Project tl

Project TL (Lineage 3 or Lineage Eternal) release date is a matter of speculation for nearly a decade. It was initially announced in 2011, but after delays and complications, the third installment in the Lineage series has not yet seen the light of day, nor do we have any vague release date set. However, in December 2019, there has been some light of hope for the fans of the game. When NCSoft published its annual financial report, it did make mention of Project TL and it was confirmed that the development was very much underway. Also, there was a confirmation about a closed beta that would come in the first half of 2020. However, in light of the recent delays due to the pandemic, we’ve decided to take one more look at how things stand so far.

What’s currently happening in the production?

The closed beta will arrive in South Korea first, there are no two words about it…

First of all, the mentioned closed beta schedule for the first half of 2020 was just for South Korea, with the western countries getting it later, naturally. But, the good thing is that Project TL is the only PC MMORPG announced and worked on by NCSoft in years. So, the general premise is that they’ve been all-in on this title and their annual financial report for 2019 showed that Lineage 3 is definitely in the works. The closed beta will arrive in South Korea first, there are no two words about it, while the actual Lineage Eternal release date, or whatever the game might be called in the end, might even be 2021 or 2022 for the rest of the world. However, at least we know there will be one.

However, the second pickle many fans of the game have is with the rebranding. The first time it was announced as Lineage: Eternal, release date was still unknown but there was some gameplay footage shows which caused poor interest and mostly negative feedback, reportedly. Some people liked it, but most didn’t, especially the Reddit community, and NCSoft needed a different strategy, thus the entire game had an overhaul. This, again, caused more delay in the release, naturally and this time, NCSoft went kind of silent for any updates, and they still are in fact. If not for the financial report and the relentless effort of some of the fans of the series, we wouldn’t even know anything about Project TL.

“Years until the western release date?”

 It might take anywhere from one year to more…

Well…probably. The short version is, closed beta in South Korea, then Open Beta, launch, then the same thing with the western markets… It might take anywhere from one year to more, so its most likely 2021. But, some fans on Reddit and other forums are a bit more optimistic. And, indeed, that process doesn’t necessarily need to take that much. Also, many say that the studio should take as long as they have to, to deliver a good game. So, there’s that…

Is it going to be a good game?

Тhe original studio working on it still, which is a good thing…

Lineage series is a medieval fantasy MMORPG franchise that started in 1998, with the release of the first installment. It was both developed and published by NCSoft, so you know you got the original studio working on it still, which is a good thing. The game achieved the height of its popularity in South Korea and Asia in general, but also in English speaking areas, like North America. It was designed by the guy who was on Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds – Jake Song.

It is unknown if Mr. Jake is involved in the upcoming Project TL, but the first game was a 2D isometric game with an overhead view and graphics kind of like Diablo II and similar to the genre. However, it was an MMORPG ahead of its time, so naturally, it was a wild success and by 2006, the game attracted over 43 million players. That’s two years after World of Warcraft arrived, which is saying much. Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle was out by that time, in 2003, and it helped get the game to where it was last seen by us. The gameplay was solid and it still holds up today. In 2011, NCSoft delighted everyone with the announcement of Project TL (Lineage 3 or Lineage Eternal). The release date was TBA, but they quickly had some gameplay footage ready. But, as mentioned, it was underwhelming and it was back to the drawing board.

How different will be from the original games?

You don’t mess with tradition, and NCSoft knows it…

Project TL will still be a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, of course. You don’t mess with tradition, and NCSoft knows it. The stuff that people on Reddit and others did not like was featured in the first closed beta testing, which was held in 2016, from November 30 to December 4. So, it’s been around three and a half years since this reboot, which means that nothing of the gameplay shown then applies anymore.

However, there’s been some gameplay footage released in between then and now and it looks pretty good! Naturally, the gameplay will still be traditional. Project TL will feature a variety of classes, perhaps some new and some old ones. Also, the game producer was changed in 2017m but the new team did continue development where the old one left off. There have been changes to the engine and the one used for Guild Wars is replaced with Unreal Engine 4.

The latest developments

NCSoft has still chosen to remain largely silent, but we’ve seen some concept art and more gameplay footage…

NCSoft has still chosen to remain largely silent, as mentioned, but we’ve seen some concept art and more gameplay footage, of course without context. But, they do show some stuff all fantasy fans need to check off, like the Dragon’s Nest tower, towns, and a grim character that appears to be the paladin, while there are other classes as well. There are also no other details specified, like Project TL system requirements, no official site, no nothing.

Ubaciti ovde ako moze galeriju sa concept art-on, kao sa ovog links:

What now?

The closed beta is starting in 2020, and the western market release might be in one to two years…

We know what you’re thinking: “All this time and just a few photos and two minutes of gameplay.” Well, this rather beautiful looking concept art surely shows one thing, this new development team, Team TL, is true to the source material. We have no reason to doubt that they will do true to the fans. As for the delays, it is more a question of funding and executives, than developers, so we can’t blame them. All we can do is put our faith that the game will be everything we want and more. The closed beta is starting in 2020, the game is currently on schedule, and the western market release might be here in space or one to two years.

Still, there is no news of any beta sign up. The fact is that the development has come a long way from delays and postponing, and from the days it was titled Lineage 3 and Lineage Eternal. The release date for Project TL is still somewhat farther down the road, but the game is definitely in the works as it should be. You can’t rush production and expect a good result, and four or five years sounds just like the right amount of time for people to produce a good game. We say, take your time, we’ve waited this long, don’t disappoint us now.