"Come and meet Shakespeare for a writing lesson--so you can craft a book. Or find the Inventor mercenary, then by leveling up and upgrading that mercenary, you will have Da Vinci fighting alongside you..." Recently, NDOORS Interactive's free-to-play MMO has launched. Atlantica Online brings classic turn-based RPG combat combined with deep strategic gameplay to the online multiplayer world! Atlantica Online is set on Earth, in a parallel reality that takes players through a fantastic journey to discover the lost secrets of Atlantis. With its heavy emphasis on strategy, Atlantica was designed to stand out amongst the 'cookie-cutter' MMOs. The strategic gameplay incorporated into the turn-based combat, mercenary and country management systems will appeal to strategy and RPG players. Recently MMOsite takes an in-depth look into NDOORS Interactive's MMORPG, Atlantica Online with Atlantica's producer, Kim Tae Gon. Let him give us more details about Atlantica Online.
MMOsite: First congratulations for Atlantica's official launch on Oct. 30, 2008. How many players are in the game now? And how about the feedback from the players so far?
Kim: The response from players has been fantastic, with more and more players coming on board to give Atlantica a try. The feedback has been great, too. It seems the game is hitting a nerve with players, and it's just thrilling to read the positive experiences people are having playing the game.
MMOsite: How would you describe Atlantica to those who are unfamiliar with the game? What led you to make a turn-based strategy game, rather than another genre?
Kim: Atlantica is a globe-hopping thrill ride that take players around the Earth, to famous locales like the pyramids of Egypt and the Great Wall of China to battle monsters taken from legends and myth, all in order to find the lost civilization of Atlantis and to save the world. It includes some unique features for an MMO game. The first is the ability to have multiple characters called mercenaries who accompany you in battle. The second notable feature is the turn-based combat, where you have a limited amount of time to move your multiple characters. The combination of these two requires you to use strategy and quick-thinking to defeat your opponents.
The reason we made a turn-based strategy game was to create a game that breaks from the norm in the world of MMORPGs. We didn't want to produce yet another real-time game where players need to hack and slash their way through a fake, fantasy world. We thought people would embrace a new game with a different form of gameplay, wrapped up in a deep and rich environment that is familiar to them - the real world with story elements taken from our planet's history.
MMOsite: How does the game's mercenary system function? How can we obtain a mercenary and make good use of the system? Are there different types of mercenary? What are the key considerations when choosing?
Kim: Players can recruit up to 18 mercenaries in the game — each of whom has different attributes, weapons, skills and magic. Some mercenaries like the Swordsman are tanks, strong in defense and solid melee fighters. Then there are the Shamans, who have little defense but have healing powers. It's important to strategize and choose which eight mercenaries to take into battle with you- that is the maximum number you can have with you in a fight. If you're facing a really tough monster, you could set up your formation to have Swordsmen up front for defense, and then well-protected in the back you can have a Shaman who will revive your main character when his health his low. This is just one of countless options you have with mercenaries.
There are a few ways to obtain a mercenary now in the game. You can hire one, paying him or her off with the right amount of money. Then there are some mercenaries you can only acquire by completing a quest, such as the Beast Trainer.
