The vid looks great.

But there is another thing,

This City building vid is 1 year old.... Mounted combat vid is over one year old. I seen few other youtube videos that are over year old and they look better than new ones , much better. This is another thing that raises  suspicion...

Did they came to some realisation lately that some things they wanted to implement just wouldnt work in MMO enviroment ?
They made all this great engine and all, but when they started closed beta test they figured that (as many suspected) lag is killing the game ?

It is time for Funcom to show hard proof that the game is on the right track. And i hope this is what they will be doing at the german gamers event ...

Vanguard

AoC

I was worried about AoC turning into the next Vanguard too, but then I went back and looked at some videos. Both videos are months away from release, and are on max settings. The only difference is one (Vanguard) was in a controlled environment (meaning their connection, their machines, etc.) while the other (AoC) was played on gamespot's computer and on the hotel's -- where the interview was held -- very congested internet connection.

Now, tell me, which one has a greater frequency of decreasing frame rates?

I'll give you a hint, it starts with a "V" and ends in "anguard".

I'll also point out that AoC should be processing more data than VG and yet it still performs better. Content that isn't going to be used at release anyway (such as siege battles) really doesn't matter, so they can feel free to patch those in when they're ready. That's only if they don't have it in already.

And, pu-lease people what do you need to see with PvP? It's a PC attacking another PC.

AoC has also been in closed beta since at least September of last year.

1.7 Are you planning a beta?
Yes, the game is already in closed beta, and our developers and the in-house quality assurance team are currently testing it. As we move closer to release, more and more external players will be added to the beta. Announcement on procedures on how to sign up will be posted on the official site. Signing up to the official forums or to the Age of Conan newsletter will be advantageous if you would like to join the beta.

community.ageofconan.com/wsp/conan/frontend.cgi

The key word there is "in-house quality assurance team" which, in my definition, would mean paid beta testers. Which was probably better for AoC at that stage in the game than players testing it anyway.

Another thing to point out is that Funcom was recently given another $30 million dollars to invest into the game. You don't give $30 million to someone if their game is crap, even if you don't know squat about video games.

Last, and probably most important, there are next to zero beta leaks -- negative or otherwise. Something that VG didn't have the luxury of. All of this information points to one thing: The game is fun, it's playable, and it's not the next "Vanguard". That's really all I care about anyway.

the aoc team is in vacation. expect to see much more in august and september. the guys have taken vgs failure very seriously.

---

Originally posted by Lobotomist

The vid looks great.
But there is another thing,
This City building vid is 1 year old.... Mounted combat vid is over one year old. I seen few other youtube videos that are over year old and they look better than new ones , much better. This is another thing that raises suspicion...
Did they came to some realisation lately that some things they wanted to implement just wouldnt work in MMO enviroment ?
They made all this great engine and all, but when they started closed beta test they figured that (as many suspected) lag is killing the game ?
It is time for Funcom to show hard proof that the game is on the right track. And i hope this is what they will be doing at the german gamers event ...

---

Ryun brings in a couple of interesting points, especially about the money and the beta testers. Companies arent just given 30 million G's out of a publisher's whim. Obviously the game is doing well and least in theyre eyes and that does say something. Next to none beta leaks is another good indication that the beta testers are testing a good game, usually beta leaks are negative because of the loss of a beta testers loyalty due to the inevitably of a bad game.

its is based on the experience they got from AOs engine, but it is completely rewritten. the is no shared code between the two engines, although Funcom wants to describe the new engine as an evolution of the first one.

AoC has disturbing similarities to what happened with AO.

Great hype about features in the game.

Great screens of the game before release.

Little actual hard data about the game before beta.

Suspect demos often with "glitches"

All of this has happened before with AO. The defensive attitudes of the devs also reflect AO.

AoC will be a decent game... just don't think everything they tell you will be in there and expect many issues when the game is released... Just like AO.

Originally posted by Lobotomist

The vid looks great.

But there is another thing,

This City building vid is 1 year old.... Mounted combat vid is over one year old. I seen few other youtube videos that are over year old and they look better than new ones , much better. This is another thing that raises  suspicion...

Did they came to some realisation lately that some things they wanted to implement just wouldnt work in MMO enviroment ?
They made all this great engine and all, but when they started closed beta test they figured that (as many suspected) lag is killing the game ?

It is time for Funcom to show hard proof that the game is on the right track. And i hope this is what they will be doing at the german gamers event ...

If you look at where this guy is posting all his other posts, you'll quickly see his mind is made up on MMO's that he'll play, and his posts here are subsequently bias.

Originally posted by atziluth

AoC has disturbing similarities to what happened with AO.

Great hype about features in the game.

Great screens of the game before release.

Little actual hard data about the game before beta.

