After playing many games... Graal Online, Redmoon Online from the beta until the final death of Diosa server (about 4 years there). and other free/cheap games of that same type... I began playing AO in the early part of 2004
...and I loved it!
That inital reaction grew into sort of an addiction. However, as with most things, it got old after awhile... leaving me wanting something new... something better!
So the hunt began. I've tried just about everything I could. I played Matrix Online from beta until SoE killed it (I'm a fan of the Matrix but the game wasn't all I had expected). I then got a station pass and tried the other SoE games. EQ and EQII were ok but I have a hard time getting into fantasy games. I couldn't get passed that annoying clicky targeting that SWG had (not sure what it was like pre-NGE but it HAD to be better)... I even tried WoW (friggin' peer pressure) and I found it to be quite lame and overhyped (again, I have a distaste for fantasy settings). Then I did a free trial of EVE. It was kinda boring and I would have liked it better if you could leave your ship and go on foot on a planet surface.. like in AO (if AO had space travel and other planets that would also rock). Now I am trying out Lord of the Rings Online (yes, another fantasy but I am a fan of LOTR so that keeps it from being a total turnoff for me) I'll see how it goes.
After my short stays in each of these games, I have always gone back to good ol' AO.
I wanted to try Tabula Rasa but not enough to buy a box copy since it has one big turnoff for me: a hybrid FPS interface.
I'm one of those who firmly believes that in a RPG it should be your character's abilities and traits -- not your own twitch skill -- that determines the outcome of your character's battles, interactions and so on. (and I'm getting old and don't have the speed with my button bashing skill I had back in the day... meaning the little kids with lightning fast reflexes would pwn me when twitch is a large part of the game). Unfortunately, many new games coming out that otherwise look good to me are planning on using some sort of hybrid FPS setup. I hated it in SWG and will most likely have the same feeling about it in any game.
I can only hope that AO will get better from here on. Maybe with the the new graphics engine more people will play it. And with any luck, FC will see the error of their current ways and get rid of their cash shop! Seeing that ugly eyesore in the middle of Newland Lake makes me sick! What were they thinking?!@ Cash shops dont work even in free games and have no business even being in a subscription-based game like AO. They all start out innocent enough with simple things like social items and maybe a few mounts/vehicles that promise to have no in-game advantages. Then the company gets greedy and starts putting weapons, armours, consumable buff items and all that good stuff in the shops until it becomes a game that is dominated by spoiled rich brats with loads of real money to spend in the game!
That is why it is my most sincere hope that FC turns away from that dark path while they still can. If they don't, I may not have a game to go back to each time I try something new and find myself disapointed in it.
Right now nothing. Think I been playing too many. It's like the drugs I been smoking. Too much weed and later I need something stronger, better kick. So far I have not got that kick I'm looking for.
Played: From Earth & Beyond, Anarchy Online, Matrix Online, Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, Tabula Rasa (Beta), EvE Online, City of Villians, Atlantica Online, Guild Wars, Lineage 2, Pirates of the Burning Sea, PlanetSide, RF Online, Second Life, Fallen Earth.
Once you've fallen for AO there currently isn't anything out there that will be able to match or overcome the experience. Funcom has produced a solid MMO that continues to attract attention even though it has aged a bit. Can't wait for the graphics update!
Old AO fan here. Used to play at Atlantean with the tower twink group "Project F Bomb". now i hear some gimps have stolen the name and are prancing around with it above their heads. last I heard we can thank Dreadkeeper for ruining that.
ill be back to AO for sure when the graphics update comes out. it is still the best game out there. i just needs a face lift in todays times. I wasnt a big SL fan at all. I havnt played with Lost Eden yet, but I hear its pretty cool.
