Early this morning we discovered that an attacker had placed malicious code on our sites that may pose a security threat for some users. The code exploited a vulnerability in Internet Explorer and attempted to install the Downloader.Delf.11.AZ trojan.

We have removed the offending code and as of this moment our sites are completely safe. It should be noted that this warning applies only to our web content and not the forums, which were never compromised. Additionally, users of non-IE browsers should not be affected.

If you have visited our sites within the past 48 hours using Internet Explorer we encourage you to run a virus scan using your preferred anti-virus software or a free web based scanner.

Please feel free to contact tech@stratics.com if you have any further questions, comments or concerns.

2002: Funcom releases Anarchy-Online: The Notum Wars for PC in the US. AO has always looked interesting, but I just have no attention span for MMORPGs.

Seeking 150 testers who have never played Anarchy-Online or who have not played since the game first launched to test new player features and provide feedback. Those selected as testers who complete the response form within 5 days will receive a full upgrade from the free AO basic account to one that includes Shadowlands, Alien Invasion and the Alien Invasion preorder bonus (Pet leets) along with 90 days of free game time at no cost. Must be 18 or over to participate.

To apply: send an email to marketing@ark.anarchy-online.com with the subject line: AO Testing Application. In body of email include your full name , MMO experience and any beta testing experience as well as country you reside in. Applicants accepted will be notified via email no later than 4 November and must complete objectives and feedback no later than 10 Nov, 2006.

System requirements:

Minimum:

• Pentium II 300 MHz, 64 MB RAM, Windows 95/98/ME/2000, 8 MB DirectX-compatible video card, DirectX-compatible sound card, 2x CD-ROM drive, 700 MB hard-disk space, and 28.8 kbps modem

Recommended:

• Pentium III 450 MHz, 128 MB RAM, 32 MB DirectX-compatible video card, 1 GB hard-disk space, and 56 kbps modem

Hello,

We will be upgrading one of our primary web servers this weekend and this will require some limited downtime. This maintenance is scheduled to begin early on Saturday, November 4th, 2006. We will do our best to keep the downtime to a minimum.

This upgrade is intended to improve stability, performance and security for our primary web server.

Oslo, Norway–October 26th, 2006 – Funcom announces that from November 1st 2006 customer service for the German speaking ‘Anarchy-Online’ (AO) game servers will be handled internally at Funcom. The move is a part of the company’s ongoing commitment to taking responsibility for all operating aspects prior to launching ‘Age of Conan’ and future MMOs. Funcom will also take over responsibility for community relations in the German speaking territories.

Since the successful launch of the German speaking ‘Anarchy-Online’ server both customer service and community interaction has been handled expertly by Gamigo, a leading German online service provider. Funcom aims to continue working with Gamigo, but with a focus on marketing and external community aspects.

“Having the best possible customer service is vital for an MMO focused company like Funcom, and with this new move we continue to professionalize our company as we prepare for the launch of ‘Age of Conan’ and new MMOs,” said Trond Arne Aas, CEO of Funcom. “As a longtime developer and publisher of MMOs we have unique experience in customer service. The fact that we are now taking full control of all customer service aspects in our MMOs will ultimately lead to a better experience for the players.”

The customer service and community aspects for ‘Anarchy-Online’, and eventually ‘Age of Conan’, will be handled through Funcom offices in USA, Switzerland and Norway. The move will not lead to any changes in the virtual life of the ‘Anarchy-Online’ players, and Funcom is fully focused on delivering the best possible experience for all German speaking players.

Durham, USA - October 27, 2006 - Funcom announces an extension of the completely free and play-all-you-want offer in Anarchy-Online until January 2008. The free offer was a major MMO first when originally introduced and to date almost one million players have registered a free account in ‘Anarchy-Online’, making it one of the most successful western MMO games of all times.

The expanded free offer now not only extends the opportunity to play the most heralded sci-fi MMO for free, but also include the award-winning ‘Anarchy-Online - Notum Wars’ giving free players the chance to take part Player versus Player combat.

“The free offer has been an amazing success and a chance to show massive amounts of players how good this game actually is,” said Trond Arne Aas, CEO of Funcom. “With a new expansion around the corner, an improved free offer, continued development and few good sci-fi MMO games around we believe‘ Anarchy-Online’ can remain successful for years to come. At the same time we gain invaluable large-scale data on innovative business and distribution models, enabling us to shape the future of our other games better informed.”

The free offer content is now greatly expanded through the ‘Notum Wars’ addition. When released, ‘Notum Wars’ brought a whole new dimension to Player vs. Player MMO combat. With it, players could claim control of large areas of land, build a base with an array of towers and then fight it out with other players to achieve control, prestige and power. With numerous additional features ‘Notum Wars’ now gives all free players a new kind of experience, with more possibilities.

The new and improved offer includes the entire classic version of ‘Anarchy-Online’, named “Best MMO of the Year” by PC Gamer US, and ‘Anarchy-Online - Notum Wars’, “Expansion Pack of the Year” in Computer Gaming World. Those who play for free are exposed to dynamic in-game advertising, a successful revenue concept implemented by Funcom and developed by Massive Inc. If the player upgrades to additional expansion packs, a monthly subscription fee kicks in, but the player will not be exposed to the ads.

More game information and download links can be found at www.anarchy-online.com . The game is available as a peer-to-peer download through Bittorrent and seeded by Funcom to get the fastest possible download speed.

Please join us for a Worldof Warcraft Trading Card Game House of Commons event on Thursday, September 7th at 2:30PST in the #StraticsHoC channel on Stratics IRC

You can connect to one of our IRC servers through the use of your favorite IRC client, such as mIRC, ircle, xchat, or whichever you prefer. Connect to irc.stratics.com port 6668 or whichever server is closest to you:

• stratics.frws.com port 6668, USA - Colorado
• irc.glowfish.de port 6668, EU - Germany
• stratics.afraidyet.net port 6668, USA - Atlanta
• irc.epaxsys.net port 6668, USA - Colorado

You may also connect through our handy Java link which may be found righthere.

