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Age of Conan: Beta Preview... Preview

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Comments

  • SamhaelSamhael Member RarePosts: 1,534

    Avast! I be heading to Tortuga at first light!

    Ahoy, me mateys!

  • Ascension08Ascension08 Member Posts: 1,980

    All the other stuff you've written I've seen in other reviews or just opinions, except for the sound. A strange thing, but I actually want good sound with average graphics over high end graphics with boring sound. I mean, try watching your TV while it's muted. Sounds tend to get repetitive and overused in games, especially with 80 levels, but if indeed their sound team did a better-than-average job, I think I'll give it a go.

    --------------------------------------
    A human and an Elf get captured by Skaven. The rat-men are getting ready to shoot the first hostage with Dwarf-made guns when he yells, "Earthquake!" The naturally nervous Skaven run and hide from the imaginary threat. He escapes. The Skaven regroup and bring out the Elf. Being very smart, the Elf has figured out what to do. When the Skaven get ready to shoot, the Elf, in order to scare them, yells, "Fire!"

    Order of the White Border.

  • AmazingAveryAmazingAvery Age of Conan AdvocateMember UncommonPosts: 7,188

    Hey Jon, nice write up of early impressions.

    Just one thing though its "Tortage" not "Tortuga" - Tortuga is a real place upon which Howard based Tortage and heavily borrowed its name and theme. There was a little snippet I did here: http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/153228 

    Looking forward to further impressions. For me its like watching someone see snow for the first time and see the excitement on their face, watching people's facial expressions at the community event when playing was pretty funny.



  • BrynnBrynn Member Posts: 345
    Originally posted by AmazingAvery


    Hey Jon, nice write up of early impressions.
    Just one thing though its "Tortage" not "Tortuga" - Tortuga is a real place upon which Howard based Tortage and heavily borrowed its name and theme. There was a little snippet I did here: http://www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/153228 

    I hadn't even noticed that mistake.  ;)

  • maddbomber83maddbomber83 Member Posts: 422

    Thank you for the preview!  And if you could only find 1 way to spell a word then I would be worried about your intelligence!

    As for the game, I'm looking forward to pulling out my game pad.  As to the G15 macro commands, they actually would work well.  You can set it up so that 1 tap starts the macro, another tap ends it early (if a swing misses). 

    I look forward to future articles on this.  I love and NEED good sound and can't stand poorly done voice overs too!  But they add SO much to the game for me.

     

  • CerionCerion Member Posts: 1,005

    Nice preview....

     

    But what if your character concept doesn't involve being a slave? Everyone starts as a slave? That's a fine intro to something like Oblivion, a single player game.  It doesn't feel appropriate though for a MMORPG.

    _____________________________
    Currently Playing: LOTRO; DDO
    Played: AC2, AO, Auto Assault, CoX, DAoC, DDO, Earth&Beyond, EQ1, EQ2, EVE, Fallen Earth, Jumpgate, Roma Victor, Second Life, SWG, V:SoH, WoW, World War II Online.

    Games I'm watching: Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Force of Arms.

    Find the Truth: http://www.factcheck.org/

  • BrynnBrynn Member Posts: 345

    It's in the story, and it works.

  • maddbomber83maddbomber83 Member Posts: 422

    Everquest 2 originally started along the same lines.  I forget if you were a slave or not, but you were shipwrecked and had lost all memory.  Now that I think about it, there are several other RPGs where you started out as a slave, or in jail, or something like that. 

    As long as there is a story, then I'm fine with however you start.  It is up to you to decide your future right?

  • ThornrageThornrage Member UncommonPosts: 659

    Originally posted by URMAKER

    Originally posted by JackFetch

    Originally posted by Ruppich


    No WoW Killer here
    *flame on*



    No flame, but since Age of Conan has a Mature rating, and will not be knowingly allowing minors to play, it can't be the fabled "WoW Killer."  Take all the adults out of WoW and... um... would you notice?

    if you knew how much chat is all about nipples you'd forget all about a mature community.


    Hmmm, Funcom said us closed beta peeps can talk about the first 13 levels so ...

    No chat is not all about nipples.  Most of the time it is full of questions that are answered by other beta testers.

