Getting in Touch with Funcom/ARK

It can sometimes be hard to find the links and e-mail addresses for getting in touch with Funcom and ARK. So, here is a consolidated thread with contact information.

Technical support
Technical support can help you get through download, installation, patching, connecting to the servers, and getting the client software to run properly.

When contacting technical support, please try include as much relevant information as possible. The more info you include the first time around, the easier for the tech guys to help you out, and get you onto Rubi-Ka as soon as possible.

Your connection type, ISP (Internet Service Provider) and whether you're on a network or not, is important info for hooking up to the game servers. System information (e.g. a DXDiag report - see below) is important for visual, sound or functionality issues.

The e-mail address to technical support is techsupport@anarchy-online.com. You might also want to check out the Technical Help forum, but note that this forum is for player to player assistance, and you should not count on Funcom dropping by there very often.

DXDiag report
A DXDiag report is a valuable tool for assisting you. To provide out technical support people with one, follow these steps:
1. Click the Start button to open up the Windows menu, and choose "Run..."
2. Type in dxdiag in the dialogue window, and click "OK"
3. Wait until the DirectX Diagnostic Tool has checked your hardware and software setup (progress bar in the lower left corner)
4. Click "Save All Information"
5. Choose a file name for the report, and note where you save the file
6. Attach the file to the e-mail you send to techsupport@anarchy-online.com

In-game issues
These are issues that need to be handled in-game. E.g. that your character is stuck in the geometry, an item disappeared when you traded with somebody, or somebody is filling the chat channels with foul language.

For this kind of issues, use the /petition command. This command is a request for assistance from in-game ARK Customer Service, and the text you fill in after the command will be put into a queue and handled as soon as possible.

An example: /petition My friend gave me two nano crystals, and only one showed up in my inventory. Please help us.

The petition system tries to classify your petition into groups. You will be notified about this. If auto-classification fails, or puts the petition into a category you find less suited, you can classify your petition yourself, by typing /petition updateclass #, where # is the number of the category you feel suits your petition best. Note that petitions are prioritized based on the category, and putting your petition in the wrong category on purpose is very much frowned upon.

Some categories are...
- Stuck (2) - being stuck in the game's geometry (or geography)
- Zoning (5) - e.g. failing to move between indoor or outdoor playfields, or ending up in the wrong spot after zoning
- Exploit (6) - reporting an exploit in use in-game (for non-immediate situations, please use e-mail - see below)

A full list of categories is listed by typing /petition classes in-game.

Please note that name changes are not done through petitions anymore. We have a new command for that, /name. To learn more about this, type /name help.

You can check the status of your petition by typing /petition status. For more info about petitions, type /petition help.

Note that most likely the person answering your petition is not a Genetic Manipulator (GM - a Funcom employee), but a volunteer - another player like yourself. While they are of course there to help you, please treat these people with respect, as they give up their time to assist you with whatever might come up. To learn more about these volunteers - the Advisors of Rubi-Ka, visit the ARK web-site.

General feedback and suggestions

Please read the Feedback FAQ over on the Game Suggestions forum for more details.

Exploits
An exploit is described in the Rules of Conduct as "bugs that grant the user unnatural or unintended benefits in game for a character of their profession and level".

If you gain knowledge about an exploit, please do not use it yourself. Leave it to us to test whether it works. E-mail all relevant information to exploits@anarchy-online.com as soon as possible. If you encounter somebody using an exploit in-game, please petition about the issue (see above) to get an ARK or a GM to the scene.

Account and billing
If you have any questions or concerns about your game account or billing, the e-mail to use is account@anarchy-online.com. When contacting us about your account, please make sure to identify yourself as the owner of the account, either by sending the e-mail from the e-mail address registered on the account, or providing the CD key for the account.

There is also a [Beta] Live Chat option for account issues - details of which can be found here

Never ever give up your password. We don't need it, and won't ask for it.

Bugs
Bugs should be reported to bugs@anarchy-online.com, and the e-mail should include as much details about the bug as possible. If you have a screenshot that might help, feel free to attach it.

You can also report bugs in-game, by typing /bug followed by a description of the bug, e.g. /bug I'm at coordinates 500, 600 in Tir, and can walk through the building just north of me..

If you are uncertain about whether something is relevant to the bug report, please include it. We'd rather have too much info than too little. :)

Other Customer Service issues
This is a broad group, but include e.g. questions about in-game policies, feedback about ARKs, GMs and the technical and account support, or problems with the characters on your account.

The e-mail to use is support@anarchy-online.com.

The bulletin board
Any questions, suggestions and feedback about the bulletin board can be directed to any moderator. Should you find this unsatisfactory, the recourse is to email community@anarchy-online.com.

Feedback for the developers
This includes almost all kinds of feedback, also complaints, and all kinds of suggestions. The e-mails to feedback@anarchy-online.com are gathered in a report, typically once per week, and forwarded to the AO team.

Please note that feedback for our Customer Service department or feedback regarding the bulletin board should go to the addresses given for such above.

Contacting ARK
Visit this page for details on contacting the Advisors Of Rubi-Ka. You may also find information regarding ingame Weddings and various ingame tours, provided by ARK, there as well.

Anything else
I hope I got it all covered above, but in case I forgot something, or you have something you want to send us which you feel does not fall into any of the above, feel free to contact us though community@anarchy-online.com and feedback@anarchy-online.com.