Anarchy Online new engine

Xtromass

 

 

 

Looks pretty awesome. Anyone gonna resub to check this out when it releases?

InTheSea

Looks really good.

I'll hyperlink it:

www.youtube.com/watch

Torak

That movie is from about a year ago, recnetly I believe they said they put it on hold indefinately a few months before AoC launched.

That may have changed but at the time FC basically abandon AO.

 

muruc

---

Originally posted by Torak

That movie is from about a year ago, recnetly I believe they said they put it on hold indefinately a few months before AoC launched.
That may have changed but at the time FC basically abandon AO.
 

---

Letter from the Game Director - June 2008

Here's Silirrion talking about the new engines progress and the new expansion they are working on.

They didn't abandon AO, they are releasing more updates/content now then ever before.

burmese

Lol, Torak is just clueless and trolling.  As noted in Sil's letter they are plugging away on the engine.  The only question still up in the air is whether it will come out alongside the 18.0 Booster pack after 17.10 or separately.

Zorvan

Originally posted by muruc


 

Originally posted by Torak
 
That movie is from about a year ago, recnetly I believe they said they put it on hold indefinately a few months before AoC launched.

That may have changed but at the time FC basically abandon AO.

 

 

Letter from the Game Director - June 2008

Here's Silirrion talking about the new engines progress and the new expansion they are working on.

They didn't abandon AO, they are releasing more updates/content now then ever before.

The letter is from two (almost three) months ago, before AoCs' disastrous launch caused Gaute to yank every available person from AO.

 

And exactly what content have they added "now more than ever before"?

muruc

---

Originally posted by Torak
recnetly I believe they said they put it on hold indefinately a few months before AoC launched.

---

---

Originally posted by Zorvan
before AoCs' disastrous launch caused Gaute to yank every available person from AO.

---

If you trolls really have to lie and come up with stories to trash talk FC, cant you atleast stick to the same story? Makes it sound alot more plausible that way...

Any proof that the whole AO crew moved over to AoC after the release? No, didn't think so...

---

Originally posted by Zorvan
And exactly what content have they added "now more than ever before"?

---

I admit, that was maybe not entirely correct. But go and check out the upcoming updates (17.10 and 18.0) and it's very obvious that they haven't abandon AO.

burmese

We'll get a big update on Monday when Funcom has their Anarchy Online session at Dragoncon.  Expect Silirrion to talk about the raid interface, the upcoming Booster pack, and the Graphics engine update.

Teiman

Nice engine.  I would continue playing AO if that engine is released. If only to see these areas again, in nice graphics.

digitydarkman

Who cares what it looks like will it raise the fun factor and replay value... no it will not.

Trashcantoy

actually as an active player id like to see some oldschool places with fresh graphics, for me it would be fun, altho it doesnt add that much more replay value anyway it will still take months before it will hit live

RoseWater

Personaly, i would like them to update the avatar graphics rather than the world, but thats juts me

burmese

Fun factor is alrady good, replay value doesn't apply to an MMO like this.  Far too many different things things to be doing depending on the level and profession char you are working on and no one ever finishes, anyway.

Zorvan

Originally posted by burmese


We'll get a big update on Monday when Funcom has their Anarchy Online session at Dragoncon.  Expect Silirrion to talk about the raid interface, the upcoming Booster pack, and the Graphics engine update.

So, how'd that turn out? Got a link for that new info given at Dragoncon? Specifically, the "raid interface, the upcoming Booster pack, and the Graphics engine update" ?

burmese

Yep, one of the GSP people said in the AO forums that they showed screenshots from and talked about the Booster pack and said work was progressing on the engine.  The raid interface is on test and if they talked about it, she doesn't remember, having apparently been 1/2 asleep.

crunchyblack

Originally posted by digitydarkman


Who cares what it looks like will it raise the fun factor and replay value... no it will not.

 

Well while they said that the engin update wouldnt make a huge diffrence in how the game looks, for that they need to retexture everything. It will, however, have a huge effect on gameplay.  Right now AO basically ignores your graphic cards, as it was programmed back when graphic cards where garbage.

So a new engin will make the game play much more smoother. That will increase the funfactor and replay value.  Nowaday people are so damn picky about any minute flaw, that someone trying the game out on his ungodly gaming rig will no doubt flip out from lag the game currently tends to produce, all related to the way the game doesnt use graphic cards to their full potential.

 

Z3R01

It won't matter, no one will play this game cause Failcom decided to pull the majority of the devs off this project on to that terrible AoC.

Too bad, AO was actually a fun game in the limited about of time I stayed logged in (the nintendo 64 graphics killed any immersion I could ever have with the current build).

I don't think Failcom realizes how good AO is, and how much a graphic update is needed in this game.

burmese

I've tried various games, including WoW and AoC, and none can hold a candle to AO in terms of content. The graphics are ok by me and will get a lot better with the DX9 engine.  I expect lag issues associated with the way DX7 works (and how current video drivers -don't- use it) to be the most useful improvement, far more beneficial than any 'eye candy' that comes along. 