    Yo, this was a great and spot on review.  I cant wait to read more :)

    "I don't give a sh*t what other people say. I play what I like and I'll pay to do it too!" - SerialMMOist

  • HousamHousam Member Posts: 1,460


    Originally posted by Thornrage
    Originally posted by URMAKER
    Originally posted by JackFetch
    Originally posted by Ruppich No WoW Killer here
    *flame on*

    No flame, but since Age of Conan has a Mature rating, and will not be knowingly allowing minors to play, it can't be the fabled "WoW Killer." Take all the adults out of WoW and... um... would you notice?



    if you knew how much chat is all about nipples you'd forget all about a mature community.


    Hmmm, Funcom said us closed beta peeps can talk about the first 13 levels so ...
    No chat is not all about nipples. Most of the time it is full of questions that are answered by other beta testers.
    Yo, this was a great and spot on review. I cant wait to read more :)

    NIPPPPPPLLLLLEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS


    I don't get why people are going crazy.,,,wow nipple...big deal...

    lets f*p over it...

  • HousamHousam Member Posts: 1,460


    Originally posted by Stradden
    Originally posted by Litchfield Fire your proof reader.
    Yeah, that's insanely un-helpful.
    If you noticed something, I encourage you to share so that we can fix it. Mistakes do happen, and I'm all about correcting them.

    ignore the grammar bully

  • dekkendekken Member Posts: 18

    I wish he hadn't given away the opening scene

    kinda wrecked that first moment for me.

     

    good review though

  • BrynnBrynn Member Posts: 345

    Players joke about nipples, just to joke, and then it's over. You definitely won't be seeing bare breasts in many places, none that I know of on the island, unless you create a female avatar and take your top off. And I have no doubt there will be immature guys creating females just so they can run around town with no tops. And there will be other immature players oggling them. All that will be short lived and eventually ignored.

    On the mainland, bare breasts are only on females where it is appropriate for the place, such as the prostitutes. And about gore; I play ranged so I haven't seen much. Neither bare breasts nor gore are put in the game for purile reasons, but for retaining the true atmosphere of the Conan stories. Once you wrap your mind around that, those things are put in proper perspective.

  • Nightdragon8Nightdragon8 Member Posts: 53

    so what you are saying is as long as your not a prude then this is a game for you, ok got it

  • CerionCerion Member Posts: 1,005

    Originally posted by maddbomber83


    Everquest 2 originally started along the same lines.  I forget if you were a slave or not, but you were shipwrecked and had lost all memory.  Now that I think about it, there are several other RPGs where you started out as a slave, or in jail, or something like that. 
    As long as there is a story, then I'm fine with however you start.  It is up to you to decide your future right?

    Yes, several other single player RPGs, not MMORPGS, have these backgrounds decided for you.  I played EQ2, and starting shipwrecked is fine. I don't seem to recall starting with amnesia though.   I don't mind well-crafted tutorials that guide you through a story either.  It's the fact that FC is deciding that I'm a slave to start with that bothers me. Even the most linear of games give you the freedom of deciding your personal history.

    _____________________________
    Currently Playing: LOTRO; DDO
    Played: AC2, AO, Auto Assault, CoX, DAoC, DDO, Earth&Beyond, EQ1, EQ2, EVE, Fallen Earth, Jumpgate, Roma Victor, Second Life, SWG, V:SoH, WoW, World War II Online.

    Games I'm watching: Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Force of Arms.

    Find the Truth: http://www.factcheck.org/

  • singsofdeathsingsofdeath Member UncommonPosts: 1,812

    Originally posted by Cerion


     
    Originally posted by maddbomber83


    Everquest 2 originally started along the same lines.  I forget if you were a slave or not, but you were shipwrecked and had lost all memory.  Now that I think about it, there are several other RPGs where you started out as a slave, or in jail, or something like that. 
    As long as there is a story, then I'm fine with however you start.  It is up to you to decide your future right?

     

    Yes, several other single player RPGs, not MMORPGS, have these backgrounds decided for you.  I played EQ2, and starting shipwrecked is fine. I don't seem to recall starting with amnesia though.   I don't mind well-crafted tutorials that guide you through a story either.  It's the fact that FC is deciding that I'm a slave to start with that bothers me. Even the most linear of games give you the freedom of deciding your personal history.

