Age of Conan discussion thread

[Bladerain]

So I started reading into this game because it's coming out soon... and it sounds pretty cool. The main reason it looks cool is because it is similar to mother fucking SHADOWBANE (the greatest PvP game ever, that failed miserably).

Anyone else interested in this game?

Cool features:
- Open PvP, anyone is attackable at any time.
- No auto-attack. All attacks are key presses with directional variation that you choose to avoid the defenses of your target's armor. You can actively dodge or parry too if you are good at reading your target's attack.
- Combos for melee combat, spell weaving for casters... melee combos give you fast attack sequences, spellweaving will let you cast multiple spells at the same time or combine spells for a more powerful effect
- Mounted combat and the fact that mounts have a use finally... you can smash defenses, people or mobs. Most mounts even have special mount moves.
- Players, along with the help of their guildmates, can build guild cities in Age of Conan (http://youtube.com/watch?v=Rlob6EPXZtE). There are 3 ranks of cities but they are not for pvp (Battlekeeps are the pvp version). Think a Lineage 1/2 castle during non-battle times with NPC's.
- Non-instanced Battlekeeps with 3 different time classifications.
- "Fatalities", yes you can do ending moves to people to execute them in graphic ways. (lots of decapitation)
- Good graphics (http://community.ageofconan.com/wsp/conan/frontend.cgi?func=publish.show&template=content&func_id=2196&table=CONTENT). Seriously, watch the high res video. You'll need a decent card to enjoy the Unreal engine, but even a 3 year old 7600 can get a good framerate. If you have an 8800 GTX then it looks amazing...
- PvE raids. Instanced 24 man wow style raiding, except the time goal is only 30min-1hour. The bosses employ interactive strategies like WoW as well, so it's not just 24 people attacking an elite mob.

Here's a great developer video (http://media.funcom.com/aoc/video/devdiaries/ACHA_DD5_720P.wmv) showing the combat system details.

I'm canceling my Warhammer pre-order because after reading through all the details, this game looks better in every way.

[Lanced21]

I know I will receive a lot of heat for saying this...but I think I will be getting this game for 360 instead of PC (or Mac, though my alienware still should handle this game)...the combos and spell weaving sound like it could be a lot more fun on a console then PC but I will agree, the game does look and sound awesome

[Bladerain]

I'm not really sure how a console would even handle the standard MMO. I played Morrowind on XBox but it had a simple UI (none). The combat system sounds console like, but the rest of the UI is a standard PC format. I think the game will work fine as console, but be limited compared to PC. You can always plug in a USB controller and map the combat keys.

The whole melee system sounds very interesting and interactive. I'm so tired of WoW's cooldown, auto-attack and afk combat system.

[Blanka]

quite frankly, i'm so tired of you.

[Muaddid]

graphics are pretty awsome, def going to have to keep an eye on it, the mature rating this game received would keep kidos away from the game too... interesting

[Pakka]

the mature rating this game received would keep kidos away from the game too... interesting

LOL Halo

[Ghstmarauder]

graphics are pretty awsome, def going to have to keep an eye on it, the mature rating this game received would keep kidos away from the game too... interesting

one could hope

[Escue]

is there an open beta?

[Handled]

Has been for a while pretty fun game, reminds me a lot of shadowbane.

[Keraira]

I'm probably gonna try it out... it sounds pretty cool

[Muaddid]

after reading more about it, damn im interested... siege pvp ? oh snap yes

problem is, not sure i really want to get myself involved into another MMO when one takes so much of my time already :P

[Ghstmarauder]

The beta signups are still there

[sachmo]

one could hope

not gonna happen.

Violence is ok here in the states, the more the merrier.
Sex is what people complain about but everyone still buys it. There might be a stink, but 10 year olds will get their hands on it anyway and giggle at whatever that nudity warning on the rating tag is there for.

[Bladerain]

after reading more about it, damn im interested... siege pvp ? oh snap yes

problem is, not sure i really want to get myself involved into another MMO when one takes so much of my time already :P
That's what I was thinking at first, but then started to think about it in a different way
AoC : WoW :: Methadone : Heroin

[Ghstmarauder]

not gonna happen.

Violence is ok here in the states, the more the merrier.
Sex is what people complain about but everyone still buys it. There might be a stink, but 10 year olds will get their hands on it anyway and giggle at whatever that nudity warning on the rating tag is there for.

Its more on this for the decapitations and other bloody things happening in the games, granted i'm sure an M rating won't stop kids as they get past the credit card barrier pretty easily anyways.

[Ghstmarauder]

Watched an HD Video of the Combat system, the game looks awesome and the fighting is something I haven't seen. The NPCs changing their defenses around to follow your fighting style is pretty cool, can't decide between this or WAR.

[Bladerain]

nice, got into the fileplanet open beta.

