Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

I made brief mention of the February update to Atlantica Online in my discussion of how wimpy F2P launches hurt games last week. This time, I’ve chosen to focus on the particulars of the February 18 update for Atlantica and how NDOORS demonstrates a great understanding of how to grow a game both in breadth and depth. F2P gaming will develop a better reputation if more companies follow the examples given by NDOORS for adding content that gives more options for its players on the way to the level cap and more to do for those who have already gotten there.

Growing Atlantica Out

NDOORS understands that a game needs to grow in breadth (out) to give players more things to do. It keeps new players very busy on the way to the level cap, and it gives players already at the cap a reason to play through the game again. The February 18 patch, which was more like an expansion, contained a good boost to the content at all levels.

From character creation, the team added three new hairstyles: Long Wave, Afro and Rasta. I know my wife, who is black, enjoys the new hairstyles because she wants her avatar to resemble her as much as possible. Plus, it’s never a bad idea to increase the number of choices players have in customizing their characters.

Another new option at character creation is a new leader class, the Musician. Armed with a guitar and light armor, the Musician plays music to strike two enemies in a line. Its starter spell, Ravaging Melody, debuffs enemies’ attack power, defense, and health.

It now means something in Atlantica when your leader is born thanks to the Birthday System. A birthday notice mail will be sent fifteen, seven, and one day before (as well as the day of) your main character’s birthday. You can travel to a special NPC to receive a gift, and your leader and mercenaries automatically go up one level on your main character’s birthday.

One major enhancement for all levels that came with the patch is the requirement to expend 50% Will to send mail to anyone not on your Friends or Guild list prior to level 30. This drastically reduces gold spam in the game. Will ordinarily is used to transfer knowledge (such as creature info or a crafting skill) from one player to the next. It regenerates pretty slowly to keep it from being overpowered. Since you can only add a Friend to your list with her consent, the need to expend Will to send a mail to a person deters spammers in a big way. Level 30 is a good starter mark, too, because it takes ten to twenty hours of play to reach level 30. Talk about improving the gameplay experience for everyone!

Two other upgrades for all players worth noting is the addition of bulk mail and the Trading Post system. Players can now send mail in bulk to their Nations, Guilds, and Friends. Meanwhile, each town's Trading Post sells and trades regional products, and the prices fluctuate based on the products’ availability. This makes the world in Atlantica feel very alive and dynamic.

Mid-level players have some new things to do in Atlantica, now, too. The team added a new sub quest at level 65, and a new collection quest at level 70 can net the player cool items. Finally, a special NPC will allow players level 70+ to trade equipment upgraded to +10 for the next tier of equipment upgraded to +7. This process requires an Oriharukon Enhance stone, which is usually purchased in the item mall, but spending real money is not required because the stone is tradable in the game. These upgrades are a big boon to the player, but the same result can be achieved through collecting the loot from mobs and upgrading it one step at a time.