Anarchy Online
Anarchy Online is a science fiction MMORPG released in June 2001 by Funcom .
Anarchy Online stands out for being one of the few popular MMORPGs that makes use of a science fiction setting, as opposed to the more common fantasy setting. The game is set in the years following June 29475, primarily on the harsh desert world of Rubi-Ka and its extra-dimensional twin, the Shadowlands.
The story of Anarchy Online revolves primarily around two factions, the hypercorporation Omni-Tek and the rebel worker caste, the Clans, who are fighting for control of the distant desert planet Rubi-Ka. In addition to these two factions, there is a third faction of Neutrals, people who have decided to take no sides in the conflict. Unfortunately, this conflict has been waged, on and off, for centuries, in addition to larger conflicts between the hypercorporations over the control of Rubi-Ka.
Rubi-Ka, the seemingly useless desert planet that led to so many wars, is of such tremendous importance because it is the only known source of notum, an economically precious mineral, in the universe. Omni-Tek, having been granted exclusive ownership rights to the planet, controlled the notum for many years, and benefitted tremendously when it was discovered that notum would revolutionize, and eventually become the key component of, nanotechnology . Eventually, this mineral leads the way to the development of technologies that seem very like magic , including programs that create, among other things, fire and ice, programs that can heal injury, shield a person from harm, affect their physical body, and even resurrection. Notum even makes its way into the very genetic makeup of some sub-breeds of humans.
Because Omni-Tek had managed to get unfettered control of Rubi-Ka, they were, mostly, free to do as they wished with their colonists and the planet. For most of the early years, Omni-Tek did its best to treat its people well, even to the point of receiving commendations for its treatment of workers. However, over the centuries, Omni-Tek's policies began to degrade, until, finally, approximately 500 years after the planet was first settled, a significant number of the colonists opted to rebel against Omni-Tek following poor treatment and conditions, and began to secretly trade stolen notum to a rival corporation. This lead to a series of wars between Omni-Tek and the colonists, and between Omni-Tek and rival hypercorporations.