A late review of Age of Conan

Falfeir

 

Hi all, i've started playing AoC from the beginning, gave a pause for about 2 months which ended at december. Seeing all the questions about returning to game i wanted to say what i think about the game. Not an expert on these things so will not be following any order. here it goes:

graphics: Best out there. I havent played all the games but played all the big titles and really, AoC has no competition here. Some can say LotRO but well... lets not flame another game and just say AoC has better character animation. However being best doesnt mean flawless. There are things which need improvement like when you close up to your character, your character fades out to let you see more but its made in a way that you end up seeing your bald avatar with teeth, eyes and tongue. disturbing. another thing is the climbing points, there really is some distance between you and the ladder. Not that many character customization and you usually have to decide between ugly and uglier. These are not really big issues but if you are going for a high end graphics game you shouldnt ignore these. Also this can be catagorised as graphics i think, the stability has increased alot. I used a high end computer built just for this game, so didnt know how it run on lower setting computers. I once(it was july i think) tried it on my labtop (7600go /1.5gb ram xp 32 bit) it didnt run, i didnt care. Later about a month ago tried again runs smoothly at lowest settings, crashed only once during my one week vacation. So you can run it at lower setting computers but highest settings make this game a very different experience.

Itemization: This is one of the major problems AoC has at the moment. I've played my ranger from lvl 1 to 80 with the same studded and only thing that changed was the skirt length. Dont want to beat the dead horse but for me the real problem is, in AoC, you outlevel gear too quickly which makes lower lvl unique gear useless. people dont go after those gear simply because with the same efford you can outlevel it. They tried to part from item-centric genre, make it non-important but end up returning to same old. This is, ofcourse, their fault simply because they should be the ones who know how these things run. They havent entered the market with this game, they are not new to this. If you are going for non gear game make some social clothing, dont confuse people with 0.00% bonuses.

quests: i see people who complain and say its the same old fedex q's. Yes there are those, there are collect x's but there are very detailed nice single player game quality quests also. Again like graphics, this part of the game doesnt really have competition. If they can add choices to quests, choosing different routes with different outcomes, which can open/close different quests that would be something.

zones: i knew it was going to be zoned but i was expecting something like AO. I dont feel like i'm travelling from cimmeria to stygia. The npcs added to make travel easier made it worse for me. shortened the travel times but worse nontheless.

gameplay/combat: the combat just flows. i really like it. Its not ff combat everyone waiting their turn to make the strike. The combos are a good addition but i think its over simplied. It is still better than the usual hit 1 to do this, 2 to do that. The npcs who change their shilding and giving openings which make u choose that "sides" combos make you pay attention to the combat and reward you in the end. The problems with this system/where they can improve is;

-with big npcs shields visibility is gone, you cant decide what combo to do.

-combos whatever they do end up being nuke attacks. i dont start with -2 to armor rating combo, i just use the combo which lands in the shieldless area.

-improving npc ai with this system is easy and i think it should be used, when the npc sees you using a combo which lands on his left he can move his shieds to that part. really hard thing to do for a player but npcs can do it with proper coding.

-has anyone changed their shield location in pvp, ever?

-i think the combo starters should be combo enders. they should open up after some combination of attacks and if we can have more than 1 branch on a combo road, it would be very nice. i make a right side attack followed by a left side attack i have opened a mid lvl dmg boost attack, i can do it and finish the combo OR i can continue with one more left-right attack to open a high lvl dmg boost OR add a upper attack to push him back with mid lvl dmg boost.

-i played only pom from the priest tree, i think the spells made them the same old combat system. pom has better survivability than a ranger but because i fall asleep during his combats i end up dying more.

skills/feats: there are ladder feats you take to get higher, customization through feats &skills is very limited. they should balance these things out.

crafting: a lot of people think its boring and time consuming. I havent seen a game where it isnt boring or time consuming. But for something boring and time consuming one should get satisfying rewards, yes? High lvl crafting is tied to high lvl guild cities. have mixed feelings for this, they should reward big guilds with something but punishing loner,casual crafters like this, i dont know. maybe adding guilds the option to lend their buildings can solve this.

funcom: this last part has nothing to do the state of the game, its about the people who made this game. can be used as future reference, if you are having fun playing the game no problem but if you are waiting for something they said they would do, you might have some problems.

