Ariensky

We have two systems to ensure that: ARK (Advisors of Rubi-Ka), volunteers supported by FunCom..
The other thing is people liking to help out, personally I like teaching, I once had a job with that, enjoyed it, but now it is just a spare-time thing, secondly A LOT of people had a helping hand when they began, and they are just paying it forward.

We have lvl 9 toons on the starter island -dedicated- to helping others..
When a friend starts we get hold of that character and help out, or just hang out on that character to communicate with the DJs (GSP), and answering questions in the Newbie OOC channel as well.
People over lvl 9 do not have access to the newbie channel, so to spot those early questions you need a dedicated lvl 9 to listen in on the conversations.

Kind Regards
-Ariensky

PS. Again mentioning lore, even the ARK and GMs (Genetic Manipulators) have their own backstory, you can read it on the ARK webpage, here: http://ark.funcom.com/Public/ARKsite?page_id=58
And yes, that story IS canon, so while you can ask OOC questions to the ARKs, they are indeed part of the world..
Every Sunday they have a ritual, and they are broadcasting a "fluctuation in the notum field" each Sunday..
an org(guild) declared war on ARK for misuse of notum.. claiming the notum fluctuations gave them a painful headache..

..and that is possible because someone sat down and gave even the support function of the game a backstory.
(there were peaceful protests when the ARKs did their guided tourist tours of Rubi-Ka, and peace-negotiations on the sunday notum use were started.. all in all people had fun and a good laugh, interacting with the FunCom representatives, instead of "ignore them, they are GMs, not part of the story" as they are in other games..

Actually my org (guild) Argenteum Astrum omce in a while had swimming-competitions in the park in Rome..

Later I reset that skill though, but I used it to explore Rubi-Ka, swimming from one end of teh world to the other..
That was before I got a flying machine (Yalmaha, white thing in the 2nd picture), so it was a way for me to explore without meeting monsters, as they are (almost) all on land.

As Beau mentions there is a lot of lore.. and if you are the type that enjoys to get into a Ferrari and cruse the streets while the sun is setting over San Andreas.. then you can get the same feeling in AO.

In the start by water, later by kodaik(cheap ground cars; 16.000 credits), and finally by Yalmaha; those flying vehicles cost 5.000.0000 credits though..

Getting your first Yalmaha is a goal in it self for many, gives easier access to missions as you can fly over monsters on the way, but the feeling is also fantastic, and great for exploring.

In olden days there were funds, created by older players, where new players could apply for credits for their first Yalmaha..

If you have questions.. mostly you can get help on the starting island, meeting people; they will quickly spot you are new from your questions. Another thing is to ask in the OOC (Out Of Character) channel, and people will aid you.

@Meantaii Thank you for your review, it shows a big part of AO, and almost every trouble you can run into.
I must say you are a very dedicated player and should revive praise for that :)

You are right, you should not need 3rd party software to play the game, and the startup area IS under revision, players have set up automated scripts to help new people, and generally that is the way to go: ask in the chat, usually people are rather nice.

When you come to the main land (on server 1; Atlantean), go to Borealis and look for "The Defiant", a very helpful group of people, and if they are not there, you can try asking others there, it is a great meeting place.
You should have gotten a note ingame about going to "the subway" a low lvl dungeon in an abandoned subway.

Implants are a good idea, and doing that quest for 15 mil without a flying machine (Yalmaha or hoverbike) is quite impressive.
The way to avoid the monsters, lakes and fences is to fly.

What the game lacks in game-mechanics it makes up for in community.
There are A LOT of player made tools to aid you.
I am sad that you got "Chinese farmer" I have not heard that before, based on your review I will log into my character on the startup island some more and listen in/help out.

Thank you Meantaii
Kind Regards
-Ariensky

@Syesta Thank you for your reply, really sad that an objective and good review like that is voted down, I feel sad on behalf of this vote.

I can only thank you for your review again :)
Kind Regards
-Ariensky

My observations:
1) Uncharted Waters Online is underrepresented, but thank you to the one taking time to write about it, it looks great :)

2) Uncharted Waters Online and Anarchy online community has made compelling arguments of why to choose their game, while Wizard 101 mainly encompasses "it rocks" or "my kids like it".
"My kids like it" is a valid argument indeed, but I would like more like that, rather than "it rocks".. so does Anarchy Online Hecklers (stone golems ;) )

3) That post on the AO forum does not say "we cheat", it says how to cheat, and how to do it in a cumbersome way, here is how to do it way easier:
http://getfoxyproxy.org

BUT as both sides have access to this knowledge, it is not a benefit for either side..

also if you are so dishonest to cheat like that.. then I hope you feel really bad about yourself, because you are just showing how rotten your community is..

4) This should be about joy and spreading the good word and honest opinion of the game.

We all know there are difference in the number of people playing each game, so ONE game can win by just being the bigger game, not of being the -better- game.

In conclusion: more votes does not mean a better game, so read the comments and make your own decision on what game to try :)

If you are a kid, or a parent wanting to play an online game with your kid; try Wizard 101, if not I would recommend Uncharted Waters Online or Anarchy Online.