Everquest versus Anarchy Online (A Review)

Anarchy Online has been out almost a month now. I know there have to be some Everquest players out there wondering about Anarchy Online and how it compares to EQ. I beta tested Everquest and have been playing it ever since. I also beta tested Anarchy Online and have been playing it since it was released a few weeks ago. Of course, I have seen a lot more of EQ than AO, so there are things that I can’t compare quite yet, but I still thought I would give you my initial impressions to help you decide if AO is a game you might want to try. So here is my comparison and review. Playability This is something I feel needs to be stated right up front, because I am going to try to ignore it for the rest of the review. At the moment, Anarchy Online is not a quality, playable game. The game was released with Funcom fully knowing that it was bugged, incomplete and unplayable. I was a beta tester and I was astounded when I discovered that the version we were playing those last weeks of beta was truly just a step from the release version. Frankly, I believe that any legitimate company should hang their heads in shame after releasing a game in this bad a shape. Funcom then rubbed salt into the wounds of even their most loyal customers by announcing that the game was “110%” playable two weeks after release, setting off the clock on the 30 days you get with your purchase and assuring that they will start charging people for a game many cannot yet play. The lag in the game is horrendous. Anytime you get close to more than a handful of other players, your frame rate drops to almost nothing and you find yourself standing in place. What’s worse about this is that you can’t sit or move your curser enough to even log out of the game, and you are often forced to stand there for five minutes or more hoping to just get out of the game. Of course, you can always alt-tab to windows and control-alt-delete the game closed, but that seems like a pretty extreme measure. Basically, this means that you are better off just not trying to play during the typical prime time hours. The pathing in the game is so bad that when you are in a mission your best chance is to move to a room, stand still and wait to see what starts to shoot at you. Of course, then it is often in another room and shooting through the walls, but at least you can shoot it back that way. Mobs can attack you through walls and across the playing field without you even seeing them or knowing where to go to fight back. Quite often you will lag out during a fight, which makes it impossible to use your special attacks, and then come back in and find out that you died. High patience and a low frustration level are required to play this game right now. A high performance machine and high speed internet connection are also a lot of help. If you go in expecting a beta quality game, you will probably still be amazed at the problems. Still, many people are able to play the game, so for those of you who are willing to overlook the obvious problems and want to delve into the actual game lurking behind the bugs, I’ll try to give you my view of how it plays. Graphics and Sound The graphics of Anarchy Online are crisper and more realistic than those of Everquest. There are nice little touches that really add to the feel of the world. The sky effects are pretty amazing and there are things like little robots and flying birds that add a touch of realism to the game. The player models are stunning and the number of outfits you can wear are astonishing. I created a female character just to experiment with the rather racy outfits you can buy at the store. This is definitely a PG game. With all the variety, I don’t doubt that you could really get to the point where you can recognize a person just by his or her looks. They also programmed some fun emotes into the game, letting you really express yourself. I know I got a lot of work out of the /anger command when the zones weren’t working right after release. Still, even with such crisp graphics, I find the world to be a little drab. I am sure it is by design, since Rubi-Ka is defined as a dead world that is slowly being terraformed, but there is very little color and variety amongst the cities and zones. Part of the fun in Everquest is zoning into a new zone and seeing how different it is from the rest of the world. Everquest has forests, plains, jungles, oceans, lakes, mountains and a whole variety of other types of terrain. From what I have seen so far, much of Anarchy Online is the same. So, while I like the individual graphics in AO better then EQ, overall I think I prefer the look of Norrath to the look of Rubi-Ka. When it comes to the sound track and sound effects, AO has EQ beat by a mile. I always thought that the music in Everquest was almost an afterthought by the developers. If I recall correctly, music was not even introduced into the game until several months after its release. A good soundtrack can help get the heart thumping and add to the excitement of a battle. AO has this and EQ doesn’t. When I play EQ, I find myself turning down the sound, but when I play AO I like to really crank it. Soloing and Grouping This is an area where these two games differ significantly. Everquest is strictly a group game. While soloing is possible, it is difficult to do and time consuming. In general, groups are easy to form and, because the classes are so well defined, you can form a group of total strangers and fairly quickly figure out everyone’s role in the fights to come. Anarchy Online is just the opposite. It is very easy to solo, and in many ways it is preferable. I have found it very difficult to find a group because most people have quickly discovered that you can get higher experience and better rewards by soloing. Moreover, when you do get into a group most people are confused about what they are supposed to do and in the end everyone basically just blasts away at the mob until it is dead. I assume as people get higher in levels and more specialized that things will change, but groups will never be as easy to define as in Everquest simply because the professions in AO are not so easily pigeonholed into defined roles. This has led to an interesting development in the game. Anarchy Online is simply not as social a game as Everquest. There is no general chat like the zone chat of Everquest and with fewer groups and faster leveling, it is much harder to meet people and make friends. It is more like a bunch of single player games being played simultaneously on the same server. Some of this is due to the lag, which causes most people to do everything they can to avoid other players, but even without the lag, I doubt this will ever be much of a group game. The advantage of this soloability is that Anarchy Online is able to be played in short bursts. If you only have an hour or two to play Everquest, it is almost not worth playing. By the time you log in, get to a zone, find a group and get into a rhythm it is time to log back out. However, with Anarchy Online, you can grab a mission, play it through and gain a half a level’s worth of experience and a nice reward all within about a hours playing time. This alone makes it a far better game for the casual gamer than Everquest. Still, I like the social aspects of Everquest and find Anarchy Online really lacking in that regard. Without more chat features and more incentive to group up with other players, the game will never really seem like a MMORPG to me. What I have discovered is that when I have an hour to play and just want to play a quick solo game, I log onto Anarchy Online. But when I know I can really sit down and immerse myself into the game, a find myself going back to. So far, I don’t think AO has the same addictive hook that EQ can exert on you. Classes/Professions