AO is a really addictive game, my first mmo and i played for almost 3 years with a 6 months break cause i didnt like LE first (i just had full chosen on my main...) i quit 2 months ago cause of the new nanos which i didnt like but mostly cause i was bored, needed something new.. i still talk a bit with my guild, hard to say goodbye to some good friends u have known for 3 years
Kevinsama 220/24 (rimor)
Edit: ow and im playing 9dragons right now
MMOs currently playing: - About to play: Lord of the Rings Online Played: Anarchy Online (alltime favorite) and lots of f2p titles (honorable mentions: 9Dragons, Martial Heroes, Dekaron, Atlantica Online)
After playing everything out there, im back to AO again.
I love the graphics of some other games, but they just dont have the gameplay of AO. I love the skill system over all. It makes me feel like I can customize my character into exactly what I want. Sure the graphics are out dated, and the playerbase is a little low, I still have fun! Which is all that really matters.
WoW = Finally broke the habit, sold all my accnts. The game really sucks but its like crack, and hard to stop.
LOTRO = Love it, but it has a boring skill system and boring classes
TR = SciFi fan here, but TR doesnt do much for me. I like the feeling of HUGE cities. Not little outposts here and there.
Vanguard = I was a VanBoi for a long time. The game will never live up to its original expectations.
Eve = I play this off and on still.
Guild Wars = Love the skill system here. Cant wait for GW2!!!
Back playing AO "a little" not full time as i have for 5 years
gotta do something while waiting for Age of conan and Crygaia(dark days are comeing)
just really hope they wont let us down, other wise im just gotta keep playing AO
i guess.
way to many low buget or high buget low content games out there.
AO = deep costumization plus lots of fun ewen this long after.
------ Playing MMO's since my first which was Ultima online, then Anarchy online. and so on.. Now a days im very critical before i ewen bother downloading a Free to play mmo.
Played AO when it came out until SL. I liked the mission based instances more than the group areas where kill-stealing was common in ANY game. Came back recently and am now playing a Froob and enjoying it - the newb area is now fulfilling (still a cluster !@#$ but it's a good intro to the world) and there is a healthy enough population that you can easily sell items for credits still. I'm having fun.
As for the comments by Svetkka:
"AoC. Well hell, let me say that my jaw dropped when I saw the absurd comments by the FC devs/reps in the latest mmorpg video interview. Not only do they FAIL by creating yet another boring fantasy themed MMO; not only do they pick Conan , possibly the lamestFantasy figure ever; not only did they purely utilize Conan for the "brand name", as from what I can see, it has not changed anything from the usual dragons and chainmail....but best of all, they ARE PROUD OF ALL THIS"
You're entitled to you're opinion as am I. My opinion is that Conan appeals to lots of folks, and since you don't realize this and are so adamant about it that you really don't know what you're talking about so how can I trust the rest of your post?
------ Playing MMO's since my first which was Ultima online, then Anarchy online. and so on.. Now a days im very critical before i ewen bother downloading a Free to play mmo.
I was playing EQ2 for awhile but I found it lacked the community luster that I got used to in AO.
I'm currently playing a free account, started a new trox adventurer for this year. I'm looking forward to the well over due new graphics engine!
I've tried many..many other mmorpg's but found that most are just duplicates of other ones. And many seem premature releases not worth investing in. Also seems like many new games are strictly pvp oriented and lack depth of any kind. Not everyone that games wants to pvp 24/7. There are those people that would like to explore the land and make new discoveries etc. Many new games just lack what AO has imo.
As for AoC, You do all realize that it's the "old" FC crew that is working on it? I give AoC 3months and then people will leave.
I usually divide up the year between several games. When I get bored with one, I play one of the others for a while. Eventually I get the itch to go back.
I've been away from games for a long while, and when i started this thread I did not realise how many responses it was gonna get. I have to be honest, I can't find any other MMO that takes the place of this one. Perhaps it is nostalgia , but I'm coming back to it. Especially because of the new graphics upgrade as well may breath new life into it. Not very many good sci fi MMOs out there as creative as this one except for eve. Flying around in a ship though is not my cup of tea.
