Just wondering why this game never really became successful.
Some reasons:
relatively high system requirements
complete game change after level 20
sparse content after level 40
repeating mistakes of the past with the PVP servers
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
as others have said, and as I will reiterate, it was buggy, it had content issues not to mention a mandatory vl 1-20 quest line that wasn't very polished.
Not only that I believe many were, at the time, still thinking that there was hope for the world of conan to be made but what they go was a more instanced (channels? It's been a while) affair.
After leaving tortage the quests slowly petered out, not voiced, not a lot to do in certain level ranges, etc.
There's so much I want to love about this game but it's just a bit too themepark for my taste. And they never solved one of the hair bugs for one of the classes so I would turn into a demon and then turn back and have a different hair style.
Which honestly is the REAL reason the game never took off ; )
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
5) Zoning - at time of release it was big issue on forums since many people were used to wow open world being not zoned and this being their second mmorpg ever so they were put off by this.
6) Making PVP game and offering nothing for PVP players - siege system broken and eventually turned off, huge gank-fest on servers with people quitting. At same time neglecting PVE players.
And they never solved one of the hair bugs for one of the classes so I would turn into a demon and then turn back and have a different hair style.
Which honestly is the REAL reason the game never took off ; )
Yep, and the demo's pet sometimes changed the size after zoning and when the necro's pets found a small bump on the ground, their pathfinding went mad... good ol' times
In my opinion because Tortage was so good. I was having such a good time in tortage it was a great expierience but once you finished Tortage and entered the other zones it just felt dull. It was like playing another game.
And after all this time there content still isnt on the same lvl and this is the same reason why trial accounts couldnt enter anything else beside tortage for a long time (dunno if thats still the case)
It was unpolished, unfinished, had severe stability and performance issues and the quality of PvE content took a nosedive after Tortage. And personally while the melee combat was something new, the casters were horribly boring. The whole skills sytem with its Fireball 1, 2 & 3... was also very arcaic and unimaginative. Builds and character development were rather bland aswell. Additionally, the game hadn't delivered all the features advertised, which is a big no-no.
It shouldn't come as a surprise why it didn't "take off".
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what
it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience
because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in
the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you
playing an MMORPG?"
I still love the melee combat in AoC. Just like most opinions. Playing in tortage was great. Then it just got really blah after that. The most dissapointing aspect was the siege battles. Just never took off
It was unpolished, unfinished, had severe stability and performance issues and the quality of PvE content took a nosedive after Tortage. And personally while the melee combat was something new, the casters were horribly boring. The whole skills sytem with its Fireball 1, 2 & 3... was also very arcaic and unimaginative. Builds and character development were rather bland aswell. Additionally, the game hadn't delivered all the features advertised, which is a big no-no.
It shouldn't come as a surprise why it didn't "take off".
/thread.
+1
Mitra priest was the most boring healer I have ever played in any MMO. One of the few games that I have left before reaching level cap.
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what
it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience
because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in
the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you
playing an MMORPG?"
Earlier stuff pretty polished but late game elements feel more rushed, are less entertaining, and by the time you get there its "yea, more of the same..."
Similar to TSW in that respect. By the end its pretty boring, and Funcom games are not alt friendly since everyone starts in the same place. Players like to make alts and see other aspects of a game - Funcom model does not recognize this, so once you play a toon through where is the real incentive to re-play the same game with a new toon?
As new more enjoyable game, like Rift, hit the market - this game had no where to go but down.
And they never solved one of the hair bugs for one of the classes so I would turn into a demon and then turn back and have a different hair style.
Which honestly is the REAL reason the game never took off ; )
Yep, and the demo's pet sometimes changed the size after zoning and when the necro's pets found a small bump on the ground, their pathfinding went mad... good ol' times
I actually wrote them about a year ago or so and asked if they would consider fixing the hair bug and they said something to the effect that it wasn't a high priority.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
The launch of AoC is infamous as an example of what not to do. That being said, I never played until all of that crap was fixed and I found it to be a gorgeous game with a lot of really awesome features. The problem was, I am a PVP player and the PVP in there isn't exactly well developed and after coming from WoW the animation locking drove me nuts. I wanted to jump in circles and fire off abilities freely, but would find myself locked in one spot while the animation completed. A lot of people consider the combat in AoC some of the best in MMOs, but I had a hard time getting used to it.