In my opinion, Anarchy Online went the wrong way with their profession system. I don’t doubt that there will be some significant changes as they start to see how the players deal with it. Anarchy Online tried to overlap the professions and also, through a skill system encourage diversity even within the professions. In and of itself, this is not a bad thing. This supposedly lets the players determine their own destiny rather than be pigeonholed into a role determined by the game designer. Unfortunately, from what I can see, it has had the opposite effect. First, the professions don’t vary that much from each other at the start. Because of the easy availability of healing and nano restoring devices, everyone in the game can heal themselves and cast multiple spells. Plus, everyone can wear the same armor and use the same weapons. Naturally, everyone is going to start to figure out the best weapons, armor, nanos, etc and use their skills accordingly. This is especially true because you get so few improvement points that you feel you can’t waste any on any skill that is not strictly necessary. So what you get are few actual variations in classes. Maybe they will vary more in later levels. Also, with the sole exception of the doctor, all of the AO classes are attack classes. With the exception of the doctor class, there are no true support classes. There are classes that could be used in support roles, but because most players will spend a lot of time soloing, players who choose those classes will inevitably end up spending their improvement points on attack skills rather than support skills. This really hurts the grouping process and also reduces the variety in the game. In contrast, Everquest’s class system is very well defined, with each class getting their own specialties, armor, weapons, spells, etc. This can sometimes be frustrating, but it builds up a very well developed reliance upon other players and encourages grouping and interaction. It also makes it easier to know who and what you are dealing with. When you meet a level 25 barbarian shaman, you pretty much know what he can and can’t do. That certainty is not present in AO. On top of that, EQ’s variety increases replay value. The class and race you choose in EQ will significantly effect how and where you play the game. Play an Ogre Warrior and then play a High Elf Wizard, and you will find your aproach to the game to be completely different right from the start. In AO, the breed and profession seem to have little effect on how you play the game. Everyone gets weapons and spells. They may vary in name, but they all work pretty much the same. Are you really going to stop playing your level 150 character and start over with another profession that does much the same thing, only shoots pistols instead of machine guns? So I have to give Everquest’s system the nod over Anarchy Online. I have a feeling others may disagree on this. There is something to be said about having the ability to diversify your character. Still I know that when I switch from a Rogue to a Warrior in Everquest, I will get a completely different game experience, whereas in AO switching from a fixer to a soldier will not really change your style a whole lot. Items and Quests This is an area where Anarchy Online has really improved over Everquest. I love the generated mission system. You go up to a mission generator, put in your parameters and request a mission. You will then be sent to an area to perform a duty, whether it is fixing a machine, killing a traitor, finding a lost item, or some other similar quest. When you get there, your own private dungeon is created. It generally takes an hour to finish and at the end, you usually get a nice reward. You can do missions privately or in a group. This sure beats Everquest’s go camp 10 monsters for a cheesy reward quest system. However, the missions are better in concept in execution, which is a general theme running through much of Anarchy Online. I know I promised not to mention this again, but right now AO is a truly flawed game. Missions are often broken and can’t be finished. The pathing is so bad that you have no idea which Mob will start to shoot at you and you can often find yourself firing at a Mob through a wall while another one stand right in front of you oblivious to your presence. When you lag, the doorways disappear and can’t be crossed, stranding you in the middle of the mission. Still, assuming all of this gets fixed, the missions may well be the best part of Anarchy Online. Anarchy Online also gets a huge thumbs up for making their equipment level sensitive (well actually skill level sensitive, but it works the same way). There will be no twinking in AO, so a newcomer will not find himself wondering why everyone else in the game his level seems to be decked out in great gear while he’s scrounging for enough credits to buy the basics. Plus, equipment drops randomly in accordance with the level of the mob, so there is no camping in AO either. And on top of that, just about everything can be bought in the stores. You are not going to be forced to sit in one place for 15 hours just to get that Phat Lewt. These are huge plusses in Anarchy Online’s favor. There is a negative side to this though. Because it is so easy to get the items you want by yourself, there is little trade going on. Also, there seem to be few, if any, unique or rare items. I always thought items in EQ should drop more randomly, but that doesn’t mean they should become more common. I think that the lack of rare items in AO will somewhat take away from the competition that a true game player likes to feel. While a game should not be all about Phat Lewt, that is still a fun element of EQ that seems to be missing from AO. Still, overall I like the way AO handles quests and items better than the way EQ handles them. Overall Game Play So which game is more fun to play? That’s really the bottom line in evaluating a game. When you are sitting at the computer looking at the AO and EQ icons side by side, which one are you more likely going to click? Well, that’s a complex question. They are both fun games. If you can afford both, I recommend you play both. Why? Because of the differences. While they are supposedly of the same genre, in many ways these are completely different games. AO is a nice solo game that has the added advantage of having other people around to occasionally chat with and interact with and even group with. You can play it for an hour and actually accomplish something. Plus, I haven’t even mentioned the pvp aspects, mainly because I have not tried that yet. EQ is a great group game where you can really lose yourself in a group experience. When you have enough time to truly immerse yourself, this is the game to play. In all, even after setting aside the bugs and lag and lack of playability of AO at this time, I definitely prefer Everquest over Anarchy Online. Of course, EQ’s had more than two years to polish and hone itself to relative perfection, and I’ve also played EQ a lot more than I have played AO, but I doubt that even in four months or so when Anarchy Online finally reaches its potential and becomes a truly final product it will surpass Everquest. This does not mean Anarchy Online is a bust. If you can get past the bugs and the lag there is a pretty nice game in there. If you only have the ability to purchase one more game this year, then by all means save your money and wait for The Shadows of Luclin expansion or perhaps Dark Age of Camelot. If you don’t mind paying $50 for something that is flawed but still kind of fun, then this game is worth a try. Whatever you do, don’t cancel your EQ account though, because you may find yourself wanting to come back in a month or two and you will want that level 60 warrior still sitting there when you return.

