Anarchy Online Concept Art collection! Let's contribute to preserve game history.
Hey there!
I'm sure some of you have noticed that the game we all are (still) playing has reached three days ago it's 15th anniversary!
I love looking back in time to see the history, and this is why I've been looking at old concept art, noticing there's pretty much no exhaustive concept art compilation to be found!
I did search for an Art book, but found out one was never released for Anarchy Online, pity. Then, I took it to the internet and found out AO-Universe has a collection of images, but not complete. Finding a few pieces here and there, I had an idea.
Why not start a collection, to share with people, make it a gallery, sorting and trying to find the highest quality images that are still around, and propose a crowd effort so people can find and add pieces of art that aren't already or are of a higher quality.
Thus, I present you the gallery:
I have taken to the internet and reached out to some far corners of it to bring you whatever Anarchy Online concept art I could find, in the highest quality available. That meant looking around Portfolios (I found a few artists that worked on AO that shared their art), around Google, AO-Universe, around old FTPs and sites, some dark corner of the internet, and other methods to bring what's in there.
Take a look, I'm sure there are people who haven't seen Anarchy Online concept art before ( or parts of it! ). The Shadowlands art is particularly unique.
I'll be sorting the pictures in the upcoming days and trying to add references to artists. All the art is owned by Funcom or the artist that made it, I am not distributing it or making money, just centralizing it for it not to be lost in the depths of the internet.
If people have art or development videos/screenshots and wish to contribute, please, do so! PM or thread it. Maybe we can convince Funcom or Michi to pitch a release for a 20th anniversary Collector's Edition Artbook :P in a few years!
HISTORY:
Quote:
30.06.2016:
-- Made the gallery
02.07.2016:
-- Partial sort of gallery
-- Added AO Special Edition Bonus disc content + ISO ( TY Slackin )
-- Added contents of Funcom FTP ( TY Yumehime )
03.07.2016:
-- Added 10 concept arts not found on web (./to_find/concept_ao_classic pictures), marked as TO FIND
-- Started work on identifying what I could + adding artists
-- Added more various concept arts
-- Added 2 concept arts from Michizure's Twitter
-- Added hidden Lost Eden concept arts from old Funcom AO website
15.07.2016:
-- Added all game ISOs ( TY Mastablasta ) (discs folders)
-- Added Classic game box print template (./media/other)
-- Added more New Engine heads (./development\engine_upgrade\new_heads)
-- Added some New Engine screenshots showcasing updating nano effects (./development\engine_upgrade\new_cc_rough_XX.jpg)
18.07.2016:
-- Added 2 more concept arts not found on web. From old AO website flash file (./to_find/slX.png)
-- Added scanned box art for Classic box + game manual/keyboard layout ( TY Mastablasta )
20.07.2016:
-- Added all the game CDs, Sleeved box art, Help manuals, ( TY Mastablasta x2!)
-- Added high QL Shadowlands map PSD/jpg in shadowlands/maps/shadowlands_map_clean
-- Sorted this thread to hotlink TO FIND images, maybe people can find them if they can see them :)
-- Indexed all unknown artwork image headers from archived AO website
-- Added an Alien Invasion Game Guide
22.07.2016:
-- Fixed static thumbnails
29.07.2016:
-- Renamed most of SL artwork to proper given names.
-- Removed hdrContact from to find ( was scaled & stretched off LoX concept ), hdrFansites = back of exterior SL case
-- Added 2 SL concepts into to find (sl3.jpg and sl4.jpg)
-- Digged deep into IGN and found 16 updated high resolution SL artwork ( Including the 2 above )
-- Found hdrFansites from to find, removed it and added the concept to the SL folder ( 487386-s_016.jpg ). It's the one on the behind of the SL box.
-- Found hdrCharacters, was a classic AO concept, probably by Vebjorn_Strommen, published in a magazine. Header was rotated and scaled, so removed from to find, and added magazine page as "ao_girl.png".
-- Found 7 pictures on Michizure's Twitter, was able to get 2 new concepts, 2 new development pictures, and 3 higher res pictures.
24.12.2016:
-- Added a few logos for Expansions from the new website.
-- Tidied up the gallery, removed duplicates.
12.01.2017:
-- Added an unreleased Phasefront Racing Track preview from AO's unofficial Facebook.
23.02.2017
-- Posted on Steam as a guide :)
-- Added new Analytics link
20.06.2017
-- Added bitnykk's Rubi Ka map, thanks.
-- Added higher ress AO Babe by Vebjørn Strømmen
-- Added 3 never before seen concept arts by Ole Jacob Kielland
-- Added 1 never before seen concept art from Markersketches
03.07.2017
-- Happy 1 year anniversary!
-- Added Shadowlands Language translation.
-- Touched up some other images.
TO FIND: