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"Anarchy Online" Doesn't Just Describe the WoW PvP Servers!

Third in our series of MMOG profiles, we examine the 2001 Sci-Fi blockbuster MMO Anarchy Online this week. AO introduced a slew of revolutionary changes to the genre after a turgid, buggy start; ideas such as instancing and player housing that soon became staple additions to any rising star.

Who said MMORPGs had to have a fantasy backdrop of orcs, elves, gnomes, and magic? When Anarchy Online busted onto the scene in mid-2001 with its massive 50,000 player-per-server approach, the initial enthusiasm in a true Sci-Fi themed MMOG was tempered by a period of crippling bugs and technical glitches. Funcom was quick to make good on its first MMO, and by the time Dark Age of Camelot was released in November 2001, AO was releasing its first expansion ("Notum Wars") to compliment a polished, unique, and fun-to-play package.

AO's differences aren't purely thematic or technical. When I first logged onto AO and was muddling through the fairly-steep learning curve of a combat and advancement system (steep, despite a brutal assault by popup tips), I realized I was being followed by a player character. Being fairly used to other MMOGs, where newbie zones are sort of a terrorist playground, I didn't pay much attention at first. When I turned around, I realized this player, "Greeter Mitzuharu" was trying desperately to get my attention. Wait a sec..."Greeter"? This was an actual, true-to-life person, welcoming me to the game, and asking me if I had any questions. I was almost too surprised to reply!

Far from eulogizing games like AO or boxing them up as "past their prime", we honor them as "going concerns" in the only genre for whom constant improvement is a way of life for the developers. MMOGs are truly gamers' games.

Check out our writeups on EverQuest and Dark Age of Camelot too!

Virtual theft gets real jail time.
GameSpot is reporting that a Lineage II fraud has resulted in an arrest. Chinese farmers have released a statement that goes something like this:

"Chinese exchange student arrested by Japanese police after using bot program to steal items from other users and then selling them for cash."

You can read the entire Lineage II Fraud Arrest Story at GameSpot.
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Succubus Spanks WoW Kiddie. Film at 11:00.
Kid busted by WoW Playing Mommy is an article up on Joystiq. MAWP, Mothers Against WoW Players has delivered a press release that goes something like this:

"Blizzard’s World of Warcraft is the biggest MMORPG ever. So big, in fact, that everyone and his mother is playing it… literally. "

You can read the entire Kid busted by WoW Playing Mommy article at Joystiq.
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Developer's Blog, Stardate 44804
Ken Henderson, the art director of Star Trek Online has posted a developer's blog. Scantily clad, blue, alien women were seen exiting Ken's office prior to the posting of the blog. Using our universal translator we deduced that they may have said this:

"Ken Henderson here, the Art Director for Star Trek Online. As I’m sure you’ve heard about by now we’ve released some imagery that gives a peak into how we’re evolving the look of Star Trek. We were excited to share the images on Friday in Las Vegas and are equally excited to be posting them on our BLOG. It was great talking with some of you at the convention and getting your reactions first hand. Look for more updates of this nature as the project progresses. I’ll also be throwing up a non-image entry from time to time just to share some thoughts or pose some questions. Either way, the BLOG will be a great resource for the projects Art Direction from here on out. Before I dive in I want to acknowledge all the help and guidance from Paramount as we’ve progressed. Harry Lang has been a great source of encouragement and enthusiasm for the work that we have been doing and having his input in this process has been invaluable. "

You can read the entire Star Trek Online Developer's Blog at The Official Site.
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