Currently playing: Rift Played: SWToR, Aion,EQ, Dark Age of Camelot World of Warcraft, AoC
I've always liked AOC. It certainly wasn't perfect, but I loved the visual fidelity, adult themes, and melee combat system. The most frustrating, jarring moment in the game was moving from Tortage, though. When I finally realized that it wasn't my hardware or the game software on the fritz, and came to the conclusion that voice acting had indeed ended after level 20 (save minor instances), I was pretty confused. Why did they even bother?
Aside from enjoying the game and the guild base building which came later, it was pretty obvious that large scale conflict PvP suffered from serious performance issues, like crashing entire servers in a clan vs. clan. After trying that a few times, and returning when it had supposedly been sorted, I eventually figured the problem would never fully resolve itself. Now that it's F2P, I'll probably never give it a shot again.
"This is life! We suffer and slave and expire. That's it!" -Bernard Black (Dylan Moran)
After Tortage I got really bored with it. Not just the lack of quest voice overs, other MMOs I've played don't have voicovers and I'm fine with them. It just seemed pointless, and unrewarding.
Maybe I'm missing out on the fun side of the game. Don't know, but I didn't find it then gave up.
Ken Fisher - Semi retired old fart Network Administrator, now working in Network Security. I don't Forum PVP. If you feel I've attacked you, it was probably by accident. When I don't understand, I ask. Such is not intended as criticism.
AoC was the game that was right up my street - low fantasy, awesome lore from Robert E Howard, a rich world with deep characters, visceral combat and mature content.
I played from launch day, put up with the bugs and troubles and had a great time. I started my own guild (Concilium on the Ymir server) and met a great bunch of people. One of the highlights was all getting together for that first run of Sanctum of the Burning Souls and the collective "wow" when we saw the Acheronian Warlord for the first time.
But gradually we all got tired of the lack of content, most significantly the level gaps. There were some horrors around the 60s and 70s where there was just nothing to do (except grinding villas) and getting to 80 was a pain. Crafting was still non-existent, item stats were a mess and all together the fun went out of it.
People started leaving the game fast and soon the buzzing guild dropped to 2-3 online in the evenings. I also decided to move on and wrote Funcom a long email about my sadness and disappointment.
I played a launch and quit a few months later. I went back about a year ago and decided to give it another try. Rather than use my old characters that I barely knew how to play anymore I decided to roll a new toon to level instead. I made a demo and I had a lot of fun. I mostly played solo but I managed to find a guild that still did a few lower level activities. I actually really liked the leveling. The zones and music were very immersive and beautiful. Then I finally hit 80 and I hit this wall in the new zones. Suddenly I had to do the thing I hated most in MMO's... rep grind repeatables. Basically I had to build up rep to get gear to go do hard dungeons to get better gear to do harder dungeons. F-that. I'm a competent player and was actually pretty good at demo but that kind of game play structure just isn't for me any longer I suppose. I like a challenge too but my game time is for doing fun activities, not grinding. So I quit and I'm sure that is the case for other people as well. Not sure if things have changed though since I stopped following the game.
At the end of the day, for me, it was the PVP. Not enough matches and no real decent dungeon finder.
WoW has spoiled me into not needing to spam general chat looking for a group anymore and the only thing that holds me on WoW is the RBGs. I freaking love them and are insanely addicted.
Mind you I'm also playing the hell out of The Secret World...but I wish they turned Fusang from a pvp king of the hill type of layout into a PVP hub. Something new and different. Have a few top-level NPCs there to sit and chat with you about game stuff. Make Fusang seem like a real world city with real street brawls...you know..make fusang feal alive rather then king of the hill.
www.thedragon13.com - Become a Dragon. What have you done to change our world?
Age of Conan... imho, has one of the best pvp system and the combo system sets a new era of mmo + action rpg genre.
I have always loved AoC, but the population is really bad for now. You can't even find someone to kill. I even bought the Collector edition box, and when over to the toy store to by a model of Conan sitting on his throne and painted it. Geese, am i obsessed?!
I think, I will resub if Funcom can introduce new content and pull in fresh breed of players. They should do a relaunch.. with more contents..
AoC has so much potential and it is sad to see it go down the drain.
aoc is a great game. played it about 2 years and had a lot of fun. open world pvp. active playing. good graphics and great animations...
