Death of a Game: Anarchy Online

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#DOAG . Death of a Game is a series dedicated to uncovering the mysteries surrounding the death of a game or company. nerdSlayer defines the term "death" in the context of the show as either... 1. Literally dead. 2. Had a mass exodus of players and never recovered (expectations etc). 3. The company ceased to exist. We follow a timeline of events, to uncover clues concerning why a game or company doesn't do well, and attempt to put it all together at the end for a deduction explaining how or why the game failed based on the evidence gathered.

[@moonlore5681]

You have not experienced true fear in a game until you're deep in the Temple of the Three Winds, finally almost at the next level, and you read someone in chat shouting: "TRAIN!"

[@Yawnscast]

TOTW trains were absolutely legendary. God, the wave nostalgia this video brought me.

[@squick1842]

Hahahaha! :D

[@Vinny512]

I used to be a nanotech. I loved the AOE attacks so I could destroy the trains myself. Somehow being cool in front of random people in the internet tickled something for me as a child.

[@wingsken]

I ran totw with a lvl 24 froob wielding a nightmare rod. Together with a character called goshfather. Damn, the nostalgia.

[@KineticLatency]

CHOO CHOO

[@n3rdy11]

Whenever I'm reminded of Anarchy Online, I'm reminded of; _"Let's go grind hecklers!"_

[@IffeOnline]

To those I ran into in AO back in the day, hope you're doing well and thanks for being part of the best MMO experience ever :D I will never get this game out of my head. Just hearing the music again made me emotional.

[@squick1842]

I feel exactly the same :)

[@wingsken]

The whole skill system and clothing items system that wasnt level based was awesome! Having a lvl 24 subway solo’er that could get into totw as well with a nightmare rod was awesome.

[@adisgluhalic8477]

I come back every now and then, AO is literally best gaming experience ever. Actually, its not just a game

[@TorIverWilhelmsen]

I quit mostly because they stopped allowing soloing "group" missions, which had the better loot and were soloable with the right gear.

[@GOPerks-jo7mg]

FROOBS, LEETS, GOD DAMN ROLLER-RATS, TWINKING MULTIPLE TOONS and the unbeatable feeling of flying your first Yalm AO was my first MMO and to this day has the best soundtrack to accompany the game world.

[@TheVeryEnd87]

Roller-rats go ReeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[@poundtown808]

The memories...🥲

[@titan5525]

Found out that the roller at noise is like an elk call... Didn't realize until I heard it while hunting in red dead and looked it up lol

[@PipingHammer]

That roller rat sound is burned in my mind.

[@nikelas6]

Everytime I hear Funcom, I get depressed with what The Secret World could've been. Such a damn shame.

[@T0asty-]

I loved Secret World. Probably won't see another game like it. Quite sad.

[@andresk4694]

I feel you

[@movros99]

TSW had an awesome atmosphere.

[@kyotheman69]

to bad game play was meh, and quests could of been better, the world and setting were great, but they just didn't make a good game around that

[@gangstalkerofgangstalkers]

True

[@pyroromancer]

i loved this game. The launch community was the best ive been part of in my mmo experiences. i randomly joined an agent only clan and was eventually told the clan does actual organization/clan espionage. I was given the task of infiltrating an Omni-Tek org and forward tidbits of intel "how many omnis are camped in the turn room befote Tarasque's lair," notum land control raid and defense schedules etc. I was just a piece on the board, i didn't know who the Intel was shared to, but i knew and regularly communicated with only a dozen other clanmates regarding the espiange but we knew there were dozens of others in on it. The Clans were highly successful as far as Tarasque and notum towers go for the first several years of the game. One day our clan leader just disappeared. never logged in again, it all slowly fell apart from there. I stuck with the omni org for a few more years as i did "get too deep" and made some genuine friends, but one by one people kept disappearing for other games. and flying had been available since day one as far as know. The Meta-Physisist quantum wings nanocrysyal was very rare but made flight availablr to MP's around level 90 iirc. While Yalmahas were out of reach of 99.99%; of players pre-NW because of the 5mil min credits price tag. Lots of good times.

[@akarminius]

I miss my fixer :*(

[@acceleratum]

the roleplay was seriously cool, I was part of a Omni-Tek military branch! Never had a similar experience anywhere else. Shouts out to Omni Tek Reclamation: Division 9 !

[@andresk4694]

Man I remember smuggling medic items from omnitech cities to deliver it to my rebel clan members. Good times

[@SpareArtsStudios]

Sounds a bit like The Mockers activity... ;)

[@ino_mation]

@@SpareArtsStudios The Fox! It's Anim! These were the days.

[@SpareArtsStudios]

@@ino_mation Yes, it sure was! =) *dusts off the pinstripe*

[@MrBkatt]

I started playing this game in 2005, and today 16 years later in still playing. I absolutely love this game and its depth.

[@tekkaoz]

Man... I can't believe this was 20 years ago. I feel so old. Working my first job during the day and playing AO at night.

[@ded2thaworld963]

Haha hell ya

[@calleX]

exactly the same for me

[@stoissdk]

I was 21 when I started playing AO. My main reason for getting my first CC was the AO sub. Just passed 40 this year. Gawd I feel old! ;D

[@ded2thaworld963]

@@stoissdk 😂 just hit 41, i feel ya

[@lungeranon7645]

Same

[@Tarryk]

I'm ashamed that I missed this episode when it released. I've been a follower since launch, I founded GridStream Productions (the in-game "radio" for Anarchy Online), and I did the voice narration for two of the trailers (Alien Invasion and Lost Eden). I have always had a very special place in my heart carved out for this game. Anarchy Online created a perfect cyberpunk online experience, and while the delivery may have left some people wanting, the content and story have always been top-notch (and don't get me started on that PERFECT soundtrack). This was a very accurate and respectful synopsis. Thank you!

[@Boooyaaahhhh]

I remember you, and the Epicine soundbits. I think there was a Gridstream radio show when alien invasion launched, I answered some questions and won a signed AO Alien Invasion poster, I still have it. :) AO Was the best time ever.

[@lisentia]

Its the man, the myth himself! I had to reply so you'd see this and maybe come back and say heya!

[@PaisleyAmazing]

I'd just like to say that GridStream Productions was the greatest thing ever. Lots of dedicated game communities create third party applications to improve the game or overcome shortcomings (ClickSaver ftw), but AO had a radio station, with parties, costume contests, mohawked Atrox go-go dancers, and sponsored giveaways.

