Funcom announced in January 2008 that they would be updating the game's 3D rendering engine.[52] While the current engine — Funcom's proprietary Dreamworld — had received incremental improvements with the Notum Wars booster in 2002 and Shadowlands expansion in 2003, the 2008 announcement stated it would be completely replaced with more modern software to "release the game fresh".[48][49][53] Originally, a modified version of the open source rendering engine OGRE was used.[53] Funcom released a short video demonstrating an early version of its implementation, and stated it would be completed by the end of 2008.[54][55] OGRE was dropped in May 2009 because it did not provide "the full featureset" they had anticipated. Current game director Colin Cragg stated Anarchy Online's "small development team" could not afford the "growing [cost] estimates" involved in making the necessary modifications to it.[53][56]
Funcom decided to instead use a recent version of the Dreamworld engine, the same version used for their 2008 MMORPG Age of Conan.[56] This new engine features improved water rendering, particle effects, and character animation. It also includes incremental improvements to technologies already used in Anarchy Online, such as the dynamic weather system.[57][58] No new release date has been announced, although periodic status updates are published in the game's official weekly development blog Friday With Means.[59]
In 2010, the player community became involved in development of the game, with community-created inventory icons and planet map being accepted into the official game.[60]
Anarchy Online currently supports a "Free Play" model that allows for free game-play supported by in-game advertising.
Funcom decided to instead use a recent version of the Dreamworld engine, the same version used for their 2008 MMORPG Age of Conan.[56] This new engine features improved water rendering, particle effects, and character animation. It also includes incremental improvements to technologies already used in Anarchy Online, such as the dynamic weather system.[57][58] No new release date has been announced, although periodic status updates are published in the game's official weekly development blog Friday With Means.[59]
In 2010, the player community became involved in development of the game, with community-created inventory icons and planet map being accepted into the official game.[60]
Anarchy Online currently supports a "Free Play" model that allows for free game-play supported by in-game advertising.
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