Originally posted by Frobner And BTW - The expansion is not "just around the corner". There are 8 -10 months MINIMUM to release of it and you can argue it all you like but thats what it will be. So... lets stick to facts instead of using terms that are misleading.
Funcom has indicated that the expansion will be released during the first half of 2010. Perhaps you doubt that they will meet their own deadline, but if so state that it is your opinion and nothing else.
Originally posted by Frobner And BTW - The expansion is not "just around the corner". There are 8 -10 months MINIMUM to release of it and you can argue it all you like but thats what it will be. So... lets stick to facts instead of using terms that are misleading.
Funcom has indicated that the expansion will be released during the first half of 2010. Perhaps you doubt that they will meet their own deadline, but if so state that it is your opinion and nothing else.
Well - Im just expecting Funcom to do exactly the same thing as always. AOC launch was pushed back more than 1 and half year and acording to the devs 6 months before launch they were just "poslishing" it. We did find out the truth tho. And there has nothing changed at Funcom. Absolutly Notihing.
AoC is Really immersive... DDO pwns as hell, LOTRo rock so much for the immersion too, but Age of Conan got me, only with the combat animations, the combat system. Even if ppl are crying and saying its dieing... I will go resub with the expansion.
It's a good article, and alot of people are going to hate and say that AoC is dying and a failed game, but it's not. My server is constantly full of people, both new and old. Several major guilds have returned with hundreds of their members re-subscribing after the free re-evaluation. I definitely will agree that there are areas that need improvement still, but I feel that way about alot of games that have been out for a long time, including WoW and LOTRO. Age of Conan is a gorgeous game, with a great atmosphere, and deep levels of immersion that other MMORPG's still fail to have. People will complain about the first 20 levels feeling epic, and after that it's more traditional. This was the intention from FunCom all along, and they stated that time and time again. Post 20 plays out like a traditional MMORPG, but it STILL is a league above any other MMO out there, at least you can choose how your character responds to some degree, it's not just a wall of text where you click OK. The world feels more alive than in any other online game I have ever tried, if there is one that does all of that better than Age of Conan than please tell me what it is so I can try it out. The bottom line is they will not get everyone back, but they have great potential to get a big chunk of returning subscribers, and an even greater opportunity to market this game out to new players, every day there are thousands of people looking to try out an MMORPG. Age of Conan is a young game, and a gorgeous one on top of it all, so it will appeal to new players to the genre more than many of the dated games out right now, especially in the U.S. and Europe. But in order to succeed in this they will need to do a much better job at marketing the game, and have will have to get back out here and be hands on with the community even more than they are now.
LotRO for one. Only MMO I'm playing at the moment, but I'd say pretty much every other one I've EVER played other than DDO felt more alive than AoC. How can an overly instanced world where you are zoning every 2 minutes feel alive or immersive?
I'm a bit curious about how you manage to zone every two minutes? Take Conall's Valley for example, there are hours worth of quests there and no need to zone while doing them except in one small dungeon which I can think of. I'll agree with you that there are some zoning issues in the hubs, but how much time do you spend in Khemi really?
About LotRO being more alive, that's your opininon and I'll respect that, however I disagree and do not share the view. In my opinion AoC feels more immersive and alive to me. DDO, yes, I liked what they did to that game, especially the first couple of quests with narrative. But if your complaining about zoning "every 2 minutes", how can you even drag that game to the surface for comparison? If there ever was a game that topped the zoning statistics that's the one.
LotRO for one. Only MMO I'm playing at the moment, but I'd say pretty much every other one I've EVER played other than DDO felt more alive than AoC. How can an overly instanced world where you are zoning every 2 minutes feel alive or immersive?
I'm a bit curious about how you manage to zone every two minutes? Take Conall's Valley for example, there are hours worth of quests there and no need to zone while doing them except in one small dungeon which I can think of. I'll agree with you that there are some zoning issues in the hubs, but how much time do you spend in Khemi really?
About LotRO being more alive, that's your opininon and I'll respect that, however I disagree and do not share the view. In my opinion AoC feels more immersive and alive to me. DDO, yes, I liked what they did to that game, especially the first couple of quests with narrative. But if your complaining about zoning "every 2 minutes", how can you even drag that game to the surface for comparison? If there ever was a game that topped the zoning statistics that's the one.
I think you should read my quote again. Every MMO I've played EXCEPT DDO felt more like a living world than AoC.
What Failcom needs to do is to re-address how it is that they handle customer service at the most basic of lvls. Quit with the bull **** bait and switch methods/ tactics and actually produce the game they hyped pre-release...then post release...and now....otherwise it would be good to see them crash and burn a la Tabula Rasa; on second thought, they should just do the crash and burn thing.
