Age of Conan - Letter from the Game Director

[woges]

Gaute Godager gives out some insite (http://community.ageofconan.com/wsp/conan/frontend.cgi?func=publish.show&template=content&func_id=2510&table=CONTENT) on the near future goals of AoC's development.
Fellow Hyborians!

As you may have noticed we have had frequent patches the last two weeks. We hope this will soon start to quiet down, but as long as there are major issues – and there have been – we will dedicate the Conan team to fixing them and giving you these fixes as soon as possible! We have a plan on how to move this game forward because as you know, what you have today is but the platform – the dawn of this world. I hope you enjoy the game as is, but I can ensure you, this is but the beginning!

Our focus from now on can be summarized by these points:

We will add content, specifically in mid-late thirties and mid-late fifties and make the leveling speed smoother in those areas, reducing the need to grind.
We will have an overhaul of the PvP system – adding consequence and a host of small things.
We are fixing bugs you reported through all channels we can get information from.
We will add a new large outdoor region in the 55-60 range this summer!
This is only a small taster! More information about the exciting summer and fall Roadmap will come the end of the next week!
We are staffing up Customer Service, Quality Assurance and Community departments!
More information. (http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/newsbit?newsbit=9207)

[elikal]

Lol, thats a diplomatic way to admit the game is totally borked.

[Prime Junta]

It's worse. This is almost as bad as Starforce. Or possibly even more serious.

[ http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=144497 ]

[Greymane]

Funcom has apologised for accidentally deflating the breasts of the female models in Age of Conan.

ROFL Ok, this seriously made me laugh!

[DArtagnan]

That letter is nice and all, but we already know that Gaute can make enough sweet promises to cure cancer.

What we DON'T know, is whether he's capable of keeping them.

[Maylander]

When models get resized in WoW (weapons and shields tend to be bugged every now and then), there's only a few mentioning it, but when the breasts get smaller on their characters in AoC - there's an uproar!

Something tells me we're not talking about female players here..

[zakhal]

When models get resized in WoW (weapons and shields tend to be bugged every now and then), there's only a few mentioning it, but when the breasts get smaller on their characters in AoC - there's an uproar!

Something tells me we're not talking about female players here..

The real uproar is in the lack of breast size adjusment in the character creation. Thread about this is allready building on the boards.

[woges]

As far as the Euro forums are concerned I tend to ignore most of it. I can stand only so much senseless whining before killing mode sets in. I never even noticed this tits thing but I am playing a male character.

[Ionstormsucks]

As far as the Euro forums are concerned I tend to ignore most of it.
Funcom does more or less the same...

[elikal]

It's worse. This is almost as bad as Starforce. Or possibly even more serious.

[ http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=144497 ]

LOL, the title is really great! "Age of Conan breasts to be re-inflated"! lol SO fitting. I love Eurogamers, they always make really tough reviews, now those "oh its all glitter and great" auto-praise mode reviews other sites have. Personally I feel 7/10 is still a bit too much, I'd rather give it 5 or 6 of 10, but I guess thats a matter of taste.

Thx for bringing this hilarious fact to us. Now where can we get our penis inflated? Oh wait, thats a built-in feature which just has to be triggered. =P

[woges]

Funcom does more or less the same...

Woe is me for Funcom does not listen.

[woges]

8/10 for Dungeon Runners and 5 or 6 for AoC sounds about right does it?

[DArtagnan]

8/10 for Dungeon Runners and 5 or 6 for AoC sounds about right does it?

AoC = 0 (it doesn't work).
Dungeon Runners = free.

If AoC gets fixed in a timely manner, then I think it'll rate a solid 7-8. If they manage to implement half of what they promised or lied about after that, it MIGHT even rate 8.5-9.

[woges]

So any free game should get an 8/10 score because it's free? Which DR's isn't if you want to use the higher quality items while a just released bugged game is rated 0 no matter what else it brings to the table? I don't share that logic really, sorry. I do feel that these sites have rushed out their review's and you should play the game through to check if things are in a state at higher levels before putting out a review.