[Ghstmarauder]

Lucky, I don't have a paid account on fileplanet (i'm cheap). How is it?

[Bladerain]

I don't have a paid account either. it was open for a night, but getting the file has been a major pain... 12.5 gigs and FilePlanet has dropped 2 connections.

EDIT: The whole process of getting ready to play takes forever... 2 day download, 1 hour install, 30 minutes of patches.

[Ghstmarauder]

Aww shit really?

[Ghstmarauder]

damn they aren't giving out any more codes.

[Bladerain]

I found the tutorial video for the AoC combat system and it explains alot: DL here (http://gimpedguild.org/files/ACHA_tutorial_COMBAT_720P.wmv) (don't spread the link, it's hosted here)

Some pics I took last night too. I marked low/medium graphic settings because after I realized my comp could run it fine in most areas on high, I felt bad about posting low ones:

Cool character selection screen (medium):
http://gimpedguild.org/forum/imagehosting/1482273c9d9ea1.png

Starting Jungle (low):
http://gimpedguild.org/forum/imagehosting/1482273532bb85.png

The lowbie town (low):
http://gimpedguild.org/forum/imagehosting/14822735388111.png

The town is actually damn cool and very large (low).
http://gimpedguild.org/forum/imagehosting/148227353e1a5f.png

Turned on medium graphics:
http://gimpedguild.org/forum/imagehosting/1482273ca40167.png

The town's harbor (medium)
http://gimpedguild.org/forum/imagehosting/1482274c57fb68.png

Jungle with medium/high settings (assassins rape face so far):
http://gimpedguild.org/forum/imagehosting/14822746641b97.png

Combat pics (medium/high):
http://gimpedguild.org/forum/imagehosting/148227466995a6.png
http://gimpedguild.org/forum/imagehosting/148227466f2b0d.png

An island full of quests that you take a boat to:
http://gimpedguild.org/forum/imagehosting/1482274c526219.png

[Keraira]

Looks pretty cool, i just hope the armor later in the game looks as cool as (some of) the sets in WoW, obv those are low level armor so I wont complain about that, but are there any ss's of the higher level armor? Doesnt neccesarily need to be a "set" and definately not in the vein of wow(since wow's sets are very -out there- type armor) but I really enjoy making my character look cool as much as I like making it powerful

[Bladerain]

There are no high lvl set images out yet, but they take a different approach to items. There are thousands of sets, as in gear that matches but does not have set bonuses. You will also find several different looking items with the same stats, so you can choose your style without having the WoW leveling "clownsuit" look.

This may only be at a low level, but I think I remember reading that they are trying to stay with game's style on all armor that is created and will not randomly look ridiculous. I'm sure there will be some cool armor later in the game though.

[Telion]

There are no high lvl set images out yet, but they take a different approach to items. There are thousands of sets, as in gear that matches but does not have set bonuses. You will also find several different looking items with the same stats, so you can choose your style without having the WoW leveling "clownsuit" look.

This may only be at a low level, but I think I remember reading that they are trying to stay with game's style on all armor that is created and will not randomly look ridiculous. I'm sure there will be some cool armor later in the game though.

should play less AoC and update my attendance IMO

:)

[Muaddid]

hmmm looking great
think ill have to grab it

[sachmo]

the instanced world sounds like a downer... I hated the way guild wars worked.

[Shari]

If my computer could run it, it might be an option, but then again, it's nearly the exact same UI layout as WoW+Hellgate. And in a few cases, worse graphical images put onto the screen.

[Bladerain]

the instanced world sounds like a downer... I hated the way guild wars worked.
The world isn't instanced. There are instanced parts of the game though. For example, in the city (multiplayer), you use all the normal NPCs and talk to other players. However, you start main storyline quests that you do at night (single player) and they have you follow people around or fight guards. Stuff that lets you have cinematic interaction and scripted events. I really like this because you end up following a storyline/plot closer. When you're done, dawn breaks and you're back in the normal town or outside with everyone else.

Most of the instanced stuff is for "tutorial" parts or important storyline quests like I mentioned. Then there are instanced group and raid zones of course. The rest of the normal game is all normal multiplayer.

If my computer could run it, it might be an option, but then again, it's nearly the exact same UI layout as WoW+Hellgate. And in a few cases, worse graphical images put onto the screen.
Yeah, the UI is pretty basic. It has alot of the WoW features and performs pretty well though. Things like custom bars, extra elements, quest tracking (NPC and objective), USEFUL group/guild/raid finder, moving/hiding stuff and chat options made it in. I hope they allow customized UI's though.

Outside of the UI, as in the game graphics... they are beyond any game out there. Running it on high looks so good, I sometimes catch myself just wandering around the jungle zooming in on scenery. I was also very surprised to find out that the engine scales pretty well. I can run medium settings just fine on my laptop and it performs better than WoW in most places.