AmazingAveryAge of Conan AdvocateMemberUncommonPosts: 7,188
Originally posted by Frobner
AA. Once again - there is free trial going on - We are not talking 18 month old experience so cut the crap. Memory usage for AOC has always been an issue for players that dont have 3gig +. Its easy to compare the memory usage for the games and everyone can do it. AOC is using over 1.5 gig on avarage usuage while most other MMOs use around 800 mb. Your welcome to argue it all you want but every player can test it themselfs by installing diffrent trials so plz dont bother to claim diffrently. More preload content (more into RAM) calls for all sorts of issues - including Memory leaks that all software has. In a game like AOC where huge chunks of memory is already used - this will lead to performance issues over time. All games have these issues - even WOW today has these issues and thus alot of guilds are demanding every player to restart their game on every hour to prevent chance of wiping based on lower performance. WOW usues around 800MB - half of what AOC uses.
And BTW - The expansion is not "just around the corner". There are 8 -10 months MINIMUM to release of it and you can argue it all you like but thats what it will be. So... lets stick to facts instead of using terms that are misleading.
Last time you had the game on your PC was for how many days? Just curious on your premise in providing people with accurate up to date information.
You are still coming up with the bull on the memory remarks. You are right, there is a free trial, and people can log in for themselves to see you are wrong. You do not even take into consideration RAM speed, amount, Download Speed and computer settings. Fail.
I'll hold to you to your comments about the expansion. "you can argue it all you like but thats what it will be" is that a fact? alright mate... Whatever.
We both know and unless you are doing it on purpose that nearly everything you have posted up in this thread is "misleading" you have no way to back your claims up, no proof and yet you post around again making things up, simply because you dislike the game and give it more attention than a luke warm gamer. What a farce.
AmazingAveryAge of Conan AdvocateMemberUncommonPosts: 7,188
Originally posted by Darth_Osor
Originally posted by Khazy
Originally posted by Darth_Osor
LotRO for one. Only MMO I'm playing at the moment, but I'd say pretty much every other one I've EVER played other than DDO felt more alive than AoC. How can an overly instanced world where you are zoning every 2 minutes feel alive or immersive?
I'm a bit curious about how you manage to zone every two minutes? Take Conall's Valley for example, there are hours worth of quests there and no need to zone while doing them except in one small dungeon which I can think of. I'll agree with you that there are some zoning issues in the hubs, but how much time do you spend in Khemi really?
About LotRO being more alive, that's your opininon and I'll respect that, however I disagree and do not share the view. In my opinion AoC feels more immersive and alive to me. DDO, yes, I liked what they did to that game, especially the first couple of quests with narrative. But if your complaining about zoning "every 2 minutes", how can you even drag that game to the surface for comparison? If there ever was a game that topped the zoning statistics that's the one.
I think you should read my quote again. Every MMO I've played EXCEPT DDO felt more like a living world than AoC.
So when we talk immersiveness what about AoC's 7.1 surround sound? What about the setting for simultanious sounds. Every spell effect has a different sound. Positional sound - from the characters view or behind in AoC. AoC also has a decent night and day cycle, weather effects and more immersive graphical setting that LOTRO / DDO. There are 3 times as many DX10 settings for AoC, a true DX10 client I might add. What about when you walk on terrain there is a different immersive sound effect for that in AoC same with mounts, have not come across another mmorpg like this, they all have the typical thump thump trodden effect.
DDO as many know is a decent game but if you are trying to say that the loading screens in that game do not bother you compared to what you have in AoC is unfathomable.
Nearly 1/3 more many character animations in AoC give a more realistic and immersive effect. At the end of the day you are controlling your character, you want that character to be as immersive in it's environment as possible. Animations and looks for AoC are the best in my opinion coupled with all the reasons above rate the game higher for me.
The load screens load up faster in AoC than in Guild Wars or DDO
Most if not all of us veteran MMO gamers are used to unfinished games and bad launches, it goes with the territory; We don't have to like it but that's how things are and that's how they will remain as long as we continue buying the products. This had an adverse effect on AoC at launch sure but not nearly to the extent that Funcoms bare faced lies to the community did.
Funcom time and time again promised the earth before release, assuring everyone that this and that feature were working and IN the game, features that were even mentioned on the back of the retail box but that didn't exist in the release client. In any other industry these lies to customers would see the company stretched over the various countries trade descriptions racks but not this one. Sooner or later the lawmakers will catch on and the software industry will be in for a shock, until then though we talk with our wallets. I wouldn't care at the moment if AoC became the best MMO ever made because I simply will not allow the lying scumbags at Funcom to have another penny of my hard earned. Getting shut of Godager was a move in the right direction but if FC want to save this game then they should sell it to a more reputable company, then just maybe a few more people would be happy to give it another shot.
