Anarchy Online Concept Art collection! Let's contribute to preserve game history.

[Mastablasta]

I've scanned a few things from the original case - this might be a bit too crazy resolution, and it's a bit annoying to work with. I think I'll not use TIFF anymore the filesize gets a little silly.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?...HM&usp=sharing - should be some subfolders with the AO sleeve, both front and reverse, the front of the manual and a stitched up version of the included map; front and reverse. Our scanner can't take the entire thing in one go, so I had to go a little Frankenstein on it. It's servicable, though.

[Timba]

Thanks

Downsampled them and added to classic/box_art!
I had the two source files/ digital high res for the political + planetmap, so I didn't add them again. They're in classic/maps

Looking forward to the rest! Good work!

I added a history on the first page, mentioning what I did, who I thanked and what needs to be done!

[Mastablasta]

Hello again.

Did scans of all the sleeves, CDs and inserts in the boxes (also figured out a bit what the scanner can do to help with filesizes):

https://drive.google.com/folderview?...lE&usp=sharing

Only the original manual remains, but that's going to take some time. I checked the manuals already there, but those aren't the one that came in the original box. This one has a lot of fancy worldbuilding, like ads from the companies that exist in AO's world, weird little stories like background for mutants and such.

Going to have to figure out a better way to handle the scanning of it, because it'd kinda suck to have like 50 PDF files for it or however many pages are in it.

[Timba]

Awesome! Got everything. Didn't add the Map front for NW as I already had the digital version in classic/maps. Added SL one though, seems a small edit.

For the manuals, well I have the original PDFs in classic/game_manuals. I'll have a look, maybe I skipped some, but it does seem interesting there are other manuals with lore or fancy text in them It wouldn't bother me to convert them, unless it bothers you for scanning.

You'd expect that Shadowlands came with ... a Shadowlands map. But fear not! I have found a nice high res PSD of the Shadowlands map, shadowlands/maps/shadowlands_map_clean.jpg Not suitable for high quality printing, but can be printed for some nice project or small map. Also added Spheremap, because awesome SL map additions.

I have updated the TO FIND on the first page with a list of hotlinked thumbnails, so we keep the forum clean. If people could identify any of those, it would help to complete our public gallery

[paperjockey]

Timba,

This is awesome. Have you contacted Michi to see if he has anything that he would be able/willing to add?

[Timba]

Did not cross my mind. I'm pretty sure that by being a one man army on the development front he is quite busy during workdays, so I didn't think to send a message, that could possibly get lost in all the other messages he is probably receiving.
I was actually thinking of sending a Twitter message, seeing he is somehow active on it.

Feel free to send a message on Twitter or forum, word of mouth is the best way to spread awesomeoness, and maybe someone from Funcom / Michi catches a glimpse of this thread.

On the longer run, I'd want to create a formal letter, a pitch or something of the sorts towards Funcom, Michi or whoever does the legal things to see if there could be a possibility of releasing an Art Book, or something. It's a damn shame this game did not have one at all. Could be able to Kickstart fund it or something too.

Another idea I had was to try and contact former artists / Art leads, see if I could get something off it, but I'm sure people have other things to do than to talk to people about work they did 15 years ago.

[Esssch]

Only the original manual remains, but that's going to take some time. I checked the manuals already there, but those aren't the one that came in the original box. This one has a lot of fancy worldbuilding, like ads from the companies that exist in AO's world, weird little stories like background for mutants and such.

Oh god, I remember that. Wasn't that the one with the bios for various NPCs in the back, too? And one of them was some shadowy figure that no one knew anything about. I wonder if I still have that somewhere, I know I've still got the original AO box somewhere.

I'm in the middle of a move, but I've got an AO beta disc around somewhere that I can check for anything like this stuff. I'm doubtful it's there, but it's worth a shot. Wouldn't be until after the move, next month some time most likely.

[Mastablasta]

Awesome! Got everything. Didn't add the Map front for NW as I already had the digital version in classic/maps. Added SL one though, seems a small edit.

Included it because it is different, and smaller, than the one in the original AO box - it's got the list of cities with screenshots off to the side as well, which the original game's map did not have

For the manuals, well I have the original PDFs in classic/game_manuals. I'll have a look, maybe I skipped some, but it does seem interesting there are other manuals with lore or fancy text in them It wouldn't bother me to convert them, unless it bothers you for scanning.

