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Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures: The Road to Most Improved: Jan - Mar
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
MMORPG.com Age of Conan Reporter John Humphrey writes this multi-part article detailing Age of Conan's 2009 progress toward being named MMORPG.com's Most Improved MMO. In today's addition, he discusses changes and events for the game from January to March.
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Part of Age of Conan’s recovery involved server merges, and there was much controversy as a result of it. On January 9, 2009, FunCom merged their host down to eight North American Servers and twelve European servers of various languages from the 49 originally populated servers. In truth, this event was inevitable. FunCom had set up a substantial number of servers believing that their game would rival WoW. When the dust settled in 2008 and 1.2 million boxes sold turned into 400,000 (or less) subscriptions, it turned out to be a business decision to maintain the game by reducing the maintenance on servers and the number of support personnel needed for technology and customer service, not to mention having players on the same servers.
The publicity surrounding this act was a two-edged sword. While many players now found a lot of new players to associate with, other veterans lost favorite player names and guild names, and the healthy RPG servers had to adjust to a large number on non-RP gamers being thrust into their previously large and happy populations. Opponents of Age of Conan had a field day, announcing that this event signaled the demise of the game, and it was only a matter of time before the plug was pulled on the remaining servers. Looking at this event a year later, I can say that though unwelcome by some players, the merges did more good than harm, and healthier populations can be found on each remaining server, evidence that the game is not yet dead.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
Nice article. It really points out alot of the changes made to the game since it's release...The new update is going to bring pretty big changes to the game as well, including the guild overhaul.
Looking forward to this.Hopeing AoC contiues improving an growing .
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing." Robert E. Howard, The Tower of the Elephant (1933)
Soooo...
There is a HUGE public opinion amongst MMO gamers that tells you to "STAY AWAY" - from this title and every MMO title that Funcom touches.
Now... Let me tell you few things that have not improved and will not improve in the coming "expansion" (payed for patch with 1-2 zones added at release and 1-2 dungeons and 2 new mounths = same as most MMOs release now for free).
THey are NOT changing the basic flaw of the entire game. The fact that the entire gaming story is built around the fact that you were left stranded on an Island like EVERY other person playing that game. And your alts... and your PVP oponents.. and your friends...
Yes ... ALL go throught the same nighmare of a starting story that is then involved EXACTLY the same (no branches for 80 lvls) to the end. This is what FUncom calls MMO settings. The rest of the MMO genre actually sees how naive this is... how TERRIBLE job was done in the entire making of the game (is really just a single player storyline) and since the starting zone cost millions to create - their "expansion" is not changing this at all.
This is all I have to say about AOC at this point. You can fix everything you like - but the game had fundemental flaws in ALL departments at the start. And it still has. Even 50 articles on how it has improved will not change that.
[Mod Edit]
I'm sorry, was WoW also chosen as "Most Improved Game of 2009"? No? Then why would their be an article on WoW?
They are showing WHY they chose AoC as "Most Improved Game", more than likely to appease the countless whines of "Why did you choose AoC over X?".
I find it amusing that the scrubs who always come out accusing mmorpg.com of only picking a game because of advertising money still come here instead of one of these obviously better sites that are just so full of journalistic integrity compared to mmorpg.com ( lol if you can name one, I'll be amazed and if you say Massively or TenTonHammer, I'll laugh my ass off ). If the place is so horrible, why come at all? Oh, yeah. Gottta have somewhere to bitch, moan, and groan.
I'm sorry, was WoW also chosen as "Most Improved Game of 2009"? No? Then why would their be an article on WoW?
They are showing WHY they chose AoC as "Most Improved Game", more than likely to appease the countless whines of "Why did you choose AoC over X?".
