Atlantica Online

Infobox VG
title = Atlantica Online


caption=
developer = NDOORS Interactive
publisher = NDOORS Interactive
designer =
engine =
released = July 15, 2008 (start of closed beta)
genre = MMORPG
modes = Multiplayer
ratings =
platforms = Windows
media = download
requirements =Pentium 4, 1Ghz or better, 512MB RAM,
64MB Graphic Memory, 5 GB memory,
DirectX 9.0
input = Keyboard, Mouse

"Atlantica Online" is a 3D massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Its English version, available to the USA and Europe, is being developed by NDOORS Corporation (US subsidiary NDOORS Interactive) [ [http://www.developmag.com/press-releases/38393/NDOORS-INTERACTIVE-BEGINS-ATLANTICA-ONLINE-CLOSED-BETA] ] . It went into closed beta, with keys available for FilePlanet subscribers, on July 15, 2008 [ [http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/center/news/notice_view.asp?list_seq=56 Atlantica Online beta phase 1 opens for FilePlanet subscribers] ] . The first phase of the open beta ended on July 28, 2008; the start of the second phase began on August 7, 2008 [ [http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/center/news/notice_view.asp?list_seq=90 Re-opening of closed beta] ] . The Chinese company The9 has obtained exclusive rights for distributing and operating Atlantica Online in China [ [http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS90400+22-Apr-2008+PRN20080422 The9 Limited Obtains Exclusive License to Operate Atlantica in Mainland China] ] .

The game is set in an alternate history Earth, with the game map consisting of large parts of the northern hemisphere. The setting is fantasy-themed with elements of steampunk.

Business Model

The game is free-to-play and generates revenue through microtransactions in the company's online shop.

Gameplay

The game features a persistent world populated by player-generated characters and NPCs. At character creation, a player selects one of seven basic classes and can then customize the character's appearance. There are no races to choose from; only humans are available. The character's class decides what armor that character can wear and what weapons and skills that character can use in battle.

Players do not fight with the starting character alone; as each character levels up, it can acquire player-controlled mercenaries. During the mandatory tutorial section at the beginning of the game, a player chooses his/her first two mercenaries; as the character gains levels, it can control more mercenaries, up to the maximum of eight, which makes for a party of maximum size nine.

All characters can, in addition to their battle skills, pursue a number of different crafting abilities.

The game design puts strong emphasis on the concept of guilds. Guilds can control the various towns on the game map. Strong guilds can found nations and wage war on another.

Battle in Atlantica Online is rather unusual for the genre as it is turn-based. Representations of hostile parties wander around the landscape; if a player touches such a representation, his/her party and the enemy party are transferred to a separate battlefield similar in fashion to battles in the Final Fantasy series and remain there until the battle is resolved.

Classes

Player character

A player can choose from one of the seven basic weapons for his/her own character:

* Sword: The Swordsman has the best survivability of all classes, which makes him the natural tank class. His attack is rather strong, but it can only affect a single non-flying target in the front row, so he should not be solely relied upon for offense. His magic skill is the Flame Sword, an attack that again only affects a single foe.

* Spear:The Spearman can attack a single non-flying foe in the front row. If there is another foe in the same column directly behind the target, that foe also receives damage, although less than the original target. His magic attack is a lightning spear which damages and slows down two foes in the same column. The Spearman has medium defense.

* Axe:The slow-moving Viking can attack a single target in the front row. If that target has one or two neighbours in the same row, then those also take some damage. This character has many hit points but low defense, especially versus magic. Its magic move can freeze foes for few turns.

* Bow:Despite bonuses to evasion, this character's low health make it unsuitable for the front line. It is a potent counter for enemy spell casters though, as the powerful single-target attack can reach every foe, regardless of its position in the enemy ranks. Its magic move is Silence, which prevents foes from using magic for a two turns.

* Gun:The Gunner wields a musket and carries rather low protection. This character can damage an entire column of foes, with foes in the front absorbing taking most of the damage. Its magic move is a stronger version of the regular attack.

* Cannon:The Artilleryman is armed with a hand-held cannon. Its standard attack covers a cross-shaped area, although with a rather low attack power. Its magic move damages foes and reveals their remaining hit points for a few turns.

