With "PURPLE", you can play the open world RPG "Lineage 2M" on your smartphone and PC at the same time. This is true cross-platform!

The term cross-platform has become commonplace in the gaming industry these days. We live in an age where it is common to play a single title on various game hardware or smartphones by sharing data.

It is not uncommon for online games to be advertised as "enjoyable on the big screen of a PC at home and on a smartphone outside!" As a writer, I thought that this form would be one of the reaching points.

But, but. Please see this video shot with the smartphone game "Lineage 2M", which advocates a "next generation open world RPG".

Experience "PURPLE", a service that allows you to play the open world RPG "Lineage 2M" on your smartphone and PC at the same time.・Smartphone operation and PC screen are linked ・Can also be operated from the PC side ・Convenient functions such as instant switching between 2 accounts are packed. This is ... https://t.co/yQdyiq9HEz

The PC version and the smartphone version are running on the same screen. What's this.

It's nothing unusual if you just do the same movement. Remote applications that display PC screens on smartphones are widely used, and Windows 10 comes standard with a “remote desktop” function that remotely controls other PCs and smartphones.

But take a closer look.

You are playing a game with virtual levers and buttons on your smartphone screen. The operation is reflected in the PC version with almost no time lag. By the way, the screen of the smartphone is not displayed on the PC, and it can be operated on the PC.

Far from "you can play on both PC and smartphone", you can "play on PC and smartphone at the same time without barriers", a specification that shows off the next stage. NCSOFT's new application makes this possible. Its name is "PURPLE" (Purple).

Purple runs very smoothly on a PC. Even if you launch an MMORPG with the highest quality graphics in the 4K class and launch it at the same time as other browsers and work apps, all apps will run smoothly without stuttering. This has already been confirmed in my home environment, which uses a slightly older gaming PC.

This time, I would like to report on the details of "Purple", which fulfills the dreams of PC gamers like me, "I wanted to do this!", along with the impact I felt when I actually touched it.

Also, one caveat. Once you know how useful this is, you may never be able to go back to general cross-platform play...

The mechanism and usage of "Purple", which is too convenient!

Let's start with the basics. "Purple" is an application (service) developed by NCSOFT that fully supports cross-play of mobile games. The first compatible title is the open world type online RPG "Lineage 2M".

To put it simply, you can play the same game from both smartphones and PCs by installing it. In addition, the app is packed with convenient functions that support gameplay.

Its useful functions are all accessible to gamers. Let's introduce them in order below.

The so-called “PC remote control” is also provided as a function of Google, so many people are probably using it for work and private. I started a certain browser game on my PC, left the PC turned on (monitor turned off), and started the remote app on my smartphone while I was traveling by train. The PC is operated from the outside to complete daily missions.

However, we live in a cross-platform era where PC browser games can be played with apps. You can play the app version directly on your smartphone without relying on the remote app. Purple takes this feature one step further.

The biggest difference from conventional remote apps is that it remotely (streams) only the game, not the entire PC screen.

Remote apps so far only show the PC screen on the smartphone. I could only move the mouse cursor and click. You can also enter text from your smartphone's keyboard, but it's almost impossible to play PC games with that keyboard.

In the case of "Purple", "Lineage 2M" running on the PC is streamed and displayed on the smartphone instead of the PC screen. On the contrary, just like the app version, you can move it by tapping virtual levers and buttons. Of course, it also supports multi-tap, and when you actually touch it, the operation feeling is exactly the same as the application version. I didn't feel any particular discomfort.

If you are a PC gamer who knows remote play, you may have wished that you could control a PC MMORPG with remote play, but have given up on hunting because you can only move the mouse cursor. You may have learned about the occurrence of an emergency quest while you were out and drank your tears because it would be impossible to participate from here.

With "Purple", such sad things don't happen! No more tears!

Furthermore, this sharing state is strange, and the game application itself is not running on the smartphone side. Since "Purple" installed on the PC only starts the game and transfers it to the smartphone, the burden on the smartphone is small. I'm afraid I didn't test it in detail, but I think it's similar to YouTube video playback.

In other words, there are no problems that tend to occur in recent major smartphone MMORPGs, such as "The smartphone's specs are not enough" and "The graphics are beautiful, but the smartphone gets extremely hot". . Battery consumption is also considerably reduced.

There are other benefits that gamers will appreciate from the streaming feature. In the case of cross-play titles that can be played on both PC and smartphone, it is common for the PC side to automatically log out when the smartphone version is started while logged in on the PC version.

In the case of streaming play of "Purple", you are not directly logged into the game from your smartphone. For this reason, it is possible to go back and forth between the PC version and the smartphone "Purple" version without logging out or logging in while the logged-in state is maintained on the PC side.

As an advantage of this specification, the ability to "switch platforms instantly" is great. You don't have to go back to the login screen and re-enter your password each time you switch.

Imagine when you're playing on PC and you're in the middle of a massive battle or PvP battle that you can't take your hands off, and you suddenly want to go to the bathroom. I think I want to launch the smartphone version and take it to the bathroom. However, with normal cross-play titles, it is necessary to log out once on the battlefield, and it takes too much time and effort.

With "Purple", you don't have to worry about logging in again, and the time to start streaming is very short. Since it can be transferred to a smartphone immediately without going through the title screen, you can continue to play an active role in large-scale content with peace of mind in the toilet.

In addition, if you can't leave the power of the PC on, you can play with the normal app version, so cross play can be realized without problems. Although it does not have the above convenience, it can be used at the same time as the chat function, which will be explained later. Even in the app version, you should be able to enjoy the convenience that is different from conventional cross-play titles.

From here, let's introduce the functions for those who play a little deeper. If you install "Purple" on your PC, you can start "Lineage 2M" with multiple accounts and play at the same time.

