A timely discussion with AO Community Manager

Being around for quite some time now, Anarchy Online helped pave the way for the MMORPG genre especially for those set in the world of science fiction. With 16.4 patch coming out at the end of this month and expansion Lost Eden around December, one can’t help but wonder what’s the secret behind developer Funcom‘s success.

“AO is doing very well, better then ever in fact. The free offer means that the game has a constant stream of new players into the game, and they integrate very well with our existing community as well,” shared Community Manager Craig Morrison. He then added that the 16.4 update will definitely improve the game’s client performance, aside from graphical resources and animations.

Morrison then talked about the planned character transfer system for the game. The official explained, “We are still investigating how we might use the feature on our live servers but are examining it with a view to some form of paid character transfer.” Currently, the company is doing an in testing so players can copy their characters to the test dimensions.

Furthermore, one can not talk AO in-depth without any mention of IGA or in-game advertisement. While Funcom was one of the firsts to introduce such feature, the company still gets flamed by fans from time to time. Regarding the matter, Morrison answered that “the advertising system is always evolving. The optional nature of the system for paying subscribers and the flow of free players into the game means that the advertising works towards maintaining the game in a way that just wouldn’t be possible otherwise.”

These past few weeks, the MMO world was plagued by hacking incidents with titles FF XI and others being affected. Fortunately Morrison disclosed that the matter is rather minimal for AO. “There are actually very few cases where we have found any evidence of a virus or otherwise malicious program stealing passwords. 99% of all ‘Hacking’ incidents are actually the player not being secure with their password.”

In the end, Morrison couldn’t help but provide some advice on how AO made it to more than five years: “I think it’s really two very distinct things coming together. Yes, we provide new content and new things to see and do, but it is the interaction with the players around them that really defines your experience in any MMO.”

Via MMORPG

Being around for quite some time now, Anarchy Online helped pave the way for the MMORPG genre especially for those set in the world of science fiction. With 16.4 patch coming out at the end of this month and expansion Lost Eden around December, one can’t help but wonder what’s the secret behind developer Funcom‘s success.

“AO is doing very well, better then ever in fact. The free offer means that the game has a constant stream of new players into the game, and they integrate very well with our existing community as well,” shared Community Manager Craig Morrison. He then added that the 16.4 update will definitely improve the game’s client performance, aside from graphical resources and animations.

Morrison then talked about the planned character transfer system for the game. The official explained, “We are still investigating how we might use the feature on our live servers but are examining it with a view to some form of paid character transfer.” Currently, the company is doing an in testing so players can copy their characters to the test dimensions.

Furthermore, one can not talk AO in-depth without any mention of IGA or in-game advertisement. While Funcom was one of the firsts to introduce such feature, the company still gets flamed by fans from time to time. Regarding the matter, Morrison answered that “the advertising system is always evolving. The optional nature of the system for paying subscribers and the flow of free players into the game means that the advertising works towards maintaining the game in a way that just wouldn’t be possible otherwise.”

These past few weeks, the MMO world was plagued by hacking incidents with titles FF XI and others being affected. Fortunately Morrison disclosed that the matter is rather minimal for AO. “There are actually very few cases where we have found any evidence of a virus or otherwise malicious program stealing passwords. 99% of all ‘Hacking’ incidents are actually the player not being secure with their password.”

In the end, Morrison couldn’t help but provide some advice on how AO made it to more than five years: “I think it’s really two very distinct things coming together. Yes, we provide new content and new things to see and do, but it is the interaction with the players around them that really defines your experience in any MMO.”

Via MMORPG