[DArtagnan]

So any free game should get an 8/10 score because it's free? Which DR's isn't if you want to use the higher quality items while a just released bugged game is rated 0 no matter what else it brings to the table? I don't share that logic really, sorry. I do feel that these sites have rushed out their review's and you should play the game through to check if things are in a state at higher levels before putting out a review.

I don't think I said anything about a rating for DR.

I said it was free, so it doesn't really matter how good it is.

AoC isn't just bugged, it's non-functional in terms of being an MMO.

I'm not asking you to agree.

[Ionstormsucks]

5 or 6 sounds about right... well, in my own system anyway. I mean, bugs and the non-existing support aside... I was bored by AoC after the first 20 levels already. Guess it's a taste thing, maybe even a perspective thing, but whenever a new MMO hits the shelves I'm hoping for something better, and not just the same old stuff in a new package. But that's exactely what AoC is. Great graphics, without doubt, but apart from that AoC offers little innovation. If you start out playing AoC you'll soon realize that this is the MMO stone age again. I'm not saying that AoC itself is bad, there seem to be some people out there who like it, but it's a bit like playing a four year old beta of WoW.
Maybe it's just me, but I'm extremly tired of these MMOs where you basically just rush trough untill you're max level. While you're leveling you enjoy the sights of the game, how beautiful everything looks, etc., but somehow you already know that this is not a game you'll stick to in the long run.

And so I'll just keep on waiting for the next Everquest...

[zakhal]

I'm not saying that AoC itself is bad, there seem to be some people out there who like it, but it's a bit like playing a four year old beta of WoW.

Not bad - just unfinished. I got bored to wow in 3 weeks after playing it in polished state. Hopefully AoC will be better once they get it done. AoC is more akin to GW which Im still strongly hooked so perhaps theres a chance. Its a matter of taste after all.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm extremly tired of these MMOs where you basically just rush trough untill you're max level.

Thats exactly what aoc is not suppose to be. AoC quests are not run throughs like in wow and friends. The aoc quests have voiceovers (unfinished), thers a main story (unfinished), better quest descriptions and better quest quality in general.

Quality over quantity. I hate nothing more than endless amount of generic quests where you run max speed towards the arrow like a robot chicken doing meaningless tasks (gather this rock, kill that mouse, etc) for x hours to get y amount of xp/gold.

Som people have allready praised the quests even in their current state so I guess its true to som extent atleast. But most of the planned quests are still undone so I guess theres still lots of grinding involved if you go to the later levels.

After wow I almost gave up hope on mmogs but then I tried guild wars and Im still playing it. And its the quality of quests (combined into a main story) that keeps me int it. Hopefully that is the case with AoC too. Atleast with time.

[woges]

The DR thing was a reply to elikal's statement on Eurogamer's reviews. It was Eurogamer that gave DR 8/10.

[Ionstormsucks]

Not bad - just unfinished. I got bored to wow in 3 weeks after playing it in polished state. Hopefully AoC will be better once they get it done. AoC is more akin to GW which Im still strongly hooked so perhaps theres a chance. Its a matter of taste after all.

Ya, it's completely instanced - a thing, which I totally dislike because it removes the "massively" in MMO. But as I said, it's personal taste.


Thats exactly what aoc is not suppose to be. AoC quests are not run throughs like in wow and friends. The aoc quests have voiceovers (unfinished), thers a background story (unfinished), better quest descriptions and better quest quality in general.

Well, then you played another game than I did. The quests are of exactely the same sort. Go there and kill 10 of that, then go there and collect that, go there and deliver that... there are exceptions, like the destiny quest chain, but that's one quest chain. There are a couple of others as well, but you can find these in WoW too. I'm afraid to tell you that Lotro has a way higher diversity when it comes to quests than AoC.
The voiceovers are only on Tortage, as soon as you leave the island only the destiny quest chain has voiceovers, all other npcs won't even greet you with a "hello" or say "goodby". So far I haven't read anything about other quests getting voiceovers in the future, would be cool, but I believe it when I hear it.