I find it amusing that the scrubs who always come out accusing mmorpg.com of only picking a game because of advertising money still come here instead of one of these obviously better sites that are just so full of journalistic integrity compared to mmorpg.com ( lol if you can name one, I'll be amazed and if you say Massively or TenTonHammer, I'll laugh my ass off ). If the place is so horrible, why come at all? Oh, yeah. Gottta have somewhere to bitch, moan, and groan.
No - why I come here is to point out that just like in Massively and TenTonHammer - things are not based on facts. The fact that MMORPG.COM is run by adds that are very much sponsored by certain companies should be pointed out to everyone that thinks - OH this must be a great game cause a "gamer site" is picking it.
TTH actually woted Runes of Magic in pretty much every department as their "game of the year". Considering that ROM was a new release in 2009 and ALSO added 2 new races - LVL cap - new starting zones and end zones and ALL for free!.. YOu must start to wonder if we should listen to the gamers.... or the "experts" that are beeing payed for their opinions.
And btw - just to point one thing that shows you how rosie this Article is.
"Full implementation of DirectX 10 went live the last week of March 2009." This is a LIE! DX 10 is STILL in Beta and is NOT fully implemented. I will take this point to the headquarters of MMORPG.COM and point out that an author that is writing in their name is actually LYING.
DirectX 11 is in Windows 7:
http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/aboutGFW/pages/directx.aspx
DirectX® 11, the next generation of graphics technology, arrives with Windows 7. This is great news for players as many of the newest Windows games will take full advantage of this technology to create more immersive and detailed worlds and experiences. Game developers will utilize new features to create rich worlds, realistic characters, and more fluid gameplay.
DirectX 11 features include:
Tessellation – Tessellation is implemented on the GPU to calculate a smoother curved surface resulting in more graphically detailed images, including more lifelike characters in the gaming worlds that you explore.
Multi-Threading – The ability to scale across multi-core CPUs will enable developers to take greater advantage of the power within multi-core CPUs. This results in faster framerates for games, while still supporting the increased visual detailing.
DirectCompute – Developers can utilize the power of discrete graphics cards to accelerate both gaming and non-gaming applications. This improves graphics, while also enabling players to accelerate everyday tasks, like video editing, on their Windows 7 PC.
While Windows 7 is fully compatible with games and hardware that use older versions of DirectX, the new DirectX 11 features are available with a DirectX 11 compatible graphics card and games designed to take advantage of this new technology.
DirectX 11 is in Windows 7:
http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/aboutGFW/pages/directx.aspx
DirectX® 11, the next generation of graphics technology, arrives with Windows 7. This is great news for players as many of the newest Windows games will take full advantage of this technology to create more immersive and detailed worlds and experiences. Game developers will utilize new features to create rich worlds, realistic characters, and more fluid gameplay.
DirectX 11 features include:
Tessellation – Tessellation is implemented on the GPU to calculate a smoother curved surface resulting in more graphically detailed images, including more lifelike characters in the gaming worlds that you explore.
Multi-Threading – The ability to scale across multi-core CPUs will enable developers to take greater advantage of the power within multi-core CPUs. This results in faster framerates for games, while still supporting the increased visual detailing.
DirectCompute – Developers can utilize the power of discrete graphics cards to accelerate both gaming and non-gaming applications. This improves graphics, while also enabling players to accelerate everyday tasks, like video editing, on their Windows 7 PC.
While Windows 7 is fully compatible with games and hardware that use older versions of DirectX, the new DirectX 11 features are available with a DirectX 11 compatible graphics card and games designed to take advantage of this new technology.
What exactly are you trying to show, Thorgrimm? He was referring to DX10 in AoC, not saying DX10 was not in Windows.
And he is correct that it is a test version of DX10 that is still not optimized fully with AoC and that Funcom has never said DX10 was implemented, only the test version. Although I doubt the author of the article was outright lying as Frobner acccuses him of, more than likely he just didn't notice the "TEST" part of the DX10 description when playing.
