Dear Heirs of the Covenant!

I'm Editor Kaka!

Dang~Dang~ Dang~ Dang~ ♪ As the spring breeze gently blows, the new semester quietly begins!

The heroes who once guarded the world of Orbis have now become your classmates,

full of expectations, ready to start their campus life at Kaan High School!

Which hero would you most like to be your neighbor and spend a semester of campus life with~?

Please leave your game nickname, server name, and the hero you want to be your neighbor in the comments!

As long as all heirs participate in the event according to the format, we will send you 2 Leaves of Life as a reward~!

■ New semester, I will be withwhichheroasneighboringtablemate?Activity

[Event Period]

- Taiwan time 3/5 (Thursday) ~ 3/11 (Wednesday) 22:59

[How to participate in the event]

- Leave a message according to the format below to complete the event!

※Example: Editor Kaka/Asia Server/Hero name you want to be your new semester neighbor

*If the message format does not comply with the regulations, or contains special symbols not listed in the format, you may be excluded from participating in the event. In order to participate in the event smoothly, please be sure to leave a message according to the above format!

[Event participationreward]

- All participants:2Leaves of Life

※It will be sent to the in-game mailbox on 2026/3/13 (Friday) (storage period is seven days).

[Please be sure to read the following! ]

- If you do not fill in the correct game nickname and server, you will be excluded from the list of participants.

- Rewards will be distributed based on the "game nickname" filled in when participating in the event.

  ※ If you change your nickname, the reward may not be distributed normally.

- Each account can only receive the event reward once, and repeated participation will be excluded from the distribution list

(cannot participate in the same STOVE forum event in other languages ​​at the same time).

- Please check the details in the[Event Regulations].

Hello, Masters! This is Milk Empire.

The 2026 Q1 update for [Maid Survival: Little Angel] will be carried out on March 6th (17:00 KST)!

The new content added in this update is as follows:<wbr>

1. Playable Maid Warrior

- High-spirited martial arts girl maid [Ring]

- [Ring] Stage 1~3 Story

Ring, a passionate maid who polishes herself by cleaning up demons with the family's martial art 'Dohwa Taegeuk Kwon'!

Please look forward to her performance in Little Angel!<wbr>

2. Memory

- Story Replay Function

You can now re-watch the main story, each stage story of the Maid Warrior, and more!

3. Added Resolution Support

We support a wider variety of screen resolutions, including the Steam Deck resolution!

4. Added New Weapons and Items

- 1 type of weapon and 1 type of item have been added!

Weapon: Muyeonggak

Item: Faded Black Belt

Please check the details in the game.

5. Other

- Fixed some minor bugs

Thank you for always supporting and loving Little Angel♥

Why do users feel overwhelmed by the grandeur of a space or feel tension in a boss battle? It's thanks to 'level design,' which gives logic to the virtual space and designs the user's play flow.

Level design is an indispensable area in creating a world called a game. We met Kwon Yong-jin, the team leader of the Smilegate Level Planning Team, to hear about what level design is and what level designers do. We introduce how 'empathy' that reads the user's mind beyond technical implementation determines the completeness of the game, and the detailed work journey of level design that is refined through hundreds of simulations. 

Q. Nice to meet you. Please introduce yourself.

Hello. I'm Kwon Yong-jin, who is in charge of 'Lost Ark' level design. I've been working as a level designer for 10 years since joining the company on January 4, 2016. I'm busy every day, but I'm enjoying my work. 

Q. Some people may be unfamiliar with the job title 'level design.' Please introduce the job. 

It's not easy to explain because the history of the job is short, and the role and scope are different for each company. To put it simply, level design is a job that designs all the spaces where users play, fight, and perform missions. We also design how users will behave while playing the game and what feelings they will have through that behavior. In other words, the level designer's job includes not only the space implemented in the game, but also predicting and designing the user's play flow and emotional curves. 

Q. What does 'level' in level design mean?

I think 'level' is a structural concept like the difference in height or stage of a space. For example, like going up to the second floor by taking the stairs from the first floor, dividing the stages according to the height or composition of the space. 

If this flow concept is the level in terms of space, the player's experience can also be called a level. It means the intensity or flow of emotions that a user experiences in a space. For example, if the level of stress you feel while playing a game is up to 10, a level of 7 will stimulate your desire to challenge, but if you go up to a level of 8 or 9, you will feel unpleasant. Adjusting the flow of emotions like this is also an important area of level design.

Q. I'm curious about how you work specifically.

For example, let's say you're making a horror game. The space design will be completely different depending on the planning direction, whether you want to give the user psychological fear or physical fear by introducing something like a monster. If you want to give psychological fear, creating a closed space can be one way. If you are being chased by something, a wide space with no end in sight may maximize the fear. If you want to give the user anxiety, it may be effective to create a closed indoor concept with corridors, stairs, and several rooms and doors. 

In this way, we first design the entire space according to the concept and planning of the game, and then carefully draw the user's emotional line and fill in the detailed space and design elements one by one. We refine it through simulations at each stage, adding emotions and stories to the game space. 

Q. How do you collaborate with other teams such as planners, artists, and programmers?

The collaboration method also varies depending on the type of content. For example, in the case of a linear structure story with a clear beginning and end, the level design part takes the lead in the collaboration. After considering the space design and directing method according to the user's emotional flow, we coordinate with the quest team, scenario team, combat team, and art team. 