AO, SWG and AoC were the only mmorpgs which kept me playing longer than 3 months.
dont understand the hate
This is my take on the game too. I came on for the first time after Godslayer launched a couple of years ago and felt like I stumbled on a real gem. I stuck with it watching the game improve and grow. I love the Conan IP and the unique mixture of gritty realism and fantasy. Excellent music, beautiful DX10 graphics, lighting, detail and art design, engaging combat complete with fatalities. I can understand the game not having universal appeal in the sense of not being everyone's cup of tea, but it is a very cool MMO. I like it. Just lucky I guess having a MMO I truly enjoy spending time with.
Played it for 3 years straight from Early Release. Never had a problem with finding content but then again I tried to do every quest in every zone even if I out-leveled an area.
Bought the expansion and did many of the dungeons and raids many times. The PvP was interesting but I still consider the PvP in pre-CU SWG to be the best I've played.
There were bugs at the beginning but they fixed a lot after the few 4 or 5 months. I believe it should have been released about 6 months later than it was.
I left because the guild I was in moved to Rift and that left AoC empty for me because I prefer to play with friends.
Unfortuntely the guild has moved from game to game and not stabilized since AoC and has lost a tons of members.
I miss playing AoC and raiding and doing the dungeons and feel that AoC is up there in the fun category for me with CoH and SWG. I very much prefer to play with friends in groups. I guess this is why SWTOR failed so hard for me, it felt more like a single-player game than an MMO.
"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
Comments
Some reasons:
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
as others have said, and as I will reiterate, it was buggy, it had content issues not to mention a mandatory vl 1-20 quest line that wasn't very polished.
Not only that I believe many were, at the time, still thinking that there was hope for the world of conan to be made but what they go was a more instanced (channels? It's been a while) affair.
After leaving tortage the quests slowly petered out, not voiced, not a lot to do in certain level ranges, etc.
There's so much I want to love about this game but it's just a bit too themepark for my taste. And they never solved one of the hair bugs for one of the classes so I would turn into a demon and then turn back and have a different hair style.
Which honestly is the REAL reason the game never took off ; )
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
1) Bugs
2) Very high PC requirements at time of release
3) No content at higher levels
4) No coherent working vision
5) Zoning - at time of release it was big issue on forums since many people were used to wow open world being not zoned and this being their second mmorpg ever so they were put off by this.
6) Making PVP game and offering nothing for PVP players - siege system broken and eventually turned off, huge gank-fest on servers with people quitting. At same time neglecting PVE players.
Yep, and the demo's pet sometimes changed the size after zoning
and when the necro's pets found a small bump on the ground, their pathfinding went mad... good ol' times 
In my opinion because Tortage was so good. I was having such a good time in tortage it was a great expierience but once you finished Tortage and entered the other zones it just felt dull. It was like playing another game.
And after all this time there content still isnt on the same lvl and this is the same reason why trial accounts couldnt enter anything else beside tortage for a long time (dunno if thats still the case)
/thread.
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
+1
Mitra priest was the most boring healer I have ever played in any MMO. One of the few games that I have left before reaching level cap.
Well Played..........
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
https://archive.org/details/softwarelibrary_msdos?&sort=-downloads&page=1
Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
LacedOpium: "So the question that begs to be asked is, if you are not interested in the game mechanics that define the MMORPG genre, then why are you playing an MMORPG?"
This is Funcom - that tells its own tale.
Bugs bugs bugs at start.
Earlier stuff pretty polished but late game elements feel more rushed, are less entertaining, and by the time you get there its "yea, more of the same..."
Similar to TSW in that respect. By the end its pretty boring, and Funcom games are not alt friendly since everyone starts in the same place. Players like to make alts and see other aspects of a game - Funcom model does not recognize this, so once you play a toon through where is the real incentive to re-play the same game with a new toon?
As new more enjoyable game, like Rift, hit the market - this game had no where to go but down.
One thing other MMOs need to copy from AoC - fatalities!
I actually wrote them about a year ago or so and asked if they would consider fixing the hair bug and they said something to the effect that it wasn't a high priority.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
Currently playing:
Rift
Played:
SWToR, Aion,EQ, Dark Age of Camelot
World of Warcraft, AoC
I've always liked AOC. It certainly wasn't perfect, but I loved the visual fidelity, adult themes, and melee combat system. The most frustrating, jarring moment in the game was moving from Tortage, though. When I finally realized that it wasn't my hardware or the game software on the fritz, and came to the conclusion that voice acting had indeed ended after level 20 (save minor instances), I was pretty confused. Why did they even bother?
