Funcom’s Morten Byom delves into AO’s next expansion, Lost Eden
By Michael Lafferty

“We continue to evolve Anarchy Online by listening to our community and actively being involved in it ourselves”

A little more than five years ago Anarchy Online burst onto the massively multiplayer scene and offered a different game play experience from the titles set in a medieval-fantasy-type environment. AO was about shooting and melee, about implants and technology and it was set in a future world where almost anything seemed possible – including slipping off the edge of the world and falling into oblivion.

The expansions for the game – different from patches and live content – have been less frequent than its competitors – being generally relegated to Alien Invasion and Shadowlands. The third major expansion pack for the game is now on the way and Lost Eden will further expand the game with attention to not only new territories, and abilities, but on the social scale as well.

Digital River, the parent company of GameZone.com, has teamed up with Funcom to offer an exclusive pre-download opportunity.  The expansion officially releases on Dec. 12.

But back to the expansion itself. GameZone wanted to know more and so turned to Funcom’s Morten Byom, AO and Lost Eden game director for a brief conversation about the title.

Q: What are the major changes or innovations being introduced with this expansion?

Morten: Lost Eden takes all the elements from our previous expansions and adds in a huge extra helping of Sci-Fi. This expansion focuses on battle options in direct response to what players have asked for. Battle Stations, missile launchers, new massive PvP battlefields in space and on land, new menacing aliens, missions and areas inside the Mothership. There’s an entire new arsenal of mass destruction weapons and powerful armor; plus kick-ass mech vehicles that really make you say “ah.” Lost Eden takes an already incredible world and injects it with a big shot of futuristic battle elements to make it the most robust sci-fi MMO in existence. 

Q: To what does the title refer and how is the storyline of the game reflecting this?

Morten: In this expansion Lost Eden refers to the state of the world and the fact that war is breaking out ... hell is breaking loose and it’s threatening the mythical Eden known as Rubi-Ka. Will the inhabitants continue to choose war or will they find a way to find peace and reclaim what has been Lost? Lost Eden both carries on the rich storyline that has evolved and advances the story into a new era.

Q: Anarchy Online was among the handful of games that relaunched the MMO genre and ushered it into the next era. How do you continue to evolve the game to keep your player base happy and draw in new gamers?  

Morten: We continue to evolve Anarchy Online by listening to our community and actively being involved in it ourselves. I play the game and hang out with players, read the forums, listen in game and read the feedback, and these things tell me what direction we need to move in. For drawing in new players, I have to give credit on that to the players themselves. Word of mouth has always been the best vehicle we’ve had. Our players like the game and tell others and this is the activity that continually leads to AO gaining new players each and every day. Of course some nice press doesn’t hurt either!

Q: The game will be available through GameZone/Digital River's download service well prior to the retail release of the title? If the game is pre-ordered, and downloaded, can the user get into the expansion before the official launch?

Morten: If you purchase the Pre-order through GameZone/Digital River ... you can start playing Anarchy Online, Notum Wars, Shadowlands and Alien Invasion right after you’ve ran through the set up. On launch day, the moment the code is upgraded with Lost Eden content, you will receive the content and access during the log in.

Q: What do you think makes for a compelling MMO and how does Anarchy Online fit that description?  

Morten: A compelling MMO to me is one that gives me a way to log in and feel like I’ve escaped reality for awhile. It makes me laugh, makes me feel an adrenaline rush and is one that leaves me feeling as if I’ve accomplished something and had fun in the process. AO allows you to experience a wide range of emotions in a simply stunning world. It’s quite difficult to explain a good MMO experience to someone who hasn’t tried a virtual world — it’s something you need to experience to believe. The community is such a big factor in MMO’s and I believe that AO has the best community in gaming today.

Q: Does the download just allow players to get the expansion, or is there other elements bundled in this?

Morten: This download allows players to get every previously mentioned expansion released in the Anarchy Online series, adds in Lost Eden and with pre-orders gives the bonus of the special battle-mech that is not available from normal game play. This is simply EVERYTHING Anarchy and there has never been a better deal.

Q: Since the days of the launch of Anarchy Online, and with the recent success of WoW, quite a focus has been placed on the MMO market in that so many developers are throwing out titles. Do you see this saturation a problem or do you think that, perhaps, it allows the games with depth of gameplay to really stand apart from the pack?

Morten: I think the new offerings have helped most games. MMOs are like a first apartment or car. You discover the joys of one and then sort of make a mental list for your next one. I liked this one but I wish it was smaller, larger, had this and this, or wouldn’t it be great if it had this feature. I think once people have tried an MMO they are likely to keep playing them and become better informed about what appeals to them. It seems that every new game that comes out, brings more players to our worlds and many of our players try other worlds and then return home. I do believe the new offerings often help people realize what is important to them in an MMO and that those with depth and something unique benefit from this.

Q: With so many expansions, what element (or elements) have been your favorite parts of the game?

Morten: Tough question! Of course there’s innovative game play and the sci-fi world; the great opportunities for battling and exploration; but my personal favorite has to be the social elements. Anarchy Online is home to such a wonderful community and they never cease finding new ways to socialize. Whether it’s dancing at Reet’s, listening to the player-ran radio stations like GridStream; attending a party in someone’s apartment, grouping with others for a team mission or just exploring the world with a group of friends — the interaction opportunities in AO are my favorite.

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