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AO vs. EQ
# Jul 23 2001 at 9:41 PM Rating: Default
As the person said, why can't they make a game that you can solo and group. Would be great if you didn't have to choose another game when you only have a little while.

Ambara 54 druid not so patiently awaits this much needed game.
AO points
# Jul 23 2001 at 9:36 PM Rating: Decent
I Beta tested AO for a while. I did have some fun when I could play it, despite all the problems. Thing is, even missions get repetitive. After I've been through a building with the same layout about 10 times, it's a lot like camping. :)

One thing I LOVED about AO was the lack of downtime. It's very easy to buy both Med kits and Nano rechargers, so you can fight, wait about 30 seconds and be back to full and ready to go. I would kill for these things in EQ, they'd make it a fun game again. I hardly play my 51 druid anymore, cause it's 'kill mob for 1 minute, med for 10', wow, what fun, 1 minute of actual play every 11 minutes. :)

Skills and items needing skills.. Hated this. HATED in a big way. It's not a bad concept, but the execution is awful. To wear nightvision goggles, I need to raise Electrical Engineering, for God's sake. I don't need to know how they work, I need to know 'put on head, press button'. :) Most of the weapons have far too many skill requirements on them, at ludicrous levels. I feel sorry for the melee chars, most melee weaps have requirements for skills people don't even want to use half the time. If an SMG needed SMG skill it would be fine, and still keep a low level char from using it (You have a cap at each level. But no.. It needs SMG, Burst, possibly Full Auto, possibly Pistol, possibly Assault Rifle.. the list goes on. They went way overboard, basically.
Skills are ok, but it seemed to me (I didn't get terribly high level, disclaimer) that it would be hard to keep up all the things you really need to unless you were VERY one dimensional. As in, to the point of "I use Pistols. Nothing else, just Pistols". Might not be quite that bad, but close.

I think if they added a little content and fixed some bugs, AO would make a good single player game. A lot of the trouble comes from lag, which wouldn't be so bad single player (though the fact that they render EVERYTHING in your sight area, including things behind buildings, does grind things to a crawl).

All in all... Good concepts, bad execution. Horrible coding. A game that could have been great, but simply isn't.

P.S. And let me tell you horror stories of what DX8 did to my system.. Good God, what a nightmare. I finally used a 3rd party uninstaller to get rid of it, it's why I stopped Beta testing AO.
how to cancel your AO account
# Jul 23 2001 at 9:24 PM Rating: Default
Someone mentioned they can't cancel their account through Funcom's account interface. I had that problem, too. Emails to support didn't get me any help, but an email to the Marketing VP finally did. Here's what you do, go to:
http://register.funcom.com/
and choose Cancel.

Voilá! Funny how that info wasn't available anywhere on their site or forums.
agree/disagree
# Jul 23 2001 at 9:02 PM Rating: Decent
First off - the technical bugs have been getting better, some. I agree absolutely that FunCom needs to fix a lot more, but for many people it is no more unplayable atm than EverQuest was at a similar point in its release.

Soloing/Grouping - grouping is definately more efficient for leveling, but the "social" atmosphere is kind of lacking. It can be hard to find a group on the fly and the systems lack of prolonged downtime/camping means no "enforced" socialization time.

PVP - atm this seems rather gimped, it is very hard to find people who you can engage and there are some bugs. My one pvp experience ended with a guard killing both me and my target - go figure.