[@tapiopuranen88]

I started as a fr00b in 2004 and a couple months later had two paid accounts. Some of my best memories are from the following 8 years. When most of the friends from my organization had moved on, I too faded from Rubi-Ka after the server merge in 2013. AO has the best character system in any MMO, with it's skill twinking and overequipping possibilities. If I ever hear in time that AO is being shut down, I'll be sure to have one more look around my old hunting grounds on Rubi-Ka and Shadowlands. Jonalethian/Mirkka, Clan: Coven of Hunters, Rimor-RK2

[@wingsken]

Bimmo, member of barador arin calling in. I love the skill system in AO. Best ive ever seen. No other game got this right. Hotswapping, overbuffing etc…

[@swinfinity7557]

Started playing this game when I was 8 still playing. Im 20 now

[@alistairbalistair9596]

where? Id like to check it out

[@gangstalkerofgangstalkers]

@@alistairbalistair9596 Its on Steam mate.

[@glennlobelle4988]

Its sad how they are just letting it slip so hard Im also still on ao these days

[@Galunda]

I'm glad AO have been my first mmorpg. So much nostalgia here... These musics... i can still visualize the environnement, the mobs, the missions, the quests and dungeons just hearing them. Thank you very much for this video.

[@m16mojo]

Same here, first MMO. The ambiance is what got me. I can still here the leets now. MMO's today are so void of players interacting with each other, it begs the question of why they need to be online anymore.

[@Ragnar452]

Its still alive but with lower population.

[@woodsiee]

man i learned about 9/11 in Anarchy Online. Played nearly non stop 2 weeks a char up. When virtual characters were telling me about RL stories.. planes flying in the WTC.. that seemed stranger than what was happening ingame.. yea at that point .. i decided to take it a bit slower with mmo's ;D

[@mytiliss682]

News will reach you anywhere sooner or later, so no point tracking them. But this is hilarious indeed.

[@fusionfountain]

@t rr What are you even talking about? He didn’t say a single thing about how there’s a problem with what people were saying whatsoever. What he WAS saying was that he decided to change how he would play for incredibly long stretches of time frequently and that was such an obsession he missed one of the biggest events in US history

[@woodsiee]

@@fusionfountain yep, i basically "plugged out" of AO to find the world changed and on fire.

[@Lexinoz]

I remember exactly where I was in Old Athen when I saw the news about 9/11 on the TV..

[@woodsiee]

@@Lexinoz ahah, same. burnt in memory. ..also Clan and was in Tir. fml, it feels like yesterday xD

[@Istonfighter]

This was the best game to twink on, very little stuff was level locked so if you planned carefully, you could equip gear that was way more powerful than you where expected to have and just roflstomp entire dungeons, it was amazing

[@Lexinoz]

Running around in full doctors outfit with two concrete pillows begging MP's and Docs for their buffs and scurrying in time to get that implant slotted in.. those were the days.

[@SkinnyMidwest]

@@Lexinoz last second extruder bar

[@ztrada7]

And a simple patch that added just 1 item or tweaked something seemingly small could make something impossible at certain level possible, my lvl 30 enfo with 100ql howlet is proof of that ;)

[@allen1032]

Those were the best times. Planning and finding equipment just fit everything. Looking for damn MP's and I forgot other classes just to get buffs and reach that 75% stat mark just so it counts as 100%. Good times.

[@poundtown808]

Nothing comes close

[@NeiasaurusCreations]

I mean. AO still exist, and we've got a damn good community. I know some of the bois for like 10 years. They actually added two new raids recently. So that's good. And to answer your question I think there's a few factors. Being a vet of like 15 years I think I can reasonably speak on it. 1) AO is a hard game to get into. It absolutely eats people's faces because of how hard it can be. It's not a game for normies and never was. It as always a niche game. 2) Graphics. Hate to say it, most new people look at AO and just go away because it's not 2020 graphics. It's rare to find a person willing to give a 20-year-old game a chance. 3) The only way information spreads is by mouth to mouth as it's not promoted, and no adverts are given. So people only hear about it and the unique nature by meeting a random Ao vet and getting talking about t. 4) AO is a grind fest. And not many people are hard enough to grind to 200 or 220. 5) AO is unforgiving. Starting at level 15 to 25 the game stops giving the player literally any mercy. Causing the to lose all unsaved Xp, and face a respawn temp start debuff. At the high end you could lose tens of millions of XP by slipping up and dying. 6) The IP system is hard to learn and easily results in many characters becoming unplayable by mid-game. If you combine all of these factors, it makes sense. Positives to AO that need to be mentioned. 1) The major feature is the way gear works. AO for most items does not lock them by level, but rather IP points. So say a wep is level 120, and requires 801 Rifle, you can use various buffs, items, gear, implants to get that, and toss it on at level 50-60 as an agent for example. The same for armor and stat buffs aka implants. So this means you can turn off XP, 'twink' on the maximum gear you can get sometimes up to three times your level, and become a godly character. 2) The IP system while hard offers the player a LOT of freedom, from what weps they use to being able to tradeskill. 3) AO's classes are some really awesome ideas, like keepers which are a mix of support buffer, group healer, tank, and melee DPS. Agents can false profession any class and use their skills, traders can drain the strength and life of enemies to buff themselves and give up skill to buff people. And so on. Each of the 14 classes are really well done, and can all be really fun. 4) You can build your own city. 5) You can have player housing. 6) the community in AO is unlike any other game. Basically, everyone you meet is nice and willing to help as we must work together to survive. Meaning screwin even one person over can have bad effects. And since a lot of us know each other for years, we're like a massive community-wide family. 7) There's so much to do and explore. AO's Rubi-ka and Shadowlands are MASSIVE, with a shit load of stuff to explore. Even 20 years on, and we still discover new little hidden gems. 8) AO is unlike any other mmo you've likely played and offers a one of a kind experience. If you can get over the flaws and age, it will give you a game that will have you coming back for 20 years. 9) Always something new to learn, a new challenge to beat, a new twink set up to try. A boss to fight in nothing but your underwear. A new friend around the corner.

[@UrielOfStyx]

How the fuck is this comment not hearted @NerdSlayer studios? 100% correct my friend, i wanted to hop back in game recently, might as well :D

[@chcc12]

If well designed a hardcore game can bring a more casual playbase up to its level, difficulty turning away regular players is just bad game design.