Aside from enjoying the game and the guild base building which came later, it was pretty obvious that large scale conflict PvP suffered from serious performance issues, like crashing entire servers in a clan vs. clan. After trying that a few times, and returning when it had supposedly been sorted, I eventually figured the problem would never fully resolve itself. Now that it's F2P, I'll probably never give it a shot again.
"This is life! We suffer and slave and expire. That's it!" -Bernard Black (Dylan Moran)
aoc is a great game. played it about 2 years and had a lot of fun. open world pvp. active playing. good graphics and great animations...
AO, SWG and AoC were the only mmorpgs which kept me playing longer than 3 months.
dont understand the hate
After Tortage I got really bored with it. Not just the lack of quest voice overs, other MMOs I've played don't have voicovers and I'm fine with them. It just seemed pointless, and unrewarding.
Maybe I'm missing out on the fun side of the game. Don't know, but I didn't find it then gave up.
AoC was the game that was right up my street - low fantasy, awesome lore from Robert E Howard, a rich world with deep characters, visceral combat and mature content.
I played from launch day, put up with the bugs and troubles and had a great time. I started my own guild (Concilium on the Ymir server) and met a great bunch of people. One of the highlights was all getting together for that first run of Sanctum of the Burning Souls and the collective "wow" when we saw the Acheronian Warlord for the first time.
But gradually we all got tired of the lack of content, most significantly the level gaps. There were some horrors around the 60s and 70s where there was just nothing to do (except grinding villas) and getting to 80 was a pain. Crafting was still non-existent, item stats were a mess and all together the fun went out of it.
People started leaving the game fast and soon the buzzing guild dropped to 2-3 online in the evenings. I also decided to move on and wrote Funcom a long email about my sadness and disappointment.
At the end of the day, for me, it was the PVP. Not enough matches and no real decent dungeon finder.
WoW has spoiled me into not needing to spam general chat looking for a group anymore and the only thing that holds me on WoW is the RBGs. I freaking love them and are insanely addicted.
Mind you I'm also playing the hell out of The Secret World...but I wish they turned Fusang from a pvp king of the hill type of layout into a PVP hub. Something new and different. Have a few top-level NPCs there to sit and chat with you about game stuff. Make Fusang seem like a real world city with real street brawls...you know..make fusang feal alive rather then king of the hill.
www.thedragon13.com - Become a Dragon. What have you done to change our world?
Age of Conan... imho, has one of the best pvp system and the combo system sets a new era of mmo + action rpg genre.
I have always loved AoC, but the population is really bad for now. You can't even find someone to kill. I even bought the Collector edition box, and when over to the toy store to by a model of Conan sitting on his throne and painted it. Geese, am i obsessed?!
I think, I will resub if Funcom can introduce new content and pull in fresh breed of players. They should do a relaunch.. with more contents..
AoC has so much potential and it is sad to see it go down the drain.
This is my take on the game too. I came on for the first time after Godslayer launched a couple of years ago and felt like I stumbled on a real gem. I stuck with it watching the game improve and grow. I love the Conan IP and the unique mixture of gritty realism and fantasy. Excellent music, beautiful DX10 graphics, lighting, detail and art design, engaging combat complete with fatalities. I can understand the game not having universal appeal in the sense of not being everyone's cup of tea, but it is a very cool MMO. I like it. Just lucky I guess having a MMO I truly enjoy spending time with.
"The Pen Is Mightier Than The Demo"
Played it for 3 years straight from Early Release. Never had a problem with finding content but then again I tried to do every quest in every zone even if I out-leveled an area.
Bought the expansion and did many of the dungeons and raids many times. The PvP was interesting but I still consider the PvP in pre-CU SWG to be the best I've played.
There were bugs at the beginning but they fixed a lot after the few 4 or 5 months. I believe it should have been released about 6 months later than it was.
I left because the guild I was in moved to Rift and that left AoC empty for me because I prefer to play with friends.
Unfortuntely the guild has moved from game to game and not stabilized since AoC and has lost a tons of members.
I miss playing AoC and raiding and doing the dungeons and feel that AoC is up there in the fun category for me with CoH and SWG. I very much prefer to play with friends in groups. I guess this is why SWTOR failed so hard for me, it felt more like a single-player game than an MMO.
"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
players got tired of gear grinding at level 80 and the expansion is a grind fest