GridStream Productions

Letter from Game Director (Silirrion) - http://forums.anarchy-online.com/showth ... p?t=498971

New FunCom MMO Business Model (Virtual Item Sales) - http://www.funcom.com/wsp/funcom/fronte ... &item=1004

I'm going to kiss Sil right on the mouth next time I see him. He's the best the best to happen to AO since Shadow Lands.

- Edit
Let me point out the two most important parts here:
1) Firstly we are very glad to announce that we will be moving Anarchy Online to a totally new server environment in the near future....
2) Next up, also looking to the long-term future of the game, I’d like to cover something that we have alluded to several times in the past and confirm that we are currently starting work on upgrading the rendering engine for the game.
3) Pictures! - Click Here
4) Videos! - Kick Ass Vehicle Movie - Hover Board Variations

Looks good I want a hoverboard, and it looks like I will be able to buy my Jobe Lux as well.


Cry,

Hoverboard in SL! Hello!!!!

Yea I read the article this morning and I wanted to hug Sil. I am *SO* glad he's the GD now. Not that Zore was bad, because he wasn't, but I think Sil really knows what the players want. And this definitely puts the myth of "AO being forgotten because of AoC" to bed.

I'm very very excited!

Not only do those boards.. SERIOUSLY ROCK!!!

but the whole concept seriously has me saying "hell yeah"

now, question is...

just how many 360's can you pull when you take a hoverboard over the crown in inferno?

Ceryn wrote:just how many 360's can you pull when you take a hoverboard over the crown in inferno?

Or off the rock just heading into Scheol!

I can't look at the pictures and videos right now, because I'm at school, but if they update the graphics engine that will be the first step in beathing some life back in AO. The next things they will need to overhaul is the party system, loot system, quests/mission system, and end game raiding. If all that gets fixed I'll tell WoW to kiss the fatest part of my ass.

It's important to note they have said it's going to take quite awhile to overhaul the rendering engine. Sometime next year is what is currently expected.

The server change I think is going to be a big step in the right direction.

Well as a player with a older graphics card the idea of modern graphics rendering implies to me that I'll eventually lose the ability to run AO. So while I can appreciate the need to update and get AO looking as good as it's competition I don't look forward to the day when my7 choice is yo upgrade or stop playing AO.

But then it's something I've been expecting eventually and I figured I'd need to upgrade in the next year or so anyways.

So it's cool that new graphics are in the pipe.

With the advent of the Korean and other oriental mmorpg's came the pay for special equipment model of money making for mmorpg's. This technique has proven to be very popular with players as they don't have to pay to play. The only thing that has kept these Korean games from dominating the market is that they generally run on older servers and aren't particularly sophisticated. They look alot like first Generation AO in fact. Also dispite some cosmetic differences they all seem to run using the same basic engine. I'm not refering to Guild Wars which has a different economic model. (Pay for product. Pay for upgrades play free. rather than play free pay for equipment. One of the only things I really like about the Korean games is that the bought equipment makes life easier but doesn't make you so uber you can't be touched and they thus have a fair playing field for all players free or pay.

I beg to differ about the graphical quality of free Korean games. I've played a few of them that have had some graphics to rival WoW (which is the eye candy of choice these days). As for their ease on older systems, some of them I could run easily, and some made my PC cry like I had loaded up Oblivion. Still free, though.

Either way, I'm looking forward to the upgrades, they're long over due and perhaps they will attract some of the people that avoid AO purely because of its asthetics. Once you get around the graphics of this game, you find a very lush, enriched environment... Most people dont try because they're turned off by the appearance.

Otherwise, Funcom has done a smashup job of creating an exceptional game. Enhancements are just icing on my fluffy cake.

Those are great news, shows that Funcom is not going to leave AO to its fate when AoC launches.

I hope they still change the design of the bikes though, too much similarities to yalma and those things in Star Wars.

I wouldn't be much worried about the graphical updates either. At least the last few patches have actually made the game run smoother while adding new animations the same time.

i think it is important to note that he said that the game isn't suddenly going to look amazing, it seems what they are doing is moving it over to the game system that is in place now. From what I can tell the graphics are going to be the same but the game should start running a lot smoother.

Promius wrote:At least the last few patches have actually made the game run smoother while adding new animations the same time.

O.o I think that depends on the user. My AO play lag/loading wise has gone downhill the last 3 months or so.


Hehe... I sort of like that the bikes look like speeders. I think they would be a cool addition that doesn't unbalance gameplay for those who don't buy booster packs. I'm sure I'll eventually end up getting one ^^ even if I start off by saying that I only want a hoverboard if I can do dance emotes on it.

If tradition funcome thinking continues the new vehicles will have requirments of 30000 vehicle ground skill.

brudus_maximus wrote:If tradition funcome thinking continues the new vehicles will have requirments of 30000 vehicle ground skill.

ya......that's really constructive thinking.

brudus_maximus wrote:If tradition funcome thinking continues the new vehicles will have requirments of 30000 vehicle ground skill.

If you have to pay for them? I doubt it.

It's a good thing I have 30001 vehicle ground then. I can't cast treatment expertise, but it will finally be worth it.

Traanse wrote:It's a good thing I have 30001 vehicle ground then. I can't cast treatment expertise, but it will finally be worth it.

LOL!!! who needs treatment anyways :p

But will there finally be something in there to make the most of all the XP I've been pouring into Swimming over the years?

New for booster pack 2... pool noodles!

Traanse wrote:New for booster pack 2... pool noodles!

wtf a pool noodle? o.O