ThorgrimmAge of Conan CorrespondentMemberPosts: 274
Originally posted by appel
I never had even the slightest issues running it personally, but in my experience an Intel cpu and nvidea was the most trouble free combination out there. Yeah after Tortage, the game felt just like any other MMO, and not a good one at that, albeit I think the graphics are good. If i get an invite then i might try it out again, but yeah it really felt like a rip-off at the time.
Knowing that my Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2 notebook was far from capable of running Age of Conan at release, I methodically started buying components from various local and online parts resellers, including TigerDirect. In October 2008, I finished building my "Gaming Rig". The only difference from the specs listed below was that it had 4GB DDR2 800mHz RAM at the time. I built my computer using the recommended config that was ideal to run the game as a baseline, and then I bought what I could afford per month. This has not failed me. At the time, I started AoC in October 2008 with online dial-up at about 34-40 kbps. I live out in the country, so faster access was not available. I made it through Tortage at this speed with minimal lag and a very decent experience. I was hooked!!! Cimmeria worked decent too, with occasional lag. With dial-up, Aquilonia and Stygia were almost unplayable. There were still a ton of players running all over the place at that time. I then proceeded to try out some alts on different character classes running through Tortage until I could get faster access. So it was until Feb 2009 when Embarq finally offered and installed Extended Reach DSL at 512 kbps in my community. Think of in-game Poitain with more pine trees and that is where I live... We have the occassional cattle loose on our roads too, but I digress. With faster access, I was able to see all the zones that I had only read and heard about. Since then, I have had very few issues. With a machine designed to handle AoC's graphical intensity, I have been extremely pleased with the results.
THORGRIMM's RIG:
Case: Cooler Master, RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ABS, Full/Mid-Tower, SLI Ready
HD: 7200 RPM Western Digital WD5000KSRTL 500GB SATA II Internal Caviar SE16 Hard Drive
MON: ACER X213Wbd 21.6" Widescreen LCD Monitor
OS: Windows Vista Ultimate, 64-bit Edition, Service Pack 2
Recently I also added a 40X Sony CD/DVD Burner and a Lite-On Blue-ray Player. This rig also makes a great High Definition Player. My point is that these parts were not top of the line when I bought them. They were 2nd or 3rd generation. Today, a little more than a year later, these parts should be a lot less expensive than when I bought them. Building a rig that can run Age of Conan, or any other high-end graphics-based game (DirectX 10) should not be outside of many people's reach. Today, I would probably use Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit Edition, as an alternate to Vista. All-in-all I am very please with how Age of Conan handles. It runs like a charm for me on the above rig...
ThorgrimmAge of Conan CorrespondentMemberPosts: 274
Originally posted by Tarka
Coming back to the OP's statements about an untapped source. I completely agree. I myself even suggested opening up the Library in Old Tarantia and having clickable books which people can read (and even be linked in with quest chains) . Within the game world, lore could state that the author of the books was a friend of Conan but has since disappeared. The npc (who would be incidentally called Robert Howard) would thus be immortalised forever within the very game which was inspired by his stories. Like the OP stated, considering that a lot of the Conan lore is free to download, I really cannot see why the owners of the IP (Paradox) would object to the author being immortalised in this way. Just so long as its done tastefully. The whole purpose of this suggestion was to create more content AND to involve players more in Howards stories. Those who already enjoy his stories could feel a greater connection with the gameworld that they are walking around in. However this seemed to fall on deaf ears with regards to the devs.
I think you are on to something with this. Opening up the Library in Old Tarantia is a great idea. Aion has already done this in both capitol cities; I was able to explore Pandemonium in Asmodae. In the Library, I read short and long books and I even found a couple videos embedded in a couple of the more distant books. Though not containing a library per se, WoW, has books scattered all over the known realms that add depth and lore to their continually evolving universe. They even have achievements to help you figure out how many more books you need to track down.
Robert E. Howard had already touched on this. At the beginning of some of his stories, he had a caption from the Nemedian Chronicles which tell of Conan's tale. In the Aquilonia Trilogy that came out in 2006 to introduce potential players to the Age of Conan gamesetting, threats and lore, the main character was informed that Conan's Queen, Zenobia, had commissioned tales of Conan's valor to be distributed as books. Great Murals, paintings, and scultures glorifying Conan were also commissioned so that no one would ever take Conan lightly again, as when traitors had tried to usurp his throne in "The Hour of the Dragon".
