Anarchy Online Beta 4 Preview

The new Beta (up to version 4 now) from the sci-fi MMORPG Anarchy Online began just a few days ago, with the e-mail notification. Since then, the official servers have been absolutely jammed up and it’s been impossible for me and my modem to get even 10 minutes worth of the beta 4 file without a timeout.

EuroGamer had no such problem however, as they lit the info candle so to speak with a first look into Beta 4 and why the game looks many times better than mere couple weeks ago. Included are 4 screens and here’s a little fuel:

The bigger cities like Tir and Omni-1 have a range of specialist shops for you to browse through, from hardware stores and weaponry outlets to fashion boutiques. You might think that buying designer label clothing was a waste of money (and you would be right), but it all helps you to customise the look of your character. Add to this four different breeds, from the slender Opifex to the lumbering all-male Atrox, a range of faces and hairstyles for each, and a choice of three heights and builds, and there should be plenty of variety and room for self-expression, even when the world fills up with tens of thousands of other players.

Character customization and ease of interaction is probably the most important drug in an MMORPG to keep people interested, and it looks like AO might pull off a new designer addiction. Now if those servers would start behaving…