I'd also like to make special mention of the enchanting/enhancement system in Atlantis. Weapons and armour found throughout the land can also be upgraded incredibly easily, simply take two of the same weapon with the same grade value (+1, +2 etc…), and an enchanting crystal; then simply combine them together to make a more powerful version of the weapon. Do the same again, then add the upgraded versions together for an even more powerful weapon – simple and effective.
Form an alliance, take a town, control a nation.
Guilds, alliances of allies fighting side by side for similar causes. Over the past few years MMO's have all but destroyed Guilds, they have taken away the need. Some games benefit greatly from guild interaction…yet sadly others simply offer you a chat box and list of your members. Gladly, Atlantis has given guilds the power they deserve - the power to lead and control, and the rewards that come with it.
Once you have formed or joined a formidable guild you will be able to take control of a town, but by doing so you will be charged with the duties that follow such a feat. Town security, health, industry, commerce, culture…even construction of buildings will be on your list of duties, and after making such decision, you will watch them grow. Once you are in full control of a town, you can look at controlling a nation, and becoming King of that nation, giving you access to items and mercenaries otherwise impossible to obtain Other guilds towns can side with yours to strengthen that nation, and war can be waged against those who choose not too. See, when I said it got better I wasn't lying, Atlantis aims to please…and by god it's working.
Outside being a guild leader and running nations there is also the economy to watch as you search for the lost city. Most of the games items are player made, and the economy is constantly watched to keep it controlled. High prices in some places could mean lower in others, buying and selling, crafting and creating, do it all…and be as rich as a king! The options really do see limitless…
Anything else?
Yes, yes there is. Actually, there is probably enough stuff in this game for me to go on another few hundred thousand pages, but I don’t think either of us is looking for that right now. I do want to touch upon a few more titbits though, bare with me - I promise we’re almost done. Partying in Atlantica Online Gold works almost exactly like any other MMO, join one with a couple of other people, take down huge baddies, and get some good levelling done. The only difference here is that you can only have 3 people to a party…that’s 27 characters! 27! I haven’t experienced this phenomenon as of yet, but expect to be hearing me talking about it for quite some time. PvP is actually rather standard, with simple 1v1 duels, and arena and tournament events held every so often. One thing I found particularly interesting though was that during tournaments, you can actually place bets on the contenders - I can see some players getting very famous, and very rich with this system.
Last but most certainly not least, dungeons. I know they exist, I’ve heard they’re cool, but as of yet I haven’t seen one…and the official website wont let me access their stockpile either. But rest assured, as soon as I know, you will too!
As much as I would like to go on, and trust me – I would, it is probably in my best interest to let you actually play now. With Aryoch's Preview and my Review combined you should be more than ready to take control of your destiny, find the lost city of Atlantis and save your people!
See? That right there, it's just plain inspiring! This game is getting me all kinds of exited, and I think it's time I got back to playing. Summary? If this game turns out to be free to play, I'm naming my first freakin child after it! And with that, I’m off to find Atlantis!