Class strategies/distinctions - atm this is rather like 10th level whatevers in EQ postulating on the post 50th game. The vast majority of people in AO simply aren't experienced enough to have the foggiest idea of what their profession/breed COULD be doing. My main is only 20th - but I am already seeing significant class diversification, examples: Soldiers get a "reflection shield" line of nanos that reflects damage back at the attacker (one item can duplicate this effect) - it makes a huge difference in tanking; Bureaucrats get "charm" nanos and lots of movement debuffs - making them kind of like enchanters. etc

In short, it's a game with great potential - if Funcom can iron out the remaining serious bugs/issues with discons, lag and framerate - and that triffling memory leak. If they can, greatest game yet in 6months...if not, dead within a year.
Funcom v Verant
# Jul 23 2001 at 8:48 PM Rating: Default
Outside of all the gameplay issues, I just want to comment that Verant wins hands down versus Funcom for customer service. I'm assuming that Funcom is a tiny operation in comparison, because their dialog with their customers is almost nonexistent. Sure, you can send them a gazillion bug reports and petitions, but what do you get back? Form letters that are the equivalent of "Your call is very important to us..." and a forum board where the customers have to figure almost everything out among themselves. (That is, if you can even post to the overburdened forum site--my account there was activated, but I never was able to post anything successfully.)

Now look at Verant's responses to hundreds of questions and issues on forums down to the most insane detail of what this level 49 spell does, who gets it when, and how many times it drops, etc., etc.

Ya gotta laugh...and leave AO till it works!
NoFun Com
# Jul 23 2001 at 8:39 PM Rating: Default
To the guy complaining about Verant customer support not answering legitimate emails... just wait to you get on AO where you really NEED support. I have written them two emails (the first on the second day after release) with questions and have still not received a response.

The evenhanded reviews which have been appearing really miss the point. I don't have a problem accepting that yes, MMORPGs are difficult to implement and some problems are to be expected but I shouldn't have to pay to help fix them. Who PAYS to beta test? Fools, that's who!

I have been "playing" AO on and off since release, mostly checking in to see how the lag situation is shaping up... but it isn't. I have been stuck in every city I have visited for up to 15 minutes just trying to turn to face the gate to get out, only to have the game boot me. This despite the fact that I've got DSL, a fast machine, resolution turned down and play at midnight Pacific time on a school night!

The potential is there. The first thing I thought when I logged in was "wow, amazing environments, cool outfits". But when you can't really do the things that should make this game unique, like utilize the cities or missions, then why not just by a good-looking single player game and avoid the problems?! Most of the great selling points itemized on the box are not even possible because of bugs or lag. I feel particularly sorry for those who just barely meet the minimum system requirements...

I was so angry when Funcom started charging against the month that comes with the purchase, I mean really furious, because they had not acknowledged just how bad the problems we were experiencing are. They still haven't. If you go to their support pages you are led to believe that the problems are minimal, that the players are happy and everything is running smoothly.

I'm not the only paying customers who feel this way: I can only imagine how someone with dialup and a slower machine must be suffering. For every couple of happy, high-level Fixers out there, there is a huge and angry crowd of people who regret having bought the game. Just look at the posts on the forum pages. FunCom's lack of real response to the players has angered many.

Why haven't I canceled my account? Because I can't! Like many others, the login screen link to my account management page doesn't work. There is no other way to cancel an account. And as I mentioned, they do not respond to emails, nor do they have phone support.

I agree with the above assertions: if a game isn't playable, potential means squat!
Hmmm
# Jul 23 2001 at 8:09 PM Rating: Excellent
Bottom line is this. If you buy a car and it runs like AO what would you do? You think the comparison is bad, I don't. I will tell you why. One thing runs business and that is the customer. If the customer is unhappy and has a problem it should be fixed then and there. This can't be done with games. Therefore this should be done before you are charged for an account and for software. Do you pay the guy that paints your house before or after the job is done? If we all sit here and rationalize that down the road everything will be ok, the only thing we do is to tell these companies that its ok to send out crap. The only way for them to get this message is to buy or not buy. If demand stops guess what happens. Anyway all I am saying is companies need to be responsible for what they release and charge people for. So far software and gaming companies have not been held to the standards of every other company in the world. That simple standard is; If it doesn't work I don't pay for it. Think about one more time if you buy anything from any store and it doesn't work right what do you do? Be a smart consumer not a victim.
Finally an honest review.
# Jul 23 2001 at 8:05 PM Rating: Default
After getting AO day one, I too expirenced all of the technical difficulties expressed in a lot of the reviews floating around. However I have noticed a tendancy to eithier dismiss these problems or almost apologise on behalf of Funcom for them. This is not the idea of a review.

Even once I got a stable,playable connection I found the game on the boring, lackluster side. The atmosphere just dose'nt seem to be there. Some of the "character building" activities are almost mind numbing. For example sorting through the implants and what abilities they had and then swaping them in and out. I've had more fun filing.