On the other hand, in the case of Lost Ark's Chaos Dungeon, where users play in a specific space without moving, the content planning team plays a leading role. When the content planning team requests 'this type of level design is needed,' the level design team designs the size and shape of the space that fits that type. 

Q. Do you have your own know-how to draw good collaboration as a team leader?

When collaborating, I approach it with the attitude of 'Let's find a way to make it possible.' For example, let's say a team asked me to build a skyscraper like Lotte Tower. It takes a long time and a lot of resources to implement a 123-story skyscraper. In that case, I always ask what 'emotion' they want to realize through that space. If you want to give the user the overwhelming feeling of height, it doesn't have to be 123 floors. We find a point where we can satisfy each other by suggesting realistic alternatives that meet the intention. Rather than saying 'It's impossible' unconditionally, I persuade them by saying 'It's possible' if you do it this way. After all, we all have the same desire to give pleasure with a good game. 

Q. Have you dreamed of becoming a level designer since you were young? I'm curious about the story of how you became a Lost Ark level designer.

I didn't know the job of level designer from the beginning. When I was in the 3rd grade of elementary school, I vaguely thought 'I want to become someone who makes games,' and that feeling led me to major in game planning. But after being discharged from the military, my worries grew. 

I started to wonder, 'Can my planning be implemented as an actual game?' So I thought I should learn one thing, whether it's graphics or programming. Instead of returning to school, I chose to register for a graphics academy, and after a year, I started working as a graphic background designer. The work was really fun, but in my heart, I always had the thought, 'I'm a game planner, so I shouldn't forget that dream.' So when an employee in charge of motion in the same team resigned, I volunteered to take on that task. When the impact manager resigned, I took responsibility for that task as well. I thought that if I experienced various jobs, I would be able to plan games in more detail in the future, and I would be able to collaborate more smoothly with other teams. Even when my monthly academy fee was 400,000 won when I was receiving a monthly salary of 1 million won, I was happy. Later, I transferred to the planning team and took on the level design job for the first time. A series of processes that started with the desire to 'make a good game' has become a solid asset for me to work as a level designer now.

Q. Your story of starting as a game planning major and becoming a level designer is really interesting. What qualities should a good level designer have?

People around me call me a logical and analytical 'T-type person.' But when I do level design, I think of myself as an 'F-type person' who values emotions and knows how to empathize. 

I think that when a player enters a space, for example, a cathedral, they need time to explore the space and feel the atmosphere. They need to be given time to accept the information given by visual elements such as pillars, frames, and lighting, and the emotions felt there. 

If monsters pop out from the beginning without that time, the space will only remain a simple battlefield. 

On the other hand, if you design the player to recognize the details of the space and imagine the next, they can recall the meaning like a puzzle in the final stage. They say, 'Ah, that's why that frame was in that space back then.' To make that possible, technical skills alone are not enough. 

You must be able to constantly empathize and imagine how users think and feel.

That's why I think level designers must have an F-type code. Of course, skill is the first basic virtue. (laughs)

Q. Please introduce a case that was personally impressive or achieved great results among the projects you have worked on.

All projects are meaningful, but the biggest achievement in terms of objectivity is Lost Ark. In particular, the 'Kayangel' dungeon, which is the climax of the game, is a space I designed, so I have a great affection for it. I am personally satisfied because I think it is a design that maximizes the user's emotions. 

We had to capture the structure of ordinary characters fighting against huge beings like gods. So I tried to design an inefficient and overwhelming space as possible from a human perspective. I wanted to make users feel awe the moment they entered the space, thinking, 'I'm going up to the end of the sky and facing God.' On the other hand, I wanted to put a message of gratitude and support in the space for the users who had overcome all kinds of adversity and stood in that place, saying, 'Thank you for coming this far.'

Q. On the other hand, I'm also curious about black history or mistakes you don't want to remember.

About 10 years ago, I made an island. Not only monsters but also other players were set as enemies on the island. I thought this complex battle would be a dynamic mess in a positive sense. It just became a mess. (laughs) They were intertwined, and I couldn't tell who I hit or who hit me. Such content left no emotion or fun. I forgot about it for a while, but now that I think about it again, it was a pretty big mistake. (laughs)

Q. What do you particularly focus on to present a pleasant level design?

Simulating countless times from the perspective of various users! Because the way users play the game and the emotions they feel in the game vary widely. It's not an exaggeration to say that I simulate it more than 300 times in my head. Not just filling in numbers, but predicting various cases with a new perspective every time. Overcoming boredom and being sincere and consistent!

Q. When do you feel that you did a good job becoming a level designer?

Actually, I feel it almost every day. Job satisfaction is the highest. (laughs) I like games so much, so I can't help but enjoy making games myself. To be honest, there are very rare times when I 'don't want to do it,' but most of the time I enjoy and have fun working. I'm willing to say OK even if I have to make a game all night. The process of imagination being implemented as an actual game is so exciting. Above all, when I face the reactions of users enjoying the game as intended in the first proposal, I feel that 'I'm glad I'm making games.' 

Q. What are your future goals as a level designer?

I really like cute things. (laughs) I want to create a warm space with cute characters, a game that everyone can't help but love. I hope I can achieve my dream someday. 

The official 4-panel comic, created in collaboration

with artist @tare_nu, is now live!

Meet Chizuru 👀

It's pink haha Thanks Hyohae hyung haha