
present in the PvP maps.
46. What is that the male GMs wear, exactly? A dress, a smock, a robe, or something else?
Male GMs wear robes made of all natural fibers that are hand woven by GOD-POING.
47. Do they plan on having an anniversery event like the one jRO had?
We are considering an anniversary event a year after iRO has started the pay
to play service.
48. Will there be a Ragnarok Merchandise shop opened for INT'L RO in the near future?
No current plans, although we recognize burgeoning interest in RO merchandise
in the United States and Europe.
49. Do the GMs enjoy attention when they appear in the game or would
they rather be ignored by players?
Members of the iRO GM Team prefer that players conduct themselves in an
orderly and polite fashion when responding to the appearance of a GM character
in the Ragnarok Online game. A GM character may appear to players in order
to make an important announcement, or to give instructions.
50. Are events postponed due to dramatic reasons or is the staff really busy?
The iRO GM Team will postpone events or updates for the Ragnarok Online
if such action is considered necessary. Sometimes, there may be unforeseen
problems associated with events that must first be addressed and additional
testing may be required. Aside from these kinds of problems, the iRO GM Team
has been able to implement events and updates on schedule.
51. Are GM characters "leveled" in the game (ex. the GM characters used as
regular characters killing mobs along with their GM duties)?
GM characters are not leveled.
52. Why were the skill names changed?
Names of particular skills are usually changed to better fit the actual use
of the skill, and the cultural understanding of the iRO community as a whole.
Some of the original names of skills make cultural references that may not be
recognized by most of our users.
53. The bard character sprites look overly effeminate. Is there a reason for this
(i.e. backstory)?
Since Ragnarok Online is a role playing game, we believe the background story for
characters should be left to the creativity of our users. Also, femininity is
a subjective term that may be open to interpretation: some members of the GM
Team believe that the Bard character design is intended to imitate the appearance
of popular boy bands, while others think the Bard is the epitome of masculinity.
54. Does iRO have plans to open a branch in Europe? There is this site here:
http://www.euro-ro.net/ , but they have no links from it to iRO or to the
official RO site. Is it an illegal server?
The www.euro-ro.net website is an authorized version of the RO game that is made
available in Europe. However, iRO and euRO are unaffiliated.
55. What is the current status of the iRO offices in the United States? Is it
expanding and growing? There are apparently three internet cafes now. Will there be more?
It is conceivable that more iRO Official Internet Cafes may be added in the
future as more users log into the Ragnarok Online game.
56. When will the next fanart book be published and where the is current
fanart book available for purchase?
Unfortunately, the Ragnarok Online fanart book is only sold in Korea,
although we do recognize that there is considerable interest in Ragnarok
Online merchandise in the United States and Europe. We do not have any
information regarding the publication of future Ragnarok Online fanart books.
57. Since Ragnarok Online is not actually developed (programmed) in the
United States, what kinds of proposals can we submit through the game proposal
section of the GM mailing service?
We encourage our users to submit their ideas for new events to the iRO GM Team
through the Game Proposal section of the GM Mailing Service. The Game
Proposal section is your chance to affect what kinds of events and stories
occur in Ragnarok Online.
58. When Juno comes out, will the alchemist's "Homunculus" skill work right away,
or will it be available at a later date?
Unfortunately, the Homunculus skill, if it is implemented, will not be made
immediately available for use with the implementation of the Juno Update.