I played Everquest for two six month stints and from an atmosphere, overall feeling to the game EQ wins hands down. I'm more of a solo player so did have issues with EQ. I am not a EQ "fanboy" by any stretch of the imagination, but at the moment EQ is far above AO.
Maybe if AO got the connection difficulties, lag, pathing, missions/quests,monster spawning (I've seen 10-15 mobs spawn in the middle of a lake and walk in circles),gameplay, balancing and a range of other little issues sorted out it MAY be one day a fun game. But make no mistake its got a LONG way to go.
To sort out some issues I think radical changes may have to be made wich could really effect current players. This is one game that should have stayed in beta a lot longer.
BTW, I cancelled my AO account last weekend.
In short thanks for the honest review I was starting to wonder if it was just me.
Review? Come on..lets be honest here.
# Jul 23 2001 at 7:38 PM Rating: Default
Frankly, as much as I enjoy and use this site for its accurate information, I feel this needs a review. No matter the good intentions and wonderful ideas of AO, the fancy graphics, wonderful music etc etc... It means nothing if you can't play it. I know there is someone out there that can play without problems, but for the majority of us, it's a joke. You only have to spend 30 sec. on the forums, or read any review to undersand this.

I don't understand this review, or agree with it at all. Simply put, if you can't play the game, there isn't anything good about it. I don't know how else to state this. All the good qualities listed above would only be so, if the game worked.

I feel robbed of the money I spent to buy two copies of the game for my wife and I to play. Game updates (patches) are not happening as of late. My review of the game can be summed up into one sentence. Don't waste your time or money on this one.

I have cancelled both accounts, and will eat the cost of the software. I've learned my lesson about funcom, and will not be taken in by them again. I will be seriously shocked if this game makes it. Don't buy it now with the hopes that one day it wont be broke.

Rethink this review. The two games are so different, they can't be compared. Apples and Oranges come to mind. My wife and I really enjoy playing EQ together. When we loaded in AO and started to try and play....well with all the crashes and lag, we never could. She about knocked me upside the head for buying it. I have to admit, she was right, what a dope I was.

Save your marriage. Don't buy this one.
Another thought
# Jul 23 2001 at 7:38 PM Rating: Default
I have played EQ on and off for the entire time it has been around, and I bought AO about a week ago. This is definitaly a matter of opinion, but maybe the reason that it is so hard to find a group(aside from the technical difficulties so far)is that the people playing AO don't really want to group! Thats right, there are some of us that simply don't like to group at all. We enjoy the massive atmosphere of the MMORPG, we enjoy the exploration aspects, and we enjoy conversing and roleplaying with other players, but in the end would pretty much like to go it alone. One of the biggest draws(at least for me) of this game is the soloability, and I think many others, fed up with having to find groups, and play 8 hour stretches in order to get anyway, look at it that way too. Frankly, if I want to sit and socialize constantly, waiting for something to happen, I'll go to a ball game with buddies, or a movie with my wife, or hell, even the bar! But when its time to play games, I like the idea of playing with other people, but having the ability to keep my distance if I want to. I'll be cancelling my EQ account, finally, and thats the bottom line.
What's wrong with you idiots?
# Jul 23 2001 at 7:28 PM Rating: Decent
Everquest on the day of release was better than AO. Verant is far superior to Funcom as a company, and you couple idiots think they "hate their customers" and "do nothing" to fix problems? Anarchy Online is just that, Anarchy in its worst form. They picked a good name. Everquest may not be everything we hoped for, but it and the developers have proven to be better than ANYTHING on the market, past or present. I suggest you guys get your heads out of your rears and appreciate what you've got.
From a former EQ addict
# Jul 23 2001 at 7:25 PM Rating: Default
First off, this is a great review. I think it's a pretty fair account of AO from what I've seen so far. I realize that many people consider the game totally unplayable, but honestly I haven't had too much trouble with it. I've only been playing for 6 days, and I've already got a level 17 Fixer. Granted I play a lot, but the major problems with the game haven't bothered me too much. Yes, the lag can be horrible in the cities. Of course I often see more people in view (even with my clipping plane turned WAY down) in Omni Entertainment than I ever saw at once in EQ. But once I get into a mission, the performance is great..I usually get 60 plus fps and very little lag.

There are some major gameplay issues too, but again it hasn't hindered my ability to advance in the game, nor has it made the game any less enjoyable. Sure, I wish I couldn't be hit by melee damage from 30 feet away, but for right now that's just part of the game. Targeting right now is awful...there doesn't seem to be any type of /assist command, and a few times I've been forced to autoattack a target when I should've been shooting at the much tougher mob that is beating the snot out of my friend. Again, right now that's part of the game and you learn to play with it, not against it.

While compairing AO to EQ is a good way for people unfamiliar with AO to get a handle on what it's all about, I'm not sure it's fair to compare them when it comes to stability and game play. They're two separate games by two different companies, and AO is still brand new. Everquest has had time to work out gameplay issues and make it easy to do what you want to do...I'm sure that in time AO will get to that point. That is unless everyone is scared away by these initial problems.

As far as differences between professions, I absolutely LOVE how easy it is to customize your character. There are tons of different skills, and you're forced to make a choice as to what direction you want to take your character. Certain skills come to certain professions much easier, so while there is a "preferred" set of skills for a given profession, you don't necessarily have to follow in the path of every other member of your profession. With my fixer, I've focused on one attack method (SMG/Burst) and developed my Nano skills to a pretty fair extent. He's turning into a nice support character that can still hold his own in a solo fight.

