ARK

From Anarchy Online Wiki [AOWiki]

Overview[edit]

The Advisors of Rubi-Ka (or ARK for short) are often the first point of contact for players who need customer service. ARK is made up of a special group of individuals who freely volunteer their time and energy to help other players. It is the Advisors number one responsibility to further enhance the overall game experience of every player by serving as the first line of customer service for Funcom. Funcom discontinued ARK on 2023-06-13. Former members created the Organization Architects of Rubi-ka to carry on their goals but without their former GM powers.

Discontinuation of ARK - Announcement[edit]

On 2023-06-13 Funcom announced the discontinuation of the ARK program (Future of the ARK Program)

After careful consideration, we have decided to discontinue Funcom support of the ARK community program.

The ARK program has been an unforgettable part of Rubi-Ka for many years, and we are grateful to the volunteers who have channeled their passion to help make this universe truly something wonderful. We appreciate the commitment and the efforts, and we are proud of everything ARK has accomplished together.

We understand that seeing this chapter end may disappoint some of you, but the profound mark made on the community is everlasting.

Thank you,
The Funcom Team

Relaunched as Architects of Rubi-ka[edit]

After Funcom's discontinuation of ARK, the former ARK members started a new organization Architects of Rubi-ka. The goal of this organization is to continue assisting players but without GM powers. Much of what they did under ARK they can continue to do. Becoming an organization will provide them freedom they did not have under Funcom. The Anarchy Online community is looking forward to this new version of ARK!

Architects of Rubi-ka - members

The Departments[edit]

ARK is divided into several departments that allow members to concentrate on specific tasks. However unlike many other volunteer programs, all Advisors are able to assist in most activities run by departments they are not part of. E.g. All Advisors can be part of events run by the events department.


Academy[edit]

Advisor.jpg Volunteers enter ARK as a “Greeter”. Greeters are the first point of contact for users to the Advisors. The Greeters roam the starter areas and cities looking for players to assist on Rubi-Ka.

After being in the program a little while, Greeters may continue their training to Assistant Advisor to learn about our teams before they become a full Advisor, assisting one or more of the ARK Teams.

Bug Hunters[edit]

Buh.jpg The Bug Hunters spend alot of time on the test servers, helping the Funcom Development and QA team check new patches and features for bugs, as well as helping to check balance issues. The Bug Hunters are most often found on the test server.

Events[edit]

Events.jpg The Events department is responsible for writing, producing and starring in small, medium, and large events that occur in various locations on both dimensions, and across all timezones. The Events department also assists the Funcom's team in running official events that affect the storyline of Anarchy Online. Any Advisor is eligible to participate in an event being run by this team, subject to training and certain limits on numbers. Events are also responsible for the Blue named NPC characters on Rubi-Ka, characters who will be in-character at any given time.


Community Relations[edit]

Cor.jpg The ARK Community Relations department serves as a focused bridge of communication and interaction between AO players and ARK. CR assists the Funcom community team in functions such as looking out for bulletin board posts that need to be moderated or flagged to various people or teams in Funcom and ARK. CR communicates to fansites, etc. regarding ARK, and helps to connect players to proper Funcom and ARK contact points when unsure who to contact. CR also develops and manages the the ARK website.


Operations (Retired Department)[edit]

Advisor.jpg Prior to 2012, Advisors in Operations spend the majority of their time answering petitions from players; anything from answering common game-play elements to fixing players stuck in the geometry. Operations Advisors can also spend their time running tours through the world for both new and experienced players. Greeters are a valuable group of volunteers who help welcome new players to Anarchy Online and make their start in this new world as painless as possible. While tours and greeters continued, the ARK team no longer handled petitions from players.

Exploits Team (Retired Department)[edit]

Ext.jpg The Exploit Team manages all reported and confirmed exploits. The department works primarily on the test servers to investigate exploit cases without disrupting live play. On the live servers, the Exploit Team monitors possible exploit situations. When necessary, department members step in to block the use of potentially exploitable bugs. All Exploit Team members are firmly set on the single goal of protecting fair game play through the elimination of exploits, and the re-education of those few players who take advantage of these bugs.

