Horrible, horrible game still clings to life

Playing Archlord was one of the most miserable experiences of my life, including that time I didn't put the lotion on my skin and got the hose again.

Still, I retain a fascination for this hastily-exported Korean MMORPG's desperate attempts to avoid the axe. It went free to subscribe a while back, and now the client can be had for nowt, too. I can't help but wonder what publisher Codemasters' plan is for it, apart from slowly pissing off the few people who do like the game by making them the only ones who ever had to pay for it.

True, there's a micropayments system for rare items in there that presumably gleans a few pennies from the dedicated/desperate/mad, but can it really be enough to pay for the servers and tech support? Not to mention the extensive counselling that the GMs who have to spend all day, every day in this staggeringly hideous grind-nightmare must surely require.

Anyway, my point is this: even though it's free, you'd still be better off spending your time licking tramps.