Hello Kitty Online Exclusive Interview Part I

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Posted May 27th, 2008 by Padma "LadyLotus" Fuller

Interviewer: Padma "LadyLotus" Fuller
Interviewee: Ali Aslanbaigi – Games Master Manager

Calling all Hello Kitty Fans! The staff at Ten Ton Hamster was able to catch up with Games Master Manager Ali Aslanbaigi to get an exclusive look into the new MMOG Hello Kitty Online. Part I of this interview will cover some of your favorite subjects: leveling, loot, and homes!

1. Tell us about Hello Kitty Online the MMORPG.

Hello Kitty Online is an MMORPG that differs from most other MMORPGs in a couple ways: it is built with aspects of social networking, and it is technologically integrated with the Sanriotown.com web site. Sanriotown is the official Sanrio-themed online community offering a host of services to users, like email, casual gaming, blogs, video editing/sharing, etc.

An important attraction of HKO is the ability for players to explore the world of Hello Kitty and interact with Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters. Also of interest, however, is the fact that HKO is centered around a community. The game contains social activities such as minigames that you can play with your friends, as well as features that let you view another player’s videos or blog from within the game.

HKO thus has broader social functionality than is normally found in a MMORPG because we have integrated aspects of the official Hello Kitty community inside the game client itself.

2. Hello Kitty Online has been a very popular IP for such a long time. What is it like to bring it to an online world?

When you’re dealing with highly popular intellectual property you have a responsibility to live up to the reputation of the materials involved. We absolutely did not want to create a generic game and then slap a Hello Kitty skin on it. We set out to build Hello Kitty’s fantasy world and the result is unique and distinctive. The imperative since day one was to make this game cute: everything including the game areas, the avatars, the music, and even the enemies had to be unequivocally cute, or we’d take it back to the drawing board.

3. Is there going to be leveling typical to an MMOG? If so, what will the level cap be?

HKO takes a slightly different approach to levels and gaining levels. In most games you gain substantial experience by defeating opponents and finishing quests, but in HKO levelling up is dependent not just on mission completion but also on resource gathering and crafting. This is a vital part of the game because most items such as clothes, furniture, tools, weapons, and food are made by players. There are four resource gathering skills (woodcutting, mining, planting, gathering) that players need to increase in order to access higher-level resources, mix better ingredients, and craft superior items. The maximum player level will be 99 (in the Closed Beta, the limit is 20).

4. What type of player rewards will there be in the game? Will it be loot based, skill based, or a combination of both?

Rewards are earned by looting, completing quests, and crafting. Pets are obtained primarily from looting pet cards from monsters you have knocked out. Players learn item “recipes” from skill books that are either sold or given out as quest rewards. Some items, especially food, require ingredients that can be procured on your farm. Weapons, clothes and tools require ingredients obtained from mob drops, mineral deposits, plants, and wood.

Production skills are broken down in Quest Items, Weapons, Food, and Clothes categories. You have to craft items at your current skill level or lower in order to improve your crafting abilities and use the best recipes.

5. How big will houses be? Can you buy a bigger home later or get an addition to make it bigger? How many houses can you own?

At this time all houses have the same layout, but differ on the exterior appearance. Like many other aspects of this game, Player housing is somewhat different in HKO from what you may be used to. Every player is entitled to a farm, where you can cultivate crops and store items (200 storage slots). Players who can afford and wish to do so may also build a House on their farm. There are different types of houses, whose exteriors indicate price and quality. Player Housing is used for social and cosmetic purposes, whereas the Farm delivers the functionalities usually associated with housing in other games (storage). Both your farm and your house may be decorated. Every map contains an NPC who will transport you to your Farm.

Click here to see some exclusive screenshots and concept art.

Click here to go to the Official Hello Kitty Online website

Click here to read Part II of this interview