Tech info & tips

[Engels]

Just thought I'd start this thread as a general all purpose resource.

As a starter topic, I noticed that running the AoC.exe to launch the game didn't invoke the patcher, which I ran 3 minutes later to find that I had missing content. Not sure if that's by design or not.

As a side note, installation of Windows Vista did NOT put shortcuts on my desktop, or include AoC under Program Files, so I had to go into the directory and make shortcuts myself.

[Evildrider]

the shortcut was put in your games folder on Vista.  The one you can access straight from the start menu.

[Engels]

Ya, that. I run the Win XP classic layout, so its under Programs>Games>Games Explorer rather than that.

[Triforcer]

The Acheronian Ruins (Temple?  its the one with the "brothers remains eaten by demonic Pict" quest) completely ate my necromancer.  He tried to zone in, I got the "Reading content" page, and now after repeated tries yesterday and today he simply won't log in.  I emailed CS, but BEWARE. 

[Signe]

You can do a bit of minor customising via \cd_image\Gui\default like changing chat colours and stuff.

There is a README.txt in \cd_image\Gui\Customiized, too.

[KallDrexx]

You can do a bit of minor customising via \cd_image\Gui\default like changing chat colours and stuff.

There is a README.txt in \cd_image\Gui\Customiized, too.

HOW

I tried for a god damn hour to get the damn guild chat color to be a different color and failed horribly.  I then gave up and went out.

[Signe]

I haven't done it yet but I'll give it a go tomorrow.  Here is something on it from the AoC forum:

*****Note: If this stops working all you need to do is change the following line at the top of the customized file to match that of the default:
<!-- $Change: 48416 $ (must be within the first 200 characters of the file)
-->

More information can be found in the readme file in the GUI\Customized folder****

Alright I got really sick and tired of looking at that aweful purple for guild chat so I did some digging. Found the customized GUI folder with a very useful readme in it. So if you want to change the text colors follow the bellow.

First go to:
C:\Program Files\Funcom\Age of Conan\cd_image\Gui\Default (This file path may not be the same for you. Just find the GUI folder in your AoC install)

You will find a file called Text Colors. If you open the file you can see all the settings for your chat text.

Copy this file and paste it in the following folder

C:\Program Files\Funcom\Age of Conan\cd_image\Gui\Customized

Once it is there right click on it and hit edit.


The top section will give you some very basic colors with their HTML color code. Just find the color you want and replace it in the respective slot below.

For example the default guild chat is :

<HTMLColor name="ctch_clan_name" color="0xbf00bf" />
<HTMLColor name="ctch_clan_text" color="0xbf00bf" />

Now I want this to be green cause thats what I'm use to from WoW so I look above and find Green

<HTMLColor name="green" color="0x008000" />

Now all I have to do is take the last part

color="0x008000"

and replace it in the bottom section to look like

<HTMLColor name="ctch_clan_name" color="0x008000" />
<HTMLColor name="ctch_clan_text" color="0x008000" />

Save your changes close it and you are all set.

Source

[Miasma]

Very important tip: it seems you can swear on the official forums.  M for mature baby.

[schild]

Racial slurs and curse words aren't censored far as I can tell either. Almost every server has a guild called 'Fuck WoW.'

[Signe]

Righ got tired of hearing me bitch about my performance and bought me this:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150280.  It has a wee cute fan!  He had a page of stuff he wanted to get but I wouldn't let him.  He's such a sweetie.  This is as far as I'll upgrade for now.  I don't care if it still runs like ass.  Though it better not!  I'd rather buy shoes for my pussies.  Maybe a tiara for Magenta.

[Miasma]

Holy crap the cost of an 8800 has come down from when I bought mine.  Damn computer hardware.

[Signe]

Some of the 8800s are still pricey.

[Signe]

I got the 8800 with the wee cute fan and it really made a big difference.  I'm getting 35 - 52 day time in the city and 55 -60 at night so far.  I still get loading lag often but that's almost certainly my processor speed.  Righ is threatening to buy more shit but I want him to finish the pc for the tv first and maybe I'll increase my shoe budget.   

[Hound]

2 questions- (1) since I can't view the official boards are there many people complaining about the game randomly freezing and (2) anyone running a E8400 on a P35 chipset motherboard with a 8800 card. Thh reason I ask this is I think it may have been the chipset causing the freezing.

[schild]

I can't imagine the 8800 freezing. I've been contemplating that upgrade. I can't speak for the E8400 though.

[Kirth]

I was having trouble loading the game after installing, the setting button on the patcher has a "verify game files" button that fixed it for me. I just got stuck loading into the white sands island , so hopefully that fixes that for me as well.

[Signe]

The 8800 I got is lovely so far.  It's pretty cheap with the rebate, too.

[Hound]

I am almost convinced it was the motherboard. Long story but the wife inherited my E6600 and 965 motherboard that I had been using in the tech beta with the 8800  when her old AMD 3000 died. When they did the May 01 patch I had never played the game using the new board and CPU and every time I would go into inventory the game would freeze solid for about 20 seconds and would then crash to desktop. I tried half a dozen drivers, uninstalled and reinstalled, different resolutions, windowed mode, a 7900 GT videocard, with my sound card and without it etc etc till I finally gave up on it. 

[Miasma]

Lacheish planes is crashing on a bunch of servers, if you are in there your charcter can't be logged into.  My main is there...

[Miasma]

Very important tip: it seems you can swear on the official forums.  M for mature baby.

Oh no, now I'm seeing a bunch of asterisks where swear words should rightfully be and they have a sticky post saying you can't swear.  God damn them, they weren't being cool at all, they were being incompetent and forgot to turn the filters on.

