Netmarble held a developer livestream today (the 24th) for its collectible action RPG, 'STAR DIVE.' The stream featured Netmarble Monster PD Lee Dong-jo and Netmarble Business Division Director Kang Dong-ki, who showcased gameplay for the upcoming pickup character 'Mina' and held a Q&A session to address user feedback.

New Fire-Attribute Brawler 'Mina' Announced, Featuring 'Spirit' Mechanics and Flexible Update Schedule

Mina is a 5-star fire-attribute brawler and a shrine maiden struggling to protect the peace of the Far East Continent. She accumulates 'Spirit' when using swap skills, combat skills, or performing just-evades. Holding the normal attack button triggers her special move, 'Hoyeon-jilju' (Swift Dash), which consumes one Spirit per dash while automatically dealing fire damage to nearby enemies.

When using her ultimate, Mina deals fire damage and summons two clones that mimic her attacks. Since the clones' attacks also generate Spirit, players can quickly chain skills and dashes to deal massive burst damage to enemies.

Following the introduction and demonstration of Mina, the team discussed character additions and update cycles. While originally planned for every three weeks, the team will adopt a more flexible approach to updates and improvements to better account for content consumption rates and resource acquisition challenges. Consequently, 'Mina' will be available via pickup starting April 28, and to compensate for the accelerated schedule, various events, including an attendance event, will offer additional rewards.

Pre-submitted Q&A

Q. Growth materials, keys, and tickets are in short supply. How do you plan to improve this?

PD Lee Dong-jo = We are aware of the issue. To address the shortage caused by a lack of keys and tickets, we have implemented a 2x acquisition event as a stopgap measure. We plan to further improve acquisition rates after reviewing the data.

Q. Farming 'Premium Salmon Puree' for Monster Ring growth requires endless grinding in rifts. Do you plan to reduce the fatigue?

PD Lee Dong-jo = As mentioned in the developer note on the 22nd, we have first changed the acquisition method to a guaranteed drop to reduce the burden of repetitive grinding. As a second step, we will implement tailored adjustments based on the overall progress of user Monster Ring synthesis and growth.

Q. The process from farming to identifying and synthesizing Monster Rings is too long, and the inventory fills up too quickly. Convenience improvements are needed.

PD Lee Dong-jo = We are monitoring data while increasing rift drop rates. We are also aware of the complaints regarding synthesis filters; while it is a large task, it is a top priority, and we are working to implement it as early as this weekend. We are preparing a grade filter first, followed by features like auto-lock and icon indicators to quickly identify options.

Q. The burden of 'field running' (repeatedly farming fields) seems excessive. Are there plans to alleviate this?

PD Lee Dong-jo = We definitely intend to increase supply. We are considering a dispatch system as a primary solution and will adjust the balance of field monster hunting so that players can obtain necessary rings without having to grind every day. We are also considering an auto-farming feature for the fields.

Director Kang Dong-ki = We initially thought field running was an optional activity for dedicated players, but more users are participating than expected. We are listening to your feedback and will refine the convenience features accordingly.

Q. High-tier raid gear is hard to obtain, and the random options are stressful. What measures are you preparing?

PD Lee Dong-jo = We designed it hoping players would try many times, but we have first increased the drop rates. Since gear with poor options is naturally discarded, we are preparing a way to dismantle it to recover materials and retry crafting.

Q. It is difficult to complete elemental decks.

PD Lee Dong-jo = I personally haven't completed all my elemental decks either. We are aware that gear is often discarded if it doesn't match the character's element, and we will prepare measures to alleviate this.

Q. Even after capturing monsters, 'Meow' experience points are not being acquired correctly.

PD Lee Dong-jo = I can only apologize. We wanted to mention this in the last developer note, but the issue wasn't fully diagnosed at the time. The patch is nearly ready, and we are investigating how to retroactively provide the missing experience points. We hope to distribute them as early as next week's patch.

Q. Some motions are locked behind 'blooming' (awakening), which wasn't mentioned in pre-launch livestreams. How will you handle this?

PD Lee Dong-jo = We thought it would be nice to provide additional rewards beyond just growth when blooming. We realize many users are disappointed, but since some players bloomed their characters specifically for these perks, we are carefully considering our options.

Director Kang Dong-ki = The intent was to express a deepening bond as characters are breakthrough-leveled. Once other systems are more established, we may be able to remove restrictions on motions and move in a different direction. We will look for ways to improve this.

Q. Since launch, there have been issues with quest progression, crashes, and graphical glitches. Also, frame drops and recognition issues with certain controllers persist.

PD Lee Dong-jo = Our server and client teams are prioritizing these issues and will address them as soon as the causes are identified. We have confirmed that frame drops occur when receiving data from USB-connected controllers, and we will fix this in next week's patch.

Q. Please add auto-move for the PC version and a hold-to-attack feature for normal attacks. Also, please add custom mobile controls and a practice dummy.

PD Lee Dong-jo = The PC version already supports auto-move. Since each character has unique attack patterns, we will implement a hold-to-attack feature that accounts for these differences. We are reviewing feedback on mobile controls and will respond after an internal meeting. We want to make the practice dummy a piece of content where players can test DPS before tackling rifts or high-level content.

Live Q&A

Q. Are there plans to add skins?

PD Lee Dong-jo = We are preparing something to help you stay cool this summer.

Q. Pass rewards are meager, and the free pass has empty gaps. Do you intend to improve this?

Director Kang Dong-ki = We are gathering feedback, including the sentiment that the pass ends too quickly without additional rewards. We plan to introduce a revamped pass for the next season with no empty slots.

Q. Are there plans to add multiplayer content to play with friends?

PD Lee Dong-jo = We do intend to add multiplayer content eventually. It is not our immediate focus, but we will coordinate based on user feedback.

Q. Character stats sometimes don't seem to perform as indicated.

PD Lee Dong-jo = We have confirmed that there are caps on critical hits and certain stats, and we are looking for a solution that minimizes inconvenience to users.

Q. Are you considering improvements for visibility, such as adjusting the minimap or button sizes?

PD Lee Dong-jo = We have some plans in the works. We worry that a larger minimap might distract from combat, but we will review the feedback and make adjustments to improve visibility.

Q. When is the next episode update?

PD Lee Dong-jo = Episode 6 is scheduled for late May. We will communicate the details via developer notes once the schedule is finalized.

Q. Any plans to add PVP?

PD Lee Dong-jo = As I have said before, we have no intention of adding PVP, nor are we considering it. We are prioritizing world-building, and PVP is not in our plans.

Q. Please add voice acting to event stories.

PD Lee Dong-jo = We want to do that as well. Because we have to prepare dubbing in three languages, the rush to meet deadlines led to some shortcomings. We will try to coordinate voice actor schedules more effectively in the future.

Director Kang Dong-ki = This is a matter of budget and requires your continued interest and love. We will work on better scheduling and ask for your support.

Q. Any plans to add auto-battle?

PD Lee Dong-jo = We are gathering opinions on this through surveys. To state our intent: we are currently negative toward auto-battle. We want players to enjoy the thrill of manual combat. We will improve field inconveniences in other ways so that you can fully enjoy the fun of combat.

Q. Any plans for collaborations or merchandise events?

Director Kang Dong-ki = We are preparing a pop-up store at Starfield. We are working on acrylic stands, plushies, and keyrings, and are exploring various options to keep up with the evolving merchandise market. There are some constraints on the types and designs of goods for a family-friendly venue like Starfield, but we hope to offer products that reward your support. We are also proceeding with collaborations very carefully.