Originally posted by finaticd

Originally posted by AmazingAvery

Originally posted by finaticd

Ya that is a good point there was no dip at launch on Xfire, there were HUGE, EPIC gains during free trials, and now it is at an all time low.

2 things bother me, the fact that anyone in their right mind would keep the DX 10 beta version on and the fact that it doesn't look like Funcom will ever optomize the DX 10 client.

If you are going to take a Screen Shot put DX 10 on, if you are going to PvP, or Raid it will cut down FPS.

No, No and NO. Anyone in their right mind who can run DX10 comfortably will do, it got put in after you left so??

Every patch it has been optimized a few times already.

And no issues here in PVP or Raid with particles up max. I can get through comfortably :)

They actually optimized it by having a raid setting, did you know that?

 

Well most people who play AoC are sitting around doing nothing day after day waiting for new content so ya you don't need much to do that.

Unoptomized is a resource hog I know that I tested it last month, it will always be a resource hog unless they work on it. Ya raid setting turns off DX 10!

DX 9 with AA on is still better as per last month.

Of course most people who play AoC are sitting around doing nothing every day. Yeah it is the truth, I swear it is!

If you know anything about Draccan, he has his own ideals which conform to the his interpretation in conjunction with his own opinion about the game. Always from the perspective that the game let him down for own personal and familar reasons. That type of honesty is well appreciated!  At the end of the day he wanted best for the game the IP and so on. He was, and still is, no doubt saying this from a semi prejudice manner based on previous experiences. Difference is, what he says is from the aspect that comes across that he has always wanted best from the makers (something which I think is different with youself). He put across reasonable arguments in line with the current playing community and I often found myself agreeing with him on several points on several occasions (whether I liked it or not). I respected his approach in the demeanor which is different from your own. (Which, well, is another topic altogether)

To be honest with you after previous "outbursts" a long time ago I find it hard from what you say that you would ever touch the game even with 'a barge pole' ever again and we are talking half a year back + here. So forgive me in not believing any recent so called experiences with the game you pertain to ( I think you ) imaginarily had in a tangible aspect.

People are out there with machines when running full whack and taking DX10 on board do notice a hit in performance (never said otherwise) have a conclusion that it is never game impacting. If your under the assumption that anyone trying DX10 will not have a, or potentially have a performance issue then it is time to come down out of the virtual reality gear. The fact is on the whole from a non expensive machine I can FRAPS Capture (full on, full screen full HD res) at + 30 FPS inclusive of the FPS hit you naturally get from FRAPS and have a playable game ( Youtube vids as proof) with DX10 running... well.

No one denying resource hog, but if you have the machine and have the "beef" then things can be totally fine. If you want to go around saying this and that and having someone call you out on it, then don't dust it under the carpet for sake of it. Don't even bother trying to put your experience down and a global shared one either. 

I think it is pretty obvious that those people that can do DX10 will do so.  I also think those people understand that there will be some kind of performance hit (two are naturally occuring for the most part as with lots of game WITH the same options).

I will always disagree when you try to preach about the majority of the current players in thinking that they sit around "all day" waiting for new content. Facts are plenty of content has been put in, and I doubt you even had a taste of whats gone on since the fall. People progress at different speeds if you want to lump everyone together then thats up to you to still hang around bitter forever.

The critic is question as per thread title.. Draccan has spoken illl of the game more than you can dream everynight in the past, the very fact that there is admission and the fact he can turn around stipulating to "urge" people to try it for themselves to make their own mind up is one of respect for the new comer, and the previous player in fair appeal.

That fairness is something you lack, comes across strongly and is ultimately arrogant in that you fail to look at the bigger picture of both sides of the story. At least Draccan has the balls to come back and say "give it a go yourself" where as you would like to slam the door shut and not give average joe a shot to make his / her mind up themselves.