GameSpot- July 2009
"In addition to new content areas already added, the team is now simultaneously working toward full implementation of DirectX 10 support, toward the game's next update House of Crom, and on a full retail expansion pack, which will be revealed in August. DirectX 10 support is currently in a beta state and a portion of the game's active players are already using and testing the game, but Funcom is continuing to test the game and accept player feedback--according to Morrison, the inability to have broader testing among a range of systems to make sure DX 10 works OK is what has delayed the full implementation. However, Morrison suggests that the team is "getting close" and hopes to have full DX 10 support in the game in the next month or two."
Eurogamer - April 2, 2009
"In the last few days, Funcom has even managed to put to rest one of the biggest criticisms levelled at the game, the lack of the heralded DirectX 10 support. It has finally rolled out, albeit in a "test" form which needs to be switched on by the user. It's not perfect, but it does look pretty - the most notable changes are to foliage in the game, with trees and lush grass swaying gently in the wind, but other additions like "god rays" (sunbeams piercing the clouds) and enhanced underwater lighting are also very nice to look at."
Craig Morrison - January 2009
"Last, but by no means least, the Direct X10 version is also starting to shape up nicely. While we aren’t going to allow it hold back the deployment of the rest of the update we are hard at work ensuring that we concentrate on optimizing the DX10 features and making sure it’s ready to launch as soon as possible. A huge thanks to everyone who has given us excellent feedback from the test server, it really does make this stage of the process much easier."
Craig Morrison - November 2008
"We are now preparing to take the DirectX 10 version of the game from our internal testing servers out to the public test servers, so you can see it for yourselves. The next major game update will include this version of the game and make it available for everyone with the appropriate hardware to enjoy. Since the outset we have been determined that the new DirectX 10 functionality would not just be a ‘gimmick’ addition to the game and would add visual quality to the game, we feel that the version we are preparing now for testing does achieve this and in a way that will find the right balance between visuals and performance. We have also gone to great lengths to try and make virtually all the DirectX10 features customizable so that you can find the right balance between features for the performance level of your hardware. What we did not want to do was push this version out too early and not see the real added benefits this technology can bring. I am really looking forward to players getting to experience some of the new visual improvements that this new technology allows. It really brings an even further splendor to the game world."
I am the author of the article, so I am setting the record straight above. The "official" report is that the Direct X 10 is deployed in a "Test" form, but it is still deployed. I went back to my AoC Client Config, Video Options, tonight, and the Video Settings still say "DirectX 10 Test". So my statement was incorrect. It was not a LIE. I gathered material from various sources and, in summarizing the information, I misquoted. Some of the material that I reviewed simply said it was finished or delivered. This is what I remembered. Age of Conan was the first MMO to deploy DirectX 10. As stated in July 2009, the only reason it was not listed at "fully deployed" was "the inability to have broader testing among a range of systems to make sure DX 10 works OK is what has delayed the full implementation". Other companies have since deployed their versions of DirectX 10 in their MMOs, and I think we can all agree that none of the others are near as "pretty" as Age of Conan is in its "test state". I have 39 different games on my rig that I have played or tested in the last fifteen months, and Age of Conan is the best looking of all of them. Funcom could not guarantee performance across all platforms that it would work correctly, and in honesty, they listed it as "test" to clarify this. Funcom wanted to err on the side of caution. They could have released it as is, and no one really would have known the difference. In the long run, it always boils down to how a user configures their own system and which software and patches they load for their choice of OS. A developer cannot guarantee what patches and updates for DirectX are on every machine that installs their client. Other companies pushed out what they had and claimed they were finished. I have been using DirectX 10 since April 2009, and there is a huge difference in the performance between DirectX 9 and 10. I have not had a crash attributed to the implementation of DirectX 10. It works for me, and I run it all the time...
Oh, that explains alot... So can you tell us why AoC won this when very little new content and improvements was made during 2009 compared to alot of other MMOs? Funcom and thier advocates are great at marketing so I guess thats the how they won.