They aren't the one the real one has a bunch of drawings and images and all kinds of things in it. I'll get to scanning it.
Edit: I found out the scanner can do book-scanning, so I can make one big PDF with the pages in order. That'll be fine, I think is 600dpi too much, not really sure how that performs elsewhere, I just default to "best"

You'd expect that Shadowlands came with ... a Shadowlands map. But fear not! I have found a nice high res PSD of the Shadowlands map, shadowlands/maps/shadowlands_map_clean.jpg Not suitable for high quality printing, but can be printed for some nice project or small map. Also added Spheremap, because awesome SL map additions.

Yea, but it doesn't :| just the samey map from the NW box, but with a different reverse.

Oh god, I remember that. Wasn't that the one with the bios for various NPCs in the back, too? And one of them was some shadowy figure that no one knew anything about. I wonder if I still have that somewhere, I know I've still got the original AO box somewhere.

It is

[Timba]

300 DPI is enough for high QL printing

I managed to index all the header images from the old AO website, and to my surprise, I found around 8 more things I couldn't find in the galleries before, so we have 8 new partial images to search for !

[Mastablasta]

Nope, that one is way newer.

This : https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0J...ew?usp=sharing is the first two pages of the original manual - it's full of illustrations like the one on the left (all of it is in monochrome). There are sections on various types of enemies annotated with like an OT official's notes on what should be changed to make it more touristfriendly, full spread advertisements for weapons, stimpacks, shops and so on.

[Timba]

Whoa, I have never seen that one

[Mastablasta]

I'll get it done maybe in the weekend

Just noticed you missed the Notum Wars sleeve in the box art for NW

[Timba]

Good catch, thank you! Added it.

Will fix thumbnails tomorrow, seems they only work for 6hours linked from drive. I'll have to link them dynamically.

[paperjockey]

Do you want the Sybex Anarchy Online strategy guide. I scanned it a few months ago for my own posterity. Has original maps in it and some other interesting things.

[Timba]

Sure, why not.

Although, I'm not 100% sure on the legality of everything here, as I don't think fair use covers it. Though, it's more for archival purposes. Food for thought here: http://www.paradigm.ac.uk/workbook/l...-archives.html

If anything, I'm sure someone will let me know, lol.

[Mastablasta]

Hehe, yeah, copyright stuff is always funky I doubt there's any problem in hosting the stuff that's freely available. It's not like anyone is making any money off of this either and a 15 year old strategy guide for an MMO is unlikely to be something anyone comes hunting for

I think I might have some old magazines with articles on AO in it lying around, they'll be in Danish of course, but there'll be pictures. I might look for them in the weekend...

[paperjockey]

Just a note, there was 0 profit on this book.. I bought it on amazon for 99 cents. I didn't even pay for shipping. I am pretty sure If i was near amazon they would of just given me this book or used it for spare tp.

[Timba]

I asked a friend to send a message to Michizure on Twitter, maybe someone sees this thread

Feel free to share the guide book. I have no problems hosting any AO relevant material to it's lore, history or theme.

[Timba]

- Some more renames
- figured out that hdrContact was a scaled&stretched version of a LoX concept art (08.jpg), removed it.
- figured out that hdrFansites is the concept art from the back part of the exterior sleeve of the Shadowlands case.
- figured out that the blurred "Khotan_Governor of Adonis" guy from a SL concept is actually shown on the Shadowlands installation guide front ( not blurred ), and the artwork behind seems finalized.
- Added 2 new SL concepts into to find ( one of a redeemed in a hall, and another of unredeemed insignias? )

//Edit 2:
-- Found numerous high quality Shadowlands artwork in an old IGN vault interview. Had to alter some URLs, but it worked! Including the two new SL concepts:
- aoshadow03073028
- aoshadow03073031-1

In total, I now have updated 16 SL pieces to a higher resolution.

//Edit 3:
-- Found the hdrFansites concept art that was hidden on Gamespot It's now added in the SL folder as "487386-s_016.jpg". What could it be? A map?

//Edit 4:
-- Found out hdrCharacters from to find is actually a bigger concept of an "Anarchy Online Girl", probably classic from Vebjorn_Strommen. Header was rotated from the now bigger image in to find, "ao_girl".

Still looking for the ones in "to find", could no cross reference with existing materials or find them anywhere.

//Edit 5:
-- Today this kitty is on a roll!
-- Found 7 pictures on Michizure's Twitter, and with a bit of Notum magic, was able to get 2 new concepts, 2 new development pictures, and 3 higher res pictures!

[DrUrban-II]

Dont forget to go thru their FTP ... ftp.funcom.com