    So does this one. After all, nowhere in the tutorial is it told how your life was before you are thrown into the "tutorial".

    Seriously, just because you wake up in that situation, does it mean you have been in it for all your life. If you value creative thinking so much, there should be no problem coming up with a neat story that leads up to that point in your life.

     

    And continue from there. *shrug* Just my thought.

  • CerionCerion Member Posts: 1,005

    Originally posted by singsofdeath


     
    Originally posted by Cerion


     
    Originally posted by maddbomber83


    Everquest 2 originally started along the same lines.  I forget if you were a slave or not, but you were shipwrecked and had lost all memory.  Now that I think about it, there are several other RPGs where you started out as a slave, or in jail, or something like that. 
    As long as there is a story, then I'm fine with however you start.  It is up to you to decide your future right?

     

    Yes, several other single player RPGs, not MMORPGS, have these backgrounds decided for you.  I played EQ2, and starting shipwrecked is fine. I don't seem to recall starting with amnesia though.   I don't mind well-crafted tutorials that guide you through a story either.  It's the fact that FC is deciding that I'm a slave to start with that bothers me. Even the most linear of games give you the freedom of deciding your personal history.

    So does this one. After all, nowhere in the tutorial is it told how your life was before you are thrown into the "tutorial".

    Seriously, just because you wake up in that situation, does it mean you have been in it for all your life. If you value creative thinking so much, there should be no problem coming up with a neat story that leads up to that point in your life.

     

     

    And continue from there. *shrug* Just my thought.

    Has nothing to do with creative thinking.  I manage that just fine thanks.  And though my characters can be pretty diverse in their backgrounds, the one element they all have in common, and live by, is the motto "Live free or die."   Being a slave doesn't make sense because none of my characters would make it to that point.

    _____________________________
    Currently Playing: LOTRO; DDO
    Played: AC2, AO, Auto Assault, CoX, DAoC, DDO, Earth&Beyond, EQ1, EQ2, EVE, Fallen Earth, Jumpgate, Roma Victor, Second Life, SWG, V:SoH, WoW, World War II Online.

    Games I'm watching: Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Force of Arms.

    Find the Truth: http://www.factcheck.org/

  • singsofdeathsingsofdeath Member UncommonPosts: 1,812

    Well, if that is an unchanging rule for your characters, I suppose that might be a problem, yes. Although I think there are more than enough examples of even making those with such a motto into slaves for a time. All the more reason for your character to be angry.

     

    Magic makes things possible.

     

    Apart from that, if it's not for you, then well...it's not for you. Nothing bad about that. I'm sure there will be other games that fit your demands better.

  • BuzWeaverBuzWeaver Member UncommonPosts: 978

    With a little more clarification and confirming that players are posting:



    "We will hold the Closed Beta NDA for everyone but journalists until launch, but you are allowed to openly communicate about your experiences up to level 13. We still have many additions and improvements to the game prior to launch, as you will surely see by playing in the next couple of weeks. Even the early experience will improve greatly in the upcoming period, so we urge you to speak about it in public should you wish to."

    I'm playing on a 2.8Ghz Pen4 (Win XP), 2g RAM, 7800 GeForce Video Card, X-FI Extreme Audio and a 6mb Internet connection. I ended up playing on low settings with a few tweaks.


    Its been mentioned but certainly bears repeating, the sound is really impressive though I'm not a fan of ambient music. Character creation will give those tweak monkeys a lot to play with. I created a Cimmerian Bear Shaman, but only spent about 15 minutes in character creation. You have all the typical selections, body type, hair/eye/skin color, body art, body size etc. There are additional sliders for those who really want to tweak out their character.


    I am a bit persnickety so I spent about 30 minutes playing around with the settings, not to mention adjusting for sound, graphics, UI and controls so as to get a smoother game play. The UI is somewhat intuitive, yet different enough from other MMO's that it can take a little getting use to. There is certainly areas for improvement, of course I'm keeping in mind that it is beta after all.