Thorgrimm said:
"Age of Conan was the first MMO to deploy DirectX 10. "
Eh Lotro had dx10 6 months before the AoC launch. DDO also had dx10 before AoC did.
If WoW = The Beatles
and WAR = Led Zeppelin
Then LotrO = Pink Floyd
Oh, that explains alot... So can you tell us why AoC won this when very little new content and improvements was made during 2009 compared to alot of other MMOs? Funcom and thier advocates are great at marketing so I guess thats the how they won.
Thorgrimm said:
"Age of Conan was the first MMO to deploy DirectX 10. "
Eh Lotro had dx10 6 months before the AoC launch. DDO also had dx10 before AoC did.
Technically you're right DDO and LOTRO both had DX10 before AoC. However their Implementation of it was pretty much 'wank' at best. AoC is the only one to use it to great effect, adding many extra features.
THE SECRET WORLD - PAY ONCE PLAY FOREVER - Give it a go!
http://www.thesecretworld.com/buy/
OR PM ME FOR A BUDDY KEY (need your email address).
Right so you think the bbigest problem with AoC is the same start area of the game for each toon you build? WHAT? Nearly every mmo has that function. I know WOW doesn't as I am sure you are about to bring that up... This shows you know zero about AoC (and mmo's in general I suspecT) as the biggest problem with AoC is the lack of PvP content (which is about to start getting addressed.)
AoC truely has improved greatly and justly deverves this award.
THE SECRET WORLD - PAY ONCE PLAY FOREVER - Give it a go!
http://www.thesecretworld.com/buy/
OR PM ME FOR A BUDDY KEY (need your email address).
Thank you Torgrimm for clearing things up on the DX 10 still beeing in test but not officially launched. I hope you will change that part in the article asap. As a reporter you have an obligation to bring out true statements.
I have sent an Email to MMORPG.COM regarding this article and pointed out that in its current state its not a report - but a promotion on an MMO game. There is no reason for a gaming site like MMORPG.COM to not stick to facts in their writings - and I hope my points will be taken under consideration when it comes to future reports.
Like I said in the Email - DX10 is a huge issue when it comes to AOC. It was a feature that was big part of the orginal promotional campaign. In the end the game did not lauch with this feature - even when a statement on the retail box claimed so. So for a gaming site to bring out false statements regarding this feature in the current state of the game is not wise. Specially considering that the author is obviously very well informed about the earlier history of DX10 in AOC.
As for if DX10 was first in this MMO or that MMO. I do not care. This is about reporting facts - not stating opinions.
I am a big fan of the dx10 test settings. If i see AoC bring in a dx11 test i'll take the plunge and upgrade. (though i am always afraid of upgrading windows.....)
So you wanted Funcom to come up with several different starting and endings? They did have a limited budget, so give them some money for the programming......LMAO I thought it was a great way to start the game. The beginning AOC story is so much better than most of the games out there! The above post is being stupidly nick-picking.
(AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH raises plunger in salute to main article!)
All my opinions are just that..opinions. If you like my opinions..coolness.If you dont like my opinion....I really dont care.
Playing: ESO, WOT, Smite, and Marvel Heroes
Good Article OP! Its great to see the resurgance and how it happened!
(AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..bom bom...bom bomm.....raises double plunger salute to Op!)
All my opinions are just that..opinions. If you like my opinions..coolness.If you dont like my opinion....I really dont care.
Playing: ESO, WOT, Smite, and Marvel Heroes
Nearly every MMO does not have the entire population of a MMO game go through the same Single person story line. This has nothing to do with just one starting zone. It has to do with the fact that every single character that is played in AOC is going down the exaclty same path. The person next to you also stranded in exactly the same spot and is talking to the exact same person to do exactly this. NO other MMO has so naive storyline. None!
And agian - this has NOTHING to do with one starting area. Even Warhammer online has now turned their game into just one starting area. But there the STORY starts with you as a soldier of either Order or Chaos going into war and from there your are free to do EXACTLY what you want as part of that story.