If it is only this, it can be realized with some Android emulators (software that simulates an Android smartphone on a PC and can play smartphone games). I have done it many times on my PC to move multiple characters by myself and enjoy a pseudo-party play.

Experienced players will know that this kind of "multi-window play" on an emulator is very slow, even if you operate two accounts at the same time, so-called "two windows". Especially in smartphone MMORPGs, where recent 3D graphics have progressed, even with the lowest image quality, the operation is choppy and you can hardly move.

However, this time, when I was asked to play "Lineage 2M" in two windows on the PC I was interviewing, there was no lag. I thought it must be a very high-spec PC, but...

If you play with multiple windows, you can display them simultaneously in the form of thumbnails on the smartphone version of "Purple". Due to the simple display, the burden on the smartphone is extremely light.

As expected, detailed operations cannot be performed in this display state, but for each account, you can use the return scroll that allows you to return to the base in an instant with one tap. In this work, you can use the return scroll even in battle, so you can immediately evacuate even if you are attacked by a PK player.

In remote play using a remote desktop, etc., it is difficult to evacuate quickly in a pinch because precise operations cannot be performed due to lag. I'm grateful that "Purple" can avoid so-called "accidental deaths".

Also, switching to another account character is very smooth in streaming play mode. It can be switched in 4-5 seconds.

Since smartphones have a push notification function, you can receive notifications from any application at any time, even if another application is running. It's a great feature for multitasking. "Purple" is useful to make the most of these functions.

The smartphone version of "Purple" has a both text and voice chat tool that allows you to browse and speak in world chat and guild chat even when you're not playing streaming.

I think that in recent smartphone MMORPGs, it is common to create a guild group on Discord and share contact information. It's functionally sufficient, but if you use an external tool, after finishing some kind of consultation in the in-game guild chat, you have to write the results and circumstances again in the external tool and tell people who haven't logged in. should not.

If you use the chat function of "Purple", text chat in the game will be transmitted to friends who are logged out. It is possible to share information at the fastest speed while avoiding duplication of effort.

In addition, it is also convenient to notify the remarks of the guild chat with the push notification function. If something delicious emergency event occurs, you can immediately switch from push notification to game, saying "I need to log in immediately!" If you keep logging in on your PC, the time it takes to launch streaming play on your smartphone is very short.

Maybe you may feel that the time and effort from launching the MMORPG to entering the password on the login screen is very "heavy". It's like a ritual to change your mind, "Let's play!", but when you're tired, when you just want to log in and check the market price between players, etc., this procedure is very troublesome.

"Purple" can greatly reduce the time and effort involved. Never miss an opportunity while doing something else. The lack of communication between members who can only play in the morning and noon and members who are night owls is completely resolved.

It is a communication tool that is completely integrated with the game, making a clear distinction from the companion apps that have been prepared for conventional MMORPGs.

There are still many ways to use it! Pay attention to that possibility

As mentioned above, "Purple" has not only basic functions that allow you to enjoy high-definition play without problems even on low-spec smartphones and PCs, but if you are an MMORPG player, It is packed with useful functions that make you think, "That's right!" How to use the next-generation functions that are different from conventional apps, that skill may be questioned as a play skill in "Lineage 2M".

In addition to being able to use low-spec PCs, it's also pretty amazing that you can turn a gadget called a smartphone, which everyone has now, into a multi-functional handheld game machine.

As an author, I'm more than happy to receive a notification on my smartphone that "recovery items have run out" while hunting on a PC, and immediately use the return scroll on my smartphone to return to replenishment. It's too convenient to be able to manage this separately even while playing with multiple accounts.

You may feel that this kind of usage puts a load on your PC or smartphone. Also, I think some people have security concerns about streaming (remote) in the first place. For those of you who are like that, I would like to tell you that NCSOFT, which has been sticking to the PC hardware, is an application that aims to be optimized, and I was relieved by its high degree of perfection.

First, let's talk about load. This is really light. As mentioned above, even if you start 2 accounts of "Lineage 2M" on a PC equipped with the high cost performance graphic board "GeForce GTX 1060" released in July 2016, it will be fast. In terms of experience, it's harder when the browser game is left in automatic rotation.

There is no need to pass account information to a third party, so you can rest assured about security. This is because all exchanges of information are completed within NCSOFT's own products.

Even if you are in a game environment where cross-platform is a given these days, when you learn Purple, you can't really say that you can do it anywhere if you need to switch your login state each time. end up

In the first place, I sometimes wonder if gamers today really want something that can be done anywhere and the excessive beauty of graphics. The form of convenience that gamers really want continues to change rapidly.

With the Wii U screen controller, you can bring the screen of a stationary game from your living room to the kitchen, or you can play games on two screens with the Nintendo DS, and recently, with the Nintendo Switch, you can seamlessly switch to a handheld game console with a large screen. We gamers have experienced many times the moment when the way we play games shifts to the “next generation” and the needs of gamers change dramatically.

The game experience brought by "Purple" was also felt to be equivalent to these culture shocks from the writer who actually touched it.

NCSOFT released "Lineage 2M" as the first compatible title, which does not require too much movement and operation. Compared to action and shooters, it's a genre where lag isn't so annoying. Perhaps it's also intended as a test bed... Am I thinking too much?

Most of the mobile titles released by NCSOFT in the future will be based on this "Purple" compatible. If that happens, I can't imagine how much shock I would feel when I was able to manage and play titles other than "Lineage 2M" at the same time.

Sometimes we are at a critical moment in gaming history where a new gaming standard is born. Even if you don't take it too seriously, just by actually touching it, you'll be able to enjoy a variety of surprises. Be sure to check it out with your hands and eyes, along with the recently released Lineage 2M.