[zol]

wish had a beta account

[Bladerain]

wish had a beta account
it comes out in a week, ill post my 5 guest passes for guild members if anyone is interested. Pretty sure its the same thing as the WoW trial accounts.

[zol]

yea I know had it preordered for awhile, just would like to get more playtime in before goes live so know whats going on better then the few minutes had on and off on other peoples beta account

[mer]

ill take one blade if you dont mind

[Bladerain]

if you have any questions about the game ill try to answer them, or provide screenshots. I wasn't in the closed beta however, so I only know classes to lvl 13 (about 2 days worth). The people in the closed beta got to level higher and see the classes develop in PvP. There are battlegrounds, arena and sieges that are not accessible in the open beta.

[Escue]

i'd try out one of the guest passes. where can we DL the client?

[Bladerain]

I think the retail client will be different than the beta client, so it won't patch. They just turned everyone lvl 20 and enabled the FFA PvP.... Everywhere is a warzone. PvP is pretty cool with all the special moves, stances and knockbacks. I grouped for a bit and the mechanics are really different than WoW. The heals are directional, so everyone has to move to get certain effects or not get blasted.
http://gimpedguild.org/forum/imagehosting/14825b73d8db59.png

This city that we got warped to is massive and I am completely lost. The only mobs I could find were some resistance group that took over part of the city... and they were level 40 so I got reamed.
http://gimpedguild.org/forum/imagehosting/14825b73deb32a.png

[Bladerain]

Apparently the people in the closed beta got a "miracle patch" that removed about 90% of the game problems. 30 fps and 3 minute load times were changed to 60 fps and 5 sec loads.... pretty impressive.

[zol]

Apparently the people in the closed beta got a "miracle patch" that removed about 90% of the game problems. 30 fps and 3 minute load times were changed to 60 fps and 5 sec loads.... pretty impressive.

Same patch was in the open beta far as I know, ridiculous difference on my shitty comp from early Friday to now.

[Bladerain]

Ok, my bad. Only the CE buyers get 5 guest passes. Here is the link for the early start client download:

http://funcom.cachefly.net/AoC-US-EarlyAccess.exe

[Bladerain]

wow, early access sold out (http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=93023)

I know it's only 3 days before the early start but I didn't expect that. Also, If you downloaded the client already, there is a 719 MB patch available.

[Ghstmarauder]

Yeah thats how it goes.

[Muaddid]

grief, already busted my download cap for the month with the movies i downloaded last week... oh well :P

this installing is pretty time taking heh

[Bladerain]

US Servers (Early Access 17th of May)

PvE Servers
Set
Dagoth
Zug
Omm
Derketo
Thog
Wiccana
Gwahlur (recommended Oceanic)
Anu
PvP Servers

Tyranny
Bane
Deathwhisper
Bloodspire (recommended Oceanic)
Doomsayer
RP-PvP Server

Cimmeria
So who's going where? I'm leaning to Bane.

[Dragooner]

think zol said deathwhisper

guess thats where i'll be going

[Muaddid]

think zol said deathwhisper

guess thats where i'll be going

pretty much

[Bladerain]

does anyone know when the early start will actually go online. It's the 17th, but I'm wondering if that is 12 at night on Friday or later in the morning.

[Bromios]

How could you NOT play on a realm called Tyranny.

[zol]

does anyone know when the early start will actually go online. It's the 17th, but I'm wondering if that is 12 at night on Friday or later in the morning.

I heard it was at 5pm GMT on sat so like noon eastern I guess? Not the most reliable source but only thing I have heard.

[Muaddid]

I heard it was at 5pm GMT on sat so like noon eastern I guess? Not the most reliable source but only thing I have heard.

thats exactly what i read too

[Bladerain]

Another client patch, get it before the rush.

[Bladerain]

Anyone else waiting at the "Downloading patch information" screen?

[zol]

yea been there all morning

[Muaddid]

some grief !

[Muaddid]

just went thru, downloading a 18+13.2+2.2mb patch right now

edit : shame the authentication server is still down

[Bladerain]

grief, auth server isnt up yet

[Muaddid]

omg its 12:04 they're late !

:cry:

[zol]

1pm est =5gmt apparently

blame daylight savings time

[Muaddid]

/facepalm

doh

[Mischef]

hey how long (game time wise) are the buddy keys that are included with the game? 1 week?

[Bladerain]

new update message on the launcher. Servers opening at 8 GMT.. in 3 hours

[Bladerain]

lol, they just announced a new server type

As part of celebrating the release of Age of Conan we are happy to unravel a brand new PvP ruleset that has not previously been disclosed: The Culture PvP ruleset! Note that this new PvP server type is experimental and players on these servers must expect an ongoing change to the ruleset.

