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Really an MMO?

darkasterdarkaster Member Posts: 187
in Age of Conan: Unchained
Hey guys, this post isn't meant to get anyone angry, I have a legitimate question heh.

From what i've read about this game  (which is honestly not much, so thats probably the problem) it seems like this game isn't going to be as much as an mmo as other games out there.  It starts off as a single player game if I'm not mistaken, and then theres an online element?

Is this really an MMO? Or is it more of an "MMO" like Guild Wars?



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Comments

  • barrett99barrett99 Member Posts: 5

    think of it as an online game with the training in single player, no more running around try and get the quest creature int he starter zone before an other player does.

    Apparently the opening sequence to the game goes some thing like this.

    Your a slave on a boat (this is an advanced charecter creation tool)

    The boat is attacked and you wash up on shore were you are greated by a NPC (who is in the origanal Howard stories) , who notices your tatoo (apparently all of us have them)

    He point you int he direction of the island your are on's city,so off you set to get there with nothing but an oar and the rags you are wearing.

    As you progress by doing quests and under covering some information on your tatoo you are allowed to leave the island and by doing so join the mmo community on the main land.

    the first 20 levels are single player,there are a total of 80 if i remember correctly.now lets take WoW , the first 20 levels can be done quite easyly in 12-18 hours of playing,yet the grind to 60 takes you alot longer.The single player element takes about 30 hours if you want to do every thing (so some of us have heard), while apparently it can be blitzed in 12.but the other 60 i would think would be on the everquest 2 time frame.

  • darkasterdarkaster Member Posts: 187
    Ah, okay I gotcha.

    So the online play however will be similar to other games then, yeah?  By that I mean you have a huge world to explore with others and such.

    Okay, great thanks for the answer Eideu, and not flipping out image



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  • fansedefansede Member UncommonPosts: 960

    It really is a new approach. Get your feet wet on your own, at your leisure and get immersed.

    I remember my first MMO, EQ, I was so overwhelmed for a long time. I felt I was cheating because I had to buy a guide to figure lots of things out.

    Tutorials are ok, but you are hard pressed to get immersed into the storyline.

    Hopefully this solo first, massive later approach will deliver!

     

    imageTake the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.

  • darkasterdarkaster Member Posts: 187
    Originally posted by fansede
    It really is a new approach. Get your feet wet on your own, at your leisure and get immersed. I remember my first MMO, EQ, I was so overwhelmed for a long time. I felt I was cheating because I had to buy a guide to figure lots of things out. Tutorials are ok, but you are hard pressed to get immersed into the storyline. Hopefully this solo first, massive later approach will deliver!  
    I just hope the solo isn't too draining, and that the massive is indeed massive! image


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  • AelfinnAelfinn Member Posts: 3,857

    The solo play takes 12-15 hours to go through, you have the option of playing with others during part of that period, and with any future characters, you can just skip it.

    The point of the Tortugan islands is twofold, first of all, it provides a solid base and introduction to the main storyline. And secondly, it allows for the newer players to learn the ropes so to speak before they hit the main community. Its not particularly flattering, but you can consider those islands to be the kiddy pool.

    At level 20, you hit the mainland. From here all the way up to level 80, the world truly is an MMO, and not in the fashion that GW is either.

    No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
    Hemingway

  • VhattiVhatti Member Posts: 52
    Originally posted by Aelfinn
    The solo play takes 12-15 hours to go through, you have the option of playing with others during part of that period, and with any future characters, you can just skip it. The point of the Tortugan islands is twofold, first of all, it provides a solid base and introduction to the main storyline. And secondly, it allows for the newer players to learn the ropes so to speak before they hit the main community. Its not particularly flattering, but you can consider those islands to be the kiddy pool. At level 20, you hit the mainland. From here all the way up to level 80, the world truly is an MMO, and not in the fashion that GW is either.
    The man knows his stuff.


  • Casanova48Casanova48 Member Posts: 23
    This game sounds very very fun and entertaining. I'm trying to decide if I want to plat AoC or VG... and I can't decide
  • YukkioneYukkione Member Posts: 618
    In the first 20 lvls you will still be hooked up to the main AOC sever. You can communicate with other players and your progress is tracked. During the day you will be able to form small groups with other players. But at night your on your own. The solo play thing has been changed since original game conception. Once in the main poertion of the game it  plays in typical mmo fashion.  The game is pretty open with many spontanious NPC events going on in the world around you. The game will have some instancing where it makes sense but will not revolve around it.
  • ResetgunResetgun Member Posts: 471

    Here is interesting information: Your first steps in Age of Conan

    And here is more up to date information: Behind the Scenes 5 - Beta Progress


    We always wanted players to want see more fellow players earlier in the experience. That we expected and planned for, we had laid out some communal areas where players would meet each other at certain points of the experience. The original thought though was for these to be more social areas and not really do have any real co-op gameplay elements.

    It was soon apparent though from testing that this could be improved upon. While players were greatly enjoying the solo elements they also itched to tie up with other players through more than just drunken brawling and social interaction.

    So we were faced with a slight dilemma, we certainly didn’t want to dilute the solo elements and the story of the players Destiny quests, but we also wanted to find a way to allow players to experience a more true MMO experience a little earlier.

    In doing that though we also had to be sure though to not force the players into co-op game play, as we also didn’t want to water down the appeal of the ‘personal’ journey to level twenty!

    So what to do with the Tortage island section suddenly became a new kind of challenge! How to get the best of both worlds? After locking the design team away in meetings for a while (the Game Director will neither confirm or deny the use of any potentially dangerous motivational tools!) they came up with a solution that we feel is ingenious and ‘fitting’.

    So what was the solution? Now when players get to Tortage during the day, you will see other players around, and you will be able to group with them if you want and do areas and dungeons on a small team level. This is optional though, it was very important for us that even in adding co-op gameplay to this area the entire experience remains soloable!

    Then as night creeps forth you will be sent off on the next legs of your personal quest in a pure single player environment again. The night time sequences are triggered by visiting a bed in an Inn , which we felt was a good, and natural, mechanic to use as people would be familiar with it from many single player RPGs. These sections allow the story to continue and the ‘destiny’ quests to play out for each individual player.

    The solution has allowed us to keep the first few levels intact exactly as we originally planned as the players quest to seek access to the town at the centre of life in Tortage, but after we get there we have added more co-op gameplay elements than we originally envisioned to give players the option of seeking help with certain stages of the single-player experience should they want to.

    So the daytime sections allow you to level up either alone, or in a small team, in order to progress to the next main section of your destiny quest. While at night you are always completely on your own, in and around the environs of Tortage.



    It is not going to be solo only. It is going to optional co-operation gameplay at start.

     

    "I know I said this was my last post, but you my friend are a idiotic moron." -Shadow4482

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