Monthly Development Update - May 31st, 2013

[Genele]

Hi guys!

So, Nusquam’s wife is becoming less pregnant which means Nusquam is going to spend some time with his family for a couple of weeks. (Gratz on family ding Nusquam! ) This means that you guys get to read my extremely awesome, brilliant, super, pwn, hawt, and epic blabla instead this month.

So let’s get straight to business! This month we have been hard at work delivering the latest updates you have already seen patched to the Live servers. We are also coordinating with ARK to run events and to challenge Omni-Tek’s presence in Borealis. Get ready Clanners. We have of course also worked on the engine and new player experience.


The Anniversary
As you all know, AO is turning 12 years this year and an amazing 12 years it has been. We invite you all to join the tinker in her shady birthday preparations and to claim a couple of goodies from the Item Shop for free. As for events, conflict will fill the streets of Borealis during the anniversary events, resulting in a change in the balance of power.


The New Player Experience
I just want to give you some general information about the NPE patch (18.7). Visually, the NPE is close to ready. With the 18.7 patch ICC HQ will be completely rebuilt. The suburbs of this massive city are a restricted area called Arete landing, which will be the start of the journey for all new citizens of Rubi-Ka (Including Shades and Keepers).

You will start out having snuck on to a cargo shuttle from the morning star space station with nothing but some basic equipment and your mission will be to obtain the proper identification for entering ICC HQ. The missions in Arete landing will teach you about survival, tradeskills, implants/spirits, mechs, pvp, fighting aliens, choosing a side to fight for and many other things.

If all missions are completed before you leave the area, you will be well equipped to face the new challenges that await you in the Subway. However, if you just want to just pass through, you will be able to bribe the ICC guard to ignore that you don’t have the proper identification. There is a short quest that could provide you with the proper amount of credits for this bribe should you choose to keep the money instead of returning them to the rightful owner.

When you enter ICC HQ you will be in an arrival hall, where there are many NPCs to talk to. Outside this hall, you will find a frustrated NPC who needs help finding her purse that got stolen by a thief in the Subway. Entrance to the Subway is now available only in ICC HQ, and by exploring the area further you will find quest NPCs guiding and/or transporting you to the various other dungeons on Rubi-Ka.
ICC HQ will be the neutral center point for transportation with a shuttle landing area and completely remade Whompah art assets. All indoor neutral shops will be ICC branded and have gotten a complete content overhaul.


The New Engine
Development on the engine is going well, and this month we reached another internal milestone; we have been able to patch one of the QA servers with 18.7 new engine code and assets, which shows that our patching and build process works with the new engine branch. Having the new engine accessible and deployed on an internal server is important, and helps us show off the new look of Anarchy Online to the rest of Funcom.

With this we have taken a big step towards eventually making the new engine available externally, but there is obviously still a lot of work to do. (We have had/still have bugs like decapitated/upside down critters, swimming fish filets, floating heads, and female characters making interesting gestures with their arms while standing idle). So for old time’s sake and from all female characters in AO: All Hail Macrosun!


I’ll leave you with that for today, and with a couple of brand new screenshots taken from the freshly deployed new engine on our internal server.

[Tikra]

1st

[Tosean]

2nd

[Aiken]

Ohai !

Edit:
It's nice to see some good screenshots there Also, I can't wait to check out the NPE just as soon as I can! I've been keeping slots free for this

Some interesting changes on the horizon, it's going to be fun seeing all these hit the live servers

Also, when will these be hitting TestLive? Soon I hope!

[Ekarona]

Last!

So what I'm hearing terrorist are making a move?

I hope we free the 4 holes from their illegal occupation and provide safe work environment for all rightful employees.

[WizMeister3000]

no sneak peak of the Wompah ?

[Legendfluf]

Nice

The New Player Experience
You will start out having snuck on to a cargo shuttle from the morning star space station with nothing but some basic equipment and your mission will be to obtain the proper identification for entering ICC HQ. The missions in Arete landing will teach you about survival, tradeskills, implants/spirits, mechs, pvp, fighting aliens, choosing a side to fight for and many other things.

If all missions are completed before you leave the area, you will be well equipped to face the new challenges that await you in the Subway. However, if you just want to just pass through, you will be able to bribe the ICC guard to ignore that you don’t have the proper identification. There is a short quest that could provide you with the proper amount of credits for this bribe should you choose to keep the money instead of returning them to the rightful owner.

