Funcom's new mmorpg

[Margalis]

IMO AO was pretty cool. I totally missed out on all the launch issues and didn't play the game until a couple years after release, but if I was going to play a MMORPG right now that would probably be it.

Magic in the Conan universe is very well done because it is scarce. It has a sort of occult feel. Whereas magic in a lot of fantasy becomes really mundane and basically interchangeable with a revolver.

The whole "use the mouse to adjust your sword swing" sounds like a terrible idea though, especially in a MMORPG. It's an idea that appeals to super geeks and rarely if ever works well.

[Hoax]

I had been thinking awhile ago to myself about the feasibility of an pc-rpg melee system where you used the mouse wheel to adjust between head/body/legs swings.  It would be semi twitch almost in that regard, and with the right complexity in defensive tactics/equipment as well as mob design it seemed like it could add another tiny layer of complexity to your auto attack and forget system.  Anyways, I dunno thought I would post that for some reason.

[ahoythematey]

Shouldn't be too hard, seeing as Thief already pulled off a quite-similar feat.

[Polysorbate80]

Is that Steve Urkel in the front?

[stray]

Is that Steve Urkel in the front?

Grand Puba.

[Jealous Deva]

Conan himself is a Cimmerian, from the land where the bronze people live?

Cimmerian = Crimean (well, sort of, same general relationship as germanic to german).

Cimmerians were an indo-european tribe that settled that general area.

[Velorath]

IGN has put up an interview with Game Director Gaute Godager with some new info about Conan.  Worth reading through as they've got a lot about the single-player part of the game and the combat system.  Of note:

On the combat system:

Aboard the slave galley, you will get your first taste of the "Real Combat" engine. This is the core, the essence of the Conan game. This is how we turned the vision of Hyboria - "grab a sword, crush your enemy" into gameplay. We needed to leave the indirect, auto combat behind to really give players that adrenalin pumping bloodshed an action combat game would give. Having indirect combat would simply never cut it for Conan, if you get my drift. Basically, you have six directions to chose from, when you swing your shackled chains around. Each direction will give an advantage and a disadvantage. Aiming for the head is harder, so perhaps you should choose the soft of the slavers belly for an easy hit, etc.

Stringing directions together might lead to a special move. Imagine raising your hands, holding the long heavy chain, and swinging against the right-side neck of the bloated slaver - as he is grinning at you with his blackened teeth and cracking his wet whip, soaked in slaver blood. Would it not, after slicing his right neck, make sense to swing against the left side of the neck, one second after? It would seem easier than swinging at his legs, would it not? It comes with the motion of the weapon I would think, and players will learn this instinctively as if they held the chains themselves. "Real Combat" analyzes (with our help - hehe) the motion of the professional fighters we used for motion capturing the animations, giving players room to let instinct and feeling guide their moves! When I pick up the rumble-joypad, it almost, almost, feels like I am there. There in the lush, sinful and brutal Age of Conan, crushing skulls. When the deck rumbles as the slaver gut crumbles the floor, you will know you chose correctly.

I like the sound of this.  Seems a lot more interactive than the standard MMO combat.  Add in the formations later on when grouping and mounted combat and this could be a lot of fun.


On grouping:

The development team has always been a strong believer in pushing people together in a friendly way, in the online game. There will be team match making, guild match making, PvP match making, formation gameplay for teams, PvP mini-games, social building of villages, massive RTS-like guild encounters and so forth. There will be substantial experience point bonuses for teaming, though it is not the only option. You can solo all the way, if you want.

Sounds good right now although I wouldn't be surprised to see a lot of this get cut before launch.  Building villages, RTS-like encounters, and PVP mini-games in particular I'd be very surprised to see at launch.  There are a lot of other interesting snippets of info in the interview also.  I don't want to get too sucked in by the early stages of MMO hype since a lot of crap MMO's sounded just as good when we first read interviews about them.  I'll be pissed if they fuck up Conan though.