    The game play is a little chunky as to be expected. Movement felt awkward (my settings are weird but I was able to get a comfortable strafe setting) and I'm not a fan of 3rd person view. The UI layout is reasonable and can be adjusted to your liking. There does seem to be a generous amount of indicators and directional doohickeys. The screen can seem a bit cluttered with all the tutorial information and I was a little confused by it.


    There are several settings for communication, I've not grouped or joined a guild so I don't know the key commands for chatting in those respected areas. I would occasionally take a peek at Global, but as you can expect it was filled with clung clang chatter, but tolerable for a beta.


    The combat isn't to different from other MMO's but the button mashing feels more interactive and you get a little more freedom of movement as well as directional attack capability. Don't underestimate the mighty broken oar. Interacting with NPC's took a minute for me to figure out as well as targeting, I have tendency to make things more complicated than they need to be. The blood splatting is amusing.


    The voice overs seem a little more livelier than your typical MMO's so you feel a little more immersed. I've not touched on the graphics simply because my rig isn't up to the current snuff. I had to keep my settings on low and make a few adjustments just to make the game a little more playable.


    The Old Timers Guild
    Laid back, not so serious, no drama.
    All about the fun!

    www.oldtimersguild.com
    An opinion should be the result of thought, not a substitute for it. - Jef Mallett

  • maddbomber83maddbomber83 Member Posts: 422

    Originally posted by Cerion


     
     
    Has nothing to do with creative thinking.  I manage that just fine thanks.  And though my characters can be pretty diverse in their backgrounds, the one element they all have in common, and live by, is the motto "Live free or die."   Being a slave doesn't make sense because none of my characters would make it to that point.
    Well it is simple.  I have seen it in movies where after a battle some great fighter is knocked unconscious and wakes up tied to a pole being carried through the tropics to be sold as a slave.  He then escapes somewhere to wreck havoc on those who would have him a slave.

    So your character lived whatever life that you wanted it to, unfortune besets it and they are taken against their will.  They plan to escape though, and get shipwrecked along the way.

    All this does is give you a starting point to enter the Conan Universe.  Everything before is up to you, and everything after is within the guidelines, however you choose to interpret them.

  • drarkanexdrarkanex Member Posts: 153

    I am so excited about this game.  I know Funcom is excited too.  Their 2nd MMO, albiet Anarchy Online had a bit of a rocky start but I believe firmly that AoC launch will go much smoother.  I <3 Funcom very much and thanks for bringing these books into reality.  I read the Conan books when I was little (1970's) and I'm ecstatic about playing in this world.   Should be interesting.  Hurry up May 20th.. LET'S ROLL  (lol  like the pun? )

     

    image

  • fatpandafatpanda Member UncommonPosts: 116

    "We will hold the Closed Beta NDA for everyone but journalists until launch, but you are allowed to openly communicate about your experiences up to level 13."

     

    I thought this meet they are putting the NDA on hold for everyone but journalists? Wouldn't that mean this write up is breaking NDA or are you not all considered  journalists?

  • elondorelondor Member Posts: 171

    lol, I don't even need to ask why they will only let people talk about levels up until 13.. that tells me all I need to know about the game, and i'll let the fanboi's find out for me.

  • XasapisXasapis Member RarePosts: 6,337
    Originally posted by fatpanda

    "We will hold the Closed Beta NDA for everyone but journalists until launch, but you are allowed to openly communicate about your experiences up to level 13."
     
    I thought this meet they are putting the NDA on hold for everyone but journalists? Wouldn't that mean this write up is breaking NDA or are you not all considered  journalists?


    The fileplanet event is not the closed beta test, so you're not restricted by the closed beta NDA.
  • DaedrenDaedren Member Posts: 11

    Thanks for the preview preview, Jon.

    Regarding the spellcheck guys here, which I find a bit humorous (though they do have a point), I recommend the following solution:

    Use Firefox

    Get the plugin "MySpell" or "ASpell" for Firefox. This handy plugin treats anything you write in your web browser the same way it would in MS Word: red underlines for misspelled words, etc.

    I couldn't survive without this. All the rambling I do on my blog, you need stuff like this.

    Anyway, just a tip to make your life easier. Discard if you don't care.

     

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