Yep I played it when it was first in beta. Started out as iRose which was free, then it changed to NARose which is when they started to charge. I played even when it was p2p for about 2 years. It really was an awesome game, probably still one of my favorites to date.
But the state of the game is nothing like it was back in the glory days. I recently tried it again and was in shock at how badly it had deteriorated.
Here is what happened to the game as far as I could tell:
1) There are way less players than before. There are still a decent amount, but the community is noticeably smaller.
2) The exp rates have exploded. I used to love the fact that the game was very progressive. It would take a long time to get to high level and your hard work would pay off in the power gained at these high levels. Now people can use "game exploits" (that the staff already mentioned wont be fixed) to get to max level in 1 or 2 days. If you don't have a guild to powerboost you, it will still take you months, while others with powerful guilds do it in about 24 hours.
3) The economy is shit. Unless you craft all day or have someone to help you, you most likely wont be able to afford decent gear.
4) The item mall contains items that changed to game to "pay to win". The old item mall that simply had items like Astarot Wings and Masks/Fashion items is no more. Now you can buy items that let you enhance/refine without ever breaking, plus there are a ton of passive skills in there that cost $10 each that give you boosts like +100 attack. If you want to max out your character you would need to spend $40-$50 JUST in passive abilities.
Yup, the game I used to love is gone. It's still a decent game and I would suggest trying it if you really miss it, but those are some of the reasons why I can no longer play it.