Hey everyone, and happy anniversary! 15 years is no insignificant amount of time; almost an eternity within the games industry. At the heart of AO is, and always has been, our community, which continues to be the lifeblood that keeps the game alive. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of the journey, from those who have been with us since 2001, to those who have only recently started their story on Rubi-Ka. The story of Anarchy Online is far from over, however, and I look forward to seeing the game go for another 15 years.
Anniversary Celebrations
The 15th Anniversary celebrations are still ongoing, and will end on July 11th. Details on the event can be found here. Any account that is in good standing is able to log in freely during this time.
The Desert Nomads have returned and have taken residence in their familiar haunts. Defeating these unwelcome guests will offer pieces of their signature armor, anniversary reward items, as well as items sought after by the devious Tinker. Providing with The Tinker with enough of the seemingly-innocent materials will allow her to be able to construct an elaborate trap for the mastermind behind the Nomads: The Desert Rider.
Returning this year is also the Desert Rider. Normally lurking in the shadows, coordinating the army of Nomads from afar, his avarice is often his own undoing. Using a trap set by The Tinker, it is possible to lure out and defeat the Desert Rider, who offers his own set of treasures from his personal coffers.
New this year, some elite Desert Nomads can be found within the SBC-Xpm Sites. They have a few extra tricks, but offer some new rewards. That said, proceed with caution!
Lastly, you can still take advantage of the membership offer until the end of the anniversary event. In addition to the bonus membership time, also gain access to the new Silencer's Armor set. Simply logging in also allows for the free claiming of a Ganimedes Personal Jetpack and some other gifts.
AO on Steam?!
This was something we worked to have working for the 15th Anniversary event, but ran into some obstacles. In the coming weeks, ideally before the next update letter, we will finally be able to put this to rest, determining if we will be able to get AO on Steam. We have been coordinating with Valve to get AO working on Steam. Given our 15+ year old engine, we have been forced to explore some unconventional options to get AO able to run through the Steam client. As soon as a particular update to the Steam client has been deployed, we will better know what our options are, and if will be getting Anarchy Online to finally be on Steam.
Future Rebalance Changes
The 18.8.15 patch included a few balance changes, some of which will be adjusted, and some which were originally designed to come with other changes, but time ran out. Future updates will mostly contain a number of such changes, working towards improving the overall balance of the game.
Thank You
Once again, thank you to everyone who has been a part of this 15 year adventure, and I hope you will join us for the next 15 years. The Funcom development team will be mostly on vacation for the rest of July, so there will be no development letter for July. Have a great month, everyone!![]()