For the record I have nothing wrong with people putting across their 'recent' experiences with the game either good or bad. Only through that "recent" feedback can the game get better, either way I can apprecitate that positioning. But when that record is playing old shite and broken well it gets kinda smelly you know. Can't even bring anything new to the table, well, deaf ears mate.

Originally posted by eureka105

Originally posted by AmazingAvery

Originally posted by finaticd

Ya that is a good point there was no dip at launch on Xfire, there were HUGE, EPIC gains during free trials, and now it is at an all time low.

2 things bother me, the fact that anyone in their right mind would keep the DX 10 beta version on and the fact that it doesn't look like Funcom will ever optomize the DX 10 client.

If you are going to take a Screen Shot put DX 10 on, if you are going to PvP, or Raid it will cut down FPS.

No, No and NO. Anyone in their right mind who can run DX10 comfortably will do, it got put in after you left so??

Every patch it has been optimized a few times already.

And no issues here in PVP or Raid with particles up max. I can get through comfortably :)

They actually optimized it by having a raid setting, did you know that?

 

I have an active account and I hardly ever use DX10 and neither do people in my guild. It looks only slightly better at the cost of cutting down FPS. No reason to use it unless I'm looking at scenery or taking screenshots. Hardcore PvP'ers never use DX10.

So your a hardcore PVP'r on Fury right? With an active account. I wouldn't even turn DX10 on let alone hardly right?  What if you FPS is above 30 with maxed out DX10 and your a person that would label themselves as a "Hardcore PvP'r" It thought you "hardocore" types don't even bother with AoC. Or are you saying there are some "Hardcore" types out there?

Whatever, short sightednes, in the fact that there are potentially "hardcore PvP'rs" out there can do the game at sufficient FPS and not even acknowledging it, is something you may want to consider. Let the potentials where hardcore or not make their own mind up or not right.

What have you to loose if your opinion is perceived majority correct? nothing.

Good man, nothing to worry about then. Either way. Some of the people that like the game you will see here would rather that person be happy whether they are playing or not, some people would prefer you not even have that choice to make AT ALL and I think that is wrong, because your bringing a different agenda to the table than the overal perceived norm.

I say Draccan is right, let people make their own mind up, and if the game is as bad your guys say it is, and after repeated "try's" at the game ( one would wonder why right, given the circumstances) you have have nothing to worry about.

Thanks for the clarification. But if you have DX10 on maxed out and can get going at adequate FPS for any function that the game (AoC) in my opinion is the best out there in this area.

Discount the X fire numbers if you want. I'm merely using the fact that players have reported that Xfire is showing AOC play at an all time low. I dont have x fire, and I dont put much weight into it all on it own. What is news is that the free trial did not generate another 100k subscribers, or another 75k or 50k more or even 25k. The buzz on the forums, hits by individuals and total hits is at pre-trial levels according to Alexa. Alexa is not incorrect it factually represents the top 100,000 website on the internet.

AOC gets a lot of traffic but it is way way down from launch, and down substantially from the trial buzz.

http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/ageofconan.com

Have a look yourself. Start at 3 months and see how it went up went back down. Look at 6 months to see the whole trend. This trend on the website buzz was reflected on xfire very accurately. So you could see with some applied logic that the two measures can capture the general trends. There I've applied the associative property of mathematics to it so you can understand. Now look at the MAX time frame, you'll see AOC is down about 1000% from launch and has never recovered.