"Know, oh prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars — Nemedia, Ophir, Brythunia, Hyperborea, Zamora with its dark-haired women and towers of spider-haunted mystery, Zingara with its chivalry, Koth that bordered on the pastoral lands of Shem, Stygia with its shadow-guarded tombs, Hyrkania whose riders wore steel and silk and gold. But the proudest kingdom of the world was Aquilonia, reigning supreme in the dreaming west. Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet."
I bought the small book which is just samples at the Howard house last summer. It has a few Conan style poems in it that are pretty good. Highly recommend if you enjoy poetry.
-------------------------------------------------------- Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate.
ThorgrimmAge of Conan CorrespondentMemberPosts: 274
Those are incredible photographs of those framed maps. Very nice. Is this house in Texas, or somewhere else?
I have collected four of five pocket book-sized novels of Howard collections from Cosmos Books, and I have the recent Del Ray Collections (black softcover tabletop series, fully illustrated REH Library). I found every book in that series, but I hear two more are coming out Feb-March 2010. All of the above have the uneditted stories, fragments, and poetry of Robert E. Howard, covering Conan, Kull, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, his cowboy tales, his horror tales, his Pict tales, etc...
I will follow-up on that website. Thanks for the Link.
ThorgrimmAge of Conan CorrespondentMemberPosts: 274
This is the complete listing (by release date) of the Fully Illustrated Robert E. Howard Library presented by Del Rey Books:
The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 496 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Action; Fiction | December 2003 |
The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 432 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Action; Fiction | June 2004 |
The Bloody Crown of Conan
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 384 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Action; Fiction | November 2004 |
Bran Mak Morn: The Last King
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 400 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Action; Fiction | May 2005 |
The Conquering Sword of Conan
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 416 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Action; Fiction | November 2005 |
Kull
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 352 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Fantasy - Epic; Fiction - Adventure | October 2006 |
The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 528 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Fantasy - Epic; Fiction - Adventure | August 2007 |
The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 544 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Fantasy - Epic; Fiction - Adventure | November 2007 |
The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 560 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Horror; Fiction; Fiction - Classics | October 2008 |
El Borak and Other Desert Adventures
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 592 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Adventure; Fiction - Classics | February 2010 |
What has only been glimpsed in trailers and screenshots is now coming to life as Funcom and Xfire team together for the World Premiere Broadcast of the highly anticipated Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer.
Watch December 7th as the Game Director for Age of Conan takes you along with a team a players through several of Rise of the Godslayers new lands and features.
About Rise of the Godslayer:
Embark on the most savage, sexy and brutal Conan adventure yet as you descend into the shadows that have fallen over Khitai, the fabled empire of the east! Ride across the grassy steppes and see the purple pagodas of Paikang rising from the vine-choked bamboo jungles. Unravel the corruption that threatens to taint the very heart of this beautiful land forever!
All New Character Race - Khitan
New Content for players of all level ranges
Countless new monsters and rewards
Hundreds of new quests
Two new mounts - the Wolf and the Tiger
Choose a side in the war of Khitan!
ThorgrimmAge of Conan CorrespondentMemberPosts: 274
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LotRO for one. Only MMO I'm playing at the moment, but I'd say pretty much every other one I've EVER played other than DDO felt more alive than AoC. How can an overly instanced world where you are zoning every 2 minutes feel alive or immersive?
I'm a bit curious about how you manage to zone every two minutes? Take Conall's Valley for example, there are hours worth of quests there and no need to zone while doing them except in one small dungeon which I can think of. I'll agree with you that there are some zoning issues in the hubs, but how much time do you spend in Khemi really?
About LotRO being more alive, that's your opininon and I'll respect that, however I disagree and do not share the view. In my opinion AoC feels more immersive and alive to me. DDO, yes, I liked what they did to that game, especially the first couple of quests with narrative. But if your complaining about zoning "every 2 minutes", how can you even drag that game to the surface for comparison? If there ever was a game that topped the zoning statistics that's the one.
I think you should read my quote again. Every MMO I've played EXCEPT DDO felt more like a living world than AoC.
Yes, you're right, I'm sorry, must've read a bit fast. That makes more sense.
Just to comment on what I was asking; I take it your opinion on what an immersive world needs to be is seamless then?
If so, I feel there is two (possibly more) "camps" within the MMO world, one which agrees with you (not that there is a definite answer here, it's all subjective after all) and one group (of which I consider myself in) which thinks that loading screens not necessarily breaks immersion if the rest of the game (the parts you are actually playing) holds up to standard. I guess the views of these two groups are so fundamently different that it is futile to convince each other about what "makes-or-breaks" immersion, so I'll leave the discussion with that.
