I've played a bit more, the game has changed a bit (it's still in beta), and I wanted to show off some pretty screenshots. If the last Atlantica article I wrote was too long, this one will be a bit more palatable... unless you are literal about that "picture is worth a thousand words" thing.

First, the AutoMove is now a core part of the game. Previously, you had to buy a "license" that activated it. Now, there's no limit. Sweet.

Second, the Stamina system now recharges. It's still a limit on combat, but it's more generous. It's heartening to hear the devs taking complaints to heart and trying to meet partway at a solution. I think this was a smart business move, but the system never really did bother me in the first place. It's more a case study of the feedback cycle.

Third, it's a little more grindy than I thought initially. The newbie experience is quick, but it settles into more grindish sentiment as time goes on. I'm almost to level 30, and it's taken as much time to go from 20 to 29 as it did from 1 to 20. It's not really a surprise, but it's a bit of a disappointment.

Fourth, crafting is... interesting. Anyone can learn any skill, so it's not limited like WoW. (Which is good and bad for the economy, but I like the freedom and potential.) You gather the materials necessary for crafting, start the crafting procedure... then run off and fight. Combat produces "work" that is applied to your crafting. It's an odd system if you're trying to make logical sense of it, but since you'll likely want to be out killing stuff most of the time anyways, it's good enough. It does mean that those who find the combat less than appealing will not find refuge in crafting. All in all, I'm OK with it because I like the combat system, but I'm not so sure that it was a wise design choice, as it effectively creates more grind and cuts off what could be an alternate progression track. Even so, there are hundreds (if not thousands) of things to craft, and digging into the system could take plenty of hours, if you find yourself liking it.

Fifth, gear is interesting. I wrote before that you could combine old weapons and armor to make more powerful versions of the same. It's a nice way to cull the vendor trash, since you can just roll stuff into your existing gear. There are a few troubles, though. One, it's a binary combining system. Two level 0 swords will combine to a level 1 sword, but you can't add another level 0 to that, you have to make another level 1 sword and combine those into a level 2 sword. A level 2 sword winds up needing four level 0 swords and 4 enchanting gems. That adds up in cost and pack space. Two, early equipment can fit anyone. Stronger gear is restricted to melee, ranged or caster, and there are class-specific bits of gear in there even later. This puts even more of a strain on pack space, since you can't just have your swordsman wear the extra helmet for a while until you can upgrade it for your gunner. It does allow for specialized gear for different roles, so it's not all bad... but it's very easy to run out of pack space in short order.

Other than that, the game is still beautiful, the community (in-game, anyways) is good, and I'm still having fun with combat. It's not going to be for everyone, and there are some strange design choices that I'd not have made, but it's a good game nevertheless. And it's free. Did I mention that?

Part 1

Screenies:

I've been playing the Atlantica Online open beta for a week or so now. As a strategy/tactics nut, I'm quite enjoying it. As a casual player with limited time, I'm finding that it's actually quite casual friendly. Some aspects of it still need work, though. As always, I want to look at what works and what doesn't as a case study. Since it's still in open beta, things may change, so perhaps this is more of a snapshot of the dev process, rather than a full-on review of a final game. Still, there are things that this game does that I haven't seen elsewhere that I wanted to ramble about.



So far, the core game mechanics are similar to most MMOs; pick an avatar, fiddle with the appearance, get plopped in a 3D world and run around learning through tutorial quests. After that, wander the realm doing heroic deeds (quests) like fetching medicine and slaughtering rampaging wildlife. Combat is the place where Atlantica veers off into left field, and is the richer for it.

Combat is a tactical affair, a bit like Ogre Battle or Suikoden. Your avatar is one unit in a merry band of mercenaries. I chose an archer, since I like to play at range and use tactics (like a WoW Hunter) rather than wading into combat face first, relying on my gear and reflexes. There are three melee classes, three ranged classes and a healer class available to players at character generation. In either melee or ranged, classes are distinguished by how their attacks are targeted; there are single target attackers, those who attack a lateral line (an arc attack, effectively), and those who attack a depth line (a piercing attack). There are three rows and three columns for each band in combat, so it's possible to have nine units. Melee units have to attack the units in "front", while ranged units can typically attack any opponent. There are some variations, but that's the general gist of things.

When battling an opponent, you take turns directing your units. Players typically start, but each combat action consumes action points (which regenerate each turn), so attacks are somewhat rationed. The first team to lose all of its units (or just the leader, in a few battles) loses. Monsters who die in combat must be looted in combat. This is a bit weird, especially since their carcasses disappear after three turns, but it does make for some tactical decisions at times... especially since some units can resurrect. It's easy to play with just the mouse, but some keyboard shortcuts can make things faster and more efficient. (It's also largely possible to play with just the mouse out of combat which is great for when I'm holding a sleeping child in my offhand.) Turns are limited to 30 seconds if you have a full party (which won't be until level 50), or as little as 15 seconds with three units (your starting party). That keeps combat quick, but it's still usually plenty of time to not feel like a twitch game.

The game plays like a great "peanut butter and chocolate" sort of unexpected mashup of the tactical genre and MMORPG conventions. Units level up and gain abilities, and proper army management goes a long way towards success in combat. Out of combat, things play like most other MMOs, at least as far as wandering the land killing stuff and fetching doodads go. That's not bad, since it makes it easier for other MMO vets to make the conceptual transition.

Atlantica uses the "click to move" in addition to moving with arrows or the WASD convention. Surprisingly, this is one game where it doesn't bother me. Maybe it's because critters don't typically have an "aggro radius" that the click to move can inadvertently trigger. Combat is initiated by clicking on an enemy. You can stand in a field of baddies, and they blithely ignore you. True, this is like the very early areas of WoW, but even in the level 15 dungeon I'm playing in at the moment, bad guys ignore you unless you kick them in the shins. It's even possible to sit down and rest and have bad guys walk right next to you, content to let you recharge. It's absolutely not good for immersion or a sense of danger, but dagnabbit, I love it as a casual player. I can take a break almost any time to take care of my kids or something my wife wants me to do, without worrying that the mobs will grind me into paste while I'm doing something more important. I love that sense of freedom.

Another casual friendly mechanic is the AutoRun button. Clicking this button will take you to your next quest goal, whether it's the target area for killing stuff, a town location, a person to talk to, or back to the quest giver when you're done with your task. I've literally clicked the button and walked away for a few minutes while my characters travel to where they needed to be. On the one hand, this is absolutely brilliant for casual play, as I can do something else during the travel time. It's also nice if the quest description is a bit obscure (as s...