By the year 29,475, the human race has achieved much technological advancement and has extended its reach far beyond Earth and the other planets of its home solar system. A huge number of worlds within the Milky Way have been located, explored and colonized, both for the simple purpose of discovery and also in search of resources to support continued progress and expansion. Among these is Rubi-Ka, a seemingly insignificant speck situated on a far frontier of the galaxy. However, because it is home to deposits of Notum, the rare and greatly coveted substance that is essential to nanotechnology, this remote globe is actually critical. For that reason, the massive and powerful Omni-Tek Corporation began terraforming operations thousands of years ago. However, many regions are arid and inhospitable regions, and even today, humans inhabit only a few limited areas. 

Omni-Tek's operations are centered around its stronghold of Omni-1, which is the world's major city, its capital and the primary point for the authorized Notum trade. In the outlying areas however, the corporation's regime is under constant challenge from rebel clans that have banded together in a somewhat loose alliance, and as a result, Rubi-Ka is ravaged unremittingly by the continuing conflict that plays out in Funcom's Anarchy Online. Earlier this year, the company announced an expansion, Shadowlands, and then a "booster pack" called The Notum Wars. Launched on November 29, the latter implements a major feature addition, a new type of gameplay built around a land control system that allows groups of players to claim existing areas, thereby gaining access to their deposits of Notum. We take a look to see how this has enhanced the game.

Anarchy Credits is a notable massively multiplayer online role-playing game that has been out for about a year and a half. Set in a futuristic science fiction atmosphere on the distant planet of Rubi-Ka, Funcom's game allows players to take sides in the battle over the planet and its valuable resource, Notum. For years, war has raged between Omni-Tek, which controls official trade in the precious substance, and the rebel clans that are upset with the corporate giant's treatment of the planet and its people. The recently released booster pack ups the ante in this clash, opening mining rights to private organizations and pushing the conflict over Notum even further.