I think you should read my quote again. Every MMO I've played EXCEPT DDO felt more like a living world than AoC.
Yes, you're right, I'm sorry, must've read a bit fast. That makes more sense.
Just to comment on what I was asking; I take it your opinion on what an immersive world needs to be is seamless then?
If so, I feel there is two (possibly more) "camps" within the MMO world, one which agrees with you (not that there is a definite answer here, it's all subjective after all) and one group (of which I consider myself in) which thinks that loading screens not necessarily breaks immersion if the rest of the game (the parts you are actually playing) holds up to standard. I guess the views of these two groups are so fundamently different that it is futile to convince each other about what "makes-or-breaks" immersion, so I'll leave the discussion with that.
It doesn't have to be totally seamless, but excessive load screens do ruin my immersion, yes. The load screens are only part of the equation. I can't stand all the invisible walls in the already small zones, either. That is a big reason I hate the trend of designing MMOs and even single player RPGs to be console ports.
Comments
Funcom has indicated that the expansion will be released during the first half of 2010. Perhaps you doubt that they will meet their own deadline, but if so state that it is your opinion and nothing else.
Funcom has indicated that the expansion will be released during the first half of 2010. Perhaps you doubt that they will meet their own deadline, but if so state that it is your opinion and nothing else.
Well - Im just expecting Funcom to do exactly the same thing as always. AOC launch was pushed back more than 1 and half year and acording to the devs 6 months before launch they were just "poslishing" it. We did find out the truth tho. And there has nothing changed at Funcom. Absolutly Notihing.
AoC Pwns, Haters!!
AoC is Really immersive... DDO pwns as hell, LOTRo rock so much for the immersion too, but Age of Conan got me, only with the combat animations, the combat system. Even if ppl are crying and saying its dieing... I will go resub with the expansion.
LotRO for one. Only MMO I'm playing at the moment, but I'd say pretty much every other one I've EVER played other than DDO felt more alive than AoC. How can an overly instanced world where you are zoning every 2 minutes feel alive or immersive?
I'm a bit curious about how you manage to zone every two minutes? Take Conall's Valley for example, there are hours worth of quests there and no need to zone while doing them except in one small dungeon which I can think of. I'll agree with you that there are some zoning issues in the hubs, but how much time do you spend in Khemi really?
About LotRO being more alive, that's your opininon and I'll respect that, however I disagree and do not share the view. In my opinion AoC feels more immersive and alive to me. DDO, yes, I liked what they did to that game, especially the first couple of quests with narrative. But if your complaining about zoning "every 2 minutes", how can you even drag that game to the surface for comparison? If there ever was a game that topped the zoning statistics that's the one.
I'm a bit curious about how you manage to zone every two minutes? Take Conall's Valley for example, there are hours worth of quests there and no need to zone while doing them except in one small dungeon which I can think of. I'll agree with you that there are some zoning issues in the hubs, but how much time do you spend in Khemi really?
About LotRO being more alive, that's your opininon and I'll respect that, however I disagree and do not share the view. In my opinion AoC feels more immersive and alive to me. DDO, yes, I liked what they did to that game, especially the first couple of quests with narrative. But if your complaining about zoning "every 2 minutes", how can you even drag that game to the surface for comparison? If there ever was a game that topped the zoning statistics that's the one.
I think you should read my quote again. Every MMO I've played EXCEPT DDO felt more like a living world than AoC.
What Failcom needs to do is to re-address how it is that they handle customer service at the most basic of lvls. Quit with the bull **** bait and switch methods/ tactics and actually produce the game they hyped pre-release...then post release...and now....otherwise it would be good to see them crash and burn a la Tabula Rasa; on second thought, they should just do the crash and burn thing.
Last time you had the game on your PC was for how many days? Just curious on your premise in providing people with accurate up to date information.
You are still coming up with the bull on the memory remarks. You are right, there is a free trial, and people can log in for themselves to see you are wrong. You do not even take into consideration RAM speed, amount, Download Speed and computer settings. Fail.
I'll hold to you to your comments about the expansion. "you can argue it all you like but thats what it will be" is that a fact? alright mate... Whatever.
We both know and unless you are doing it on purpose that nearly everything you have posted up in this thread is "misleading" you have no way to back your claims up, no proof and yet you post around again making things up, simply because you dislike the game and give it more attention than a luke warm gamer. What a farce.
