Last December, Funcom made some waves in the Anarchy Online community with a seemingly out-of-nowhere Facebook poll asking fans if there were any interest in a fresh-start server for the studio’s 18-year-old sci-fi MMO. The response was mixed, but apparently the idea gained some traction, as Funcom has just announced that it’s actually happening, for real.

The Facebook post announcing the fresh-start server — which the studio is apparently calling the “2019 server” — is brief, so details right now are pretty scarce, but here’s what we know: All players will, of course, start with fresh, new characters, and initially, the server will feature only the “original content from launch.” From there, it seems that things will unfold similarly to your typical progression server, with additional expansion content rolling out regularly over time. Aside from that, though, we know virtually nothing about it, and that includes its release date — Funcom simply says it’s “coming soon.” How soon? We’ll have to wait and see.

It’s called “Rubi-Ka 2019.” That’s the official designation of Anarchy Online’s fresh start server coming our way in the near future. The announcement of this server took a lot of fans by surprise, especially considering that AO has been developmentally dormant for years now.

On a February 27th Twitch stream, the Funcom team talked about the construction of the server and what the subscription-only shard will offer the community. Rubi-Ka 2019 will feature expansion progression, a rolling level cap, and the modern version of the game. One of the perks of rolling on this server is the ability to earn a sleek new set of Serpentine armor through a series of missions.

Some players have expressed concern over the server, particularly in regard to the lack of name reservations, the potential for duping and exploits, botting, and the expensive nature of the subscription.

Funcom promises that there will be a “deep dive” article into this server concept at a later date, but for now you can watch the full stream after the break.

Although this patch is not the anticipated Engine Upgrade it is pretty big and contains a bunch of changes which include Professional Rebalance.

From Michizure the Game Director for Anarchy Online

[quote]Patch Date: April 21, 2015[quote]

1. New Player Experience

   1. New citizens of Rubi-Ka will start their journey in Arete Landing

      1. Explore a new starting playfield!

      2. Enjoy a new series of quests to guide new characters to the ICC HQ

      3. The 30 first levels, players will get an increased amount of xp for completing missions.

      4. All missions will now give players 1000 credits extra as a reward.

      5. Inventory save should now be more effective for the server.

      6. New characters now start out with 1 meter/second higher run speed than before.

   2. ICC HQ has been overhauled

      1. Added general stores to ICC

      2. Moved the Jobe whompah from Borealis to ICC

      3. The subway entrance is now located in ICC HQ.

      4. A FC shop/Phasefront dungeon has now been added to ICC HQ. Here you will be able to see items that you can buy in the FC shop.

      5. The unicorn Lander in Andromeda has been moved to ICC HQ and now has a proper door.

      6. Fast-access to Temple of Three Winds/Inner Sanctum will be exclusive to ICC

      7. Zyvania Bagh, Des Morck, Cody Monkie and Windcaller Karrec have moved to ICC HQ.

   Much Much more... See the changes at: http://forums.anarchy-online.com/showthread.php?613558-18-7-0-Update-Release-Notes

According to Genele on the Anarchy Online Public Forums

Genele wrote:

Halloween
Link to AO's website announcement with pictures.

Tuesday the 22nd of October this year's Halloween celebrations begin in Anarchy Online.
We invite you to join for events, special offers and free gifts!
Our Halloween celebration lasts for two weeks, until the 5th of November.

Unclepumpkinhead returns...
We never get tired of our evil uncle and he will return to terrorize the citizens of Rubi-Ka. This year he has beaten up some Omni-Tek prison guards to steal prisoner outfits… He has also been in his basement and picked up some old school goodies.

Enigmas vs Entvines
The Enigmas still need help with defeating the Entvines. Talk to Frankenleet or Draculeet to learn the location of the Enigmas' secret hangout. This year the Entvines will drop high QL Miy back armors. Don't miss the chance to challenge your fighting capabilities and earn a t-shirt to brag about your great success.

The Itemshop

Everyone will be able to claim their very own "Signal Beacon: Lightning" which can be used to create special lightening effects for free.

Subscribers will be able to claim an Enigma social pet for free.

Special Offer

Starting today and lasting until the end of the Halloween celebration on the 5th of November we wish to offer you great deals on either becoming a Member or extending your Membership in Anarchy Online:

• Buy three months of Membership and get an extra month for free plus the unique Halloween-themed Sky Sweeper flying broom stick and the exclusive horrifying Entvined Facemask.

• Buy six months of Membership and get two extra months for free plus the Sky Sweeper, the Entvined Facemask and two Combat Nano Cans with Premium Experience Boost, which give you 50% more XP for four hours each!

• Buy twelve months of membership and get four extra months for free plus the Sky Sweeper, the Entvined Facemask, two Combat Nano Cans with Premium Experience Boost and a Package with 5000 Victory Points, which can be used to get great gear and armors.

Click here to become Member now or to extend your Membership!

I'm a little late posting this since, well, the merger has already happened and a lot of the changes announced at Funcom are already starting to roll out. But...

The Anarchy Online Worlds were merged together on February 26th 2013. Marking the end of a multi-world system for Anarchy Online. The population of the game has shrunk over the years, what with expectations declining with the length of time it has taken Funcom to produce an Updated Graphics Engine which was first promised around 2004. The merger marks a change to the game with all players now logging onto the same server. As well Funcom has promised to give more character slots away instead of just allowing the 8 total currently allowed. When this will happen is up to Funcom.

As well Funcom announced an Internal restructuring of the Company. With this restructuring all games are moving under a single development team. As well the Development teams in Montreal are being moved to Raleigh-Durham North Carolina in the United States to join those from any other location. This basically makes the Montreal Studio which opened in 2008 be left with only Mobile Gaming Development. Where this leaves us is anyone's guess. 3 titles are currently live and this new Team will have to maintain all three titles, Anarchy Online, Age of Conan and The Secret World. Joel Bylos has been named the Game Director for the new merged team, he was previously the Game Director for The Secret World, and before that he was Creative Director for The Secret World and Lead Designer for Rise of the Godslayer expansion for Age of Conan.

The Advisors of Rubi-Ka have announced their Holiday Bash for 2012.

The Festivities start Saturday December 15th on the Rimor Dimension at 12:00 Noon EST and go until Noon EST on Sunday.