[Hoax]

The IGN + Gamespot info released forced me to subscribe to their newsletter and sign up on their forum.  I might actually apply for a closed beta for the first time in awhile.

Features I want but expect 50%+ to be cut at release:
Dynamic npc enemy that acts more like an rts computer opponent then a bunch of stupid static spawns w/ no purpose
Siege system and everything that entails
Good complex robust skill-involving combat system
An interesting class system with good variety
PvP and lots of it

*sigh*  they always sound so good to start.

On the plus side we know Funcom can design a story/world/look to a game and make it work.  The question is can they code something that wont shit itself completely at launch and have balance holes you can drive a monster truck through for the first 6 months.

[HaemishM]

They have had over 4 years to learn how to program non-fucked netcode. At lot of the features like the villages, and terrain-acquisition stuff are things they are probably porting over from AO's last expansion.

That article made the game sound very good. The action combat thing will be the real seller or deal-breaker. How good they pull that off will make or break the game.

[Daeven]

FAQ here:

http://www.ageofconan.com/conan/faq.html

Hopefully 'Real Combat' = "We're stealing/buying Mount&Blade's system. It's cool."

I can dream, can't I?

[Velorath]

They have had over 4 years to learn how to program non-fucked netcode. At lot of the features like the villages, and terrain-acquisition stuff are things they are probably porting over from AO's last expansion.

That article made the game sound very good. The action combat thing will be the real seller or deal-breaker. How good they pull that off will make or break the game.

Years of experience seem to matter little in this market.  I really do want this to end up being as good as it sounds though.  Also looks like some of the game iis going to be shown on X-play on G4 tonight (8 PM PT).

[Margalis]

IMO AO is a pretty good game, easily the most underrated MMORPG. If someone forced me to play a MMORPG (not playing any right now) I'd choose CoH first and AO second. So I have hope. Hope springs eternal!

[kaid]

I would like to see a MMRPG use something like that mount&blade games mounted combat. I hate the fact that horses in most mmrpg are simply transportation buffs and nothing more. Also please god make game artists go out and look at horses and how they move. Just about every horse in a mmrpg makes me stabby when I look at it. The eq2 horses are freaking awful pudgy looking things. I like almost all the models in eq2 but god damn their horses are fugly.


kaid

[Xuri]

(From the IGN article)

As you can see it is a clear goal for me as Game Director to give players a real choice on how they create their character, and allow for difference and personalization.

There can never be enough character customization in a MMORPG. I detest having my character be like everyone else. This sounds good. *hopeful*

[WayAbvPar]

(From the IGN article)

As you can see it is a clear goal for me as Game Director to give players a real choice on how they create their character, and allow for difference and personalization.

There can never be enough character customization in a MMORPG. I detest having my character be like everyone else. This sounds good. *hopeful*

AMEN. Even if it has no effect on the usefulness or effectiveness of a character. I used to amuse myself to no end in UO, endlessly dying and redying my clothes. The more garish, the better.  I usually looked like a walking cathouse.

[AOFanboi]

Will it be a grind-fest after all? Funcom announced today that they are opening an office in China to service the Asian market with respect to their upcoming MMO games. And we all know what Asian-market MMOS are like.

[Hoax]

Our current understanding is limited to (at least mine is) 20 lvl's online single player-tutorial + ~40-80 lvl's online multi-player.  Those numbers from from some tidbit somewhere where the online single player would be ~1/3rd of the content.

Considering AO's high level cap I would not be surprised by 100-120lvl's at launch, but the question isn't really will you have to grind to get those lvls (you will) but is the combat system level based.

All in all, the thought of that many levels does put a damper on my fanboi flames but we'll see what happens.

[stray]

Considering AO's high level cap I would not be surprised by 100-120lvl's at launch, but the question isn't really will you have to grind to get those lvls (you will) but is the combat system level based.

Damn, I totally forgot about that. I stay away from AO for that very thing. Good game or not. Just the number "120" makes my jaw drop.