[@NeiasaurusCreations]

@@chcc12 Nope. Ao's difficulty is one of it's most beloved features by the community built in it. There's no way we'd still be playing and finding new things 15 years later if the game was as easy and mindless as wow. AO has no chill and doesn't hold your hand, but that makes your successes feel just that much better when you finally get on that super awesome weapon or armor you see other people use and get jealous over. I also did make it clear that the difficulty hurt's is mass appeal for sure, but frankly I don't consider that a bad thing. There's a dedicated loyal fanbase even after 20 years, and the size of it really allows us to be like an extended family. Everyone knows everyone, and we work together. The community in AO simply can't be found literally anywhere else. In like the last 5 years I've found a single toxic person, and he was quickly outted and turned my entire clique on himself for the way he acted towards me and another. So I think we're good. Mass market appeal doesn't really mean quality, and if AO was any easier, you'd like so much. The difficulty IS a selling point, kinda like dark soul's difficulty makes it a niche, but also one of it's best features. Frankly people like you are why we can't have nice things.

[@chcc12]

@@NeiasaurusCreations a dedicated fanbase doesn’t mean a game is good, cult followings happen due to things being bad in unique ways. And I never said the game should be easy, just that the way they made it difficult is through poor game design.

[@NeiasaurusCreations]

@@chcc12 It isn't poor design. And it weeds out the people that have no business playing it. And yes, it kinda does mean there's something to it if the game has people coming back 20 years down the line. If you can't figure out AO, you really don't belong there. No one is gonna hold your hand, and the game isn't going to. You sink or swim based on your own merit. It's a game that rewards people for being cleaver, and punishes you for not rising to the occasion. If that isn't what a game is supposed to do, challenge you, force you to get better and overcome your own flaws I don't know what is. AO isn't perfect, but for those of us who actually have played it and have had major succeses it's a one of a kind experience. There's guides, and a bunch of other sites with resources like auno for item/nano searches, implant helper for designing implants you need, and so on. Everyone has access to the same tools us vets use, and even created, but most mmo players these days are too stupid to be able to play without the game holding your hand at every step. I'm glad AO doesn't baby us, makes us have to put in work, and makes it all worth while. There's no mmos out there that hold a candle to AO, and it's really depressing.

[@cethyhnc9305]

This hi-rez roast was perfect! I will never get over Tribes:Ascend ...

[@MousePounder]

RIP T:A 😥

[@monyanonymous381]

RIP Tribes 😔. They destroyed Ascend for me by making the light armor movement speed like a heavy in Tribes.

[@Alchenaut]

Great video! A couple little things I wanted to note in addition to all of the great info presented here: 1.) The new engine was "released" in 2015 but as an unfinished, unstable beta that will almost certainly never be updated or completed. It adds some nice lighting effects but is prone to crashing and poor performance in crowded/busy areas. 2.) Alongside the new engine, 2015 also saw the release of new content such as a new end-game raid called Pyramid of Home. This has become the de facto "last" raid now, offering some good top-end items. It was the last new content the game got until earlier this year when Funcom released an updated version of the Temple of the Three Winds during the AO anniversary event. 3.) The Steam player numbers have always been incredibly low because Funcom, in their infinite wisdom, only made the launcher display as the game being played on Steam. The launcher closes once the game opens, so the Steam tracking numbers are unfortunately not reliable for this. It definitely didn't bring some huge new wave of players though. I love AO, it will probably always be my favorite MMO despite its flaws and the missteps that Funcom has made over the years. Their mistakes are only rivaled by their current neglect for the game as an incredible MMO with a lot of potential and an insanely dedicated fan base just kind of ... exists. Hopefully it doesn't get shut down any time soon. There isn't any other game like it.

[@lightelos]

AO was amazing in 2001-2006 , the social aspect, being in a bar in omni-1 speaking shit with friends, selling monster parts, ride ur yalmaha was the best around and the music was soooooooo immersive, its a shame that as many other aged mmo, people just lost interest and the game died

[@Indigo_Gaming]

This game was brutal. I was killed multiple times by lag-induced fall damage while walking over a smooth hill. You had to pay buffers to get your stats up to a point where you could equip decent gear. Great concept, but man could it have used some polishing.

[@wausjackbauer128]

Haha damn that's old school. They removed fall damage long ago. I only really played AO starting 2006 where it was a lot more polished so I luckily never dealt with a lot of the horrible bugs people hated.

[@beinoauph2735]

Wasn't the buff-paying for really good gear? I remember doing fine leveling up, but if I wanted to do stuff way above my level, I would have to get buffers to get better gear

[@wausjackbauer128]

@@beinoauph2735 paying people for buffs was like 17 years ago

[@kyotahellbound1780]

@@wausjackbauer128 I no longer remember when they broke fall damage but until they removed it you couldnt fly either... that was realy fun playing adventurer with her parrot form. *Edit* hunting for buffs was great, it realy split the noobs from people who knew the game. Although the one time i accidentally removed my mainhand weapon it took me 3 hours to get it back on. impants to equip buff armor, then better implants for better buff armor, then trader buffs to get weapons on before buff armor for the real implants and armor :)

[@beinoauph2735]

@@wausjackbauer128 Yes. And I played then, and I was a noob that couldn't afford buffers, but STILL I managed just fine at my own level and slightly above. So my point still stands, you didn't have to pay buffers to get "decent" gear, you paid buffers to get very, very good gear that allowed you to do stuff waaay above your own level. Or are you just saying random facts of history?

[@sopota6469]

Man, how I miss arriving at a city in AO to see my fps drop to 0,2.

[@saviyou]

I loved Anarchy Online, the ambience was so immersive and "twinking" your characters was probably my favorite part.

[@leptoon]

Again with the "was". Was is past tense, Anarchy Online *is* immersive.

[@zukrath1247]

Funcom presents Anarchy Online: Shadowlands* Blizzard - hmmmmm Blizzard TM Entertainment TM Presents World TM of Warcraft TM: Shadowlands TM*

[@KakaowyKruk]

Blizzard always steals from others. Hopefully their HQ will burn in wildfires soon

[@MrDasSpoon]

@@mattwo7 I don't know if I'd go as far to say they copied from GW. Everything I've heard about StarCraft was that it was being created with GW involved with full intention of it being a 40k RTS but the deal fell through and Blizzard had put so much work into it they just changed what was protected by copyright/trademark and then went and released it. But if I'm wrong I'd love to read/hear from the real sources since I've only heard it all secondhand.

