Still, even with the players having a rough relationship with the company itself, ANW was loved. The realism of the game was simply unmatched, as was the freedom afforded to their players.
Sure, that realism game with some problems. After all, people liked games not because they were realistic, but because they reflect reality while affording them a comfortable level of fantasy.
Now, ANW had a fantasy in spades. The fantasy here wasn't that type. Game elements like fast travel, dialogue skips, auto-combat, and such. ANW had some, but often there were restrictions on them.
It certainly wasn't for casual players. Well, combat certainly wasn't for the casual players. But there were plenty of other things players could do. Artis, for example, now the second largest player guild in Taurus, was a guild of non-combatants.
