<s>
Lineage	B-Protocol
(	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
medieval	O
fantasy	O
,	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
(	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
)	O
released	O
in	O
Korea	O
and	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
in	O
1998	O
by	O
the	O
South	O
Korean	O
computer	O
game	O
developer	O
NCSoft	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
Korean	O
comic	O
book	O
series	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
designed	O
by	O
Jake	O
Song	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
previously	O
designed	O
Nexus	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Kingdom	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Winds	I-Application
,	O
another	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lineage	B-Protocol
features	O
2D	O
isometric-overhead	O
graphics	O
similar	O
to	O
those	O
of	O
Ultima	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
and	O
Diablo	B-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lineage	B-Protocol
II	I-Protocol
:	I-Protocol
The	I-Protocol
Chaotic	I-Protocol
Chronicle	I-Protocol
,	O
a	O
"	O
prequel	O
"	O
set	O
150	O
years	O
before	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
2006	O
,	O
the	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
franchise	O
had	O
attracted	O
43	O
million	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lineage	B-Protocol
W	I-Protocol
and	O
Project	B-Protocol
TL	I-Protocol
is	O
a	O
planned	O
sequel	O
to	O
be	O
set	O
after	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
and	O
will	O
be	O
the	O
last	O
two	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lineage	B-Protocol
's	O
stat	O
,	O
monster	O
,	O
and	O
item	O
system	O
was	O
originally	O
largely	O
borrowed	O
from	O
NetHack	B-Application
with	O
MMO	O
elements	O
added	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
can	O
choose	O
one	O
of	O
seven	O
character	O
classes	O
:	O
Elf	B-Application
,	O
Dark	O
Elf	B-Application
,	O
Knight	O
,	O
Prince	O
,	O
Magician	O
,	O
Dragon	O
Knight	O
,	O
or	O
Illusionist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Princes	O
are	O
the	O
only	O
class	O
that	O
can	O
lead	O
a	O
blood	O
pledge	O
(	O
which	O
is	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
's	O
term	O
for	O
a	O
guild	O
or	O
clan	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Gameplay	O
is	O
based	O
primarily	O
upon	O
a	O
castle	O
siege	B-Application
system	O
which	O
allows	O
castle	O
owners	O
to	O
set	O
tax	O
rates	O
in	O
neighboring	O
cities	O
and	O
collect	O
taxes	O
on	O
items	O
purchased	O
in	O
stores	O
within	O
those	O
cities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Player	O
versus	O
player	O
combat	O
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
PVP	O
)	O
is	O
extensive	O
in	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
joining	O
a	O
"	O
bloodpledge	O
"	O
(	O
an	O
association	O
of	O
players	O
similar	O
to	O
a	O
clan	O
in	O
other	O
games	O
)	O
players	O
become	O
eligible	O
to	O
engage	O
in	O
castle	O
sieges	B-Application
or	O
wars	O
between	O
bloodpledges	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
title	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
came	O
from	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
comic	O
books	O
with	O
the	O
same	O
title	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
by	O
Shin	O
Il-sook	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
servers	O
of	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
are	O
named	O
after	O
the	O
characters	O
of	O
the	O
comic	O
book	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NCSoft	O
reported	O
that	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
had	O
at	O
one	O
point	O
more	O
than	O
three	O
million	O
subscribers	O
,	O
most	O
of	O
them	O
in	O
Korea	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
ban	O
on	O
some	O
Japanese	O
imports	O
until	O
1998	O
has	O
been	O
cited	O
for	O
delayed	O
growth	O
in	O
its	O
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
April	O
2008	O
,	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
had	O
a	O
little	O
under	O
1	O
million	O
active	O
subscriptions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2011	O
,	O
NC	O
Interactive	O
,	O
the	O
subsidiary	O
of	O
NCSoft	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
began	O
to	O
shut	O
down	O
the	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
servers	O
(	O
3	O
at	O
that	O
time	O
)	O
because	O
of	O
poor	O
subscription	O
revenues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
June	O
29	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
has	O
shut	O
down	O
all	O
servers	O
in	O
NA	O
,	O
permanently	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Between	O
the	O
start	O
in	O
1998	O
and	O
August	O
2012	O
,	O
NCSoft	O
had	O
accumulated	O
in	O
sales	O
revenue	O
from	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lineage	B-Protocol
M	O
is	O
a	O
mobile	B-Application
port	I-Application
of	O
Lineage	B-Protocol
developed	O
by	O
NCSoft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
issued	O
a	O
major	O
balance	O
patch	O
in	O
January	O
2021	O
that	O
offered	O
improved	O
rates	O
for	O
attaining	O
certain	O
in-game	O
abilities	O
and	O
items	O
,	O
but	O
then	O
did	O
a	O
rollback	B-Application
four	O
days	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
player	O
was	O
sued	O
by	O
NCSoft	O
after	O
they	O
spent	O
160	O
million	O
Korean	O
won	O
(	O
approximately	O
~	O
141,000	O
USD	O
at	O
2021	O
exchange	O
rate	O
)	O
during	O
the	O
period	O
the	O
new	O
patch	O
was	O
live	O
then	O
angrily	O
protested	O
the	O
rollback	B-Application
by	O
obstructing	O
the	O
NCSoft	O
office	O
parking	O
lot	O
with	O
their	O
car	O
.	O
</s>