The rushing in AoC is hard to avoid because you level so damn fast. There also isn't really much to explore so there is not much to do apart from leveling. But if you liked GW you might like AoC... it's just not my cup of tea, I guess


Som people have allready praised the quests even in their current state so I guess its true to som extent atleast. But most of the planned quests are still undone so I guess theres still lots of grinding involved if you go to the later levels.
Its the quality of quests that keeps me playing guild wars. Hopefully that is the case with AoC too.
People praise a lot of stuff, especially when it's new. AoC has probably the most fanatical fanbois I've ever seen, so I wouldn't give all too much on their talk.

[zakhal]

Ya, it's completely instanced - a thing, which I totally dislike because it removes the "massively" in MMO. But as I said, it's personal taste.

Yeah its all taste. I never even noticed the instancing in GW. And once I did I actually liked it. And therr are crowds of ppl in it during rush hours so thers somthing massive in it too.

Wow had less of instancing but somtimes it lagged so bad that the game disconnected. The lag killed the immersion (and the players who didnt roleplay => more players = less immersion).


Well, then you played another game than I did. The quests are of exactely the same sort. Go there and kill 10 of that, then go there and collect that, go there and deliver that... there are exceptions, like the destiny quest chain, but that's one quest chain. There are a couple of others as well, but you can find these in WoW too.

All rpgs have such quests more or less. The main difference is that i.e solo crpg have a mainstory that gives meaningful reasons for doing them. In GW the mainstory did that. In wow though I never quite understood why Im doing all these meaningless tasks - the game lacked a central story. I read all the quests text in wow but I couldnt get anything out of them.


People praise a lot of stuff, especially when it's new. AoC has probably the most fanatical fanbois I've ever seen, so I wouldn't give all too much on their talk.

Hers few comments from f13 (I would not call them as "fanbois")

Yes I like the quest text in Tortage too. However one of the things that bugs me about the game is that there's no faction/alignment system in the game (at least in the newbie zone which I'm still in) but the Tortage quests, if you do them all, are constantly bouncing between quests of "good" (e.g. the entire Resistance storyline) and "evil" (or at least amoral).

I didn't read 99% of the quest text until the noble district.

Once I got to the noble district, for whatever reason, I read all the quests. Now I read Every Single One of them.

**** did they write it well.

So you see som do like the tortage quests (and noble distcrict) so perhaps there is som potential. You dont seem to like them but as you said its a matter of taste. Perhaps you have played too much of other mmos or somthing and burned out. Each person can have a different view into the game.

[woges]

I'm not asking you to agree.

Don't worry I don't.

[Ionstormsucks]

So you see som do like the tortage quests (and noble distcrict) so perhaps there is som potential. You dont seem to like them but as you said its a matter of taste. Perhaps you have played too much of other mmos or somthing and burned out. Each person can have a different view into the game.
Ya, I think you're right that's part of the problem... I'm indeed burned out. I think I played more or less every major MMO that came out since Everquest, and somehow it just got worse and not better... well, not really worse, but you know what I mean. I never said that AoC hasn't a lot of potential, but I'm simply way beyond the point where I pay 50 bucks for potential and don't feel ripped off. I bet someone who has never played a MMO before (or has little played before) will be totally content with AoC, and maybe rightfully so. For me however it's simply not enough anymore. If I look back and see what great concepts were around eight years ago, I cannot but wonder why not a single company has put them into practice yet. Instead of becoming more like a real world, MMOs become less like a real world with every new MMO released. Things like dynamic content, that people were talking about at the time of Everquest and Asheron's Call, are totally off the table nowadays. This is really how I imagined the next true generation of MMOs to be. Instead we're getting half-finished worlds which, at the very core, are still 90% Everquest - the rest is WoW.

[wolfgrimdark]

One thing I have always pondered is what some folks are really looking for in an online game (MMORPG). I don't think AoC or any number of games are bad in and of themselves. Some just look for entertainment, some for peer recognition, some for excitement and others just for something to idle the time away.