Suspect demos often with "glitches"

 

All of this has happened before with AO. The defensive attitudes of the devs also reflect AO.

AoC will be a decent game... just don't think everything they tell you will be in there and expect many issues when the game is released... Just like AO.

 

I waited for AO to release and played in the beta.  I find no similarites.   They  don't have many of the same people working on this game as AO.  A few but an MMO is like a work of art.   Working for Funcom they have Resources, and Money to create this art.  Access to the materals to make a great MMO.  Unlike the people at Darkfall.  They've got no money, and need to build everything from scratch.   AO is similar to Darkfall in that they needed to create most everything from scratch.  This is much harder.  AoC doesn't have to work on a game engine, or enviromental details like tree's and such.  They've got finished licesed products to do that for them.   I have more faith in this game just by the way they're doing it.   Like watching a craftsman work,  if they are using the best quality product,  and have expereience in this field,  they're much more likely to produce a great product.   I don't see much about AoC that reminds me of AO.    Saying that the Developers were upbeat and optomistic is true about any game developer, because saying " We hope our game doesn't Tank"  just doesn't sound good.   Besides AO wasn't a failure.   It's got  i believe 500000 players still playing it, and its an old game.

Originally posted by Lobotomist

The vid looks great.

But there is another thing,

This City building vid is 1 year old.... Mounted combat vid is over one year old. I seen few other youtube videos that are over year old and they look better than new ones , much better. This is another thing that raises  suspicion...

Did they came to some realisation lately that some things they wanted to implement just wouldnt work in MMO enviroment ?
They made all this great engine and all, but when they started closed beta test they figured that (as many suspected) lag is killing the game ?

It is time for Funcom to show hard proof that the game is on the right track. And i hope this is what they will be doing at the german gamers event ...

Suddenly these year old videos that show off EXACTLY what you said wasn't there, now it's not that it must not be in, but because it hasn't been shown in over a year, they must have scrapped it cause they didn't think it was good.

You sir, are nothing more then a rumormonger and blind 'face in the sand' critic. YOU CAN'T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS.

Originally posted by huxflux2004

its is based on the experience they got from AOs engine, but it is completely rewritten. the is no shared code between the two engines, although Funcom wants to describe the new engine as an evolution of the first one.

Indeed, Funcom spent $20 million reworking and upgrading their engine. Thats the kind of cash that big name engine developers put into their engines. UE3, Cry Engine, Id's stuff, etc. I'm not really worried about some of the lag problems that have indeed infested AO, are going to be in AoC. Especially when you get down to the technical reasons behind all that old lag.

mr. Green text guy

Ago of Conan is probably the most ambitious MMO to be set for release in near future. It "revolutionary" features surpass by long shot, even likes of WAR.

There are so many things in AOC - that people would easily think not doable in MMO ... twitch combat, full collision, massive pvp battles (in twich-full collision  enviroment) , i can think of number of MMOs that promised way less but still failed to deliver.

Sure it worked 1 year ago - when it was tested on closed system - this we can surely say - works - check

But now it is this time when beta testing is said to take part - And Funcom really puts the product to test in real MMO working conditions.And we fans of AOC ( that are not led by blind religious fate ) are silently waiting for some sign.

In the same time WAR that is planned for release good couple of months after AOC are showing gameplay footage all over. And are letting people play the game at good number of conventions. Judging from their gameplay footage the game looks playable and ready for release even now.This is the way to promote the game and dispel suspicion

This is what I expect from Funcom , this close to release.

Just a proof that all is working as intended.

---

Originally posted by FE|Tachyon

---

Originally posted by Lobotomist

The vid looks great.
But there is another thing,
This City building vid is 1 year old.... Mounted combat vid is over one year old. I seen few other youtube videos that are over year old and they look better than new ones , much better. This is another thing that raises suspicion...
Did they came to some realisation lately that some things they wanted to implement just wouldnt work in MMO enviroment ?
They made all this great engine and all, but when they started closed beta test they figured that (as many suspected) lag is killing the game ?

It is time for Funcom to show hard proof that the game is on the right track. And i hope this is what they will be doing at the german gamers event ...

---

If you look at where this guy is posting all his other posts, you'll quickly see his mind is made up on MMO's that he'll play, and his posts here are subsequently bias.

---

I am interested in 3 of the top hyped games yet: AoC, WAR, PotBS.
Apparently PotBS (a fine little game, I hope) is going to be released first of the three. It seems that WAR is going to be a safe thing. Where is AoC? This question I also try to answer for myself. :)

Originally posted by FE|Tachyon

Originally posted by Lobotomist

The vid looks great.

But there is another thing,

This City building vid is 1 year old.... Mounted combat vid is over one year old. I seen few other youtube videos that are over year old and they look better than new ones , much better. This is another thing that raises  suspicion...

