Open beta begins! Massive players will be entering Hyborea en-masse within a few weeks, slaughtering picts and saving women. Journeys are very important in the game, not only for the players but also for the people they meet on the way. It’s very meaningful. Age of Conan is just setting out on its own journey into the world of retail and public launch.
The question hangs in the air ... is it any good? Has the wait been worth it? Today along with some information on the game's tutorial elements, a bit of class knowledge, and a slew of screenshots and videos, Massively would like to offer you a view on the state of the game. These views are based a week's worth of play at low levels - enough to make a few observations, but nothing like a 'review'. At the very least we can prepare you for what you'll experience in the Open Beta, and likely in the first days of retail as well.
First thing you should know is that you can relax if you are fearing a debacle. Age of Conan has many, many elements that are polished and well-designed. Those prospective players who have been looking forward to the gamer’s real time combat can rest easily. Especially for Hyborean hopefuls looking for grittier setting have nothing to fear.
Combat is, hands down, the standout element of this game. If you're tired of the tedium of auto-attack/abilities based MMOs, Conan's directional attacks vs. shields approach is going to keep you busy and happy. Every combat encounter, no matter how insignificant, requires a modicum of effort. Additional abilities which nicely combo up, provide even more variety to the already unique design. While the long term benefits of this combat style are very much up in the air, over the short term it's gripping in a way few other MMOs can claim.
The level of violence, movement, and emotion conveyed by combat reflects the darker world of Hyborea quite well. Every shadow seems designed to hide a demon or scofflaw. In the city of Tortage the powerful prey on the weak, and King Conan is very far away indeed. Funcom has evoked a sense of mystery and gritty tension in the world design, to a degree that’s both laudable and surprising. Conan manages to completely convey the subtext of an area, even just in a simple vine-chocked ruin. It can be considered as another clear victory for the design team.
Less clear are a few more specific design choices the developer has made. For example, all of the participating bloggers on the team feel as though the magic-using classes leave something to be desired. The realtime combat system fighters and rogues enjoy doesn't affect their cleric or mage brethren as much. It shows - magic feels very samey, and in some cases completely pathetic. Without any tangible feedback, spells strike home. Other spells cause their target to roll around trying to put out a fire ... where there is no fire art associated with the burning character. Pets, instead of 'holding aggro' as they do in other games, are tantamount to damage over time spells with a physical form. Spell weaving has been unavailable in the Beta to date, which may alleviate some of this concern. Also the design of Age of Conan gold and Age of Conan Powerleveling is very fantastic.
Other minor elements troubled us: the inventory (even for low levels) is pathetically small compared to the amount of junk you collect. Trying to collect a quest reward with a full inventory can result in item deletion. Some quest goals are not laid out as clearly as they could be. All of these are concerns that can be addressed - typical beta frustrations.
As you may notice, I haven’t given you a main idea about how the game looks. Age of Conan, under the right conditions, is the most beautiful majority online games we have ever played. Running in the jungle, listening to the birds chirp, you will easily believe that you are there.
In Beta, Age of Conan's graphical and networking performance has been entirely sub-par. There's no easy excuses, here, as none of the beta-participating bloggers have old machines. This blogger has an entirely unnecessarily nice computer, and it struggled to maintain the 'medium' setting. Because the ground simply wasn’t there when another blogger zoned into Totage, he had to fished out of the drink more than half a dozen times by a GM. Overall, game performance has been riddled with stutters, graphical pop-ins, and dropouts.
Some of these issues are likely tied to the Beta client, and will be removed along with the extra testing code before the game hits retail. Even so, it's our view that the graphical requirements of this game may be unmanageably high. Find AOC Gold store online and experience the AOC Powerleveling service.
Many players who consider themselves to have a viable PC will find an unhelpful slideshow waiting on the other end of the Hyborean gate.
To add insult to injury, dropping down to the low graphics setting strips quite a bit of the charm out of the game. On the lowest graphics setting 90 FPS is likely, but the jungle's luster will be gone. Striking a balance between this blogger's meager 10 fps and 90 has to be accomplishable before launch. It's easy to envision unhappy customers as an alternative.
Obviously Anarchy Online is still haunted to this day by its abysmal release. Ultimately, it’s up to them to prove that they’ve learned their lesson. By playing this game, I hold totally confidence about Age of Conan’s further development. Hope you will get something from this age of conan guide.