[Engels]

2 questions- (1) since I can't view the official boards are there many people complaining about the game randomly freezing and (2) anyone running a E8400 on a P35 chipset motherboard with a 8800 card. Thh reason I ask this is I think it may have been the chipset causing the freezing.

I'm using a 8800GT and a P35 chipset, and its doing fine. Freezing could be just about anything, from ram to insufficient power to overheating.

[Hound]

2 questions- (1) since I can't view the official boards are there many people complaining about the game randomly freezing and (2) anyone running a E8400 on a P35 chipset motherboard with a 8800 card. Thh reason I ask this is I think it may have been the chipset causing the freezing.

I'm using a 8800GT and a P35 chipset, and its doing fine. Freezing could be just about anything, from ram to insufficient power to overheating.

700watt PS and I run LoTRO on the highest default setting for hours at a time but thanks for the info. I do plan to get another Freezer Pro for the 8400 but since I am not OC'ing it yet I was in no hurry. I have the EVGA 8800 GTS with 640 memory but like I said it ran fine before the May 01 patch so if I don't get a buddy code I may just gamble 40 bucks if there is not a lot of complaints of freezing on the official boards. Making it so that non subscribers cannot even read the boards makes a fence sitter nervous.

[Vinadil]

Not that any of you would be using old ATI cards... but if so there is a little problem with the DX shader setting that makes the game enter with a black screen.  There is a work around by manually changing the preference XML file.  Instructions can be found http://vnboards.ign.com/age_of_conan_technical_support/b23233/107377774/p1/?12.  Worked for me and the game runs rather smoothly.

[Signe]

I still haven't changed the colour of anything but I don't think I have to.  Mods are starting to come out now.  Mirage made one that's not awful, but I'm not really too crazy about it.  It's first, though, I think, besides some really bad looking one I came across a few days ago.  This game needs all the mods it can get as far as the UI and chat system is concerned.  Funcom might make a good game, but they're terrible at everything else.  The UI and chat, communication, streamlining and making it practical for most computer systtems... all fails, in my opinion.  Luckily the game is fun.  Well, at the moment.  I have no idea what the crafting or guild systems are like.  I'm already hearing grumblings... especially in the crafting department.

[Miasma]

Check your email to see if you got a free drinking cape code.  I have no idea what the criteria are.

Greetings!

You have been a long and thrustworthy participant in our community, and as such we would like to thank you for helping us form Age of Conan into the marvelous product it is today. The last weeks has seen some serious enhancment to the game, and with the release we will be opening several new areas and neverbefore seen content in the launch version of the game. What and where it is? You have to find out for yourself!

As a sign of gratitude for your aid, we are pleased to offer you the in-game item used by those loyal to King Conan: The Drinking Cape. This item will allow your characters (one game account only) to free of charge demand the very sought after alcholic drink of "Ambrosia" - free and in unlimited supplies for life! After having claimed your cape, merely find one of the kegs in the finer Inns of Hyboria and click it whilst wearing your cape to receive your drink.

To register your cape, log in to your account page by https://register.ageofconan.com clicking here and under the option "Use a Key" - enter this key:

 

Once this has been done, use the command "/claim" inside the game to claim your in-game items. These items work for all the characters you create on your account. Note that all in-game items are only available on full accounts, and do not work on pre-order, buddy or (later) trial accounts.

Note that this item will not be made available again at later dates - so wear it with pride!

Regards,
Funcom

[Signe]

Wasn't the cape a gift for the CE?  I think that's the reason I bought the CE.  Why can't they give gifts that you can't buy in-game or aren't gifts that you already have for doing something else "worthy"?  And, yes, I got that email, too.  Stupid Funcom.  I'll wait and if I get the cape with the CE, I'll pass this on if possible.  Or maybe they just give it to everyone anyway.

[Miasma]

Wasn't the cape a gift for the CE?  I think that's the reason I bought the CE.  Why can't they give gifts that you can't buy in-game or aren't gifts that you already have for doing something else "worthy"?  And, yes, I got that email, too.  Stupid Funcom.  I'll wait and if I get the cape with the CE, I'll pass this on if possible.  Or maybe they just give it to everyone anyway.

I don't get that either.  I have already entered the code in case they made another account management side mistake.  I'd be unhappily stroking my wooden box or whatever right now if I had bought the CE.

[schild]

I got my ring for more experience. That's all I cared about. I knew the drinking cape would be ugly, but it turned out uglier than I ever could have imagined.

[Signe]

Evidently the case isn't wooden but it's metal EMBOSSED!  The leather map is FAUX!  The hard cover art book is SOFT!  My crocodile hand bag is VINYL!  Still, it was the thought that counts.    

[Miasma]

I guess the drinking cape was actually a reward for joining their clan of Conan newsletter way back when and it was bundled into the CE after that.  So CE people actually got that reward second but were the first able to use it.

A possible fix for the annoying gray map bug: F10/interface options/HUD/Enable quest tracker, toggle it.

[Lantyssa]

I've heard it was for those whom activated before the 17th.  I dunno though.  I don't think it was for the newsletter, because I didn't get one.

[Montague]

I've heard it was for those whom activated before the 17th.  I dunno though.  I don't think it was for the newsletter, because I didn't get one.

My wife just got an e-mail telling her she got a drinking cape. Might be all preorders, but I havent got one yet.

[Sauced]

I got the drinking cape, but I have no idea why, as I'm waiting for a buddy code to see if I can play it.  Maybe I signed up for beta long long ago?

[Engels]

No email for me. My preorder from Amazon hasn't shipped yet, with an estimate of May 27th. Muy preorder.

[Viin]

You guys musta ordered your preorder late - mine shipped from Amazon morning of the 20th. Won't get it until tomorrow, but yah it shipped. I ordered it May 7th.