I have no issue with players trying AOC for themselves, but don't pay Funcom for it because they don't deserve your money and studies are showing that you will be dissatisfied.

 the fact is the little player pool they have ,be it war,aoc,prob a bit of wow too,they ll try new game like rune of magic,aion,champion online etc

its not just funcom,game company in general are so focused on wow financial result they all believe they ll make the same with the same effort blizzard made in 2004 .lol

player are way more demanding now,we evolve.its like offering a black/white tv set lol oh its brand new ,but who ocares 

b/w was good in the 60 s beginning 70 s

now game dev are hard pressed by company to churn out game as fast as possible no mather the conseqence

check wow,activision must be feeling bad about blizzard delay ,but they chut their mouth they let blizzard do what they do best games

company ,when you start a venture for a new game make sure you got the cash to finish it ,

because player are very harsh on half-hearthed effort  for money ,it shows.yes bug happen 

but often player know the problem is the financer was getting scared, cost too much, take too long bla,bla,bla.

grow up lol,the new games will probably cost same if not way more then new movie 

if you cant afford to make game that cost 50 million +, then dont do a documentary on richard petty instead 

and sell to to pay-per-view

Originally posted by LordBonezy

Discount the X fire numbers if you want. I'm merely using the fact that players have reported that Xfire is showing AOC play at an all time low. I dont have x fire, and I dont put much weight into it all on it own. What is news is that the free trial did not generate another 100k subscribers, or another 75k or 50k more or even 25k. The buzz on the forums, hits by individuals and total hits is at pre-trial levels according to Alexa. Alexa is not incorrect it factually represents the top 100,000 website on the internet.

AOC gets a lot of traffic but it is way way down from launch, and down substantially from the trial buzz.

http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/ageofconan.com

Have a look yourself. Start at 3 months and see how it went up went back down. Look at 6 months to see the whole trend. This trend on the website buzz was reflected on xfire very accurately. So you could see with some applied logic that the two measures can capture the general trends. There I've applied the associative property of mathematics to it so you can understand. Now look at the MAX time frame, you'll see AOC is down about 1000% from launch and has never recovered.

I have no issue with players trying AOC for themselves, but don't pay Funcom for it because they don't deserve your money and studies are showing that you will be dissatisfied.

Mate you are still doing wrong thing. You are not implying mathematics, and you are most CERTAINLY not applying logic into this. 

Lets see now. I proved you that Xfire is broken and yet you use it as backup measurement with Alexa? It is like while testing water explaining it with flogiston. WTF? 

I told you this before but you tend to not listen carefully. Noone is saying that the game is booming. Ofc serious events will be shown on any general population chart. hell, even after Clinton discovered to have sex with that chick it was reflected by his own voters. No matter what is your "population" major changes will always reflect on such charts, public polls and shit. But that does not mean that smaller changes are correctly reflected by such unscientific measurements. 

Let me explain the above example in details. Let's say that some major republican with wife and kids running for an office is found in bed with a prositute. Such major event will be shown on every "sample" you take - no matter the political preferences of that sample. Even if you for a "sample" take only that republican followers it will be shown on a poll - because it is a major event. 
On the other hand - lets take a small democrat from a small state, a small fish never seen on TV, not running for any major office etc found guilty of same thing. No poll will show the same event, no matter which population you chose. Hell, even if you chose the "sample" containing only republicans ... it won't be shown. 

What I am trying to show you here is that no matter how fucked up your measurement tools and how biased your sample is ... major events (such as welcome back program) will be shown on it quite accurate, but for everything else, speccialy for tracking below 1k people (for accurate statistics you have to have 1000+ people with random "sample") on a quiet game day - your results are useless ... (you still havent told me how come that few days after blizz anouncing cataclysm numbers of forum hits are below those of august 21. very weird if you ask me)

Originally posted by eureka105

Originally posted by LordBonezy

Discount the X fire numbers if you want. I'm merely using the fact that players have reported that Xfire is showing AOC play at an all time low. I dont have x fire, and I dont put much weight into it all on it own. What is news is that the free trial did not generate another 100k subscribers, or another 75k or 50k more or even 25k. The buzz on the forums, hits by individuals and total hits is at pre-trial levels according to Alexa. Alexa is not incorrect it factually represents the top 100,000 website on the internet.

AOC gets a lot of traffic but it is way way down from launch, and down substantially from the trial buzz.

http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/ageofconan.com

Have a look yourself. Start at 3 months and see how it went up went back down.