[@TheAtomvinternatt]

@@MrDasSpoon well warcraft was going to be a warhammer fantasy game so

[@kyuven]

And a lot of the thematic imagery of Shadowlands is pinched from FFXIV's hugely successful Shadowbringers. It's not exactly the same, but the marketing imagery choices are...suspect.

[@Ryotsu2112]

@@kyuven I saw a video of Shadowlands beta where a class can call forth a temporary robot that assists them for a number of seconds and then vanishes....basically a direct copy of Machinist from Stormblood 3 years ago. Lol. WoW used to be the game everyone copied, but now they have to do the same since the sub numbers plummeted so hard after Wrath.

[@spinal357]

Why must you remind me all my favorite MMOs are dead or dying Nerdslayer?

[@arnox4554]

I think there should be a "Life of a Game" series for MMOs that have stood the test of time for so damn long. Chief among them being WoW and the Guild Wars series.

[@kyotheman69]

its his series, and AO is pretty much dead

[@kyser182]

AO is not dead... it just got a new 6man endgame raid .. yes it may be a remake of the low level subway.. but a dead game does not get new content and items

[@DarknessValor]

People have been claiming AO is dead for years... try it for yourself, youd be hard pressed to find a place in game that isn't populated to this day.

[@129das]

Because any good MMO is old now. The best way to think about it is the MMORPG needs time to recover.

[@Dezzyyx]

My aunt worked on AO as an animator. I would get signed copies of the base game and expansions, then clueless kid I was I sold them to a friend for like nothing, I didn't appreciate the significance at the time. I also got a guided tour inside FunCom studios in Oslo. This game started my journey into MMOs, and a lot of people I knew through me. I'm 32 now so we were like young teens back then. We would go on to play other MMOs after, and still today we reminisce about "the days of AO", all agreeing there was and still is no equal. I quit MMOs in like my early-mid 20s, I've played a MMO now and then after but not for too long or too serious- heck MMOs used to be a lifestyle for us. It's like a drug you used to love but got off of, and got your life together. Still no matter how much time passes I can't seem to stop being nostalgic, MMOs create memories unique to that "virtual life" and the experiences you had there. You could almost say it was a life lived considering at certain points in time you spent 24/7 ingame, sleeping only to get up and log back in. I had several years like this. Only my main character in WoW had like 120+ days played, that's like 4 months of actual time, and that's ONE character in ONE game. Total time spent in MMOs must've amounted to years. That's crazy to think about, years spent inside a virtual world, like living another kind of life. I think that's why I'll always have a special place in my heart for MMOs and always feel like it's a lost love you never quite get over. Anyway, yeah I tend to get philosophical when I talk of MMOs. In conclusion out of all my MMO experiences AO is the most memorable (WoW second). I don't know how much it is the actual game as opposed to memories, the timing and the fact it was the new big thing, the game might have frustrated me a lot especially as we had to figure all that shit out and this game was not simple either, but I will definitely say the game itself was great as well. Character progression system, the world, the unique style, music. With all this said you could understand why AO 2 would be the biggest wish I could possibly make gaming-wise, it is something I really want to see and not just dream of, I want that AO experience again but with a fresh take. Maybe I am naive but why would that be such a impossible thing?

[@CapnHolic]

Damn man, thanks for this. I joined right when Shadowlands launched, and remember it at it's peak. When Aliens Expac launched every available spot had a guild city, and left over Notum towers from the old school players still having raids. There was a nuet city that everyone hung out at, trading buffs, items, LFG, etc. It was always packed. (borealis I think) TotW runs, Heckler groups, twinking, so much fun. I left after a while after Aliens, but came back every couple years until 2012 ish. Place got more and more deserted every time I reinstalled. Just a bunch of old timers logged in 24/7 on their maxxed characters sitting AFK, and maybe one or two new people running around town. Got too depressed with nostalgia after that. Always wondered why the game was given up on, to the point where the official launcher from their website didn't even work anymore and if you wanted to play you needed an archived or pirate copy as of my last install. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, and some closure on how I spent a good part of my younger days.

[@kyotheman69]

what hurt it the most was the visuals, people complain about wows cartoony graphics, but it was more eye pealing though, glad people liked it, i was never huge sci fi fan for RPGs besides star wars, i hate what they did to galaxies, but anyways sadly couldn't get into this game, i just found combat, bugs, tech issues just drove me off.

[@This_Scene_Kills]

You put my exact experience into words.

[@yamensabry5834]

I played AO for 7 years since 2002, my whole class was talking about it so i decided to try it .. one month later i was hailed as AO guru by my classmate coming to me for advice on anything related to AO. It changed my life really, i had no friends before that.

[@Movie_Games]

Vanilla EQ and AO were the best times i've ever had playing MMOs. Nothing has come close since.

[@jamesesparza6893]

thats how I feel about ESO

[@seanlarson8968]

I loved and spent so much time in AO

[@anttimaki8188]

Mine was DAoC, AO was so odd and quirky that i didnt play it that much.

[@Viktoria_Thaelin]

I miss my fixer and blitzing missions for loot.

[@JoshuaFraserK]

Same here. Eq and Ao were really special.

[@blundy1]

The early 2000s really was a fantastic time for MMORPGs... Face of Mankind, Anarchy Online, Dark Age of Camelot, Neocron, EVE, and later Tabula Rasa and others... So many household names and some stand to this day. Amazing.

[@perkristiansen]

Thanks for this man!...so many memories...I started working at FC a couple of weeks after AO Launch in the IT Operations department. It was....Hectic :D Funcommies Represent!!

[@chubbs2067]

I remember my friend convinced me and one other to play this with him. He spent so much time before launch talking strategy and planning with us. When it finally came out, all of our computers could barely run it and we had such a disjointed experience. I do remember liking the environment and freedom of choice. We ended up moving on soon after though because of the myriad of technical issues.

[@MysticMungusSlungus]

Played from launch. I miss my Agent with his Yatamutchy X3, though after I first saw Grid Armor on a Fixer, I really regretted picking Agent.

[@henktank1633]

Grid armor mk 1 baby lmao. Man how i miss the twinking. No mmo gets it right these days or even bothers. The dynamic stat system was just perfect.

