Upcoming sci-fi MMOs could still learn a thing or two from Anarchy Online
The
sci-fi genre in MMOs is on the verge of some major expansion, with
a long list of promising titles set to release later this year. This
summer also marks the 8th anniversary of the genre’s first
major release, Funcom’s
Anarchy Online.
Ten Ton Hammer’s
resident sci-fi captain,
Reuben “Sardu” Waters, recently took an updated
look at AO, making a few pleasant discoveries along the way:
Call it what you will,
but having an Advisor of Rubi-Ka offer to help
me learn the ropes of the game left a remarkably positive impression.
It also reminded me that AO harkens back to a time before hyper
bread-crumbing quest chains, when GM run events were common and social
bonds glued game communities together to a degree rarely seen in
today’s “massively solo-friendly” market.