Did they came to some realisation lately that some things they wanted to implement just wouldnt work in MMO enviroment ?
They made all this great engine and all, but when they started closed beta test they figured that (as many suspected) lag is killing the game ?

It is time for Funcom to show hard proof that the game is on the right track. And i hope this is what they will be doing at the german gamers event ...

If you look at where this guy is posting all his other posts, you'll quickly see his mind is made up on MMO's that he'll play, and his posts here are subsequently bias.

If you read a lot of your posts too you can tell you're pretty much the exact same thing.

Originally posted by Lobotomist

mr. Green text guy

Ago of Conan is probably the most ambitious MMO to be set for release in near future. It "revolutionary" features surpass by long shot, even likes of WAR.

There are so many things in AOC - that people would easily think not doable in MMO ... twitch combat, full collision, massive pvp battles (in twich-full collision  enviroment) , i can think of number of MMOs that promised way less but still failed to deliver.

Sure it worked 1 year ago - when it was tested on closed system - this we can surely say - works - check

 

But now it is this time when beta testing is said to take part - And Funcom really puts the product to test in real MMO working conditions.And we fans of AOC ( that are not led by blind religious fate ) are silently waiting for some sign.

In the same time WAR that is planned for release good couple of months after AOC are showing gameplay footage all over. And are letting people play the game at good number of conventions. Judging from their gameplay footage the game looks playable and ready for release even now.This is the way to promote the game and dispel suspicion

This is what I expect from Funcom , this close to release.

Just a proof that all is working as intended. 

I like green, it's pleasant to look at and non-confrontational, yet still gets my points across in an easy to read color. :)

AoC is indeed putting a lot on Funcom's shoulders and seems to offer a lot more then many other MMOGs. I to would like to see a more open beta (as in with a lot of testers, not necessarily open to anyone.) But if Funcom chooses not to have a big beta, thats their decision. I have a lot of confidence in the company, especially when private doners are willing to invest $30 million 4 months from launch.

WAR does appear to be showing a lot. But are they really? VIdeos yea, and more people have played it, but there are still a lot of base information they haven't released. Heck they haven't even released their full class list yet, something Funcom has had out for over a year. And if you go to say GameTrailers.com, there are nearly twice as many videos there for AoC then WAR, let alone far more then that compared to other MMOGs slated for release in the next 6 months, like Fury, PotBS and Tabula Rasa.

Demanding proof of what the game will have is all well and good. But what other MMOGs can you name that have shown EVERY game mechanic prior to release? You, and many others, are simply asking for the impossible. I know they need to show Siege PvP, and they are doing just that, in 3 weeks. So relax, sit back, check out mymitra.com or the great videos at gametrailers and ign. Oh and go out and enjoy the summer. Before you know it, Leipzig will be here, and then after that, the game will be out. If it's not everything you expect.. I'm sure I'll see you here, posting all about it. ;)

No investor gives company 30 million 4 months before launch unless they believe that game is worth the invest.

Eidos is a big name producer too, EA...well...they produced The Sims Online and UO: Trammel...and mythic: Trials of atlantis.

So I rest my case.

My BS meter was always off the charts for Vanguard.  I don't get the same thing from AoC.  I have my doubts it will actually be revolutionary in anyway but I doubt its complete BS the way Vanguard is/was.  Typical forum DOOOOOOOOOOM.

The only thing moderately different/problematic is their body part aiming.  And I am pretty sure they always hack that if they need to.  They will get some flack if they do it but whatever.  Also they are probably getting various crap from Microsoft to muscle in Vista and 360.

I must say after reading through most of this thread, that lobotomist has presented a very concerned, non-inflammatory statement about the game and his worries.  It wasn't a doomsday theory, and it just listed concern, which more and more people are expressing as it gets closer to 10/30/07. 

I'm surprised at the responses to the OP and the blatant attacks towards him for expressing these concerns in a very clear, concise, and well-written way without showing any hate towards Funcom or AoC.

While I agree that the volume of what they've shown is on par with most other developers out there.  The range of information shown is subpar. 

Most developers show a little bit about every feature they have in the game.  Funcom has shown a lot about one or two features they have in the game and little to nothing about everything else.  This is why people are getting overly skeptical.

All they'd have to do is say "Here's a video about a little of how crafting works, here's a quick demo of how PvP works, here's a quick demo of how guild keeps are going to look and how to construct them."

However, as I've heard said many times "The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence."

So skepticism is fine, and it shouldn't be frowned upon like Jayde has done.  It should be welcomed.  It shows that your customers are really interested in your game.  Customers wouldn't demand more information or express worry about a game that they had no interest in.  Jayde's response to people demanding videos and more information is almost unnerving.  I've seen the same demand handled in an extremely different way by someone from a rival developer.  Jayde's answer was extremely inappropriate.

