I really like the concept behind Atlantica Online.  Turn based strategy game with multiple characters in formation.  There is a lot to do and experiment with in this game.  It's one of the few mmorpg's I've tried in the past few years that felt different.

All of the best mounts, all the decorations and some of the mercs can only be found in the cash shop.  What a shame.  I'd be more than willing to pay my $15 a month.  Imagine all the content that would be added for the items in the cash shop.

Sure I can continue on without spending money.  My music main just hit level 100 and the gap between me and the people who spend money on items is getting really wide.  I'm having my doubts whether I should continue.

Since you seem to like the game I would just bite the bullet and buy the gear you want from the store, after all you would of been willing to pay the monthly fee if you could of. Hopefully it wouldn't cost more than if you had been paying the monthly fee of $15 a month.

When will people realize that cash shops ruin ANY game?

If you stop comparing yourself to other player, you'll stop feeling that way.

The truth is most people either spend 0$ or 500$ a month.  There are not alot of in betweens.  So really, the only people that have huge advange are the very few minority that spends loads of money through item mall.

Originally posted by laokoko

If you stop comparing yourself to other player, you'll stop feeling that way.

The truth is most people either spend 0$ or 500$ a month.  There are not alot of in betweens.  So really, the only people that have huge advange are the very few minority that spends loads of money through item mall.

I'm not comparing myself to other by choice.  If I'm losing PvP battles because somebody else buys all the best items, I can't help but notice where I'm falling short.  If we're doing a guild dungeon and I'm the first to get slaughtered I can't help but notice that my gear is inferior.  If I can't get a party invite because I don't have a teleport licsense then it is thrown in my face again.

I have no data to either support or refute your last statement.  But by simply observing the mounts, decorations and mercs the players around me are using, I'd say a lot more people are using the cash shop then you think.

I don't think that many people are spending money on the game.  They just make ingame money to buy from those that spend real money.

The others that you said may be true. But for the PVP, at least you can just try CL. I don't play FL anymore since my gears are just bad. So I play CL and I'm doing fairly well. :)

It's not so much the cash shop itself, it's what they did at higher levels (basically 110+) that makes the cash shop so needed. Blessing License, then enchanting the heck out of your gears (since they are so much harder to get past divine). And IMHO, what really ruined the game was the change to TBS. Basically all the new additions to the game have been for that. The really top players can do the battles solo, make billions in gold, and thus cause massive inflation. The first couple years inflation in the game was noticeable, but not that bad. But since TBS hit, it's been crazy. But there's really no point in going beyond 120, since it's all TBS after that.

And yeah, even the top players spend a lot of money, even though theoretically their billions they make a week can buy anything they need. But some stuff people won't sell, and I guess some just have a lot of money in real life, too.

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Originally posted by dave6660

I'm not comparing myself to other by choice.  If I'm losing PvP battles because somebody else buys all the best items, I can't help but notice where I'm falling short.  If we're doing a guild dungeon and I'm the first to get slaughtered I can't help but notice that my gear is inferior.  If I can't get a party invite because I don't have a teleport licsense then it is thrown in my face again.

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And what's wrong with that?

Some games require time to grind for competitive gear, some others require spending cash.

Just because it is not a game fitting you does not mean the game is 'ruined' by focusing on different type of players.

Then again, if item mall items are not used much, it isn't an issue to keep you up on competitive level. If item mall items are wide spread, people do support and enjoy such game setup, just the game is probably not for your you.

You can't please everyone and MMO market is large enough to care for different needs.

The cash-shop helps ruin it, but the way the game is so damn "thin" through the levelling just grinded down my will to play with the sheer monstrous & not very well disguised grind, it's saving grace could have been the PvP but the cash shop f'd that up too.

Ive been playing for a long time. The game is designed to tick you off to paying a crapload of money and to only find dissapointement becasue its a slot pull system ( that they swear is random). Since Ndoors managed it the items in a box numbered maybe15 now with nexxon theres like 35 ranging from good to crap in the box! What i do notice is people getting taken to the bank and will still defend this game. The events can be bought by anyone with  a large stash of gold. Ie the rabbio box drop, several high levels just bought the  boxes off mkt. So don't tell me that this game doesn't leave something to hate . Okay so I used to spend decent money on this game till i counted it all up. I then quit. I recently went back what used to be rich maybe 3bil is now poor.This is market  set prices by company to drive IM sales. Now you need atleast 50-100Bil. So for all the geniuses, so just don't IM, well this is like pounding your head against a wall or rolling a boulder uphill, and the IM choice isnt better either. Things you must have to play: teleport license,is a must that is not an ingame item and can only be purchsed if someone puts on the mkt. So unless you have the patience of a saint and can walk 45 min to NPC and 45 min back your going to go min warrior pkg 15 Bucks( to move around). The GM's will actually appear in chat to plead with you to buy atlas or whatever other sales they are having. If they sold an item for a fixed price No prob but its like a bad trip to las vegas without the trip.  If you think your good enough to play for free go try it and tell me about your misarable existence..lol. You all talk big and prob posts from those fruits and nut GM's in Los Angelas. Making money is one thing but this game capitalises on failure of money spent on failed boxes from  mall items. Again if you can play and be good without mall items or begging GOOD 4 U nut up your not the majority ! Go play AION or Guild wars or try something else before you wind up one night saying " I probably will win an Item from mall..NOT. Oh good point the ingame notice for won items are only the GOOD stuff , a nagging screen pops on your system to tell you so and so won this what it doesnt show you is the failed boxes 100 scrolls of eat butt! I agree with you the game is good but the management is sleezy and greedy..too bad i WOULD LIST SOME TIPS FOR THEM TO MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY BUT SCREW EM..LOL