Anarchy Online

The Fab Four

The first code arrived three months ago, and we've been playing the game on and off since then. We decided to hold off on previewing it until now though as, quite frankly, the early code was a mess. It crashed every five or ten minutes, the servers went down several times a day, you had to download a new patch almost every time you logged on, and there was a distinct lack of involving gameplay in evidence. When Funcom revealed that they were planning a June 22nd release for Anarchy Online in the USA and Scandinavia, we feared the worst.

Since then things have gradually been getting better though, and with the recent arrival of Beta 4 the game has taken a quantum leap forwards in terms of both gameplay and graphics. There are still some rough edges to smooth out and bugs to fix, but things are certainly looking far brighter than they were just a few weeks ago.

Perhaps the most obvious change to come with Beta 4 is a massive upgrade to the game's already good graphics. Patches of tall grass sprout up from the plains while tree branches sway gently in the wind and insects and birds flit by overhead. The maximum draw distance has been increased, meaning an end to scenery pop-up for those with the hardware to handle the beautiful world of Rubi-Ka in all its high resolution glory, and the result is very impressive if a little choppy on mid-range graphics cards. Luckily there is a plentiful supply of visual options available to tweak if you need a frame rate boost.

It's Good To Talk

More importantly though, the gameplay has also received a shot in the arm, and things are starting to liven up as more and more people flood into the beta. Just a few weeks ago it wasn't unusual to go for hours without seeing another player, but these days Rubi-Ka is becoming a bustling frontier world and the social side of the game is starting to come into its own.

Anarchy Online is based around a conflict between the totalitarian Omni-Tek corporation and the small rebel Clans fighting against them, and when you start the game you can either remain neutral or choose to join one of these factions. This decision will have a big impact on how the game is played, as well as determining where in Rubi-Ka you start out. Whichever side you sign up with though, you will need to work with the other players in your faction to get the most out of the game. Players can team up temporarily to go hunting and share the experience from their battles, and more permanent allegiances are also possible thanks to an advanced in-game clan system.

As a Clan player this allows you to found your own independent society, set up a headquarters in your local city, and even choose a political system to determine how the clan is controlled, ranging from outright anarchy through democracy to strict feudalism. Meanwhile Omni-Tek characters can choose to join one of several corporate departments, from police and special ops to administrative and transportation. And being part of an established society or department not only gives you access to powerful friends and special missions, but can also give more tangible bonuses to your skills and abilities within the game.

What Is Your Quest?

Anarchy Online also features a versatile quest system, with a mixture of pre-defined and randomly generated quests given out by what look suspiciously like vending machines scattered around the cities and rebel camps of Rubi-Ka.

Quests are custom tailored to your level and abilities, and you can ask the mission machine to provide you with specific types of quest, telling it how hard you want the quest to be and whether you are more interested in credits or experience, stealth or action and other factors. In addition, experienced players can create their own formal quests, offering some of their money, experience or items to other players in exchange for carrying out specified tasks.

The result should be an abundance of things to do, with a vast gaming world to roam across and hundreds of buildings, bunkers and cave systems for you to explore. In fact, Rubi-Ka is so big that players will be able to buy vehicles and some form of mass transit system will be included in the game to help you get around. I've yet to see anyone who could afford a car and my local subway station in Tir seems to be closed for refurbishment at the moment, but it's certainly a neat idea which should make travelling around the hundreds of square kilometers of terrain less time consuming.

Dedicated Follower Of Fashion

Of course, vehicles aren't the only thing available to buy. There is a mind-boggling range of weapons, armour, clothing, equipment, bioware augmentations and nano-technological magic on offer in stores across the planet. You can even buy furniture, paintings and lava lamps to decorate your apartment with.

The bigger cities like Tir and Omni-1 have a range of specialist shops for you to browse through, from hardware stores and weaponry outlets to fashion boutiques. You might think that buying designer label clothing was a waste of money (and you would be right), but it all helps you to customise the look of your character. Add to this four different breeds, from the slender Opifex to the lumbering all-male Atrox, a range of faces and hairstyles for each, and a choice of three heights and builds, and there should be plenty of variety and room for self-expression, even when the world fills up with tens of thousands of other players.

Having said that, my burly Atrox brawler looked decidely odd in a bikini and leather mini-skirt, and I soon decided to go back to the more practical body armour and combat trousers. Still, if you want to go for a swim in the river then a fashionable pair of metallic trunks could be just what you're looking for. Ooh. Suits you sir.

Conclusion

Anarchy Online is shaping up to be the first of the next generation massively multiplayer role-playing games, featuring stunning graphics and adding more sophisticated support for player co-operation and interaction to the formula perfected by previous hits like Asheron's Call and Everquest. The science fiction setting is also a first and the world of Rubi-Ka and its wildlife are reassuringly original, making a welcome break from cod medieval fantasy. With a little more polish and tweaking, Funcom could be on to a winner.

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Anarchy Online preview (September 2000)

Anarchy Online screenshots