a lot of people say "they are scammers" and an equal lot say "get over it, game has improved"

Well, here is my opinion. i will never get over it. They blatantly lied. Maybe they are thinking the market and its costumers are the same as the ones from AO times. Well they are wrong, the people they selled their product when AO came out were mainly kids. Kids forgive more easily and you can act as if they are kids, ignoring, punishing etc. Today every buyer of AoC is above the age 18. I've yet to see one that lives in his moms basement. They all have jobs, responsibilities. Handling them like they are children, banning them from forums, dont answering their questions. belittling their problems is a sure way to lose them. Only way for me to get over this is them asking for forgiveness. its the only way that they can show that they have changed. Changing the game director with comments like "I have done my very best making this fabulous game, but I have concluded there are elements which I am dissatisfied with. " is not what we are looking for. You may ask why are you playing this game if you despise them this much? the answer is because there is non better. with the first sight of a better game i'll be gone for good.

Thanks for reading my wall of text, if you have any questions please ask.

keithian

I think this is a VERY fair and neutral review, though I havent played long enough yet to know how I feel about it. So far Im loving it, though Im only in tortage. I feel almost blessed that I didnt start playing until 2 weeks ago so I wasnt emotionally stained by whatever happened at and before launch lol. I get to just judge from the point I picked it up moving forward. Anyway, thanks for posting a fair review despite your anger regarding what has transpired and communicated in the past.

Transporter

Good opinions you have formed about the game, BUT I think you did not manage to balance it. You can't start to complain on the way characters in AoC climb, when most other MMO's characters would run through eachother, having an axe stikking out of the back when riding etc. You also failed to mention a sea of features that AoC gamers now take for granted, but really when you go back to the old (unless LotRO) you just realize that you can not be without it. The FC team took it to the next level.  Also miss comments on the consequence PvP and sieging in detail. For the itemization I think you are partially wrong also. Finally an advice for future, I think it is less than productive to paste a good old "I hate FC" article at the end of a review, it kind of makes people that read your text rear off and will give the review a biased spin. thanks though.

Aceundor

I argee with this review. Especially the "Funcom" part.

Are Funcom liars? YES

Have they made a good game? YES

Are there flaws in the game? YES

Is it a fun game? "Fun" is an individual measurement. I am having  a lot of fun playing it.

 

 

gorgona

"Changing the game director with comments like "I have done my very best making this fabulous game, but I have concluded there are elements which I am dissatisfied with. " is not what we are looking for."

 

 Bare in mind that this statement was not given by Funcom, it was given from their ex-employee ,therefore it may justify only his view on AoC and the game progression, but certainly not the Funcom views and why he resigned(or was forced to resign) ...

 

But for one i can agree, Funcom should take more seriously their customers, their feedback,and not stick their heads in the mud, when someone comes with a question or an issue, which after a long time havent been fixed yet...

Deathstrike2

Originally posted by Transporter


Good opinions you have formed about the game, BUT I think you did not manage to balance it. You can't start to complain on the way characters in AoC climb, when most other MMO's characters would run through eachother, having an axe stikking out of the back when riding etc. You also failed to mention a sea of features that AoC gamers now take for granted, but really when you go back to the old (unless LotRO) you just realize that you can not be without it. The FC team took it to the next level.  Also miss comments on the consequence PvP and sieging in detail. For the itemization I think you are partially wrong also. Finally an advice for future, I think it is less than productive to paste a good old "I hate FC" article at the end of a review, it kind of makes people that read your text rear off and will give the review a biased spin. thanks though.

 

Since he's talking about AoC and not other MMOs, I think he most certainly can complain about climbing.  Personally, I think it's goofy that I have to have any number of climbing skill points to climb up a ladder.  I could understand climbing a wall or vines or whatever, but not a ladder.

As far as an axe sticking out of the back when riding or whatever, AoC has this in spades just like many other games.  I had a female character who's shield consistently clipped through her head. 

Itemization is a big problem IMO, and it's probably the #2 reason I left (not liking the way the company treats its customers was #1).  Remember the old thread about having over 1,000 different sets of armor in game?  I still call BS on that claim.  I hated looking pretty much exactly the same at every level.  Epic instances suck for getting armor unless you enjoy being a spawn camper.  The whole system needs fixed.