I'm a bit curious about how you manage to zone every two minutes? Take Conall's Valley for example, there are hours worth of quests there and no need to zone while doing them except in one small dungeon which I can think of. I'll agree with you that there are some zoning issues in the hubs, but how much time do you spend in Khemi really?
About LotRO being more alive, that's your opininon and I'll respect that, however I disagree and do not share the view. In my opinion AoC feels more immersive and alive to me. DDO, yes, I liked what they did to that game, especially the first couple of quests with narrative. But if your complaining about zoning "every 2 minutes", how can you even drag that game to the surface for comparison? If there ever was a game that topped the zoning statistics that's the one.
I think you should read my quote again. Every MMO I've played EXCEPT DDO felt more like a living world than AoC.
So when we talk immersiveness what about AoC's 7.1 surround sound? What about the setting for simultanious sounds. Every spell effect has a different sound. Positional sound - from the characters view or behind in AoC. AoC also has a decent night and day cycle, weather effects and more immersive graphical setting that LOTRO / DDO. There are 3 times as many DX10 settings for AoC, a true DX10 client I might add. What about when you walk on terrain there is a different immersive sound effect for that in AoC same with mounts, have not come across another mmorpg like this, they all have the typical thump thump trodden effect.
DDO as many know is a decent game but if you are trying to say that the loading screens in that game do not bother you compared to what you have in AoC is unfathomable.
Nearly 1/3 more many character animations in AoC give a more realistic and immersive effect. At the end of the day you are controlling your character, you want that character to be as immersive in it's environment as possible. Animations and looks for AoC are the best in my opinion coupled with all the reasons above rate the game higher for me.
The load screens load up faster in AoC than in Guild Wars or DDO
Most if not all of us veteran MMO gamers are used to unfinished games and bad launches, it goes with the territory; We don't have to like it but that's how things are and that's how they will remain as long as we continue buying the products. This had an adverse effect on AoC at launch sure but not nearly to the extent that Funcoms bare faced lies to the community did.
Funcom time and time again promised the earth before release, assuring everyone that this and that feature were working and IN the game, features that were even mentioned on the back of the retail box but that didn't exist in the release client. In any other industry these lies to customers would see the company stretched over the various countries trade descriptions racks but not this one. Sooner or later the lawmakers will catch on and the software industry will be in for a shock, until then though we talk with our wallets. I wouldn't care at the moment if AoC became the best MMO ever made because I simply will not allow the lying scumbags at Funcom to have another penny of my hard earned. Getting shut of Godager was a move in the right direction but if FC want to save this game then they should sell it to a more reputable company, then just maybe a few more people would be happy to give it another shot.
Knowing that my Dell Inspiron XPS Gen 2 notebook was far from capable of running Age of Conan at release, I methodically started buying components from various local and online parts resellers, including TigerDirect. In October 2008, I finished building my "Gaming Rig". The only difference from the specs listed below was that it had 4GB DDR2 800mHz RAM at the time. I built my computer using the recommended config that was ideal to run the game as a baseline, and then I bought what I could afford per month. This has not failed me. At the time, I started AoC in October 2008 with online dial-up at about 34-40 kbps. I live out in the country, so faster access was not available. I made it through Tortage at this speed with minimal lag and a very decent experience. I was hooked!!! Cimmeria worked decent too, with occasional lag. With dial-up, Aquilonia and Stygia were almost unplayable. There were still a ton of players running all over the place at that time. I then proceeded to try out some alts on different character classes running through Tortage until I could get faster access. So it was until Feb 2009 when Embarq finally offered and installed Extended Reach DSL at 512 kbps in my community. Think of in-game Poitain with more pine trees and that is where I live... We have the occassional cattle loose on our roads too, but I digress. With faster access, I was able to see all the zones that I had only read and heard about. Since then, I have had very few issues. With a machine designed to handle AoC's graphical intensity, I have been extremely pleased with the results.