[@MysticMungusSlungus]

@@henktank1633 It definitely was an art. You had to know all the classes in the game, and what buffs they had, and then do this mad dash to get all of the buffs you need to put on a piece of gear. It was fun, like a timed mission.

[@henktank1633]

@@MysticMungusSlungus Exactly, and this was just us doing it so we could be super strong. I dont know any other game that lets you skip 100 levels in gear. Like wow or other mmo's your gear is dependant on reaching a level of your character. Ofcourse there are a couple like enchantments. But generally its all very linear and static. I was abit of a social outcast and perhaps autistic in my approach of people. So me having to spam people in order to get buff's was a funny social interaction. I remember adding people and them knowing i was on a project to get some piece of gear on. Making friends along the way and in turn making more characters and playtime so i could buff too. Ofcourse once i had the chars i dint need to spam anymore except for paid toons that were like 180+ buffs. But generally that stood out so much. I still remember how i used to stand in that trader for hours with my calculator in hand and a list of items i need to roll for on the mission booth lmao. Or boosting newbs through a whole dungeon on my metaphysicist. Being able to clear a dungeon alone also felt like a mission. Creating toons for dungeons. It really amazes me to this day how innovative this mmo was for its day. Terms like boosting, twinking etc. This mmo made those terms.

[@MysticMungusSlungus]

@@henktank1633 My first Tara raid is easily one of my most vivid memories of gaming, ever.

[@wynwalkermcstubby3513]

@@henktank1633 Ahh the good old days when you had to run around to get the buffs needed to cast your nanos or throw in your ql 100 imps in ur lvl 20 toon i remember i kept a list of buffs on a text doc to ref who buffed what and what items i needed to get things on my twinks i dont think iv ever played a mmo that allowed you to do the kinda stuff ao did it added such a cool aspect to the game and i remember making myself a nice totw twink so i could help org mates thru with new toons they made was a blast and i miss that kinda of thing in mmos was my first mmo i really got into and i made some good friends that i still talk to now and then to this day so for all its flaws it is still my favorite mmo and probably always will be

[@Kendro311]

I really loved this game. Even today there’s nothing really like it. The character classes were awesome (I mained a Fixer). World was fun to explore, weapons and gear were awesome, and still had mechanics and elements you won’t find in another game today. Sure it had its shortcomings, but overall a very enjoyable experience and a great and friendly community. Won’t forget it.

[@nyx211]

Whenever my character died, he sounded like an old, frail man having his soul sucked out of him.

[@q3aryoko]

Anarchy Online was IMO the best MMO ever made (Even got MMO of the year by PCgamer Magazine back when they were relevant.). Serious story depth. Great, deep and complex player development, adult themed. Was fun as hell when there was tons of people playing. Shitty at release yea, but after 6 months or so it was a fantastic game. I played for many years and made friends i still talk to today. EQ was good too but ill take Sci Fi any day. Maan i miss those college days playing the hell out of this.

[@xbon1]

it 'was' the best MMO ever made, but because they abandoned it... FFXIV is the only real MMO nowadays.

[@Crazycuban561]

AO was the god damn goat, one of the most in depth and complex mmos i ever played.... still jump on from time to time

[@low1n]

Last time i was this early, Cyberpunk 2077 wasn't delayed

[@KomodoMagic]

So, never?

[@AllForMarketing]

Yeah hasn't delayed, Cyberpunk episode of the series might coming soon

[@handler8838]

It always was

[@ino_mation]

@@Largentina. Yeah... Maybe

[@cryw1092]

@@AllForMarketing It isn't an online game, so it can't really die. It also has a sizeable dedicated following.

[@MarkTheMadMan]

Thanks for the memories. Will never forget the first time I stepped foot outside Omni Entertainment backyard 17 in 2001 and started an adventure that would last 10 years :)

[@KineticLatency]

Clan for life, Storm #1

[@dooder39]

21:30 Cries in Tribes: Ascend. Thanks for remind me and rubbing it in.

[@Rizartha]

i started playing Anarchy Online shortly after the Shadowlands Expansion but left shortly after the alien invasion expansion and have some fond memories of it, I ran a small corp for a while, got to interact with major story characters and as an officer in a Clan as well, got to help shape some of the broad strokes of story. Really enjoyed my time there overall

[@samihanski4086]

So many great memories and places of Rubi-Ka and the soundtrack both burned into my mind forever. First proper mmo experience, even though I had to run it very low settings for first couple of years after release.

[@p0lbear]

Thank you very much for this awesome video, I still miss Anarchy Online a lot. It's been a huge part of my life, and something I often think back on.. a lot of great memories. Not only the game itself, but the people I've met as well. Always brings a smile on my face and makes me very sentimental. I made quite a few AO videos back in the days, and I made a pretty fitting video to this topic in 2014. It's called A Girl's Adventure and it's a about a girl looking back on her time on rubi-ka all the way back since she first arrived. It's about the good memories but also about missing her friends who stopped playing. Anyway, thanks for this video. I found it through youtube algorithm :)

[@tronotrond]

This was a great trip down memory lane. Played for years, and still have very fond memories of AO and not least the player base. The open world centered around the main cities felt really driven and populated by the players (in the early years), the social aspect and the mysteries surrounding Rubi-Ka; It had me hooked for years. You were just thrown out into this gigantic, futuristic world. Nothing held your hand. And yes, the skill system was amazing.

[@lyonsbayne]

I wasn't emotionally prepared to see that red X being placed over Anarchy Online. I know it's been dead for a decade, but that was the first MMO to claw that $15 subscription fee out of my first part time job paycheck.

[@Micke12312]

Well u can still play it . Very much alive.

[@Shadowmib]

It's not dead, and there's still plenty of players, just not as many as other games such as WoW.

[@oliviawilliams6204]

Me it was Dark Age of Camelot

[@LordMazulia]

"Welcome to Crucible." Awww, that's such a shame.

[@Shr3dd]

Its crimecraft, right?

[@gewy982]

@@Shr3dd Crucible, i believe

[@anothervocalist1944]

Talking about a game getting killed at launch...my god.

[@Suika_Ibuki_The_Drunk_Oni]

Now this is gonna be hilarious

[@Largentina.]

Why is it a shame?