I thought staying away from games may make life better, and in some ways it has, but you can't deny what you like to do so why fight it. Going to be graduating soon, and I might as well come back to things that gave me the inspiration for what I major in, in the first place. Not that anyone cares. But, it feels great to say that I am back.
Played AO for years and mainly a good guild kept me playing much longer. Have played alot since I left AO and Wow was a long time favorate but now more or less doing beta tests and trying out f2p games until something really good comes along. Might go back and check whats up with AO when the new graphics engine is implemented.
- Malyze lvl186 Enforcer, old member of Shadow Ops
this game was the poster child for bad launches and look how long it has survived:) it was and still is very fun but i havent been back in a year or so eq1 kept me away on and off but i was there in beta and i was one of the fortunate few to live through the first few months of the game , i even still have my original decktop theme they passed out when it was in beta
Some lead and some follow I prefer to stand beside!
this game was the poster child for bad launches and look how long it has survived:) it was and still is very fun but i havent been back in a year or so eq1 kept me away on and off but i was there in beta and i was one of the fortunate few to live through the first few months of the game , i even still have my original decktop theme they passed out when it was in beta
Man, package it up and upload it somewhere. I'd love to have that.
Comments
After playing many games... Graal Online, Redmoon Online from the beta until the final death of Diosa server (about 4 years there). and other free/cheap games of that same type... I began playing AO in the early part of 2004
...and I loved it!
That inital reaction grew into sort of an addiction. However, as with most things, it got old after awhile... leaving me wanting something new... something better!
So the hunt began. I've tried just about everything I could. I played Matrix Online from beta until SoE killed it (I'm a fan of the Matrix but the game wasn't all I had expected). I then got a station pass and tried the other SoE games. EQ and EQII were ok but I have a hard time getting into fantasy games. I couldn't get passed that annoying clicky targeting that SWG had (not sure what it was like pre-NGE but it HAD to be better)... I even tried WoW (friggin' peer pressure) and I found it to be quite lame and overhyped (again, I have a distaste for fantasy settings). Then I did a free trial of EVE. It was kinda boring and I would have liked it better if you could leave your ship and go on foot on a planet surface.. like in AO (if AO had space travel and other planets that would also rock). Now I am trying out Lord of the Rings Online (yes, another fantasy but I am a fan of LOTR so that keeps it from being a total turnoff for me) I'll see how it goes.
After my short stays in each of these games, I have always gone back to good ol' AO.
I wanted to try Tabula Rasa but not enough to buy a box copy since it has one big turnoff for me: a hybrid FPS interface.
I'm one of those who firmly believes that in a RPG it should be your character's abilities and traits -- not your own twitch skill -- that determines the outcome of your character's battles, interactions and so on. (and I'm getting old and don't have the speed with my button bashing skill I had back in the day... meaning the little kids with lightning fast reflexes would pwn me when twitch is a large part of the game). Unfortunately, many new games coming out that otherwise look good to me are planning on using some sort of hybrid FPS setup. I hated it in SWG and will most likely have the same feeling about it in any game.
I can only hope that AO will get better from here on. Maybe with the the new graphics engine more people will play it. And with any luck, FC will see the error of their current ways and get rid of their cash shop! Seeing that ugly eyesore in the middle of Newland Lake makes me sick! What were they thinking?!@ Cash shops dont work even in free games and have no business even being in a subscription-based game like AO. They all start out innocent enough with simple things like social items and maybe a few mounts/vehicles that promise to have no in-game advantages. Then the company gets greedy and starts putting weapons, armours, consumable buff items and all that good stuff in the shops until it becomes a game that is dominated by spoiled rich brats with loads of real money to spend in the game!
That is why it is my most sincere hope that FC turns away from that dark path while they still can. If they don't, I may not have a game to go back to each time I try something new and find myself disapointed in it.
Right now nothing. Think I been playing too many. It's like the drugs I been smoking. Too much weed and later I need something stronger, better kick. So far I have not got that kick I'm looking for.