THORGRIMM's RIG:
Case: Cooler Master, RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ABS, Full/Mid-Tower, SLI Ready
PSU: OCZ EliteXstream (800w) – OCZ800EXS – SLI Ready, 80Plus
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 Processor - 2.66GHz, 8MB Cache, 1066MHz FSB, Kentsfield, Socket 775
GPU: XFX Nvidia GeForce 9800 GT, 512MB GDDR3, PCIe 2.0, DVI/HDTV/VGA, SLI
SND: -default- 7.1 MB Sound (XFX nForce 780i)
RAM: OCZ SLI-Ready Dual Channel 8192MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory (4x2048MB)
SDRAM, 240-pin
MOBO: XFX nForce 780i 3-Way SLI Motherboard
HD: 7200 RPM Western Digital WD5000KSRTL 500GB SATA II Internal Caviar SE16 Hard Drive
MON: ACER X213Wbd 21.6" Widescreen LCD Monitor
OS: Windows Vista Ultimate, 64-bit Edition, Service Pack 2
Recently I also added a 40X Sony CD/DVD Burner and a Lite-On Blue-ray Player. This rig also makes a great High Definition Player. My point is that these parts were not top of the line when I bought them. They were 2nd or 3rd generation. Today, a little more than a year later, these parts should be a lot less expensive than when I bought them. Building a rig that can run Age of Conan, or any other high-end graphics-based game (DirectX 10) should not be outside of many people's reach. Today, I would probably use Windows 7 Ultimate, 64-bit Edition, as an alternate to Vista. All-in-all I am very please with how Age of Conan handles. It runs like a charm for me on the above rig...
I think you are on to something with this. Opening up the Library in Old Tarantia is a great idea. Aion has already done this in both capitol cities; I was able to explore Pandemonium in Asmodae. In the Library, I read short and long books and I even found a couple videos embedded in a couple of the more distant books. Though not containing a library per se, WoW, has books scattered all over the known realms that add depth and lore to their continually evolving universe. They even have achievements to help you figure out how many more books you need to track down.
Robert E. Howard had already touched on this. At the beginning of some of his stories, he had a caption from the Nemedian Chronicles which tell of Conan's tale. In the Aquilonia Trilogy that came out in 2006 to introduce potential players to the Age of Conan gamesetting, threats and lore, the main character was informed that Conan's Queen, Zenobia, had commissioned tales of Conan's valor to be distributed as books. Great Murals, paintings, and scultures glorifying Conan were also commissioned so that no one would ever take Conan lightly again, as when traitors had tried to usurp his throne in "The Hour of the Dragon".
"Know, oh prince, that between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities, and the years of the rise of the Sons of Aryas, there was an Age undreamed of, when shining kingdoms lay spread across the world like blue mantles beneath the stars — Nemedia, Ophir, Brythunia, Hyperborea, Zamora with its dark-haired women and towers of spider-haunted mystery, Zingara with its chivalry, Koth that bordered on the pastoral lands of Shem, Stygia with its shadow-guarded tombs, Hyrkania whose riders wore steel and silk and gold. But the proudest kingdom of the world was Aquilonia, reigning supreme in the dreaming west. Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandalled feet."
— The Nemedian Chronicles.
"The Phoenix on the Sword" (short-story):
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Phoenix_on_the_Sword
The Hour of the Dragon (REH's only complete novel):
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Hour_of_the_Dragon
Robert Ervin Howard Bibliography:
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Robert_E._Howard
Just want to add if you're interested in REH's poetry which has never before been fully published you can buy it here...
http://www.rehfoundation.org/
I bought the small book which is just samples at the Howard house last summer. It has a few Conan style poems in it that are pretty good. Highly recommend if you enjoy poetry.
.. .... .- - . - .-. --- .-.. .-.. ... .-- .... --- .-. . .--. --- .-. - .-.-.-
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Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate.
Those are incredible photographs of those framed maps. Very nice. Is this house in Texas, or somewhere else?
I have collected four of five pocket book-sized novels of Howard collections from Cosmos Books, and I have the recent Del Ray Collections (black softcover tabletop series, fully illustrated REH Library). I found every book in that series, but I hear two more are coming out Feb-March 2010. All of the above have the uneditted stories, fragments, and poetry of Robert E. Howard, covering Conan, Kull, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, his cowboy tales, his horror tales, his Pict tales, etc...
I will follow-up on that website. Thanks for the Link.
This is the complete listing (by release date) of the Fully Illustrated Robert E. Howard Library presented by Del Rey Books:
The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 496 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Action; Fiction | December 2003 |
The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 432 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Action; Fiction | June 2004 |
The Bloody Crown of Conan
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 384 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Action; Fiction | November 2004 |
Bran Mak Morn: The Last King
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 400 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Action; Fiction | May 2005 |
The Conquering Sword of Conan
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 416 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Action; Fiction | November 2005 |
Kull
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 352 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Fantasy - Epic; Fiction - Adventure | October 2006 |
The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 1
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 528 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Fantasy - Epic; Fiction - Adventure | August 2007 |
The Best of Robert E. Howard Volume 2
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 544 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Fantasy - Epic; Fiction - Adventure | November 2007 |
The Horror Stories of Robert E. Howard
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 560 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Horror; Fiction; Fiction - Classics | October 2008 |
El Borak and Other Desert Adventures
Written by Robert E. Howard
Trade Paperback, 592 pages | Del Rey | Fiction - Fantasy; Fiction - Adventure; Fiction - Classics | February 2010 |
http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/catalog/results.pperl?author_like=robert%20e%2e%20howard
Watch the World Premiere LIVE Broadcast of the Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer Expansion, Monday, Dec 7th (via LiveStream)
December 7th - 12:00pm PDT (20:00 GMT) {2:00pm CST, 3:00pm EST}
http://www.xfire.com/cms/xf_tnss/
What has only been glimpsed in trailers and screenshots is now coming to life as Funcom and Xfire team together for the World Premiere Broadcast of the highly anticipated Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer.