Devs move on and are -replaced- by new Devs .  In AO's case, virtually all the new Dev's are people who have played AO for years and love the game. If someone can prove that the AO dedicated staff is even 1 person smaller than it was 2 years ago, they'll have to dig up proof - making claims out of thin air, which is all anyone has done here, just lowers their credibility all the more.

Raston

They could pull every dev from AO and their other MMO in production and they couldn't 'fix' AoC...  AoC is flawed from the ground up because they completely lost what made AO good, the skill system for a button mashing, hand destroying, PoS variant of EQ...  with boobs and blood...

sorry, not enough for this player.  The only reason AO never really caught on with me was because of their disasterous launch...  I know they've improved it (I've got a froob account), but none of my friends will really play it because of that launch...  I know several people in my guild broke the discs and threw them in the trash after the game absolutely refused to install on their rigs (for no real reason either).

WisebutCruel

Originally posted by burmese


I've tried various games, including WoW and AoC, and none can hold a candle to AO in terms of content. The graphics are ok by me and will get a lot better with the DX9 engine.  I expect lag issues associated with the way DX7 works (and how current video drivers -don't- use it) to be the most useful improvement, far more beneficial than any 'eye candy' that comes along. 
Devs move on and are -replaced- by new Devs .  In AO's case, virtually all the new Dev's are people who have played AO for years and love the game. If someone can prove that the AO dedicated staff is even 1 person smaller than it was 2 years ago, they'll have to dig up proof - making claims out of thin air, which is all anyone has done here, just lowers their credibility all the more.

 

Works both ways. Prove that the dev team is not one person smaller than two years ago, or your claims are just as invalid

And sorry, but if the engine comes out, it will be a miracle by itself.

If the engine actually works without killing the rest of the playerbase ( all 20k of 'em , then I'll start searching caves for Jesus 'cause obviously the Apocalypse is here.

burmese

Indeed, if I ever were to make some claim about the size of the AO Dev staff, I would reference some suitable material.

 

As for the graphics update, my opinion is that will be out some time this year, and that it will greatly reduce lag issues and other glitches newer graphics cards are having with the game.  The environment will look a lot better, and nano casting effects will be prettier.  Avatars will be unchanged and textures will look marginally better as an ancillary effect of the new engine. All of which I consider a big improvement, but the 'under-the-hood' improvements DX9-capability will bring to address lag will be, by far, the most important improvements.

 

Note that this, and all other opinions to date expressed in these forums as to when the engine will or will not be out are just that - opinions.

Mahlo

Originally posted by RoseWater


Personaly, i would like them to update the avatar graphics rather than the world, but thats juts me

 

I agree with this, although I'd like to see the world graphics updated too. But the avatar graphics are the real eyeseore. The combat is a bit clunky too. I'll try it again if this update happens anyway.

Gabby-air

To tell you the truth i really don't see that much of a difference in the graphics the new engine just looks a lil bit cleaner, and i guess the lagg and glitches would be fixed so yeh im kinda excited

burmese

Update from Game Director Means, covering the upcoming Booster pack and the new graphics engine:

http://www.anarchy-online.com/wsp/anarchy/frontend.cgi?func=publish.show&template=content&func_id=2449&table=CONTENT

includes a couple of picks from the upcoming playfield and a pic of Means and various chars from Rk1 hanging out on the graphics engine server

also of note, Enno Rehling is returning to AO. 'nuff said!

Quote from Means:

"Our drive to get the new engine up and running got a fresh boost this week when Enno "I Break Stuff" Rehling returned to the team to help us refocus our efforts. Enno was here at the beginning of time when a great deal of the AO source was written and it will be a great help to the rest of the coder team to have him aboard again to help us bring the dream home. We have all been waiting a long time for this and it still gives me goosebumps when I get to see the world we all know so well looking so bright and new."

Z3R01

Originally posted by burmese


Update from Game Director Means, covering the upcoming Booster pack and the new graphics engine:
http://www.anarchy-online.com/wsp/anarchy/frontend.cgi?func=publish.show&template=content&func_id=2449&table=CONTENT
includes a couple of picks from the upcoming playfield and a pic of Means and various chars from Rk1 hanging out on the graphics engine server
also of note, Enno Rehling is returning to AO. 'nuff said!
Quote from Means:
"Our drive to get the new engine up and running got a fresh boost this week when Enno "I Break Stuff" Rehling returned to the team to help us refocus our efforts. Enno was here at the beginning of time when a great deal of the AO source was written and it will be a great help to the rest of the coder team to have him aboard again to help us bring the dream home. We have all been waiting a long time for this and it still gives me goosebumps when I get to see the world we all know so well looking so bright and new."

 

Awesome screen shot, Now lets hope they redo the Avatars and Mobs to match the game world.

Personally I think it would look wierd for nintendo 64 looking characters/mobs running threw a Half-Life looking gameworld.

burmese

They are not redoing the avatars, they have said repeatedly. And it would cost vastly more than the engine rework they are doing now.  As they are, I much prefer the AO avatars over, say, WoW avatars - more polygons and more emotes.