This is how you make people feel better when they think they're not getting enough information: (sorryt it's a long quote, but it's how I would have expected Funcom to respond to a demand for more information, particularly the bolded parts if you only want to read the key points)

"Folks,

Two things:

Fans -> Mythic - Please, just show us X vs. Y! Please, please, please!

Mythic -> Fans - Okay, but you can't ask us for more details, promise?

Fans -> Mythic - Yes, we promise!

Mythic -> Fans - Great! Here you go...

30 seconds later

Fans -> Mythic - Please, just show us some more!

Mythic -> Fans - But you promised, and now you want more???

Fans -> Mythic - Yeah, but if you just show us that, we won't ask for anything more!! Please, please, please!

You get the pricture.

Second thing:

It's 2006, not 2001. Mythic is not in the same position as we were back there. There is a world of difference between being an independent with a very, very limited and dwindling bank account and being the EA studio creating WAR. There won't be any "shoehorning" of the third paring in order to make a release date. Like many other publishers, EA has released games way too soon but they have also realeased games late and over-budget. While I am hoping that WAR will not be the later, it won't be the former. Our mandate is to make WAR a great game and that, and that alone, will determine our release date. That is one of the advantages of being part of EA.

Also, I'll let you in on a little bit of inside info (though long-time readers may remember I hinted at this a long time ago), the Elf pairing is my personal favorite of the three pairings that we will have at release. So, keep that in mind if you are at all concerned about it not getting the proper attention from Mythic.

I know that many, if not all of the people here, would like us to release a lot more information and a lot faster than our plans call for us doing over the next year. I also know that it is best to take our time and get it right before we show it to the community. We have a long way to go before WAR is released and there will be so much information over the next year that you'll all understand and be happy with our decision and support it 100%. Well, I can dream can't I?

Mark

P.S. Just as an aside, not only is the WAR team really on track right now and but also our partners at GW are quite happy with the results. We had a few GW visitors this week (and some from EA corporate last week) and everybody, and I mean everbody, left with big smiles on their faces.

Edited because it was 1AM..."

As a disclaimer: I'm not comparing the two games, I'm comparing two responses to a similar situation, where I feel one is the right way and one is the wrong way.

Originally posted by kishe

No investor gives company 30 million 4 months before launch unless they believe that game is worth the invest.

 

Eidos is a big name producer too, EA...well...they produced The Sims Online and UO: Trammel...and mythic: Trials of atlantis.

 

So I rest my case.

 

 

What this guy said. Noone just tosses money around for no reason at all. I don't understand what is all the hype with someone people about AOC not being ready for release or is having issues. Just because they aren't showing or haven't shown yet other parts of the game doesn't mean it is not ready. Companies choose what they want the public to see. We will just have to wait until we all get into the game and have a great time. Be patient people ! 

Originally posted by checkthis500

I must say after reading through most of this thread, that lobotomist has presented a very concerned, non-inflammatory statement about the game and his worries.  It wasn't a doomsday theory, and it just listed concern, which more and more people are expressing as it gets closer to 10/30/07. 

I'm surprised at the responses to the OP and the blatant attacks towards him for expressing these concerns in a very clear, concise, and well-written way without showing any hate towards Funcom or AoC.

While I agree that the volume of what they've shown is on par with most other developers out there.  The range of information shown is subpar. 

I only flamed the OP mildly after he pulled a complete 180. At first he was saying there was way to little info, and I debated him on this clearly and concisely. When I and others showed there was a tun of info, just not all of it has been shown recently, he pulled a 180 and instead of saying it couldn't be ready because they haven't shown, he said it couldn't be ready and that they must not have shown in a year because they pulled it. So I flamed him mildly for being a 'head in the sand' critic, I wouldn't call that bad. Perhaps others have flamed more then I and I haven't seen.

"While I agree that the volume of what they've shown is on par with other developers out there. The range information shown is supbar."

This is just flat out wrong. Besides videos, the amount of information far surpasses most MMOGs at this stage of developement, including WAR (which I only use as an example because everyone quotes it as a MMOG in development that has released a tun of info and videos.) There are twice as many videos for AoC out there, easily twice as many, then for WAR. Next the shear amount of information found in AoC's FAQ greatly outnumbers that of WAR. AoC has released info on all their classes, many of their zones, monsters in the game, fairly detailed information on every single system in the game. WAR hasn't even released all their races or classes or zones yet.

I think what people's biggest problem is they haven't shown siege PvP yet. This is true, but they are in just 3 weeks. IMHO they wanted to get it as bug free and incredible as possible, and that is sure to give us plenty to talk about over the two months left after they show it before the game comes out.

Again, the whole 'they haven't shown nearly as much, and the range of info is subpar' is just flat wrong. If you know where to look, you could spend days and days reading and watching videos and interviews and more.