The "mission system" in AO is simply great. Any time you want you can make money and get decent items for your level, and you can choose the difficulty of the mobs you want to face. Need some quick cash? Pick up three easy missions, sneak thru them till they're accomplished, and get your reward. Then you can go to a store and buy that nice new Mausser instead of paying someone 30 levels higher than you 10 times what it's worth. As for this method of getting new gear prohibiting trade, I haven't really seen that to be the case. The trade channel in Omni is usually flooded with items for sale, and usually at a reasonable price since most items don't sell for much to shops.

As far as AO being a little anti-social, I'd have to agree with that. I think some of that may be due to how new the game is, and people are still trying to figure out how to play their character. But away from the cities, I often see people in groups, and it appears that grouping is a more efficient way of getting xp and accomplishing missions. It might take me an hour to finish a mission solo, but with a partner we can get it done in about 20 minutes, and I end up with 2/3 of the experience and cash I would've gotten doing it solo. If I drop a red mob solo, I might get 700 xp, that is if it doesn't kill me first. With a partner, we can kill the same red mob and each get 500 xp, and live to kill another. And instead of waiting 10 minutes for healing and regaining nano so you can fight again, you use a few treatment packs and nano rechargers and you go kill another baddie. Down time is virtually non-existent.

All of the gameplay issues (both good and bad) aside, I like the fact that the game is new. There are a lot of things that haven't been figured out yet, and unlike Everquest I'm forced to learn things on my own. I'm weak when it comes to spoilers..I usually end up cheating when I want to get something done NOW instead of figuring it out for myself. But if I have to work something out with no outside help, I tend to have more fun..you know, that whole sense of accomplishment thing.

One last thing - I really enjoy the way you can visually customize your character, both with clothing and the animated emotes. It really adds to the RP experience and lends a sense of reality to the game. If and when the citizens of Rubi-Ka become more social, the different role-playing situations that can be created are endless.

Anyway, I just thought I'd just throw in my opinion of AO after experiencing it for a week. If you're easily frustrated and don't like dealing with minor (and sometimes major) hiccups, you're probably better off waiting until some more of the major bugs are ironed out. But if you can get past the lag and gameplay issues, I think you might find AO to be truly enjoyable, and an altogether different experience.

Maliceheart Praetorian
31 Warrior, Zeb

Carrol "Maliceheart" Branscomb
17 Fixer

PS - The graphics in AO are truly amazing...if only the designers had paid as much attention to detail on the code as the visuals... :)
My 2 cents
# Jul 23 2001 at 7:09 PM Rating: Default
It sounds like Funcom (or whatever) took a page from MicroSoft in releasing software months before it is free from known bugs. Hopefully, they will provide the free patches and service editions, without using the pay per minute customer support line.
Some points worth clearing up
# Jul 23 2001 at 7:01 PM Rating: Good
16 posts
I thought I would mention a few things:

Playability:
Currently there is a memory leak, I have 256Mb RAM and a 700Mb swap file, after my 2nd visit to a city I need to restart AO. If you're running on Windows 2000 you can simply logout and log back in to get your memory and performance back, if you are running on Windows 95/98/ME you will either need to use a memory cleanup tool or simply reboot. They are working on the memory leak still, so hopefully it will be fixed soon (my personal theory is that DirectX 8.0a is partly to blame, some have removed and re-installed DX and found it to no longer be an issue).

There is a huge problem with lots of people, there's just too many textures for all the armor, weapons, skin, faces... until they resolve this I recommend avoiding the towns at all costs, and when you do go near large groups of people use the mouse-look ability in 1st person view and look at either the ground or the sky (with enough to still see where you are going) as if the other players are not in your "view" area it's not as bad, I can get upto 20 fps instead of 0.3 fps from just looking at the ground as I walk around in towns.

Lag and fights, it can be annoying, but one thing I do that seems to help is to jump every now and then, since when you jump the server double-checks your location and checks for fall damage, also while fighting take little steps back and forward, just in case the server doesn't think you are where the client thinks you are. I have noticed that speed buffs and debuffs have a drastic effect on the updating of where other people are, so if you are going to be fighting a lot you might want to try removing any speed buffs (as long as you're sure you wont need to make a run for it) as I think the server currently isn't taking them into consideration when it estimates your location based on your current movement.

Graphics and Sound:
I really enjoy exploring and at first I was very dismayed at the lack of variation in the playfields... I have since discovered many baren deserts, a few lush forests, some swamps, and some toxic wastelands... when I get bigger and stronger I want to explore the Artery valley as it looks like it will be rather rich with life, both plants and animals (and lots of mutants!).

It doesn't quite have the variation that EQ does, but it's all in-theme with the planet and story... if you've played EQ you'll feel like there is something missing at first, if you haven't you'll probably wonder what all the EQ people are complaining about :)

As for the sound and music, I love it... in EQ I would always disable the music, some places had OK music, but many places it was a very short tune which repeated and got really annoying really fast! In AO the music seems to be dynamically created on the fly depending on where you are, what time of day it is, or in the case of combat how well the battle is going.