There is a huge diffrence. Something that I find not acceptable when it comes to AOC. You are welcome to spit on me all you like and claim I talking nonsense. That does not change my opinion nor does it make it any less of an opinion.
Is that an article or advertisment?
Let's play Fallen Earth (blind, 300 episodes)
Let's play Guild Wars 2 (blind, 45 episodes)
My thoughts exactly. It's commonly understood that this is isn't a very fun game. It's not something that minor improvements are going to fix. It's the core gameplay. I'm not talking out of my ass obviously, as (literally) the majority of those who played at launch and shortly thereafter quit and haven't started playing again despite multiple offers of free game-time.
That being said, I don't hate Funcom. I
AO
My thoughts exactly. It's commonly understood that this is isn't a very fun game. It's not something that minor improvements are going to fix. It's the core gameplay. I'm not talking out of my ass obviously, as (literally) the majority of those who played at launch and shortly thereafter quit and haven't started playing again despite multiple offers of free game-time.
That being said, I don't hate Funcom. I
AO
The game has improved dramatically and alot of people have come back to the game. Im one of those. You should get the info from people who actually playing the game and not some "commonly" opinion. Yes there are some bugs still but core gameplay is far better and alot more fun than most games out there! B4 you mimick someone elses opinion check out yourself 1st hand.
(AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH Conan and the Raving Rabbid fight a resurrected Thoth Amon with Pliungers!)
All my opinions are just that..opinions. If you like my opinions..coolness.If you dont like my opinion....I really dont care.
Playing: ESO, WOT, Smite, and Marvel Heroes
I have submitted a correction as requested. I do respect the truth, and I try to do justice my my writing.
Yes, I followed up on the correction to my other comment, as well. Yes, LoTR and DDO did come before Age of Conan. I was wrong on that fact too. Of course, I also discovered that LoTR and DDO are both the same core engine, and all of the info that I have been able to find so far is that they are both "Test" just like Age of Conan. The DirectX 10 in LoTR was labeled as "Beta" and was never changed or published as completed, just like the current status of DX10 in AoC. LoTR has also had a steady stream of corrections over the last two years, including some features completely disabled, with no word on reactivation. LoTR does look a lot better than DDO in quality, so I was a little surprised to find out they were the same engine. I am still trying to learn more. As you say the facts are what we are really looking for...
Well, if every game had the exact same beginning, life really would be boring. This beginning fits in with the Destiny Quest storyline. It is a good plot hook to get the story moving.
Let's look at it from a different angle. For those that played through the Destiny Quest, we know that agents of Thoth-Amon were gathering hundreds (or thousands) of slaves as an Army to sweep across Hyboria. A serious storm (Hurricane or Typhoon or magic) sunk the player's ship, or could it have been a fleet of ships? Now, how many slaves are required to man the oars on a bireme, trireme, or quadreme? It could have been hundreds of slaves that washed up on shore. If we stretch our imagination, we can come up with our own stories under roleplay, just like any other game. Likewise, it was an Intro area, after all, designed to showcase the strongest features, a great story, full dialogue, many of the mechanics to be found in game, and, most of all, teach the plaeyrs how to use the system. If a player concentrates on the Night Missions, a veteran can blow through it pretty quick. I have 9 toons, and, with the Veteran Double XP potion (benefits hunting, not quests), I can blow through the first 12-16 levels in a night concentrating on Nighttime missions.
There are actually four different tracks of Night-time Destiny Quests, one for each of the core classes: Warrior, Priest, Rogue, and Mage. The day quests stay pretty much the same, but a player can have four different experiences, if they follow the plot and storyline.
Nice reminder of the changes during this period. It is a good refresher for those looking in to the game to scope some background.
About the DX 10 thing, Age of Conan was the first mmorpg to annouce it, but not the first to implement it.
