Why is there NO advertising for AO at all?

[-Zagadka-]

AO was really new and great at one point... but what are you going to show it to a new audience as? I mean, an audience used to games crammed with 50000 quests.

A month or so ago I was actually recalling why I loved AO so much... and that is, in a way, its lack of features. AO was a lot more "social" than MMOs are now. In MMOs now, you can just solo grind to level cap (and have decent gear) without ever really teaming. Teaming was just for raids, and there was little socializing there, especially if it was just a guild raid. But AO... for so many years, it was 100 people standing outside a grid point and LFG and trading via shouting. You got a team that you'd play with for several hours of missions, and since there wasn't story going on, you'd mostly just chat as grinding through.

That, and the sci-fi setting, were AO's greatest tools. Crafting sucked, there was no questing, half of the features were gone (like team missions!)... but every time you played, it was a social experience.

These days, all of that is done through matching services or auto-grouping tools, and finding a group doing the same quests as you is impossible, even if you have one or two other people you are purposely trying to level with. That, plus AO's broken economy and leveling... well, I'd rather they made AO2, but I think they had a window of uniqueness that has passed; the same formula of grouping and dynamic missions wouldn't work these days, I think.

[Kenzor]

AO was really new and great at one point... but what are you going to show it to a new audience as? I mean, an audience used to games crammed with 50000 quests.

A month or so ago I was actually recalling why I loved AO so much... and that is, in a way, its lack of features. AO was a lot more "social" than MMOs are now. In MMOs now, you can just solo grind to level cap (and have decent gear) without ever really teaming. Teaming was just for raids, and there was little socializing there, especially if it was just a guild raid. But AO... for so many years, it was 100 people standing outside a grid point and LFG and trading via shouting. You got a team that you'd play with for several hours of missions, and since there wasn't story going on, you'd mostly just chat as grinding through.

That, and the sci-fi setting, were AO's greatest tools. Crafting sucked, there was no questing, half of the features were gone (like team missions!)... but every time you played, it was a social experience.

These days, all of that is done through matching services or auto-grouping tools, and finding a group doing the same quests as you is impossible, even if you have one or two other people you are purposely trying to level with. That, plus AO's broken economy and leveling... well, I'd rather they made AO2, but I think they had a window of uniqueness that has passed; the same formula of grouping and dynamic missions wouldn't work these days, I think.

Oh man those were the days, I miss them alot. Sounds soppy I know but those memories of AO always hold a special place in my heart. It has always been THE game for me and is the only game that after 11 years, still makes me check in. I guess what you've said hits the nail on the head, they won't invest in AO now because it's so outdated and the mechanics simply don't work in today's world. So it's pretty much safe to say the decision is either to give up now or keep playing, suck it up when the game dies and die with it.

[Pomidor]

by doing messages on polish board and news at anarchy-online.pl, aswell as writing start-up tutorials, I do what I can to show the game basics, news, hints and to attract people to the game from my country. I can not say that I succeeded with gaining even 1 new member, but I still want to do it :P

I will think about some posters now for AO - like - advertising ones