Atlantica Patch Notes For Oct. 22, 2009

Sigh. It’s difficult to sit and wait for the implementation of a new patch for an online game. At the moment, I am waiting with mixed anxiety and dread for Atlantica Online to come back online and check what the latest update has in store for us. Anxiety because there are some features that I’d like to try out and dread because there are other features that I’d rather do without.

As I write this, NDOORS Interactive, publisher of the hit strategy massively multiplayer online game, has just announced that the maintenance, which began at 5:30 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on October 22nd, requires two more hours to complete. More waiting!

Fortunately for NDOORS, we Atlantica Online players are a patient bunch, but they shouldn’t push their luck. It is also good that they have already released the latest patch notes.

Frank Reade, the Punisher of Atlantica Online. Image courtesy of NDOORS Interactive.

The most notable new feature is the introduction of the Punisher, a saw-wielding mercenary. Yeah, now that Minstrel you recruited after the previous Atlantica Online patch can make use of her Seal Power Saw skill—that is, if your Nina Paganini can survive long enough to face The Punisher Frank Reade.

No, Frank Reade is not the Atlantica Online version of that other famous punisher Frank Castle but rather of the hero in a series of Steampunk novels. According to Wikipedia, the first of these novels, Frank Reade and His Steam Man of the Plains, was written by Harry Enton and serialized in the Frank Tousey juvenile magazine Boys of New York, February 28th through April 24th, 1876. The novels revolved around Frank Reade’s adventures with his inventions, various robot-like mechanisms powered by steam.

Check out the Punisher in action in this video of Atlantica Online Korea’s Titan League:

Bah, enough of the Punisher and the history lesson. Let’s go back to discussing what else is new with Atlantica Online’s latest patch.

Here are some of the good features I’m dying to check out:

Atlantica Diary. It’s basically a to-do style list of daily activities. Through the diary, you may check the latest news about Atlantica Onlien, some historical facts, and increase the daily limit for some activities like Free League participation bonus experience and equipment analysis.

Title System Improvement. No longer will you lose the effects of Title Buffs because of disconnection. The title will also remain active when transitioning from any of the six servers—Delphi, Macedon, Mycanae, Thebes, Argos, Sikyon—to Titan. If that isn’t enough, you may be interested in acquiring the four new titles that have been added to Calliope and Kleio’s lists.

Better Rewards For Active Fishers. Thanks to the new update, you may now get more bang out of every fishing point with the addition of Fragment of Divine, Phoenix’s Feather and Depraved Seed in the list of items you can exchange with Fishing Points. The downside is, they’re probably expensive.

As for the dreadful features of the new Atlantica Online patch:

Reduction in Free League Auto-Battle Rewards. The question is, “Why?” I know that NDOORS is pushing players to enjoy Free League by playing manual, but why put in an auto-battle feature if you’re going to treat it differently? Are auto-battle Free League players so inferior to those duking it out in manual? To be totally honest, I’d rather see a reduction in Battle Points and Fame rather than a blow to what one earns in ABFL.

Clothes Book. Hey, it’s a novel idea, that of allowing players to keep all costumes in a nifty book and earn Collection Points from them, but it’s driving the prices of Costumes and Hair Accessories up. Of course, this hike in prices in the two item mall items is pushing the prices of other stuff through the roof. Have you ever heard of the saying “The strong gets stronger and the weak gets weaker”?

Battle Point Cost of Pointry Items. All I can say is, “Ouch!” Warrior’s Sign for 100 points? Merc. Room License (7 days) for 1,000 points? Come on! I just bought 10 Merc. Room Licenses yesterday and it cost me 8,000 points, and now you’re telling me that I’ll have to dish out 10,000 Battle Points next time I want to open my mercenary rooms? You guys at NDOORS realize, of course, that this will drive the price of permanent Merc. Room Licenses up, right?

I guess what I’m trying to say with my rants against some features is the more you make it hard for some players to earn Atlantica Online gold, the harder it will be for them to play. The farther you push prices of item mall stuff like costumes and licenses, the fewer the players that can afford them, both through hard-earned real-world cash and in-game gold.

For a complete list of the changes, check out the Atlantica Online website for the patch notes.