How to maintain AO universe

[Anonimofied]

Anarchy Online is one of the greatest science fiction mmorpg available on the market, at this moment. But however AO is dying, there is issues that makes AO not attractive to both new players, and old players.
The reason AO is dying is because the game is cursed. It is not because Funcom are doing a bad job, it is because AO is almost 9 years old. Like everything else that exists, AO is cursed by time.
It dosnt matter who you are, how wonderful your life is. In the end, time will slowly wipes everything you have. Therefor glorious time and Legends will be, or have already been forgotten in history of mankind.
In order to survive the future, we must study and remember the pass.

The only way to save AO universe is for Funcom to leave AO behind.
Go back to basics and use all your knowledge that you have got the oppertunity to learned in the pass 9 years, and upload it into the new Anarchy Online vessel.
Im not talking about new AO GFX engine, im talking about a complete new AO mmorpg with new challanges, new ideas, a new beginning.
There is a saying "Everything that has a beginning, has an end ..." In order to bypass this, you must create a new beginning, with knowledge and experiences maintained.
This is the only way that gives AO universe new strength to endure, and lasts for eternity.

The new GFX engine idea was dead borned. It is time consuming and it keeps the staff busy from coming up with good ideas on how to make AO a better game.
New GFX will not give high rewards because people are tierd of AO. It can almost be compares with an old lady taking surgery trying to make herself looks better, but the curse of ageing still remain.
Not only the fans and players are tierd of AO, but I see the community, the developers are also tierd. Noone are motivated to make AO a better game, and it is understandable.
What FC are doing now, is like trying to save an old man from dying of his age.
FC are not the only one who are running out of time. We all are running out of time.
You must be creative and use your time efficient in order to re-evolve with time to compete for existence, or else you will result in extinction.

[Xeralix]

i hate every number 2 in a game and especially in a Online game, number 2 are community's killer, a part of the player base will leave number 1 to number 2 and others will stay in the number 1... of course some player will be on the both...

And btw what's would be the story of ao 2 ? the same as ao 1 but on another planet ?

[Phixalicious]

Yeah, so AO 2 can join Asheron's Call 2, Ultima Online X, etc.

The only "sequel" I've seen make it is EQ2, and that's solely due to how beloved the first one is. AO has never been as high on the scale popularity wise as EQ1. Hell, we wouldn't even match the popularity of DAoC. So AO does not have the same viabilty as a "2" as EQ did and still does.

[Heptagram]

What I hope they do some time in the far future, is to make a legacy server. Meaning, launch a server without expansions and without all the statics like subway, totw and IS. Then add content and expansions gradually.

AO reloaded, sort of.

[Anonimofied]

I always like to say "it is good to do misstakes and learn from it, but it is best to learn from others misstakes".
If other companies have failed with a sequel of their online games, then i think it is a good oppertunity for FC to study them so FC can prevent doing the same failure as they did, in the future.

Eitherway, FC dont have to make a new AO and call it AO2. They can make a new game based on AO universe but from another perspective, or in another era with different story to tell.
Im sure humanity didnt only discovered Rubi ka, and there is many different types of aliens out there for us to struggle against, aliens dont have to be green only.
Ideas can be many, but FC is trapped and dont have ability to think outside the box.

FC have 2 options to keep AO alive:
1. Keep doing what they are doing. Launch new expansions pack to feed the veteran players.
2. Create a new AO to attract AO fans and new players.

Imagine you are trying AO for the first time and finds out AO have 5 expansions pack, how would you feel?
Those who enjoy and want to play AO can still play AO. Those who are tierd of AO can try the new game based on AO universe, with AO DNA/Spirits.
Splitting the community is inevitability due to we all are different and have different meaning from different point of views. We are simply too many and cannot be kept in the same server eitherway.

Like i mentioned in the first post. If you want something to lasts as long as possible then you must recreate a new beginning.
This is a technique which is scripted in all living DNA that have been struggled against time and evolved for many billions of years.
We live, we learn, we give birth and pass on our knowledge to our children before we dies.
This is the reason why mankind progress and becoming better and better for each passing day.

All in all, FC have to be more creative then what they have presented. In order to attract new players and old players, and keep AO universe alive.

[Eralius2]

Clearly you missed The new AO being developed...
Just saying, it sounds a hell of a lot like AO 2.

[Anonimofied]

Im aware Secret World is under development. But i dont see any similarity between SW and AO, besides they are made by FC.

SW = Warewolf, secret societies. Blade or underwold movie type
AO = Space, aliens, futuristic. Blade runner, Alien movie type

[scenenheard]

people don't learn from mistakes, they just learn to live with them

[Grind42]

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Rhannon Hills. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.