Soloing and Grouping:
Funcom stated they have designed the level 1-75/100 level range to be well suited to the casual gamer, most classes *can* solo up to this point if they want to, and all the gear you need up to this point can be obtained from the shops.

You can easily roleplay in this environment, much of the mobs wont aggro on you until you attack them (or their friends) so you can choose your fights without suffering a lack of exp to some degree... you wont get to level 200 real quick this way, but you will probably enjoy it a lot more!

Once you hit the 100 mark the game has changed somewhat... the items in the shops stop at a quality level of 125 (except nano formula), so you have to hunt/quest/trade for what you want... solo play becomes harder, and the professions become more specialised so grouping will become more important.

I've also found that joining a guild/clan improves the game immensely. At higher levels you start to rely on other professions for certain things... the doctors for your implants, the engineers/traders for your custom made weapons, a combination of meta-physacists/traders/engineers and others to 'buff' your abilities and skills so you can equip some higher level gear to give you that added edge for a level or two.

Guilds also give you a guild chat channel, ahh the sweet bright green text! Much of the organisation commands still don't work (next client patch apparently will have them all working) but enough works to give you the 'community' feeling that is lacking at first.

Classes/Professions:
Upto about level 50 I would say most professions are very simmilar (I dissagree about the doctor not being an attack class at this level also, my Martial Artist groups with a doctor and she outdamages me sometimes :)
* every profession can attack and do good damage (some more than others)
* every profession has 'buffs' they can use on themselves or on their team
* almost every profession has some combat nano (some classes seem lacking here, but there's general use-by-all nano they can use)

As you get higher in level, each profession has started to specialise in certain stats and skills, as your IP you get wont allow you to max everything anymore, this will affect the armor you can use, the weapons, and your style of play.

I would like to point out that it is possible to play something like an Atrox Doctor (the equivalent to a Troll Cleric in EQ)... I've seen a level 55+ one wandering around and had a bit of a chat with 'it' (Atrox aren't really male or female, they have male faces tho)... very much of a combat class, doing some severe melee damage yet still able to use some pistols when the range is needed, great heals, great damage-over-time nano... it claimed to never have problems finding a group (Doc's have some GREAT group nano) yet could still easily solo. Of course the Atrox doctor definately suffers with Nano ability, being able to heal less before running out of nano, and possibly having to wait a few extra levels before using the newer nanos, but has the advantage of being able to really get into the middle of the fight... no more sitting on your butt the whole fight, getting up every now and then to cast the odd heal, then begging for your clarity and mana dumps... after fight recovery takes a few seconds to a minute or so, depending how good your kits are.

Items and Quests:
Anarchy Online really does shine in this area, and once you work out how to get around a few little annoying things with the missions they really do work well.

Some tips: If you want to get a mission with good reward and money, set it to "bad" and "money", optionally also set "order" to make it slightly easier... this will give you 3 'locate the item' missions, effectively giving you 2 rewards. When you do find the item in the mission, don't pick it up straight away as sometimes this is bugged (not always, but sometimes)... stand next to the item for 30 seconds or so until it says mission complete then pick it up, if you dont get the mission complete message your location may be lagged, run off a few rooms and run back, or sometimes log off and back on quickly to fix it.

At higher levels you start to get more unique items, and nicer looking armor... it has also been mentioned that there are 'special' or rare items that can be obtained at higher levels... once again the 100+ game starts to define itself (level 100 is very much like level 50 in EQ, in EQ it's really only in the 50+ area that the game takes on it's true raid style).

I'll state again, after level 100 you WILL need to start trading and working hard to get the items you want, you wont be able to just go into a store anymore.

Overall Game Play:
I still am not quite ready to try and convince all my EQ friends to come play, not until the memory leak is solved, and the incredible city lag at least.

Still, I have found it to be a great fun game, and as long as you can avoid the cities and other heavily populated areas it's extremely playable, I got an 8 hour session in before needing to restart AO on a few occasions by just staying out in the wilderness.

Once they fix the main issues I will be recommending it to all my EQ/UO friends, as it truly has the potential to be wonderful.

Well, that's my rant for now, hopefully this is of use to you all.
RE: Some points worth clearing up
# Jul 24 2001 at 12:28 AM Rating: Decent
Ok Once you mentioned UO, i lost you, UO should be takeing apart and put backtoghet with out the lag hehe, but AO Sounds good, but i refuse to buy it till the it gets a make over, proally around descember for now ill keep pushing my EQ chars further and futher :) and others futher into there graves deeper... and deeper
Things
# Jul 23 2001 at 6:40 PM Rating: Default

I read through the review and thought it was pretty nice, but I don't really agree with everything being said. For starters, I think it's rather unfair to compare AO with EQ, at least at this point. Truth be told, I haven't played EQ, so I'm not claiming to be an expert, but I think I do know that these two games are very different. I think AO deliberatly is the way it is (sounds kinda vague, but...)