When you enter ICC HQ you will be in an arrival hall, where there are many NPCs to talk to. Outside this hall, you will find a frustrated NPC who needs help finding her purse that got stolen by a thief in the Subway. Entrance to the Subway is now available only in ICC HQ, and by exploring the area further you will find quest NPCs guiding and/or transporting you to the various other dungeons on Rubi-Ka.
ICC HQ will be the neutral center point for transportation with a shuttle landing area and completely remade Whompah art assets. All indoor neutral shops will be ICC branded and have gotten a complete content overhaul.

1. What will happen to the old ICC Startup Island?
1a. If the island gets removed, where will all the players that logged out on there go?

2. Can you farm monsters in the NPE?
2a. Will you see other players in NPE or will it be "single player" only?

3. The Subway, since it can only be accessed through ICC HQ then that means the people who originally logged out in the subways accessed by WA, Rome and Borealis will all pop out in ICC?


It's also good to see Borealis will change power to the correct side

[crimson]

first page!

much like the longest road screenie

[JustinSane4]

Fantastic stuff .

All hail Macrosun!

[Novagen]

Great!

[Genele]

1. What will happen to the old ICC Startup Island?
1a. If the island gets removed, where will all the players that logged out on there go?

2. Can you farm monsters in the NPE?
2a. Will you see other players in NPE or will it be "single player" only?

3. The Subway, since it can only be accessed through ICC HQ then that means the people who originally logged out in the subways accessed by WA, Rome and Borealis will all pop out in ICC?

1: It will still exist, but noone will start out there anymore. You will be able to exit the old startup area like you always have.

2: I haven't decided if I want npe to be "open world" or instanced yet. To avoid too many people playing there at the same time, it is likely that it will become a group instance like the current startup area.

3: You will exit where you entered, but you will not be able to go back in.

[Liwa]

I have a similar question as above ...

Will low level characters, say smaller than level 10, be able to enter or re-enter the New Player Area? Or, will it be locked like the newbie Island?

I ask because I have a few low level toons I started already so they could collect their Sunrise Apartment key. I would like to take them into the NPE if possible once it is released.

It sounds like ICC itself will be open access for the subway, neutral shops, etc.

Aoine

[Lazy]

confirmed: game director would rather spend time with family than work on the game. clearly devs don't care about ao.

[MachSchau]

1. So we can still run left! Great!

2. In the NPE when you are being taught to fight aliens, will it teach a new player what the various aliens do? Ankari have pets and nuke, cha hit hard and fast, ilari nuke, that other one that I forget heals?

Also, WTB more Genele updates.

[Phantom]

1) Are there any exclusive items in the new tutorial that I'll be angsty about not being able to acquire on my main for social? :P

2) Are there any plans for subscription package offers during the anniversary?

3) Since it got lost in my edit last month, are new heads/bodies still happening? Haven't heard much about those in awhile.

Other than that, thank you for the updates Genele! I agree with MachShau, wtb moar :P Also really glad to see the story moving forward!

[hokutonoken]

any news on "hard core" subscription promo? or anything of that sort for 12yr anni???

[Otansaanpas]

rk trees fail, but pande looks even more epic than it was! awesome.

[Genele]

1) Are there any exclusive items in the new tutorial that I'll be angsty about not being able to acquire on my main for social? :P

2) Are there any plans for subscription package offers during the anniversary?

3) Since it got lost in my edit last month, are new heads/bodies still happening? Haven't heard much about those in awhile.

1: If there were, I would make them yesdrop so a noob could make some money selling it to you.

2: Yes, we are currently working out the details.

3: We will re-visit this after we have delivered the engine beta and the npe. For now it is on hold like systems changes.

2. In the NPE when you are being taught to fight aliens, will it teach a new player what the various aliens do? Ankari have pets and nuke, cha hit hard and fast, ilari nuke, that other one that I forget heals?

2: Have you done the daily mission in the ICC holodeck? It tells you about aliens and city raids. I have considered opening up the holodeck for players who don't have the mission. The idea behind this was to make "safe" tutorials for lowbie players. There is a building dedicated to the holodeck in the new ICC HQ. Don't be surprised if some more simulation programs get added in the future.

[Flyingengi]

Are you focusing on the entire 1-100 range with the new players or just the first 20?

Also, I have 2 toons that stay on what is now noob island. What will happen to them?

[Phantom]

1: If there were, I would make them yesdrop so a noob could make some money selling it to you.

+1 for keeping the spirit alive.

Thank you Gen!