The folks over at Funcom have announced that Anarchy Online will be getting a face lift in the form of a new engine. Game Director Craig Morrison takes the time to answer a few of our questions as we present a trailer featuring the new engine.

MMORPG.com:

What was the rationale behind developing a new engine for a game that launched all the way back in 2001?

Craig Morrison:

We still have thousands of new players every week through the free player offer and we realize that while we are very proud of the games art direction, it is starting to look its age compared to modern titles. With so many players still signing up and trying the game every week we felt it would be a missed opportunity if we didn’t bring the engine up to date and little and improve the visuals. We know we have a great game with a lot of depth so in doing this we hope we can also attract people with a modern looking engine.

Check it out here.

Damn that looks good. Models look the same but textures, water, shadows and that sky! AO has always had the best sky of any game for it's genre. But damn, that just surpasses the already great sky lol. I cant WAIT to see the redone character models and particle fx :)

all i can say is, cerebrix is pleased.

I never understood why FC didnt make AO2

It would surely be much more succesful (and easier to make) than Conan

Woohoo - very nice. Great article - thanks MMORPG.com. AO being free to play -- uhm.. this is nice!

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Originally posted by Lobotomist
I never understood why FC didnt make AO2
It would surely be much more succesful (and easier to make) than Conan

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Hey great now everyone can do the same instanced generic missions and grind their way up to 220 with new graphics.

No player involvement in storyline no updated mission system but new graphics?

Go back and do some research on the early days of AO and you may find they had intended to have a "prison system" and player made missions and quests.

And here I thought they were only moving it to use DX9/hardware for performance reasons. I did *not* expect that.

Can't wait to see what the characters look/animate like in the new engine. Hopefully they get some kind of upgrade, too.

In any case... wow.. Looking very good.

wow, hopefully they can pull it of as I very well may go back to it if they do.

I for one loved AO. Right now I am in Tabula Rasa, and love it also. If they upgrade AO, I will be torn between the two. There is a lot of content in AO and a very good game. Glad it’s getting a face lift. I will take a look at it in the near future.

Look's amazing! thou I fear It may affect my gameplay now due to the fact I don't have the best computer.  Hopefully It wont affect me much, thou im sure the system requirement's will go up.

When ready and released, I for one will re-subscribe with a paid account.

Have always had a fondness for AO, but the software graphics engine just did not cut it for me.  To much lag.  I hate Stop 'n Go movement.

Looking forward to it.  Probably won't be my main MMORPG, but will be one I play a couple times a week.

Awesome! Glad to see AO getting a face lift. I always liked the game, but it's graphic were pretty ugly. Now if only we could convince the folks over at Turbine to give the same face lift to AC.

I played AO for 2 weeks during summer 2006, whilst on annual leave. That brief period was the most addictive MMORPG experience - up to and including EQ from April 2001 until I /quit in September 2002.

I stopped playing AO for a variety of reasons - mostly because I felt unsure for how much longer the product would be supported, I instinctively hated SL [Shadowlands], and some of the subsequent expansions didn't really pique my interest.

So why am I planning to return? I knew the history of AO - perhaps the worst launch in MMORPG history - as I remember EQ players leaving in droves to play AO, then scurrying back with horror stories about the state of the game, but I never actually played AO. Despite being a 1st generation MMORPG in terms of game engine, some of the game mechanics - character customization, class / skill hybrid system, OE [over-equipping], dynamic mission system - were 2nd generation, if not 3rd generation, given the lack of genuine innovation in (alleged) 2nd generation MMORPGs.

AO has a style all of its own and a strong sense of place, from the character models, items that one could equip that actually displayed on the character model, the vast variety of weapons, armour, modules, to the hauntingly beautiful music, and wonderful touches of humour and originality such as the cute lil' leets who insulted you, the dancing Atrox in a discoteque / club, and the astounding array of emotes - my favourite being the /dance emote when in one of the many clubs, with pulsating rhythmic music, and laser flashes and strobes.

So, why am I returning (and staying) once the graphics update goes live? Aside from the fact that no new releases on the horizon pique my interest (with the exception of 'Fallen Earth' - but whether the product is released in a playable state - all features implemented and working - and lives up to its billing is another matter ..), this quote from the AO New Engine Q&A is why I now have zero interest in the whole EQ 'Classic Server' (non-existent) debate:

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MMORPG.com:

With Age of Conan on the horizon and Secret World coming up behind it, is there a fear that AO will take a back seat at Funcom?

Craig Morrison:

Not at all, we have managed the teams separately for some time now so they don’t impact on each other in that way. Last year we moved AO to an entirely new server farm with modern servers and infrastructure that should allow us to continue development for years to come. We are firmly committed to continuing to support AO as long as the players are there and enjoying life on Rubi-Ka!

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Regards,
Riotgirl

Anarchy online is one of the greatest MMO's.
THis is I call good news.

Not really interested by AOC, but can't wait for AO "relooked"

This is great news indeed. I will definitely be checking out the new game engine.

Now if only Sony would do something similar with the original EverQuest.

Originally posted by starless Now if only Sony would do something similar with the original EverQuest.
How long ago did you check graphics in EQ?

Originally posted by mindw0rk

Originally posted by starless Now if only Sony would do something similar with the original EverQuest.
How long ago did you check graphics in EQ?

I'm sitting in the game about to raid right now actually.

Anarchy Online is a very addictive game if this graphic update utilizes my HD3870 (Will be in crossfire shortly) to its full potential I may be drawn back to the game.

Good old level 200+

I tried AO though the free trial.  It was a bit over my head at the time (I was also drunk, which probably didn't help matters), but I've been waiting for a time to jump back in.  Once this new engine goes through, I'll try it again.

MMO Devs: limited free accounts on your games is a GREAT way to bring up populations.

It's proof that sequels don't count in the MMO space. Well, at least not yet. :)

-- Brede

I would expect the new engine would affect all the spells casted ...weapon effects...etc etc...could be spectacular.

and yes....clothing needs to take advantage of the new capabilitys too

The content is there for this game.  This engine upgrade is brilliant.  This will make this game 5 game.  First Eve online and now AO.  Its the smart way to go with games and other older games should follow suit.

They're starting to make a great come back from the disasters they had for a long while.

They still need to bring the old storyline back and let players have an impact on the game world once more. There was nothing like the early days of AO when you could make a name for yourself and groups of players could feel like they were impacting the game.