Example: The reviewer thought it a bad thing that AO chars start out in much the same manner. I beg to differ. I think it's more realistic and more enjoyable that you do. That way you can tailor your char to whatever you want. While picking a class in EQ, you -have- to follow that classes restrictions. AO on the other hand lets you play whatever kind of char you want, literally. You could play the Atrox Enforcer who dabbles in nano-techs (ogre war dabbling in magic), or the melee-crazed politician who beats up anyone he doesen't like (martial arts oriented bureaucraut). This, I think, is a huge asset, because in the end it will result in widely different chars at higher lvls. Sure, your nano-dabbling Atrox Enforcer won't be as good in combat as the melee oriented enforcer, but he's got the potential to be -truly- unique. And in a game like this, I for one relish in the RP possibilities and would rather have an unique individual than being like everybody else :)

Moving over to the technical problems: Lag, crashes and frame rate. Those are all problems, IMO, that FunCom will, and already are striving to, eradicate. As it is now, it really is annoying with the monster-lag, but it'll pass. Have some patience :)
Also, the different terrains...has the reviewer been all over Rubi-Ka? And, don't you think it's possible to add more diverse terrains, if it's desireable?


Soloing vs grouping: Again, I disagree. Ao is a very new game, and there are really no "veteran" players here. As I've stated earlier in this post, I don't think professions will become truly different before, say, lvl 30 or so. After that you'll likely end up seeing more specialized people, thus creating the basis for grouping. Also, AO -does- reward groups/teams. As I read somewhere else, if you are 2 people grouped, you both receive about 2/3's of the xp from the mob... kinda weird, but also nice :)

All in all, I think AO has huge potential. It's a much more "free" game than EQ (imo), that let's you define your char just as you wish. And as for the RP possibilities, they are almost limitless. I have been MUDding for years, and I can tell you that RP is just what you make of it. Put some effort into it and it'll come right back at you :)

Just my $0.2

- ViolentE

AO Review
# Jul 23 2001 at 6:38 PM Rating: Default
Thanks for the honest review. You just saved me 50 dollars
This is very laughable
# Jul 23 2001 at 6:31 PM Rating: Decent
All of the good points of AO are pointLESS. Who wants to play a game that CAN'T be played? I must say I like a bunch of the AO concepts. Too bad funcom didn't take the time to flesh it out. I'll just wait for DAoC and SWG to come out to get into another game...they will probably be playable.
Anarchy Offline !!!
# Jul 23 2001 at 6:15 PM Rating: Default
I have a couple things to say. I got AO the first day it came out. BIG mistake! Immpossible to play...and what I hear it still is. (From the review above he said it was!) I don't play the game for that reason. I refuse to pay/play something that should be free because its inplayable. The little bit (a week) I played of the game it needs some seriouse help. Grouping...ha don't make me laugh. Its so boring just playing by yourself. If your even thinking of buying this game I would seriously wait for another 3 month atleast! (But we all know by then Dark Age of Camelot will be out and rock everything to date then after that EQ: Luclin and after that Shadowbane!!!) Now with the games I just said comming there is really no point to buy this game. Play UO or EQ for a little while longer and suck it up till the newer PLAYABLE games come. Ill admit maybe if AO was playable and you did group and all the classes were not the same I might consider playing. But its sad to say its a big flop of a MMORPG just like WW2 was.
#Anonymous, Posted: Jul 23 2001 at 5:44 PM, Rating: Sub-Default, (Expand Post) I AGREE!!! Verant DOES NOTHING for customers LEGIT complaints...they treat you as if you are a world's 1st class liar. I am SICK of writing them with issues that need to be addressed (such as a full backpack disappearing upon camping, right off the character), or doing a quest and NOT receiving the item and receiving NO response after several MONTHS and MANY emails!
Grouping in AO
# Jul 23 2001 at 5:32 PM Rating: Default
There is a way to group in AO and get rewarded; there is a thing called Team Level, where you get a certain amount of Team Level exp for working with a group that you group with often. The more you group with the same team, the bigger exp bonus you get... its almost impossible to group in AO now, because of the lag and such, but it will be feasible in the future.
Amotken
Thanks Alla
# Jul 23 2001 at 5:24 PM Rating: Decent
Alla-
Hey, thanks a lot, I was wondering what the hype was for the new MMORPG and now I know. Your review over both games is awesome, and I plan on keeping to EQ, and MAYBE purchasing AO now. Thanks for the review/compare/contrast between the two games. I love this site!
God Bless You
# Jul 23 2001 at 5:10 PM Rating: Default
God Bless You for this review.

While i think AO will become my game for sure in the future if it stays around and solves it's issues (as i am sick of playing a game from a company that hates it's customers as much as Verant does) you have shown us all that the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Personally why can't someone make a game that's good for both soloing and grouping? Like a game where you COULD solo like AO, but you got xp % bonuses if you grouped (like EQ). Same with loot... a game where good stuff COULD be bought, but is slightly cheaper if earned/dropped/quested for?

Ah well. Such a perfect game shall likely never exist.
Anarchy online
# Jul 23 2001 at 5:10 PM Rating: Decent
Well from reading this review im almost surprised they haven't released an offline version of the game. I do like the idea of the mission system and it is excellent for when you have a connection that boots you after 2 hours online. Looks like this is a game i will have to look in too...
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