Origin - The N.O.A.H. Project[edit]

As the year 29473 AD drew to a close, the ICC found itself under mounting pressure. The ICC, the regulatory council for all mega corporations and hyper corporations across the known galaxies, was under increasing criticism regarding their control over the growing number of corporations. The general public opinion was that the ICC was losing its grip on a few of the larger and more powerful hyper corporations and false rumors of bribery were beginning to circulate.


In an effort to mend public relations, denounce all charges of bribery and to strengthen its image in the public eye, the ICC began to undertake the task of constructing a department to aid the best interests of the public. The Advisors, as they were to be known, were designed to be a department consisting of people that would deal directly with the general public, assisting them with their problems, questions and concerns.


It was decided that in order to aid the public in any foreseeable way, Advisors would have to be nano-enhanced to a level superior to that of current standards. An expensive, and as of then untested, process was put into place by the ICC that enabled notum to be bonded directly with the body cells of the Advisor, allowing them to control nano technology in a way not yet seen before by science. There were hints of reports coming out of the ICC technology division detailing that not all Advisors survived the nano bonding process. According to some insiders, only the "worthy" were able to survive the harsh process.


As the ICC continued to build the Advisor department, they maintained their experimentation with nano-enhancement technology, known as Neo-Technology. Advancements were made month after month, with each improvement requiring more credits for funding. The program needed to move into the next phase of operation. The ICC planned to spread the Advisors across the galaxy but the foundation for the program needed to be constructed. This phase would move the program closer to the source of the mineral Notum, so the Advisors could have easy access to the one vital element of the program while they would grow in numbers and develop an administrative structure of a non-profit organization. It was unanimously agreed that moving to Rubi-Ka was the most logical choice for the benefit of the Advisors.


When they arrived, the nano-enhanced Advisors experienced a strange reaction to the Notum dusty planet. Confused by this new environment and psychological changes, they stayed hidden from the public view for a long time, watching and learning about the lands and people of Rubi-Ka. These changes enhanced the Advisors to a new level only previously discussed in theory - they were developing into Genetic Manipulators. On Rubi-Ka, the Genetic Manipulators had seen the conflict between Omni-Tek and a number of clans, referred to by many as the Rebels. Observing the pain and suffering of both planet and it's inhabitants, the Genetic Manipulators realized they had been presented with a chance to use the gifts and ideals they were born and bred to use.


The newly formed Genetic Manipulators learned they could accomplish new abilities and soon they were confident enough to invite a selected group of Rubi-Ka citizens to begin their training as Advisors. The Genetic Manipulators had observed these citizens for quite some time and saw in them the knowledge and true compassion for all of the inhabitants of Rubi-Ka. The Genetic Manipulators enhanced their bodies to new levels using their knowledge of Neo-Technology. This first group of Advisors would be known as the Founders.


The Founders developed the infrastructure to swell their numbers so they could train more candidates, as they were called, and enhance them into Advisors. More Advisors meant more help for the citizens of Rubi-Ka.


When they were ready, the Advisors and GM's revealed themselves to the people of Rubi-Ka, knowing full well that the only way to help these citizens was to provide humanitarian aid to all. The Advisors' official and moral stance of the conflict would be neutral so they could assist all citizens that came to them, regardless of their affiliations or politics.


Travelling from city to town, from landmark to outpost, and from desert to sea, the Advisors spread the word of their intentions and pure concern for the inhabitants of Rubi-Ka. Citizens that had been aided by the Advisors began to donate credits or items as a token of their thanks. Rubi-Ka, being a planet leased by a hyper corporation and a home to many wealthy citizens, had quite a lot to offer the Advisors, and they soon found themselves with suitable funds to purchase and maintain their own Neo-Technology infrastructure and to build offices in major cities so they could be available to all in need.


Today, the Advisors wander the plains, mountains, deserts and forests of Rubi-Ka, conversing with its inhabitants, assisting the many and befriending all. They keep an impartial attitude, knowing that interfering in the conflict would most definitely cause more harm than good. Reporting to the ICC and recruiting neutral citizens, the Advisors maintain their presence and ideals upon Rubi-Ka, preserving life and aiding all that are blessed with it. It is known in the nano-enhanced heart of all its members, that they truly are Advisors of Rubi-Ka.

Links[edit]