Anarchy Online
Optycal Illusion
Blysster Rate 4
Anarchy Online
is a MMORPG set in the future on a planet called Rubi-Ka. You are "created"
as an adult, a blank slate standing in the middle of a medical building.
You choose your race, appearance and class, pick a name and then choose your
side of the battle for Rubi-Ka. This is a fast paced, action/adventure RPG
where you're thrown into a struggle for control over the planet. You play
with and against people from all over the REAL world. Stunning graphics, in
depth controls, beautifully written music and sounds as well as freedom to
control your characters and the game make this one of my top picks for games
to try. Click to see my screenshots!
INSTALL/SETUP: Installation is moderately difficult
and takes a long time. The files are huge and the downloading of patches
is grossly drawn-out. One of the major setbacks in this game is the long wait
for the downloads and updates. On some machine you will have to fiddle with
your settings quite a bit to get this game to run at all, and some poor souls
have had to throw their copy out because it just doesn’t run. If you’re one
of the lucky ones, you’ll be able to install and setup in no time and be
ready to kick some butt. Make sure you set aside about an hour for this task,
just in case.
GETTING STARTED:
CREATION- You are dropped into the middle of a medical
facility, once you register and start the game. You will be looking at your
back, a gray and pale humanoid creature waiting for you to click something.
You can click around the room and listen/read the instructions on how to
create yourself. Take some time in this first room to make yourself familiar
with the controls.
Choose wisely your breed, because your choice WILL affect your gameplay.
A fairly complete guide to the game is offered by Sybex, you can purchase
it at almost all gaming stores, and it will help you decide which breed
and profession suits your play style. That is not to say that the game won't
be fun to play no matter what you choose at this point, in fact I have seen
many players choose breeds and professions that are slightly more challenged
than the typical and they work out just fine. That's the beauty of AO, you
are able to decide everything for yourself, breed does not limit you nor
does profession. Each is as powerful as the next and all of them are fun!
Each breed (except Atrox) has male and female choices.
After the breed selection, you can choose a face and hair combination.
This is where it can get really fun. Funcom has gone above and beyond the
normal here with all the choices for hair color and style. Face choices
range from young to old complete with wrinkles! You can choose from Caucasian,
Asian, and African American (I HATE being politically correct here, but
I'll do it for the sake of anyone who is too fucking sensitive... morons.)
So the possibilities are endless (not really, but you DO have quite a few
choices!)
You then go on to choose your weight and height. It's pretty cool to
be able to make myself an incredibly short fat Martial Artist. Play with
the settings for awhile and decide for yourself how you want people to see
you in Rubi-Ka. You choose a nickname on the next level and then you are
asked to choose a side.
THE CONFLICT- You can be on the
side of Omni-Tek (the evil mega-corporation who owns Rubi-Ka) the Clans (the
rebels trying to take over) or Neutral (the people who just can't decide.)
Each side of the conflict has it's pros and cons. My opinion is that all
new players should try out in Omni first. They have the cheapest prices, the
best items and the most people who are willing to help you out. Clans are
a close second, with Neuts being dead last. Neuts are HARD to play because
they have such limited resources; I suggest only advanced players try a Neut.
LEARNING CURVE and GAME PLAY: Take some time
in the newbie garden to learn the moves, change your hotkeys and remap the
keyboard. Go with something that feels right don’t be afraid! You are pretty
safe in this area; the mobs are low and plenty and the guards are always
there to save your ass. Learning the keys and the controls will take you from
5 minutes to 15, if any longer than that I’d be surprised. Stay in the newbie
garden for a level or two and then leave as soon as you can. All the real
adventure is out in the city and the world beyond.
You can either do missions (get them at the mission booths) or go hunting
outside the city walls. No matter which you choose, you're sure to find
adventure. To get a mission, you must have credits (the money on RK) and
right click a mission booth. Adjust the sliders to whatever suits you and
hit "generate mission" make sure to read carefully through the missions
offered and then select the one you think would be the most fun. Open your
mission icon and right click the mission, drag down to the map icon and
you have just uploaded your mission to your map. Open the mini map and look
for the white X on the screen. That's where your mission is located. You
can also follow the little yellow direction marker on your compass at the
bottom center of your screen. Good luck and have fun!
You can solo or group, or do a combo of both. Play around and decide
for yourself which suits you best. I prefer to solo until lvl 60 or so,
but that's just me. I know lots of people who enjoy only grouping, it all
depends on your gameplay choices. Keep in mind, not everyone is friendly.
You're going to run into assholes and beggars, treat them as you see fit,
but your reputation will soon precede you so be on your best behavior.
GRAPHICS: The game looks as good as it sounds.
You are bombarded with sights you could not imagine! The trees look alive
and real, each blade of grass is visible, each rock has it's own appearance.
You are able to interact with some of the creatures on Rubi-ka. The leets
(A mob for hunting) especially will actually talk to you, just target it
and say Hi. Each region of Rubi-ka has it's own look and feel, hills and valleys,
mountains and plains. Take some time to get to know each area, talk to people
to find out any danger spots and be on the lookout for all the scenery! The
cities have a lot to offer the hungry eyes as well. You can enter almost
all the buildings and most have their own special look.
SOUND and MUSIC: The team who wrote the music
and created the sounds for AO went to the max with both! The music is different
for night and day, side of the conflict and area you're standing in. Even
the missions have different music and sound. You get new songs depending
on your success or failure in a battle and can even choose to have the music
only play in certain circumstances. There are dance clubs where you can hear
the pounding music just walking by, each section of the cities has it's
own soundtrack. A friend put it to me this way recently "It's the only game
music I've heard that doesn't make me want to rip my ears off...." or something
along those lines, you get the point. Funcom even offers a CD with the game
soundtrack (which I bought!)
FINAL THOUGHTS: The biggest downside to AO is
the patches. It is incredibly difficult to get the patches to work on many
machines. You have to have high quality video and sound cards to even play
the game. Once the patches are announced, I have to brace myself for hours
of downloading. To combat the problem I face with my computer, I download
the patches then burn them to a CD. After each patch I have to uninstall
the game, reinstall then install all the patches. This takes me about two
hours and doesn't always work. Funcom claims they are working on the problem,
but who knows. Believe it or not, I do think it's worth the time it takes
to reset my machine, and even the frequent drops and server problems don't
bother me as much. The game has been improving since the day it was released
and I see good things in the future for AO.
RECOMMENDED: I would say this is a GREAT game
for the hardcore gamer, while the casual player may not find it quite as
appealing.
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