[@MikeMunoz]

Overall I enjoyed this walk down memory lane. As a currently active player who was been playing since launch I just had a few things I wanted to comment on. The Level Boost kits are more for veteran players who don't want to go through the long grind again and are willing to pay for it. I'm sure some new users will do it to play with their friends along with some returning players that want to get closer to the end game content again. Anyone who has not played a char from start will generally suck at it! The New player experience is better than it ever has been. They actually teach you some things you need and get some starter gear to get you going. They don't hold your hand too much to make it too easy, but it is and improvement. The Steam numbers are a result of an unresolved issue between their launcher and steam. Steam only detects the launcher running. On the launcher when you start the game it in turn runs a new instance of the AO executable. It's the same executable but Steam doesn't see it due to it being started from another process. So most players only log a minute or so here and there. There is a workaround that some players myself included use to start the game directly and bypass the launcher. I currently have over 1000 hours of AO game time on Steam. You would think this is something they would fix, but they haven't, so ultimately, it's on Funcom. Also keep in mind most players usually end up playing using either the New Engine client or the classic client from the official download, not Steam. Twinking!! You barely if at all mentioned twinking. Twinking is one of those things that you don't have to do but even if you spend a little time doing it you will reap the benefits. It definitely keeps the game interesting. The Soundtrack is still one of my favorites game soundtracks of all time!

[@robertdunn7165]

This was my first MMO. I played a metaphysicist or whatever they were called. I remember getting buffed by people in my org so I could put implants in my character so that way it would boost by stats so I could then use really high level pets and just solo everything. Good times and it really blew my mind how in depth it was for such an old game.

[@SkinnyMidwest]

I played this game for years. A true masterpiece and I'll miss it when it's gone for good. If I ever catch wind they're closing the servers I'll clear my schedule to be there to send it off. The soundtrack from the game used in this video really brought back so much nostalgia.

[@SkinnyMidwest]

update: Started playing it again. Still VERY populated and currently celebrating it's 20th anniversary event (which is lack-luster to be honest) but still as great as ever.

[@errolneal9789]

Hands down this game has the best stat and tweaking system. Every toon felt unique. I have very fond memories of this game it being my first mmo.

[@levimccoy4127]

I still play this game. There is new players returning or coming back to the game all the time, and the welcoming community always helps them through their struggles. I think that people should go give it a good try again, it has updated A LOT and is not the same game some people remember. There is a lot to learn in this game. I am only 15 years old, and I started playing when I was about 6 years old in 2011. My dad introduced me to the game because he used to play it all the time after work when I was a baby. When he introduced me to the game I was skeptical and didn't quite understand much, it is not very easy to get especially for a 6 year old. I got back into it about a year later, and since then was addicted to the game. I played the game froob and enjoyed it the whole time, and I didn't even get my first 200 froob toon until 2019. It is really fun just to try and get back into, everyone go give it a shot! The first Sci-Fi MMO RPG is the best!

[@rustymail2010]

One more thing AO has unique: twinking system aka making your character very very powerful. WoW twinking system is not evern 0.1% complex then AO. Difference between veteran player and new one is not only stuff/money but mainly knowledge how to tweak your class and wear ultra powerful (for your level) items like armors, guns, implants etc. I hope someday other game move in that direction in same way as AO.

[@rickroll9705]

twinking is a cancer in any MMO and thats prolly one of the major reasons AO tanked. Twinking is nothing but exploiting game systems for features not supposed to your char level.

[@rustymail2010]

​@@rickroll9705 Cancer? Why?

[@lolcats9737]

@@rickroll9705 Twinking was kind of encouraged really since AO was about pushing your character to the limits. It's why some items had actual level locks on them while others just had their QL (Quality level) so you just needed the stats to meet it. Some high level could buff you enough to put high implants in etc etc, No exploiting in AOs case for the most part I'd assume

[@lolcats9737]

@@rustymail2010 In WoWs case Twinking could ruin low level PvP since you wouldn't stand a chance

[@rustymail2010]

@@lolcats9737 Its the same with AO and Towers. No twiked characters are just a shield meat, nothing more.

[@doomer7031]

This game was a big part of my childhood. I played it together with my brother such good times. I hop back into the game still from time to time. Now do Neocron hahaha

[@nakenmil]

As a kid, I remember watching a Norwegian children's edutainment programme where the presenter went to Funcom to do mo-cap for Anarchy Online (or at least they used the engine to show his mo-cap. This must've been back somewhere in 01-03 or something. I remember them talking about all the things you could do in "cyperspace" (the episode was focused on online gaming in a more general sense) while panning over footage from AO. Anyway, as the episode progressed, the presenter got a "girlfriend" in AO, who he then went to meet up with IRL, and it turned out to be this old, hairy dude dressed up in a wedding dress waiting for him, so the presenter ran away, and it was to serve as a warning that you never know who is on the other end. I mean, they had good intentions, even if it has probably aged poorly. Anyway, this always stuck with me. XD

[@bloodrunsclear]

I once went to a video game music concert, and they played the Anarchy Online theme. Glorious

[@TheCandiRose]

I loved this game to death, could never understand why it wasn't more popular. At one point I co-ran the largest neutral guild in the game. I hope you're doing well wherever you are, Jenshae. I miss talking to you. I bought all-in to Age of Conan at launch because I trusted Funcom so much at the time. I bought the z-board and everything, based on how good Anarchy Online was. Boy was I burned hard, and I've never really been able to get into an mmo since.

[@karisalonen12]

It is still one of the best mmos out there. I love it. The character creation and progress. The difference of playstyle with different breeds and professions. One of the truly innovative games when it comes to the world you play in.

[@nickbruce4653]

Hell yea man, been waiting the last week. I knew something was coming. Love your videos.

[@Atrak8]

Thank you for doing this. AO was my first MMO and I actually loved it, I was a beta tester and remember the beta testers flooding the forums with "Don't Release" Just before they released. Then the fun of being stuck in the 'backyard' with all the other players for the first day was an experience in of itself. AO was flawed in so many ways but it was also unique and wonderful. Also hearing that music hit me right in the nostalgias, what a soundtrack!

