Is this game a fun distraction from a main mmorpg?

[alazar14]

Hey guys, I saw an ad for this game in mmorpg.com and I figured Id check it out. Now I am one of the biggest anti Item mall activists you will probably ever find. I have no problems with game companies wanting to make money, but I stick 100% to subscription fee games. Actually my main game since 2003, has been FFXI and I truly enjoy that game.
Anyone who has played FFXI knows its a very time consuming game. So I won't have much time to actually play this. So I gotta wonder, Is this game a fun little diversion to play once in a while when FFXI is down for one of its famous 12-15 hour updates? or to play once in a while when I am waiting for my linkshell to get ready to do Dynamis or Nyzul Isle? Will this game provide a nice diversion?

Can I actually get anywhere playing like 2-3 hours a week?

and Is it grind based like almost every F2P mmorpg from New York to Korea?

By any magical chance is it a Sandbox game? ^^?

Is it a strong storyline story driven game?

Most of all is it a really time consuming game or is it something kinda like what I am looking for, a game I can play when my real mmorpg is down on updates or waiting on my LS members to show up to an event for a hour or 30 min every few days?

(All these questions keep in mind I would never use an item mall so if you could answer with that in mind please). Having to pay for FFXI & city of H/V is already eating up my limited gaming budget.

[numb_1986]

1. using real cash is totally optional

2. if no use real cash, lvl-ing is possible but just slower (hey it's all bout the mind)

3. lvl from 1 to 50 is easy. only if 50 onwards, need a little patience.

4. i know a few of my friends who play like 3 hours a week only and yes they r doing well.

5. basically, this is a wonderful game. u cant really judge the game just by asking us. u r in the forum and i believe 99% of us love this game. so u will probabily hear one side only. play the game and try it out. then decide from there

6. i love this game and it's really nice (reminds me of RO - asia version). off topic : there r many friends of mine who said wanna quit the game due to watever reason but they still come back to play and grind. this game is good..tht's all i have to say ^^

good luck

[TRXSTA]

Grind-based. No story whatsoever. Time consuming if you want to really get anywhere. Exponentially harder at higher levels to progress without cash shop items. Probably something you would want as a "main" MMORPG. Probably the opposite of what you're looking for.

[Kayarine]

Hmm, I'm gonna leave my opinion about the leveling speed without using cash shop items, since I got all the way to lv 99...
It's bearable at lower lvs (probably until about lv 60-66), but as you go higher, you need lots of time to lv or be really patient... And with the amount of time you want to play, you probably won't get anywhere fast. I had quite a lot of time to play, and still took me about 11 months to get to lv 96. Maybe it was also because I choose a class that dies often, but you get the idea.

And the rest is pretty much what TRX said.