There was a reason behind this, the implementation of the test version contains more DX10 tangible feature settings than any other mmorpg and most games labelled DX10 ~ that goes for HAWX and Crysis.
Turbine recently announced that they will partner with ATI in delivering DX11 update to LotRO and DDO at somepoint in the future.
Funcom are currently not persuing a DX11 update for AoC at this time due to further work on DX10 in addition to the Rise of the Godslayer Expansion. So with the annoucement by Turbine for DX 11 after major work with LotRO (just completed Xpac) and DDO (just going F2P and content work) it makes sense for them to procede here in this area where as Funcom have other things going on.
Looking forward to the rest of the series detailing further info on the Xpac, the conventions attended, the winback programs and finishing up update 1.05.
Well, if every game had the exact same beginning, life really would be boring. This beginning fits in with the Destiny Quest storyline. It is a good plot hook to get the story moving.
Let's look at it from a different angle. For those that played through the Destiny Quest, we know that agents of Thoth-Amon were gathering hundreds (or thousands) of slaves as an Army to sweep across Hyboria. A serious storm (Hurricane or Typhoon or magic) sunk the player's ship, or could it have been a fleet of ships? Now, how many slaves are required to man the oars on a bireme, trireme, or quadreme? It could have been hundreds of slaves that washed up on shore. If we stretch our imagination, we can come up with our own stories under roleplay, just like any other game. Likewise, it was an Intro area, after all, designed to showcase the strongest features, a great story, full dialogue, many of the mechanics to be found in game, and, most of all, teach the plaeyrs how to use the system. If a player concentrates on the Night Missions, a veteran can blow through it pretty quick. I have 9 toons, and, with the Veteran Double XP potion (benefits hunting, not quests), I can blow through the first 12-16 levels in a night concentrating on Nighttime missions.
There are actually four different tracks of Night-time Destiny Quests, one for each of the core classes: Warrior, Priest, Rogue, and Mage. The day quests stay pretty much the same, but a player can have four different experiences, if they follow the plot and storyline.
Now.. what you fail to see is that the destiny quest it NOT taking into consideration that this is a MMO game. Not everyone washed up on the beach at the same time (what a storm that would have been) and therefor the timescale is screwed from scratch. In an MMO game the whole purpose of the game is to meet other players - and in most MMO games (WAR just for example since its the other failure of 2008) you will meet top lvl players that have gone through the content and that on its own gives you diffrent options for your own endgame content. Destiny quests storyline means that EVERYONE knows that every single player in the game has lived the EXACT same story (I have played the diffrent classes and know where they lead) witch makes it very acward to play (for me ofc)
You can spin awfully many articles around that you you know. 3 whole raid bosses. I see 3 diffrent articles coming.
This article on the other hand is not neurtal in the sence that it does not tackle the negative issues that have accured and are still in the game. The famous qoute of - "get a better PC" when a player has low fps or is lagging is good way to get rid of critics. In many cases tho - it has very little to do with the rig but maybe more with the software (antivirus, antispyware and firewalls) that are affecting the game. In the end it IS up to the GAMING company to provide the framwork that allows players to enjoy the game no matter if they are using bitdefender or Norton. Or if they have this grapich card or that one. Funcom has failed in this department and thats why DX10 is still in test state. The company simply doesn't have the cabability to provide ALL their gamers that have Required or recomened hardware spec to enjoy guarantied and playable content. And Funcom will not put in writing - "will not support Window Vista unless 4 gigs of Ram" or "DOes not support Nvidia X model cards or Ati X chips". Nor will it say - can not run with Micro trend antivirus software" (it didn't for a very very long time).
This is part of beeing a game manufacturer. And even when Torgrimm says most players (including himself) are not having any problems - he fails to mention what sort of problems those that have problems are dealing with. It very much underminds his article and like quite a few have pointed out - sounds more like an add or promotion - than a real report.