[HaemishM]

That many levels could be meaningless, if it's fun to get those levels. If it's not, well, sometimes Five Levels is Too Much.

[AOFanboi]

Damn, I totally forgot about that. I stay away from AO for that very thing. Good game or not. Just the number "120" makes my jaw drop.

AO is 200 + 15 Shadowlevels if you have Shadowlands + 30 AI levels if you have Alien Invasion. However, you don't start earning SL until you hit 200 and start camping mobs, and you gain Alien XP separately from normal exp. And IIRC the Alien levels don't "add" to the normal level, just gives you perks and allows equipment.

So, 215 it is. Pretty high, that.

Then Turbine went and upped AC1 from 126 to 275. What's with the e-peen envy?

Please to be making a MMORPG without levels thanks. It's doubtful Conan will be that.

[MaceVanHoffen]

Damn, I totally forgot about that. I stay away from AO for that very thing. Good game or not. Just the number "120" makes my jaw drop.

It's not that bad, honestly.  I left AO because I couldn't stand the horrible bugs, but I loved the concept and the character/skill system.  I always felt bad that Funcom just didn't seem to have the technical acumen to make a functioning game, but at least they made a relatively innovative game.

I love all the Conan books and short stories (I have some old Howard paperbacks and magazine reprints), so here's hoping Funcom has learned a few lessons in the software development department.  This could be a pretty cool game.

[Margalis]

AO had a lot of levels, but at least the first levels go really fast.

The original Conan stories rule. They are familiar yet have a pretty unique feel to them. The Frost Giant's Daughter is just a great story.

[stray]

I agree about Conan stories though. I generally don't get into fantasy works, but Conan kicks much ass. This will be my last hope for a fantasy mmo, I think (well, this and ddo).

[Eldron]

AO is 200 + 15 Shadowlevels if you have Shadowlands + 30 AI levels if you have Alien Invasion. However, you don't start earning SL until you hit 200 and start camping mobs, and you gain Alien XP separately from normal exp. And IIRC the Alien levels don't "add" to the normal level, just gives you perks and allows equipment.

So, 215 it is. Pretty high, that.

Just wanted to be a smartass.

Actully its 220. Once you reach 216 ½ you are about ½ways to 220.

[sarius]

Another thing I'm wondering: What will magic be like in this game? I'm not familiar with anything but Howard's books and the two films, but is there any room for "common" magic users? As far as I can tell, they're either super powerful or basically just mind controllers (Thulsa Doom).

Also, it seems like the powerful ones aren't even "magic users" per se, as they are just priests of some sort. It's tied to channeling/praying, while games like D&D give magic a more "scholarly" bent...Which works easier for a game.

Magic in the Howard universe was influenced to a great degree by Lovecraft, they were friends.  Thus most of the practitioners in the stories where diabolical and bent by evil.  In the RPG, magic is best used by NPC's, as it is ritualistic and does not lend itself to quick paced combat.  For the most part, Howard's vision was one of blood and steel, not Magic and Elves.

*pulls out his diabolical and evil union card*

So, it appears evil bloodsucking mages will be included as characters.  Bet this could grab the over 50 market. Baby boomers for Krom! :)

[Soln]

Another thing I'm wondering: What will magic be like in this game? I'm not familiar with anything but Howard's books and the two films, but is there any room for "common" magic users? As far as I can tell, they're either super powerful or basically just mind controllers (Thulsa Doom).

Also, it seems like the powerful ones aren't even "magic users" per se, as they are just priests of some sort. It's tied to channeling/praying, while games like D&D give magic a more "scholarly" bent...Which works easier for a game.

Magic in the Howard universe was influenced to a great degree by Lovecraft, they were friends.  Thus most of the practitioners in the stories where diabolical and bent by evil.  In the RPG, magic is best used by NPC's, as it is ritualistic and does not lend itself to quick paced combat.  For the most part, Howard's vision was one of blood and steel, not Magic and Elves.