As far as the "I hate FC" portion of the OP's post, I agree with him 100 percent.  AoC is an okay game and I would have stuck around much longer if it weren't for Funcom.  Funcom is without a doubt the worst MMO company that I've personally dealt with.  From charging the credit cards of cancelled custoemers to making overzealous fanboys into moderators to flat out lying to customers, I don't have anything good to say about the company.

Falfeir

Originally posted by Transporter


Good opinions you have formed about the game, BUT I think you did not manage to balnce it.
 i didnt balance it? balance in what way? didnt really get that actually.
You can't start to complain on the way characters in AoC climb, when most other MMO's characters would run through eachother, having an axe stikking out of the back when riding etc.
 i can complain if a game is aiming for realistic top-notch graphics and make small errors like this climbing. i dont know much about coding but i think if someone was to try to solve this they would have.
You failed to mention a sea of features that AoC gamers now take for granted, but really when you go back to the old (unless LotRO) you just realize that you can not be without it.
such as?
The FC team took it to the next level. 
never said they didnt, actually i said its the best out there (graphics-wise). you are saing something like this (buckle up- incoming car analogy) "guy invented this machine called auto-mobile, you dont get to ask for horn; you were driving horse driven carts a week a ago for gods sake"
 Again good opinions, BUT I think this is a very unbalanced review partially wrong on itemization and combat.
can you elaborate the parts im wrong 
Also miss comments on the consequence PvP and sieging in detail.
i havent done sieging myself and pvp exp depends only on skirmishes, so yes i avoided that part.

 

 

Crashloop

Good review, although I disagree completely with the items looking the same on each level part. 3 characters I have grinded to level 80, and I have never had problem changing my look, it has all been a matter of wanting too. I recall WoW, imo it has the same problem, but in a worse way. At level 80 you will see majority of warlocks dressed up in the same blue/epic gear, simply because it is the best for the class. AoC have a more realistic art when it comes to armors, and you have a lot of those studded armors tha'ts for sure, but doing instances and killing npc's can give you gear that looks different. But it doesn't drop from everything, if you want to look like a vanir you have to kill vanirs a lot, if you want the blue set from sanctum of burning souls well do that place over and over. Same thing goes for all MMO's I have played. Endgame gear usually resolves about what's best for your class, and you will see most people getting that gear too.

Vandrago

Very good review, and the last bit about FC is why certain people disagree with your review. Truth hurts.

Falfeir

Originally posted by Crashloop


Good review, although I disagree completely with the items looking the same on each level part. 3 characters I have grinded to level 80, and I have never had problem changing my look, it has all been a matter of wanting too. I recall WoW, imo it has the same problem, but in a worse way. At level 80 you will see majority of warlocks dressed up in the same blue/epic gear, simply because it is the best for the class. AoC have a more realistic art when it comes to armors, and you have a lot of those studded armors tha'ts for sure, but doing instances and killing npc's can give you gear that looks different. But it doesn't drop from everything, if you want to look like a vanir you have to kill vanirs a lot, if you want the blue set from sanctum of burning souls well do that place over and over. Same thing goes for all MMO's I have played. Endgame gear usually resolves about what's best for your class, and you will see most people getting that gear too.

 

ok, i see that i wasnt clear on this subject. i didnt say there is no unique items, i said they have itemization problem. you can have itemization problem by making everything available to everyone or making nothing available. Currently the problem with AoC's itemization is the latter. You go after those items just to get them, there is no further bonus. you outlevel those items too fast for my liking, i made an armorer, made the armors, it was the same as our beloved studded. You get some blue piece, its cool looking but 2 levels later you get a green which is better stat-wise. if you spend just an hour to get the blue no-problem change it but if you spend nights to get it? you might say "keep the blue if you value looks that much, gear doesnt have much effect anyway" but is this the price to pay for looking different? using inferior items? im not asking for too much difference btw, take 3 sets from those imaginary 1000 sets for 3 cultures, let the mobs from those parts drop these sets, make the quest rewards from these sets for those cultures.  rewarding those who take the extra time is always good but giving just one set to those who follow the common path, making crafted gear look same the common drop? its harsh.

there are very nice sets in the game but this is the only place i've seen them;

forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php

Sturmrabe

Hmmm, nothin there that makes me want to come back...