* Staff:The Shaman has both healing and damaging skills to support the party. Due to low health and defense, this character is best placed away from the front line.

Mercenaries

Mercenary classes include all classes the player can choose, and more:

*Sword: Swordsman, Exorcist, Lady Knight
*Staff: Shaman, Monk, Oracle, Witch, Princess
*Axe: Viking, Beast Trainer
*Spear: Spearman, Spartan
*Gun: Gunner, Inventor, Janissary
*Bow: Archer, Prophet
*Cannon: Artilleryman, Cannoneer

As with player characters, the weapon determines the basic attack. Additionally, the sub-classes differ in the distribution of attributes and available magic skills.

Tactical battle

The game's battle system is unusual for its genre in that it uses a turn-based system, borrowing from the Ogre Battle series.

When a player character and an enemy character come into contact with each other on the game map, both parties are transported into a miniature instance where the battle takes place. For outside players, the involved parties appear as stationary, with a symbol floating over the combatants' heads to indicate combat. In this state, both parties, computer-controlled foes as well as human players, can receive assistance from up to two additional allied parties that can enter the battle at any time. This can lead to large battles of up to 27 monsters versus 27 heroes (3 players, 24 mercenaries).

The game is classically turn-based in that only one side can take action at a time and those actions take immediate effect. However, each character also has a certain speed represented by action points; that means that slower characters may have to skip some turns to reach a threshold value of action points while fast-moving characters have to skip less turns or none at all. Additionally, magic effects can also modify the amount of action points a character has to allow fine-grained control of speed effects. Each party can never have more than 5 characters act during a turn, even if more than 5 characters have sufficient action points.

The characters of each party are positioned on a 3x3 grid. Positioning the characters is an important decision, because different weapons and skills have different attack patterns. The player can change the position of his/her characters during a battle if desired.

During a character's turn, one of the following actions can be performed:
* Basic Attack: Perform a standard attack.
* Magic: Use one the character's available magic skills.
* Item: Use an item that is assigned to one of the character's available Quick Slots, such as a healing potion or a magic scroll.
* Move: Move the character to any position on the grid that is not occupied by a dead character. If the target destination is occupied by an alive character, the characters will switch positions.
* Wait: Forfeits the character's turn, keeping all action points.
* Guard: Assume a stance that reduces damage dealt to that character during the enemies' next turn, while passing on the character's turn to the next character that has sufficient action points to act (if any).
* Search: Search the body of a fallen enemy for loot. This also removes the body from the field, preventing resurrection.
* Switch mercenary: Switch the mercenary out for one that is not currently fielded. You can only do this a limited amount of times during a battle.

All of these actions, except for Wait, consume a certain amount of action points.

Player versus Player

The game features several kinds of PvP combat:

* Challenge: You can challenge anyone to a duel.
* Free League: Organized leagues, scheduled throughout the day, with in-game money and item prizes to be won. For this type of PvP, a ladder is present and Fame can be earned to increase one's Rank.
* GvG: Guild versus Guild battles.
* NvN: Large-scale Nation versus Nation battles.

World map

The world map is a scaled down representation of the northern hemisphere, divided into geographic regions and filled with cities that can be entered by players. [ [http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/center/guide/map_info.asp Game guide: World map] (North America not included in the guide)] Those cities have the same names as real-world cities, like Rome, Calcutta, and Shanghai. They are also in approximately the same location as they would be in a map of the Earth. All regions are accessible from the start; if a player so chooses, he can travel all over the world without being forced to fight any foes. However, following the story line requires solving quests, which all have an increasing minimum level requirement.

Social dynamics

Even though it is possible to advance in the game without other players' help, joining an in-game guild and forming a party to fight battles is encouraged by additional benefits. Battle parties gain additional rewards from defeated foes and guilds offer a wide range of gameplay not available to guildless players. Among these guild benefits are training grounds, controlling and managing the cities of the world, and going to war against other guilds.

ervers

Currently, there are four servers called "Sikyon", "Mycenae", "Thebes" and "Macedon".

References

External links

* [http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/center/default.asp] : Official Atlantica Online site