Tweaked up interface
So that’s the new race covered, but I mentioned that there’s loads more new stuff and now it’s time to have a look at the tweaks to the game itself, many of which are with the interface.Most useful for new players is the satellite-style map view up in the top right which I was using right from the start. This has a moderate amount of zoom on it though to my mind it still doesn’t come out far enough. A handy feature is you can turn on and off what’s displayed on the view, clearing it of clutter and letting you see what you want to see. Our long time Lineage player Zak33 says he pretty much never uses it, only because he’s been playing so long without it that he doesn't need it. However I found it damn useful, so it seems NCsoft are making an effort to make Lineage more accessible to the new player.
Click for larger imageThe backpack/inventory can now be manually arranged, which Zak was practically wetting himself over. Of course, I’d not known any different so I couldn’t see why this was a big deal until we loaded up his level 56 Elven Elder who, given the amount of stuff in his backpack, would be somewhere between The Rock and a JCB in stature if he was real. He had so much stuff to lug about.
Apparently, the old backpack was a self-organizing thing, stashing stuff wherever it fancied and leaving you no choice but to have it like that, which, from experience in other games with inventories, is an utter pain in the arse if you want stuff in certain places to remind you of what you have. But now in Lineage II: The Chaotic Throne - The Kamael you can sort your inventory anyway you fancywhich is a massive boon and brings the game in line with others of this type and how they do it.
Click for larger imageThis backpack screeny is from Zak’s Elf, a level 56 Elven Elder. You can see the new spaces for Shirt (looks like a night shirt with a cross on the front) and the bracelet slots (empty) and the emblems in the bottom left are two "tattoos" that Zak uses to increase his Elf’s Mental Strength (which also decreases Wit) and to increase Strength at the expense of Dexterity. This makes his Elf a bit of a Mana powerhouse, for when he’s recharging and assisting clan fellow members. Oh, and finally, up in the top right you can see some blue ears. Those are just one example of the ‘extras’ NCsoft frequently lob into Lineage… they don’t do anything special but players love ‘em. It’s not unsuaul to see characters sporting Santa hats, evening dresses or some other oddity. They have no affect on the gameplay itself and are just status symbols and as such, they change hands for serious amounts (millions) of adena, the in-game currency.