CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Anyone play this MMORPG? It's (technically) free to play and requires no credit card. Of course, if you want to play the mainstream storyline....

Anyway, I found it a fun way to pass time, and its fighting system is unique. It's more dependent on skill and timing (and a lag free connection ) so it's possible to defeat enemies way stronger than you. The interface is somewhat reminiscent of Diablo, but the whole thing looks a bit cartoony (though the NPC art looks really good).

There's grinding, of course, but what MMO doesn't have that.

I'm on the NA server Tarlach, usually channel 2.

Heh, that's funny. I played on Tarlach on the first day of Open Beta, was hooked for about 4 months, had one of the stronger mages on Tarlach (Probably in the top 10) ... and then real life happened, and I haven't been able to get back into it.

I think part of the problem is that it is EXTREMELY repetitive, even for an MMORPG, and the grind is excessively bad. You're forced to fight things vastly above your level in order to keep advancing at a decent pace, and while the combat engine allows you to survive 1:1 against things much higher level than yourself through skill, the AI behavior and monster distribution in later dungeons makes soloing painfully slow once you reach a certain point.

Also, unless the damage formulas have been changed, pure-mage-type and pure-archer-type characters (like myself, a pure-mage) were horrendously impractical compared to a melee with one rank in each bolt spell. This will probably change as they introduce the new spells and abilities (I quit shortly after the introduction of Fireball and Arrow Revolver -- Never got to see either one in action).

In short: Neat idea, but way too grindy and poorly balanced archetypes. Also, the cash shop (which I DID use, quite regularly) breaks game balance EVEN FURTHER.

Pure archery sucks. Archers claim "it gets better after you get arrow revolver!" but it doesn't help that you STILL have to aim (that stupid percentage thing) all your shots.

There's always focusing purely on life skills, but you quickly realize that you have better things to do. Like watch you cat's hair grow or determine the thread count of your pillowcase.

That said, it's OK for a free game. Except of course that actually playing the STORYLINE costs money. But since I'm used to that experience I might give it a shop.

Wait a minute...mage-type? Acher-type? Melee-type?

Sounds a little like MapleStory XD (note that I said "a LITTLE")

Same company. (Nexon)