The goal of this PvP server-type is to stimulate war behind the three cultures of Cimmeria, Aquilonia and Stygia. As a player on a Culture PvP server, you are shielded from lone travelers of your own culture, however you may still group with any culture and form a group and attack anyone.

The Culture PvP ruleset is an evolving ruleset that will be tweaked and polished based on player-feedback in the months to come. Although it is, at least currently, possible to make guilds across cultures, pure culture groups and guilds will be endorsed on this server, and as such players on the Culture PvP servers must prepare that the future will hold continued changes to the ruleset.

We have changed to ruleset on two servers that were previously flagged as full PvP. The homes for the Culture PvP servers are:


Bane (US)
Twilight (EU)

With best regards,

Funcom

yes, how very original... useless

[Mischef]

heh.... only played a little of the beta but only Stygians could be mages (and Stygians could not be warriors)... Good luck balancing that in PvE/PvP

[Bladerain]

If anyone is interested, I made a separate discussion area for AoC. Please visit: aoc.gimpedguild.org (http://gimpedguild.org/forum/aoc.gimpedguild.org) for a general forum, trading/crafting forum and individual class forums. It's not linked to this forum, so you'd have to register, but it's not going to muck around with extra rules or email confirmation.

[Muaddid]

should have just made another section of theses forums being for AoC imo
less hassle !

[Bladerain]

I thought about it, but didn't want to grief the WoW scene by pushing another game. Plus, vBulletin is a pain in the ass to set up.

[Snorgul]

is there some sort of trial code i can get from anyone?

[Ghstmarauder]

is there some sort of trial code i can get from anyone?

ditto

[Muaddid]

the buddy invite pass are not valid yet, they want to let paying customers get in and establish themself without grief before loading the servers more

[Fleshless]

Hi guys.just went here to make sure i will go to the same server as you all.
Zol what is the name of your char in game on aoc?
what classes did you guys alredy made? i was thinking about doing a necromancer.
Any tips?

[Snorgul]

so where is everyone? I broke down and bought a copy, i'm on deathwhisper

[Mandos]

Hi guys.just went here to make sure i will go to the same server as you all.
Zol what is the name of your char in game on aoc?
what classes did you guys alredy made? i was thinking about doing a necromancer.
Any tips?

Think Zol's character name is Zhakar. He doesn't seem to be trolling the forums as much these days.

[Ghstmarauder]

so where is everyone? I broke down and bought a copy, i'm on deathwhisper

damnit snorgul!, bah I can't say much because I started playing Planetside again, but at least the game is completely PvP.

[Escue]

i played that, i was the purple guys. used the magmower and lasher

[Dragooner]

zol's too busy being level 80 and abandoning our guild to find a new one with volk

[zol]

been more into staring at walls past two or three days not feeling like doing anything sadly

[Dragooner]

could finish getting gladiator

[Bladerain]

i finally found some useful information about this game:
http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=15713

[Muaddid]

looking foward this
http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=49917

[Bladerain]

people are starting to mod the interface now too. my UI now looks alot more like WoW.

Example from the forums:
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/9823/gui2pf4.jpg

[mass]

I didnt read the entire thread... is this game shitty? I hear fairly mixed reviews. I figured it'd be shit automatically since Funcom made it.

[Handled]

I heard it's pretty broken right now stats not working properly things of that nature.

[Muaddid]

str and dext havent been working but they're getting fixed with monday's patch

[Bladerain]

I would say that right now it's still in development. It's "ok" right now, but there are tons of bugs and several game mechanics are broken or annoying. I'm guessing that it won't be for another 4 months before it's a really good game. Everything is in place, they just need to make is better.

I still play it a little every day and it's entertaining.

[Escue]

don't forget you need to come back for a muru and KJ kill to make movies!

[Muaddid]

i woudlnt say 4months, working on our guild city atm, some pretty intense numbers required but we'll hit tier 3 city soon and then we can conquer a battlekeep and start sieges
theres balance issues (like every mmo at its start) but its coming along nicely

[Bladerain]

When did you get 80 and in a guild with a city? Can I get an invite, our starter guild is a ghost town.


don't forget you need to come back for a muru and KJ kill to make movies!
I'd like to, but it's damn hard to get a 4 hour block of time at 6:30 these days.

[Muaddid]

i hit 80 saturday, im now in Darkhand (http://www.the-darkhand.com/) since thursday. Solid guild with quite a few 80 so we can actualy do lvl 80 stuff :)

[Bladerain]

So what is the lvl 80 scene like? I heard the raiding content was beyond fucked. Does your gear still remind you of level 10?

[Muaddid]

I'll post a screenshot once the sun comes up so you can see something, im definitly starting to be more "colorfull" lol

as for raiding i havent done any yet, from what i've read, yes some are bugged but some are working fine too which we'll be hitting next week