*pulls out his diabolical and evil union card*

So, it appears evil bloodsucking mages will be included as characters.  Bet this could grab the over 50 market. Baby boomers for Krom! :)

it might even make the eponymous "magic-user" class actually rare and unique in an MMO, which is the way it is in the Howard books.  THAT would be interesting.

[Hoax]

Ok now we're starting to put too many hope eggs in one basket...

Magic wont be rare, at best we'll get something akin to nano-spells (but they aren't spells! its the future...)

[Hoax]

Ugh....

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/age-of-conan-hyborian-adventures/615602p1.html

Our goal is to create a system where you can PvP with your main character when you want to, without any permanent penalties. There won't be dedicated PvP servers in Conan. PvP will be available to your character if you want to participate -- or you could shy away altogether. You can roughly divide (Age of Conan's) PvP into three categories. First, you have one-on-one PvP traditionally found in arenas. Second, you have team based "mini-game" type of combat. The essence here is a GUI-driven match-making system which will allow you to form teams with players from all over Hyboria. You will fight it out in instanced "mini-areas" with concrete goals. Finally, there's "siege PvP"

wha? 

PvP is consensual. Our aim is that you will never be killed unless you ant to participate. PvP should be fun and exciting, not filled with griefers and exploiters. In the darkness of Hyboria, though, and its hidden alleys and grim battlefields everything should be seen as a legal tactic to crush your enemy!

I translate:  we're copying WoW, but we have a vaporware siege system.

[stray]

Fuck that. Assholes.

edit: Ok, maybe that's a bit harsh. I'll just cry instead <insert stupid looking cry emote here>

[HaemishM]

There will be no more "open PVP" RPG games made by anyone that expects a user base larger than 10,000 players. Ever again.

[stray]

There will be no more "open PVP" RPG games made by anyone that expects a user base larger than 10,000 players. Ever again.

I believe you. It's funny that there are so many Conan fans though.

[Viin]

There will be no more "open PVP" RPG games made by anyone that expects a user base larger than 10,000 players. Ever again.

I'll make one if someone else wants to do all the work.

[Soln]

There will be no more "open PVP" RPG games made by anyone that expects a user base larger than 10,000 players. Ever again.

Someone should write that down for a bumpersticker, because after the syphilitic experience of SWG and the success of WoW that's probably dead-on.

I liked this about magic in the article:

Spellcasters are different in Age of Conan than what you normally see in online games. First of all, only Stygians will use arcane magic -- this foul form of power is not used by the saner Cimmerians or Aquillonians. Second, magic will look, feel and handle differently than in other games. There aren't any magic missile tossing clowns with funny hats. Instead we have more "real" magic, manipulating reality, shaking the Earth, and summoning the odd demon from an unspeakable Hell.... [more, read it]

Shows the designers are paying attention to the world's mechanics, the author's intent and spirit of the books. Note the "funny hats" reference.  No more tu-tu's and figure-skater outfits for your spellcasters.

[Hoax]

@Haemish:

I hope and believe you are wrong.  Yes we're going to be doomed to who knows how many more years of "please everybody" bullshit in our mmog's.  But eventually somebody will get a clue and have the money/talent/time to make it work. 

What it sounds like they are talking about is just too complex a system and some of it will be cut.
-PvP instanced zones: "one-on-one PvP traditionally found in arenas. Second, you have team based "mini-game" type of combat"
-Open PvP zones: "hidden alleys and grim battlefields everything should be seen as a legal tactic to crush your enemy"
-Siege system:  This has already been cut from release in the sense that player built/controled territory is not going in but will eventually 
-Safe/Flag on/off zones:  We can assume everything else falls into this catagory, which is basically a way around designing a good player justice system.

There is no way they are going to fit all that unless we dont see this game 'till 2010.

We all know how well pvp flagging has worked in WoW (dead quest npc's anyone?)...

[HaemishM]

I would expect the PVP to be more like it is in DAoC than in WoW, as I beileve that's the way it works in AO.