Played:
From Earth & Beyond, Anarchy Online, Matrix Online, Star Wars Galaxies, World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, Tabula Rasa (Beta), EvE Online, City of Villians, Atlantica Online, Guild Wars, Lineage 2, Pirates of the Burning Sea, PlanetSide, RF Online, Second Life, Fallen Earth.
Once you've fallen for AO there currently isn't anything out there that will be able to match or overcome the experience. Funcom has produced a solid MMO that continues to attract attention even though it has aged a bit. Can't wait for the graphics update!
I've come full circle back to AO, there's nothing else like it.
Playing: varies every day it seems.
im on my way back to anarchy online within a few days!!!!
Doomcow 216\15 Adventurer Rimor
www.myspace.com/charlie_macz
Old AO fan here. Used to play at Atlantean with the tower twink group "Project F Bomb". now i hear some gimps have stolen the name and are prancing around with it above their heads. last I heard we can thank Dreadkeeper for ruining that.
ill be back to AO for sure when the graphics update comes out. it is still the best game out there. i just needs a face lift in todays times. I wasnt a big SL fan at all. I havnt played with Lost Eden yet, but I hear its pretty cool.
AO is a really addictive game, my first mmo and i played for almost 3 years with a 6 months break cause i didnt like LE first (i just had full chosen on my main...) i quit 2 months ago cause of the new nanos which i didnt like but mostly cause i was bored, needed something new.. i still talk a bit with my guild, hard to say goodbye to some good friends u have known for 3 years
Kevinsama 220/24 (rimor)
Edit: ow and im playing 9dragons right now
MMOs currently playing: -
About to play: Lord of the Rings Online
Played: Anarchy Online (alltime favorite) and lots of f2p titles (honorable mentions: 9Dragons, Martial Heroes, Dekaron, Atlantica Online)
Played AO for several years, but then clan etc got disbanded. so now i am hooked on wow.....
After playing everything out there, im back to AO again.
I love the graphics of some other games, but they just dont have the gameplay of AO. I love the skill system over all. It makes me feel like I can customize my character into exactly what I want. Sure the graphics are out dated, and the playerbase is a little low, I still have fun! Which is all that really matters.
WoW = Finally broke the habit, sold all my accnts. The game really sucks but its like crack, and hard to stop.
LOTRO = Love it, but it has a boring skill system and boring classes
TR = SciFi fan here, but TR doesnt do much for me. I like the feeling of HUGE cities. Not little outposts here and there.
Vanguard = I was a VanBoi for a long time. The game will never live up to its original expectations.
Eve = I play this off and on still.
Guild Wars = Love the skill system here. Cant wait for GW2!!!
Back playing AO "a little" not full time as i have for 5 years
gotta do something while waiting for Age of conan and Crygaia(dark days are comeing)
just really hope they wont let us down, other wise im just gotta keep playing AO
i guess.
way to many low buget or high buget low content games out there.
AO = deep costumization plus lots of fun ewen this long after.
------
Playing MMO's since my first which was Ultima online, then Anarchy online. and so on..
Now a days im very critical before i ewen bother downloading a Free to play mmo.
Played AO when it came out until SL. I liked the mission based instances more than the group areas where kill-stealing was common in ANY game. Came back recently and am now playing a Froob and enjoying it - the newb area is now fulfilling (still a cluster !@#$ but it's a good intro to the world) and there is a healthy enough population that you can easily sell items for credits still. I'm having fun.
As for the comments by Svetkka:
"AoC. Well hell, let me say that my jaw dropped when I saw the absurd comments by the FC devs/reps in the latest mmorpg video interview. Not only do they FAIL by creating yet another boring fantasy themed MMO; not only do they pick Conan , possibly the lamestFantasy figure ever; not only did they purely utilize Conan for the "brand name", as from what I can see, it has not changed anything from the usual dragons and chainmail....but best of all, they ARE PROUD OF ALL THIS"
You're entitled to you're opinion as am I. My opinion is that Conan appeals to lots of folks, and since you don't realize this and are so adamant about it that you really don't know what you're talking about so how can I trust the rest of your post?
