› ›

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In Register

Quick Links

Hyborian Adventures?

PorfatPorfat Member Posts: 364
in Age of Conan: Unchained

I was looking through a few pages of topics and didn't see any that were related to the setting of this game.   (Topics were mainly this game will be the 2nd coming or the biggest flop ever   ad nauseum).

What I to know is how well does AoC live up to its subtitle Hyborian Adventures.

And I'm not talking about the cartoonish movie in the 80's starring a certain Californian governor.   I'm talking about the stories of Conan written by Robert E.  Howard  back in the 30's.    While I haven't read them all and its been years ago the stories had a definite style and sense of setting that is very different than fantasy dervived from Lord of the RIngs.

I'm asking because I haven't seen any posts commenting on this subject and the few hours I played on a friends open beta didn't leave me feeling like I was playing in the Hyborian Age but in a pretty generic game world.   But it was only a few hours.

 

This might spark the flames but I think I know why I couldn't find commentary on this subject.   Not many of the players have read the source material.    Closes they have come to Conan is seen the movie(s),  read the comics (better) or read a pastiche (better still).     Not that is surprising.   Not as many read for pleasure now days  and its been many years since the last Conan/Howard revival and most Howard Conan collections are out of print or hard to find.

I just find it amuzing that so many getting stoked to play this game but have limited knowledge of the world it is suppositely set in.   But that said  if people can convince me that AoC is faithful to the Hyborian Age I will give it a go.

Comments

  • gamedevergamedever Member Posts: 143

    I'll put it this way. You are surrounded by lore. Everything from Tortage Island to the Red Hand of Strom to strom himself to Conan being King to Stygians being more darkly magical than aquilonians to Cimmerians bashing 'civilised folk.'

     

    It is very lore-oriented which I do love.

  • ProfRedProfRed Member UncommonPosts: 3,495

    Many don't know anything past the Conan movies and most of the young ones coming in from WoW have never even seen those.

    I have read the original works, seen the cartoons as a kid, and watched the movies also.  The books/stories are amazing and believe me when the Devs acquired the license they all talked about reading all of Howards old work.  There are influences in the game from all over the place.  The time of the game is set when Conan is King which is farther down the line than any other media.  The game is steeped in lore, and if anyone reads the stories and interacts with the World it is a beautiful experience.  Reading about Stygia and the snakes in the streets, and then seeing it come to life with large snakes littering the city is amazing.  They really payed attention to detail, and I agree with you.  It is sad that so many won't enjoy things like this. 

    Hyboria is probably my favorite fantasy World, and Howard's works are some of my favorite narratives ever.  It's crazy that they come from the 20's-30's long before others imaginations sparked to this kind of writing and Fantastical settings. 

  • trancejeremytrancejeremy Member UncommonPosts: 1,222

    Actually, just for what it's worth, pretty much all of Howard's writings are in print. Del Rey issued trade paperback versions of all the Conan stories (Solomon Kane and Bran Mak Morn too). Most book stores carry them. They're reasonably priced, too.

     

    Just be advised they are nothing at all like the movies or the horrid,  juvenile comic books or the even more horrid pastiches. 

    R.I.P. City of Heroes and my 17 characters there

  • lexlocilexloci Member Posts: 46


    15.3 What steps are you taking to stay true to the original Conan lore?

    We’ve focused on the lore like nothing else, and we’ve worked hard to ensure it stays true to the spirit of the stories. Most of the developers are huge fans of the Conan universe, and steeped themselves in the novels, comics, and films. We also have dedicated “lore people” that focus on keeping everything consistent, and we also work closely with the other companies working in Hyboria, like Mongoose Publishing, Penguin Books, and Dark Horse Comics. In addition, Conan Inc., the license holders of Conan, are closely involved with the development.

    They're trying to stay as close as they can.  And atleast they don't have permission to just retcon whatever they want and add space cows to the game like the last mmo I played.

    The reason you don't hear much talk about the lore is both that yes most people aren't aware of it and that most of the world is still blocked by the nda.

  • ProfRedProfRed Member UncommonPosts: 3,495

    Originally posted by lexloci


     

    15.3 What steps are you taking to stay true to the original Conan lore?

    We’ve focused on the lore like nothing else, and we’ve worked hard to ensure it stays true to the spirit of the stories. Most of the developers are huge fans of the Conan universe, and steeped themselves in the novels, comics, and films. We also have dedicated “lore people” that focus on keeping everything consistent, and we also work closely with the other companies working in Hyboria, like Mongoose Publishing, Penguin Books, and Dark Horse Comics. In addition, Conan Inc., the license holders of Conan, are closely involved with the development.

     

    They're trying to stay as close as they can.  And atleast they don't have permission to just retcon whatever they want and add space cows to the game like the last mmo I played.

    The reason you don't hear much talk about the lore is both that yes most people aren't aware of it and that most of the world is still blocked by the nda.

    I love the way they are approaching the development of this game from many aspects and this is definitely one of them.

Sign In or Register to comment.