Hello. This is DEV DOL.
I wrote to you in 2016 with the same introduction. Seven years later, here I am again.
Today, I'd like to introduce the new director of Vindictus, and express my gratitude for all of you.
Throughout the seven years I've been director, there have been many times when you've all given me lots of support and constructive feedback.
I should have always been grateful for that, and used it to make better choices, to lead development in a better direction, and to present a game that you all are happy and satisfied with.
However, I feel I have fallen short of that, and for that, I apologize.
I truly believe that Vindictus can become even better and more enjoyable.
And for that, I believe that we need new leadership, not someone who's already set in his ways.
To reach that standard, I'd like to introduce you to the 5th Director of Vindictus, DEV Allanon.
We've met him many times through DevTalks, where he's been a core developer who has grown more and more essential to the team.
He is extremely proactive and driven, and I'm looking forward to seeing how he can improve the game in the future.
Recently, during the Space Time Distortion battle update, he prepared and implemented the fixes made after it left the test server.
He has also taken a proactive role in the creation of avatar items, such as the Taros outfit and the Bikini outfit sets.
I hope you'll give him your best wishes for his time as director.
Now, let's hear from the Director, Yongseob Han.
Hello.
I am DEV Allanon, the new director of Vindictus.
You may already know me from my appearances on DevTalk, but this time I'm here to introduce myself as the new director.
Starting in September 2023, I will become the fifth Director of Vindictus. I am honored to carry on the 13 years of history that my four predecessors and you, the players, have built together.
I have been involved in the development of Vindictus since 2015, mainly managing live services and planning systems.
I've overseen various new systems such as Quick Battle, Wardrobe, and other convenience improvements. I've received a lot of support for these, and at times,some stinging criticism. It has all been a valuable experience which allowed me to think deeply about what players really want.
I remember one of the first improvements I worked on after joining the team, the improvements to the item tooltip trade specs display.
I was new to Vindictus at the time, and although I tried my best to learn by playing the game, I struggled with quite a few things.
From the combat requiring advanced controls at the beginning of the game, to just trying to figure out the meaning of the players' terminology, it all seemed like a challenge to me.
The most challenging of these was the opaque system, so one of the first things I started working on was the display of the item tooltip trade specs.
Since I was looking at the game purely from a player's perspective at the time, I noticed a lot of things that had been pushed aside in favor of more pressing matters, and I was able to improve them piece by piece, with suggestion after suggestion.
Going forward, I will use the same mindset, and always ask myself if there are improvements I'm missing because I'm used to the way things are.
And I'd like to go further, and make this promise.
I'm going to improve the inconvenient and unwieldy parts of the game.
Even many elements that were chosen for good reasons in the past have become cumbersome over time and under the influence of other patches.
We will take a close look to see any inconveniences that have been masked by familiarity, and if there are unwieldy parts of the system that are already in place, we will improve them.
I understand that this won't happen overnight. We will continue to put in the work with dedication.
We will communicate honestly.
I believe that communication starts with making sure players understand our intentions.
We will explain our intentions in detail, using a variety of channels, including comments in patch notes, developer notes, and DevTalks.
We'll also be open to hearing a wide range of well-reasoned feedback from players, even if it's at odds with the opinions of the Dev Team.
I'm excited and nervous, but I'll keep a sense of duty and responsibility, and do my best to ensure that we don't lose the pride of Vindictus as a top-quality action game.
We look forward to hearing your support, encouragement, and criticism.
Thank you!