But one thing I I have thought many have wanted is an escape. Even those people who know consciously that it is not possible. The world is a mess in many ways, as are many peoples lives, and I think a lot of people would love to be taken away - another universe, another reality, whatever - to live out another life, another existence, some fantasy.

Knowing this isn't possible they try to supplement this desire with getting into another world in other ways - books, movies, or an online game - which I think comes the closest to meeting this need in a way.

But it won't happen so as people burn through game after game looking for that one game that will immerse them so much they can meet that secret desire to escape - they get more bitter and frustrated with the games on the market.

Yet in many cases its not the game that is really at fault - its to much expectation. Life is what it is and there is no magic or gods or the supernatural or any other mystical escape. Using a game to try and fulfill this need is like quitting cigarettes - no matter what you do to substitute that craving nothing really meets the need like the actual nicotine. The only way to enjoy life without it is to just accept things as they are and move beyond it.

Course the game could just suck to I suppose ...although I am enjoying it. Regardless I am sure there are some people trying to use a game as an escape who just get frustrated and upset with it when it doesn't satisfy that craving.

[zahratustra]

Well said wolfgrimdark!

[DArtagnan]

I don't think it's a secret that we use games to escape.

Whether it's the primary reason or not, I'm not too sure. It very well could be.

But then again, I think much of what we do can be considered an escape, and I'm not entirely sure when we're REALLY living our lives. Maybe at work? I hope not. At home with the family/loved ones? That would be one way. But what if we like to play together? I guess that means we're escaping together, instead of really living by sitting around the house or taking a walk.

Anyway, I'd love to escape "life" with Age of Conan, at least for a few hours here and there. But that's not happening because the game is incredibly flawed in its current state. Does it have to do with expectations? Sure, I expect a game to work within reason and I expect that most of the vital features promised for launch will actually be there at launch.

Maybe it's all my fault, but I have to say I don't feel responsible. When I pay money for something, I kinda think it's ok to get what I paid for. Also, I think it's ok to get what I paid for NOW - and not 6 months from now.

Whether it's par for the course or not, it's never going to be something I will support or like. Maybe developers are all poor souls who're working around the clock, never making a mistake, and they're always doing the right thing by promising and not delivering, because they never have any way of knowing or even suspecting they won't make that deadline.

If that's the case, then I'll pay my dues down the road, but for now I'm going to expect what they promise, and when I don't get that, I'm going to respond in a negative fashion.

[zakhal]

Gotta watch for mounts in this game lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-rl3RPC_Mw

[wolfgrimdark]

From what I read today you can escape to about level 40 when the quests start to run out :-) I know i have been seeing complaints in game about that.

Still I like the game - but then its something new besides WoW after 3.5+ years so that in itself is nice. Plus I level very slowly. I think I am more interested in Warhammer and public quests .. but thats also down the road, as is WotLK.

As for escaping - I understand the idea of just escaping with family and friends but thats not what I I was really trying to convey. I meant actual escape in the sense of getting out of this world, this reality - not escaping from work stress by playing cards or watching a movie. More thinking if I could be that Orc or create the ideal me in Oblivion, or NWN2, or what have you.

For me its fun for a little while to do that but the reality is ... well its just a computer simulation :) But its still fun to daydream about.

[zahratustra]

From what I read today you can escape to about level 40 when the quests start to run out :-) I know i have been seeing complaints in game about that.

Well, that might not be a problem for me wolfgrimdark. I am not even planning to start the game until I will get me new comp (in about a month or so) and, by the time I reach level 40, hopefully more quests will be introduced.

[Maylander]

The real problem is 50-60 or so, but I don't think it's anything you have to worry about - as you said, they'll probably add more quests by the time you start playing.

I still know very little about the end game, but I am getting closer to it. The end game is far, far more important than levelling, so it will be interesting to see if AoC can keep people entertained at level 80.