[@1337iBaw1z]

Great video! Keep up the good work! I played as a fr00b back when AI came out. Since I was a fresh teenager and originally wanted to play World of Warcraft but didn’t have any money. I played with my brother, dad, and my stepdad a little as well. It definitely is a hard beginner experience but is so satisfying once you figure out what the mechanics are about. You are able to ladder-step your equipment and implants into even better equipment/implants/nanos and have a “twink” character that can mop the floor with enemies their own level. You take this equipment management style and you carry it all the way to the end of the game where you are putting in equipment up to level 300 when your own characters main XP levels cap at 220. And then once you get to the top, you help your friends up the ladder and help them with overpowered buffs and equipment that you can hand down to your alts or friends. The game is very great at building communities. It will always have a place in my heart. I may even try to boot up my free account if I can remember my login! If you have made it to the bottom of this comment and are interested in Anarchy Online further, I would recommend watching some videos by Caloss2, a current streamer of AO.

[@xryanv]

This is one of the best games ever made, it's dated now but in it's time it was the best ever. I would play a game that was exactly like it now if it had updated combat mechanics and a good release schedule for new content. Yes best sound track ever.

[@oheyspun]

Thanks for covering one of my favorite (and first) MMO's! As a long time player I think you really touched on some important things regarding AO. That said there were A LOT of other issues that really made the game not take its place as one of the greatest of all times. Their "rebalance" really messed up a lot of skills and could of been great but it was misguided and produced by devs that had little experience with AO. The other thing I think you missed a bit is just how mismanaged AO was by FUNCOM, and truthfully how bad of a company they have come in recent years. Banning long time players for posting on forums about balance issues, and sweeping their problems under the rug. Weird interpersonal issues and drama within the company themselves (Looking at you AndyB). Oh well. Loads of nostalgia in this video, look forward to the next!

[@paperclip9558]

I just realized I really like your old video format where you breakdown the game more: features that are important, features that flawed, etc. compared to current format.

[@Roonsine]

I used to play this growing up, my dad had bought it when it released and played it all the time. I was really young then, only 24 now, so I hardly played much or remember much... just remember sitting on the beach slaying leets, and then I found the release on steam and started playing again but the quality is so poor and the game is quite dead... sad I want to play this again

[@colle9808]

I feared for this day... My favorite MMO of all time.

[@yaldabaoth2]

Was one of the first MMORPGs I played, I am still in awe at the sheer size of the world.

[@Snowcatsrt]

I remember the first time I got into this game. It was something else.. nothing like I've ever seen or imagined. I remember the noob area killing L337 and throwing skill points into things I shouldn't have. It took me like 3 times to get it right. Then I was lost in the world. I went neutral... Oh boy... One thing that I will never forget is that even though the gameplay was interesting, the interactions with the community was even better. At one point I stopped leveling up just to help people get awesome gear in level capped dungeons as others helped me when I started out. Looking back it was flawed in many ways but just like an old car, memorable. Things that work perfectly? Sold and moved on. The things that were imperfect and challenging? Still have them in the garage.

[@adityamishra6368]

Found your channel in recommendations, have been binge watching this series

[@KomodoMagic]

Wow wow wow, I want know more about that Playboy review!

[@oliviawilliams6204]

Heh so do i

[@galacticbob1]

He only reads it for the reviews anyways, it's all work related. 😏

[@DarknessValor]

AO was one of the greatest games of all time, and still is.

[@defstrikem2743]

Not even top 100 🤡

[@DarknessValor]

@@defstrikem2743 false

[@digidevil4]

This was my first major MMO back when I was like 12-13, everyone else playing at the time was in their 30s-40s

[@thelonesomewanderer8359]

i loved this game so much man. i revisited it a few years ago and it didn't age well, but i have some brilliant memories of it. was very fun and deep but confusing.

[@surft]

Anarchy was my first MMORPG and I really enjoyed it.

[@gadsanchez4929]

So much nostalgia AO was prime years ago

[@ko_tech]

I'm so glad I've found your video (and channel) today when I was browsing the latest AO videos. While I don't play the game anymore I still watch videos or read the news about it to this day. When I played AO for the first time in 2005 I had no idea that it'd once became my favourite game of all times (or top 3 at least, but most definitely it's the one with the most time I've spent in out of any of the games I've played).

[@joelhastings9373]

I've been there since 2002 and can say that this game BY FAR has brought me more fun, enjoyment, and memories than any other game ever. Yeah, it's almost 20 years old and just doesn't have the appeal to the younger generation. Yeah, it's a hard game with lots of grinding that required lots of patience and perseverance. However, that's what makes it great. Not just some mindless, no challenge, hand-holding game. This required commitment. I even played the retro server relaunch RK2019 and it was a BLAST! Very close to the experience of the old days, but without all of the lag and server issues.

[@andrewqsmith]

Man, I feel really old today. I remember playing this and dropping it. I went back briefly in its turn to free to play but never got involved. I wonder if your video's cause a brief uptick in players for games that are still playable.

[@canuckchris]

This one breaks my heart, I loved AO back in the day.

[@DarknessValor]

Go play it, people that say its dead are objectively wrong.

[@canuckchris]

@@DarknessValor I might but it really rubs me the wrong way that they still charge a full priced sub for access to the expansions.

[@DarknessValor]

@@canuckchris its totally worth it in my opinion, the expansions are filled to the brim with fantastic content. Plus it helps keep the game alive, gotta support the things you love.

[@kriegmarshal]

I love these videos. Makes me nostalgic for the games I played that have been covered! Keep up the great work

[@kindnessofwooedandwooer2494]

I get excited every time I see that you've uploaded something new. Quality content all the way.

[@WhiplashSL]

*listens to final audio at the end* Gee, I wonder what the next video will be about... :thinking:

[@fading_cinder7513]

Anarchy online looks a lot like Kenshi

[@m.n7576]

I mean Kenshi looks a lot like older MMOs

[@estebanhughell709]

A multiplayer kenshi would be amazing. But that would be really hard with its bugginess.

[@boguinator]

@@estebanhughell709 no man can live enought to develop a mutliplayer kenshi

[@anonymoustraveller8862]

You're right. As mentioned in the video AO was made in the Ogre engine and that's the same one Kenshi uses.

[@elijareus5873]

Your videos are really nice. The transitions and music really gives noir detective feels.

[@Ryotsu2112]

You hit the nail on the head about the soundtrack. I struggled through the buggy beta, buggy release, and buggy post release for a while before ditching the game, but I found the soundtrack amazing. I remember setting out adventuring on the outskirts of the city with that beautiful music setting some great atmosphere. When you started playing it toward the end of the video I genuinely felt an emotional twinge of nostalgia, even though I gave up on the game for good in 2002 when I started playing FFXI and then later WoW and FFXI simultaneously for a decade. I remember seeking out the soundtrack online at some point in the mid to late 2000’s, and I found a website that had several tracks that I downloaded.

