New Producer and Game Director for AoC

@Noobalert I've found in the 5 years i've played AO that there are those that get it, and those that don't. "Those that don't" tend to find the game way too complicated and get all righteous about it, usually using the WoW 'stick' to beat AO players over the head. I play and enjoy both games. AO and WoW are two very different beasts. AOs' strength is in its highly technical gameplay. Having said that, it can get a little too demanding at times which is when I tend to dip into WoW. I'm the first to admit that WoWs' gameplay flows well, in a way AO just can't match. WoWs' interface is simpler, more intuitive and much more attractive compared to AO. This is not a critiscism of AO, it's an observation. I prefer AOs' chat system to WoWs although that is my personal opinion. Another thing that might get on players nerves moving from WoW to AO is 'Zoning'. Apart from WoW 'Instances', zoning in WoW is pretty much seamless. I can't describe how much I appreciate the ease of zoning in WoW compared to AO. Just today, I waited outside an AO General Store for over 20 minutes with an alert which read, "The area you are trying to zone into is full, please try again later". Now THAT is pathetically hilarious. Anarchy tends not to attract the, erm, more disruptive player on the whole. I've had more fun chatting in General chat on AO than i've ever had on WoW, mainly due to a difference in attitude between the two communities. I suppose what i'm saying is that in general, the WoW community doesn't feel as friendly. I'm not tarring everyone in WoW with the same brush (i have many very good friends on WoW), but generally this is the case in my experience. I guess what i'm saying is this: If Anarchy Online is withdrawn, the MMORPG community will be the poorer for it. And where will it stop? Personally, i'd rather see a few major MMORPGs sharing the market and possibly players, than end up with one game dominating the scene while the others slowly die a death. In the long run, that situation won't benefit anyone...

I'm very pleased for Craig and wish him the very best in his new post on AoC, I can't help wondering where that leaves Anarchy Online.

It's no secret that membership of Funcoms' Sci-Fi MMORPG is dwindling despite Craig Morrisons best efforts. Anarchy Online deserves to survive. Of all the MMOs available today, it probably has the strongest and most involving storyline coupled with feature rich gameplay. Despite its many fine attributes AO has always struggled to attract as many members as Blizzards' World Of Warcraft. I lay the blame for this solely at the feet of Funcom as they have staunchly refused to spend enough time, money or effort to promote this excellent game. The whole game requires a complete makeover. Loyal fans have been promised major improvements for over two years, the most important being the new graphics engine which has full DX10 support. But I fear it has been too little, too late. Although the DX10 graphics engine is well into its development phase, i seriously doubt whether Funcom has the resources to complete the project. The rumormill is rife with speculation about AOs future which isn't helping to retain game membership.

If Funcom are serious about continuing development of Anarchy, they need to grasp the bull by the horns and make a statement of intent. The basic premise of Anarchy Online is as strong today as it ever was, but Funcom need to stop sitting on their hands and make a decision about AOs future. If AO has a future it'll need the same sort of budget as AoC to breath life back into the old dog. Of course, Funcom may decide it just isn't worth it, and scrap the game altogether. This would be a great shame, but there is another option. Funcom could sell the rights for Anarchy Online to another company which would allow them to concentrate all their resources on AoC and would have the added bonus of relieving the company of its financial responsibilities towards AO.

LOL FAILCOM to little to late. They *** can this guy after there stock Goes from 55+ Per share in may when AoC launched, To TODAY'S 8 Per share, on the Eve of the Launch of Warhammer online.
http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=FUNCOM.OL&t=6m&l=on&z=m&q=l&c=
FAILCOM never again will i buy anything made in Norway again!!!!!

Unless it undergoes a similar fate to Vanguard, though obviously this comparison is not completely relevant as Vanguard's crappy release prior to the SOE purchase was a different situation to a long standing game like AO changing hands.

SOE hasn't exactly devoted a "generous" or even "acceptable" amount of resources to realistically pull VG out of the gutter, though they HAVE made improvements most certainly, their patches are dreadfully slow and the improvements are more towards core issues with the game, things that should have been hammered out years ago to be honest.