Watch December 7th as the Game Director for Age of Conan takes you along with a team a players through several of Rise of the Godslayers new lands and features.
About Rise of the Godslayer:
Embark on the most savage, sexy and brutal Conan adventure yet as you descend into the shadows that have fallen over Khitai, the fabled empire of the east! Ride across the grassy steppes and see the purple pagodas of Paikang rising from the vine-choked bamboo jungles. Unravel the corruption that threatens to taint the very heart of this beautiful land forever!
All New Character Race - Khitan
New Content for players of all level ranges
Countless new monsters and rewards
Hundreds of new quests
Two new mounts - the Wolf and the Tiger
Choose a side in the war of Khitan!
Win 1 Year of Free Playtime at GiveawayGamer.com
GiveawayGamer.com in collaboration with their brother sites (FreeMMOGamer.com, MMORGate.com) and Funcom have teamed up to give their users the great opportunity to win 1 year of FREE playtime for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures!
And that´s not all, the winner will receive more tons of cool virtual items such as the Mammoth, Rhino and Horse mount!
To win this amazing prize all you have to do is to share this giveaway or the GiveawayGamer.com site with the world. Tell all your friends, share the link in your twitter, facebook, myspace, forums, websites, make a youtube video, etc. You are free to be creative and do whatever you want. And then tell GiveawayGamer what you did, where you shared the links and to whom, if possible take some screenshots, photos or videos.
Head over to http://www.GiveawayGamer.com to find all the details about this great contest.
Send your answers to [email protected] with the subject “Age of Conan”. Don’t forget to mention your name and a valid email.
Notes:
The giveaway will run from November 18 to December 18. The winner will be published during the following days in the website post on GiveawayGamer.com and via email, so please check your mailbox.
I'm a bit curious about how you manage to zone every two minutes? Take Conall's Valley for example, there are hours worth of quests there and no need to zone while doing them except in one small dungeon which I can think of. I'll agree with you that there are some zoning issues in the hubs, but how much time do you spend in Khemi really?
About LotRO being more alive, that's your opininon and I'll respect that, however I disagree and do not share the view. In my opinion AoC feels more immersive and alive to me. DDO, yes, I liked what they did to that game, especially the first couple of quests with narrative. But if your complaining about zoning "every 2 minutes", how can you even drag that game to the surface for comparison? If there ever was a game that topped the zoning statistics that's the one.
I think you should read my quote again. Every MMO I've played EXCEPT DDO felt more like a living world than AoC.
Yes, you're right, I'm sorry, must've read a bit fast.
That makes more sense.
Just to comment on what I was asking; I take it your opinion on what an immersive world needs to be is seamless then?
If so, I feel there is two (possibly more) "camps" within the MMO world, one which agrees with you (not that there is a definite answer here, it's all subjective after all) and one group (of which I consider myself in) which thinks that loading screens not necessarily breaks immersion if the rest of the game (the parts you are actually playing) holds up to standard. I guess the views of these two groups are so fundamently different that it is futile to convince each other about what "makes-or-breaks" immersion, so I'll leave the discussion with that.
Yes, you're right, I'm sorry, must've read a bit fast.
That makes more sense.
Just to comment on what I was asking; I take it your opinion on what an immersive world needs to be is seamless then?
If so, I feel there is two (possibly more) "camps" within the MMO world, one which agrees with you (not that there is a definite answer here, it's all subjective after all) and one group (of which I consider myself in) which thinks that loading screens not necessarily breaks immersion if the rest of the game (the parts you are actually playing) holds up to standard. I guess the views of these two groups are so fundamently different that it is futile to convince each other about what "makes-or-breaks" immersion, so I'll leave the discussion with that.
It doesn't have to be totally seamless, but excessive load screens do ruin my immersion, yes. The load screens are only part of the equation. I can't stand all the invisible walls in the already small zones, either. That is a big reason I hate the trend of designing MMOs and even single player RPGs to be console ports.