I can't.
-Urakh
AO is being revived.
Im stil playing AO. cause the rest is currently quite shallow mmo's
But fortunally Funcom announced a new engine for AO.
and when playing on test server, the "officials" such as claire june etc
or devs which ewer refers to the new engine as AO2 engine, and is
compareable with AOC engine, but is ofcourse not identical cause ewen
if you make 2 games with the excaktly same engine, you will and must make
changes to it to fit the game in question. ofcourse some of these
mmo's that are out atm, are identical with different gfx.
Anywho.. back on topic!
AO is finally gonna get its LONG OVERDUE remake, and they are aparently
reusing objects but dropping the current engine (genesis) as it is called.
A little video of rendere sequences on new RENDER engine with same (known)
objects.
Announcement / news :
http://www.anarchy-online.com/wsp/anarchy/frontend.cgi?func=publish.show&template=content&func_id=2404&table=CONTENT
Video files :
ftp://ftp.funcom.com/media/ao/newEngine2008/AOrendertrailer-720p.wmv
------
Playing MMO's since my first which was Ultima online, then Anarchy online. and so on..
Now a days im very critical before i ewen bother downloading a Free to play mmo.
Back again!
I was playing EQ2 for awhile but I found it lacked the community luster that I got used to in AO.
I'm currently playing a free account, started a new trox adventurer for this year. I'm looking forward to the well over due new graphics engine!
I've tried many..many other mmorpg's but found that most are just duplicates of other ones. And many seem premature releases not worth investing in. Also seems like many new games are strictly pvp oriented and lack depth of any kind. Not everyone that games wants to pvp 24/7. There are those people that would like to explore the land and make new discoveries etc. Many new games just lack what AO has imo.
As for AoC, You do all realize that it's the "old" FC crew that is working on it? I give AoC 3months and then people will leave.
Hi I support EU too, how are you doing? What are you playing?
I usually divide up the year between several games. When I get bored with one, I play one of the others for a while. Eventually I get the itch to go back.
Anarchy is a wonderful game, I'd say
Luckily, I began on Anarchy after most launchbugs were taken care of. The graphic is nice, but don't play for the graphics, my taste is also in Sci-Fi
I've been away from games for a long while, and when i started this thread I did not realise how many responses it was gonna get. I have to be honest, I can't find any other MMO that takes the place of this one. Perhaps it is nostalgia , but I'm coming back to it. Especially because of the new graphics upgrade as well may breath new life into it. Not very many good sci fi MMOs out there as creative as this one except for eve. Flying around in a ship though is not my cup of tea.
I thought staying away from games may make life better, and in some ways it has, but you can't deny what you like to do so why fight it. Going to be graduating soon, and I might as well come back to things that gave me the inspiration for what I major in, in the first place. Not that anyone cares. But, it feels great to say that I am back.
Played AO for years and mainly a good guild kept me playing much longer. Have played alot since I left AO and Wow was a long time favorate but now more or less doing beta tests and trying out f2p games until something really good comes along. Might go back and check whats up with AO when the new graphics engine is implemented.
- Malyze lvl186 Enforcer, old member of Shadow Ops
this game was the poster child for bad launches and look how long it has survived:) it was and still is very fun but i havent been back in a year or so eq1 kept me away on and off but i was there in beta and i was one of the fortunate few to live through the first few months of the game , i even still have my original decktop theme they passed out when it was in beta
Some lead and some follow I prefer to stand beside!
Tabula Rasa
Blue house
I went to wow and then to Vanguard/LoTRO
WoWFusion - Kitame - [F]Troll - Shaman - Level 70 - 0/44/17 - [DW]Enhancement - <Allys Nightmare>
I moved on to SWG when it came out.............
I love Anarchy Online, the music, the idea.
Age of Conan will not replace my love for Science Fiction, even though I am passionate about it as well
EVE and a lot of betas.
Man, package it up and upload it somewhere. I'd love to have that.