Questions and concerns from a prospective Rubi-ka citizen

Enteski · Post by **Enteski** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 5:16 am

Hello everyone. I've been considering trying out Anarchy Online, and as such I've been researching the game here on the forums. I did play for a little while (up to the subway I think it was) about a year and half ago, and had to stop playing because I moved and wasn't able to get internet where I live for a while (so I haven't played any games in over a year) From my forum findings, I am a bit concerned and wondering if I should join into the game as a froob with only the clothes on her back.

The first thing I hear is that the game has a dwindling population, or that it's 'dying', which is truly sad to hear because I really did enjoy this game when last I played. I was wondering if this is even true? I didn't see a lot of updated information for future plans of Anarchy Online, and I see a lot frustrated people writing on the official forums, with a lot of concerns. I don't usually base whether or not I want to play something off of other people's opinions, but it's a little different with this game because I'm afraid I'll be getting into a game, and investing a lot of my time into something that wont last much longer. Not to mention the new player base being very low, which would make it pretty difficult to level, or to find someone in a similar situation as me.

I've read it's pretty hard to get started on AO, financially, leveling-wise, and also becoming accustomed to how everything works. As a froob, I'm restricted from Shadowlands, which I have heard and read is the best place to level, and that it will be very difficult to level otherwise. Is it still a viable option to level without shadowlands and the expansions? I don't mind leveling slowly, but I don't want to feel like I'm making no progress.

I'm also wondering, if I did decide to play, which server would best suit a newbie or which server is more populated?

Thanks for any help!

Post by **Silvana** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 6:41 am

Welcome! Now keep in mind these are personal opinions

The game population has gone down over the years, as it will for just about any game, but honestly I don't think it has gone down any less in the past 3 years or so. A lot of people play as froobs, then upgrade to a cheap sloob account (access to Shadowlands for I think $5 a month) when they feel they want to experience more of the game.

That said, you don't need SL or any of the other expansions to have a good game experience. A lot of players with all of the expansions will still spend a good portion of their time on Rubi-Ka and some prefer it because SL can be a super easy leveling route if done right and people don't learn the ins and outs of the game or of their professions very well. This causes issues at end game when they don't know how their toon works properly and they get frustrated and complain about it.

I have a toon that I level solely on RK just because it can really be fun. Having perks from SL and AI, plus Research from LE do help a lot, but they aren't requirements and I think not having them can make someone a much better player.

Back to the population, a lot of people have been rolling new toons lately and starting froob accounts, so finding people to help you at low levels really shouldn't be an issue (considering the game is supposedly dead, there are a lot of new characters running around).

The 10th anniversary of the game is also coming up soon, which should be a lot of fun. A ton of things are in the works for the game really, profession changes, a new graphics engine, a lot of updating to game icons and such via the players. It's really not as stagnant as people would like to believe.

As for money.. that's a real pain. Even for me, and I've been around since 2001. Starting a new character can be a real process and can try your patience, but a lot of the fun is learning. Just about every mob drops armor of some kind and you get to piece them together how you want. If you fight a lot of mobs that attack with chemical, you can get a set of flowers armor together (pretty sure that's the chem one lol) and the same for just about anything. When you get in to SL and the others you can get pigeon holed in to specific armors, something you'll never have a problem with as a froob.

I say give the game a shot. We have a ton of guides and other resources here that will keep you out of the dark and always having things to do, and if you really do end up not liking it, you won't have given up that much time and no money as a froob.

Hope that helps

Enteski · Post by **Enteski** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 10:13 am

Wow, thank you for such an informative post! Really, I was on the fence to whether or not I should invest my time into the game and now after reading your post I'm going to go ahead and give it another try.

By the way, would you happen to have an opinion on which server would be best for a new player? Or perhaps the most populated/active server?

Post by **Trgeorge** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 11:19 am

They are basicly the same, but ofc everybody will claim their's better.

You can try and create new char on each server, leave ICC island as soon as possible and ask some questions on main land. That way you'll see which community suits you better.

Post by **Silvana** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:12 pm

Atlantean is considered the main server, RK1, and has a higher population. As for it being better than Rimor (RK2) that's really a matter of preference. I've actually never played much on RK2 because the default is RK1 when you sign in for the first time, and thus the population is a lot higher. But I've heard arguments for RK2 as well, I just don't remember what any of them are.

Post by **Snakebite** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 3:32 am

I'm gonna get shouted at for this, but in my opinion, players on Atlantian are possibly more serious about the game, people on Rimor are easier going but more friendly to strangers...

I'm Rimor...

Post by **Silvana** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 4:45 am

I agree with you, Snake.

Grimlocke · Post by **Grimlocke** » Thu Apr 21, 2011 3:03 am

Stay tuned! FunCom is planning a implementation of AO into the CryEngine, so it will be more enjoyable and immersive in the long run. Your opinions are your own, but don't let people dissuade you about AO's current state, it's stronger than ever before.

Reading the forums about the issues will only dampen your spirits, ask any seasoned AO player and they will tell you otherwise, but just as I said. Stay tuned! AO is ever expanding and increasingly entertaining! Stay for a while in AO and once you get some levels it really starts to get interesting, just as any other MMO.

xyz123abc · Post by **xyz123abc** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 3:51 am

well, i think fact is that atlantean has lower prices. so, the credits you ern yourself will buy you more stuff from players.

i play in rimor., and i like it. i have never played in atlantean

Uragon · Post by **Uragon** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 9:29 am

Grimlocke wrote:FunCom is planning a implementation of AO into the CryEngine

Sorry, but that's just wrong: Last I read, they're implementing the Age of Conan engine "Dreamworld" which in turn is an evolution of the AO engine. So they're sort of "just" doing a software update, though from the 2001 version to the 2011 version.