[@MrDirahmer]

I want an ao2, I tryed to get into my account and couldn't due to not remembering the password. I emailed them and it's been over 8 months still no reply.

[@Vali.CocoJr84]

From my point of view Anarchy Online was and will remain the most enjoyable and beautiful game I have played .. Almost 10 years, and every time I see a video about the game it makes me go back "I will do it coming soon ".. Who hasn't played this game I advise him to do it :) Enjoy the game !! 👍

[@brakthalas]

Always learn new things when you put out a video. Thanks!

[@nikolacirisanovic9224]

One of the biggest aspects what makes AO so good wasn't even mentioned: How equipping items work in this game. Contrary to WoW, where you just need to grind a specific dungeon to get an item, you can equip a lot of items no matter if you grinded them or just meet the minimum level. Most of the items in AO don't have a level requirement but instead a requirement for some of the 40-50 different stats each character has. Sometimes people twinked for multiple months in order to equip an item on a lvl 24 character, which naturally can be equipped without any twinking at like lvl 70.

[@rvns16th]

You ever do a video on Neocron? If not I really recommend looking into that treasure

[@Barxxo]

i was so hyped back then ...

[@frankorefice4115]

You can probably make a video about Quibi now that it died.

[@bruhmachine6435]

But its not game

[@ITNODove]

@@bruhmachine6435 Neither was Mixer.

[@bruhmachine6435]

@@ITNODove well, it's was a platform to stream games, but technically.

[@SharpTony]

I've been looking forward to this one for a while, great work man! Also, thanks for using a few of my clips, it feels dope to be included in something like this.

[@lermink_]

Still waiting for that beast kill 😉

[@SharpTony]

@@lermink_ Hahahaha maybe one day!

[@XenusOne]

Thanks for the great video dude. Enjoying those DoaG a lot

[@UntoteLady]

I literally never heard of this before :D

[@Shadowmib]

There's still lots of players too. I'll be playing it later tonight.

[@vulpushx6675]

You are too young ...

[@henktank1633]

Its really good, crazy depth. especially twinking. Never seen a game do this so well. Equipment and implants. Stat boosting. Micromanaging Buff space, you need a high IQ tho or alot of experience if u wanna try this. Thats why i think it never took off for the main public, people are just too dumb. Once you figure something out or an item that increases a stat allowing you to go ahead 100 level's in equipment. The game opens up. Oneshotting impossibly high level mobs while being a low level scrub is just a great feeling. I dont know any other mmo that lets you basicly boost yourself should you be smart / rich enough to create this. I remember sitting in the trader for 40 hours pimping my char just so i could boost 40 levels in an hour or so.

[@UntoteLady]

@@vulpushx6675 27 :x

[@vulpushx6675]

@@UntoteLady 43 here ... told you .. too young :)

[@schrisu7252]

MMO's are literally a cursed genre IMO.

[@joevile240]

Especially nowadays when they seem to be more money focused, and less player focused. Less to do in games, but a huge microtransaction market.

[@martmine4618]

Following a trend is bound to have cursed games (battle royales, mobas, fps)

[@chrisxd146]

@@martmine4618 Open world, survival, zombie apocalypse. I don't blame publishers/developers for wanting to follow a trend, but eventually a genre becomes so oversaturated that any new release is met with disappointment.

[@arnox4554]

One of the big problems is that, way too many times, a publisher will stick to an old ass engine simply because they don't want to put in the money/effort to make a new game. You see this with the Guild Wars 2 engine which is now being held together by spit and duct tape. An ArenaNet dev even very recently told me that just developing content for GW2 was a huge pain in the ass. (Yes, I have proof.) Now, having said that, MMOs take a LONG time to develop and are hella expensive, so I understand if a publisher wants to keep the MMO they've invested a bunch of money and time in going for years and years, but the hard truth is that this is simply not sustainable. Cracks in the engine will inevitably develop over time, and even if that was somehow not a factor, players will simply get bored after long enough, and they'll move on to something else. Sooner or later, there needs to be a huge refresh, and I don't think there is any escaping that.

[@billvolk4236]

It's not a coincidence. The whole genre is at a disadvantage from the start because it requires much more labor to make and maintain than other games for less payoff. A company has to manage all these extremely complex server, balance, and economy issues to keep an MMO running, and for what? So that instead of NPCs you have 12-year-old kids who teabag you and spam racial slurs.

[@muzutus]

Been waiting for this one, thanks!

[@KeavyGoesLive]

Re: Older MMO's. I restarted FFXI with a whole new character when the quarantine began just to see what the game was like in 2020. They did it right by scaling up EXP and basically allowing you to make your own "Traditional" party with NPC's you earn through quests. Back in 2005, it could take literal months to a year as a new player to hit level cap. In 2020, I did it on my first job in under a week. THAT is how you adjust an aging MMO: Make the ramp to level cap so easy it's barely there.

[@khhnator]

that just tossing in the garbage all content you have. all those monsters and places cost money to make you know? gw2 probably is the game that does better with old content. even tough i'm not 100% into what it does

[@KeavyGoesLive]

@@khhnator All the new content for FFXI is endgame content and they basically made it so new players can reach that point within a month tops, so you can still play all the old content and experience it if you want to do it solo but for those who want the new stuff, just grind out a job for a week and BAM, you’re there. The old story content in XI used to take forever unless you had an experienced crew with you. Now, they made it so your level capped character with the endgame gear can literally just walk through all story content. So, yeah...the old stuff’s there and you’re free to experience it as a new player but you don’t have to spend hours/days on forums and in the major cities looking for a party to do it.

[@RobertPatrician]

As the joke win, "Funcom puts the F U in fun"

[@AethyrPrime]

I coined that joke... ;)

[@RECO-kk7rd]

ahh I remembered that ahahah nice!

[@kohtas]

Man, AO really did just come out too early. If they had the tech available now to develop this from scratch they'd kill.

[@iskyled94]

Big fan, keep the content flowing my dude

[@RegnieRiku]

I remember playing Anarchy Online in about 2003, when they offered a free year of playing. My memory of the whole experience is hazy, I just remember playing a Martial Artist, and repeatedly guiding new players through what I think was an open world dungeon of sorts, that's entrance was right outside a main starting city, and took you into the sewers beneath the city.