Tactica Online Mini Q&A #1

The folks at MMORPG.com let us know that they've released the first installment to a new Tactica Online Q&A with Imaginary Numbers CEO Luke Carruthers. A snippet:
Q: Your website says that you do not need to spend hours leveling up, but rather start with a group just as powerful as anyone else. What then is the advantage to being a longtime player?

A: Great question! There are lots of reasons to become a longtime player, but the bottom line is that you're going to play the game for a long time because you continue to enjoy it, not because you're looking for some sort of advantage over others.

Of course, the longer you play, the more of the story you'll be able to experience. Most casual players won't be able to make it through all the story missions before the next expansion is released, and the story moves on, so it's only the longtime players who will get to see everything.

Longtime players will also be more familiar with the game, and thus probably better at it, in the same way that if you've been playing chess for a year, you're going to be better than someone who's only been playing for a couple of months. Practice makes perfect!

As a player, your rating will reflect this. We use the same rating system that chess players do, which means that not only can you ensure that your battles aren't a slaughterhouse by matching yourself against players with a rating similar to your own, but that it takes time and effort to increase your rating to the point where you stand out to other players. It's the longtime players who will have the profile within the community.

Now there's nothing that says you have to be a longtime player. If you pick up the game, spend a few months enjoying it, and then want to put it aside, that's fine. You don't lose anything, you can come back to it at any time exactly where you left off, you can pick up the next expansion to continue the story or not, it's all up to you. As long as you feel like you've had fun, that's the important thing.