You must have Java installed to use this which can be downloaded from the Java Homepage.

General chat relating to the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game will take place before, during, and after the chat in room #worldofwarcraft. We hope to see you there!

Stratics IRC is pleased to announce a new channel available to our users - #Stratics-Gaming! Interested in discussing a new game, comparing two games, letting people know all about your favorite game? #Stratics-Gaming is the place for you.

You can connect to one of our IRC servers through the use of your favorite IRC client, such as mIRC, Ircle, XChat, or whichever you prefer. Connect to irc.stratics.com port 6668 or whichever server is closest to you:

stratics.frws.com port 6668, USA - Colorado
irc.glowfish.de port 6668, EU - Germany
stratics.afraidyet.net 6668, USA - Texas
irc.epaxsys.net port 6668, USA - Colorado

You may also connect through our handy Java link which may be found righthere.You must have Sun Java installed to use this which can be downloaded from the Sun Java homepage.

In addition to our new #Stratics-Gaming channel we also have game specific channels such as #Ultima-Online and #WorldofWarcraft. If you have any questions once you've joined feel free to join #IRC-Help and we will be happy to assist you!

Durham, USA — July 19, 2006 – In-game advertising takes another leap forward as Funcom and Massive Incorporated introduce interactive advertisement technology in ‘Anarchy Online’. The new technology allows players to interact with dynamic billboards in the game, making for a more memorable and interactive advertisement experience. The new Toyota campaign allows players of the free ‘Anarchy Online’ version to walk up to in-game billboards and interact with it to unveil the sleek new Toyota Yaris. Funcom expects this new move in interactive advertisement to pave the way for future endeavors across the entire games and advertisement industry.

Massive Incorporated’s CEO Mitch Davis heralded the joint move as “a tremendous step forward in terms of giving advertisers what they want- the ability to target the elusive male 18-34 range and allowing them to interact with the products for a more memorable experience.” He continued “This is just the beginning of interactive ads in games, and we are very pleased to unveil this new technology together with Funcom and Toyota. What is important to mention here though is that we are not adding this to distract from the game experience itself. Our company always has the best interest of the gamers and the game experience in mind.“

Massive Incorporated has pioneered in-game ad technology, and has grown to become the biggest game advertising network. The company was recently purchased by Microsoft.

“In Funcom we are always trying to push the envelope in innovation and technology, and this recent move with Funcom, Massive and Toyota is a perfect example,” said Trond Arne Aas, CEO of Funcom. “Our primary goal is always to deliver the best possible entertainment, but to offset the high development costs in today’s gaming landscape we need to look at additional forms of income. What Massive is offering us is exactly that, and we are therefore very pleased to continue working with them to introduce new technologies that give us a competitive edge.”

On the 24th of March 2005 Anarchy Online became the first game ever to feature dynamic advertisement billboards. On the fourth anniversary of Anarchy Online on the 27th of June it became the first game to introduce live videos and sound on dynamic advertisement billboards. In 2005 more than 500.000 new players registered for Anarchy Online, and the game continues to draw in impressed crowds in their hundreds of thousands. A new expansion pack entitled ‘Anarchy Online – Lost Eden’ will be released this fall. Go to http://www.anarchy-online.com for more information.

Stratics and Sony Online Entertainment are pleased to be able to offer you an opportunity to try The Matrix Online for free for ten days! This free trial offer will provide for you an opportunity to try out this great game and it could not be easier to do so. All you need to do is complete a simple form and you’ll receive your trial license, then you will be sent to download the file. It is as easy as that!

What is The Matrix Online?
The Matrix Online is the future of the Matrix, picking up right where the trilogy left off. The revolution is over, but within the Matrix a secret war still rages – a war of control between the machines, the Exiles, and the people of Zion. Join the continuing storyline of The Matrix where you decide who to oppose and what to believe. Only your courage and perseverance can protect the legacy of Neo’s sacrifice. Jack in!

To get your free 10-day trial of The Matrix Online, visit this page and follow the instructions!

[ Jack in and enter the Matrix now! ]

Hello,

When it rains it pours! The primary Stratics web server experienced a hardware failure this morning and new equipment had to be purchased and installed. Everything appears to be running fine now.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Regards,

Jhariden
Network Director

Please join us on Thursday, May 18, 2006 for a Everquest II House of Commons at 4pm PDT / 7pm EDT in the #StraticsHoC channel on Stratics IRC.

You can connect to one of our IRC servers through the use of your favorite IRC client, such as mIRC, ircle, xchat, or whichever you prefer. Connect to irc.stratics.com port 6668 or whichever server is closest to you:

• stratics.frws.com port 6668, USA - Colorado
• irc.glowfish.de port 6668, EU - Germany
• irc.glowfish.de port 6668, EU - Germany
• irc.epaxsys.net port 6668, USA - Colorado

You may also connect through our handy Java link which may befound right here.

You must have Java installed to use this which can be downloaded from the Java Homepage.

General chat relating to EQII will take place before, during, and after the chat in room #everquest2. We hope to see you there!

• Best Persistent World: Seed
• Best Graphics: Aion
• Best Gameplay: Gods and Heroes
• Best Booth: Sony Online Entertainment
• Best Expansion: World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade
• Biggest Surprise: Hero's Journey
• Most Innovative: EVE Online
• Best Franchise: Lord of the Rings Online
• Best Original: Tabula Rasa
• Best Hardware: PhysX
• Best Development Tool: HeroEngine
• Best of Show: Vanguard: Saga of Heroes