 

Here is the 3 month graph:

There is already a thread for discussion about the AoC numbers. Please take the discussion there and not derail this one. Thanks.

 nihce 

mm 

xfire is what we have 

xfire is what i use 

if for any reason a game isnt where its supposed to be who cares lol 

yes its not accurate but on an average of say 3 month (just an exemple ,hold your horses)

you will see number and you can see if a game is popular regardless of number for me normally if the game isnt in the top 50 i didnt botherto go at it

eq2 is one exeption i made if it hasnt changed its on 114 spot 

but someone here told me the game was fixed always wanted to try it  ,even baught it in april 07 

back then it didnt work ,now it does 

for now i know only  of 

xfire  ,to check if a game popularity ,yes its not accurated but it give a fair idea

yes dx10 game are left out what can you and me do lol

Okay time for some replies to this thread I started. To clear up some misconceptions and to set things right.

1. I am being called a shill and it is hinted on that Funcom is behind blah blah. Seriously: Look at my post history. If anything I have hurt Funcom by persistingly arguing over two years about this game. I have been a HUGE critic, maybe one of the largest and most vocal (if you discount the nonsensical spammers and trolls). But I have tried to put forward a reasonable argument over what I was against. Anyone looking at my post history (and include the pre-launch forum, the tech beta, the beta, the open beta, the official forums, here on mmorpg.com especially) will know how BIG a critic I have been.

2. I followed AoC because I thought Funcom would be the right company and Conan to be the right IP.

3. My biggest arguments with Funcom in the past came over the communication and blatant miscommunication Funcom did. I was pissed off too. I could have turned my back and never played the game again and never made this thread. But truth is I think I too have overreacted in the past. I mostly wrote long threads voicing dissent about the where the game was going. And most of them, I think, were right on the money. I am also - however - when the game launched, guilty of the occasional anti-Funcom rant. I too spelled doom for them some time ago. I admit it. But Funcom had it coming.

4. The worst Funcom did was misleading about the content of the game. I never cared rat's ass about drunken brawling, DX10 or any of that matter. But I hated to be misled. I still strongly believe Funcom should fire their entire PR department. Seriously. And start anew with a new open policy. They underestimated their player base and angered so many people. Including me. If Funcom had from the start been more honest about its short comings, they would have had many more people spearheading the game and defending them. They could have been a darling instead of an enemy to many mmo gamers. People DO understand if spoken to directly, open and honest.

5. My personal aim is to voice my opinion about the dream of a true polished sandbox game; and to call out developers who are not open with their community. Honestly I think Funcom has learned from this whole affair. They engage more with the community. They state where the game is going, what they can and can not do. I have passionate ideas of the potential of mmos and the kind of games I would like to see released. I am super critical of the kind of game Bioware for example is making with SW ToR which in my opinion is reaching the lowest common denominator, setting the bar really low.

6. I have had run ins with Amazing Avery in the past and I have been rude once or twice (maybe thrice) and I apologize for it. I have learned from it and am trying these days to refrain from personal attacks. What I really respect about Amazing Avery is his consistency in advocating this game and taking things from the bright side. It IS a game after all.

7. Here comes a little truth, I wasn't going to say. When I originally played AoC my new computer (that I assembled to play AoC) crashed all the time. A few other games seemed fine and I thought it was AoC that was the problem. However after half a year I finally realized the graphics card was broken and when I exchanged it I had no more problems in AoC. So I admit having been to hasty in blaming AoC for my own PC's short comings. Sorry.

8. I will never say that Age of Conan is a perfect game. I can't judge as I never really did raids in my life, I play occassionally, I have never reached more than half way through the game. I can not judge the entire game.

So what I AM saying is that AGE OF CONAN is the most beautiful mmo I have ever tried. The art direction is really just that, ART. Anyone who never tried to game should try it for that alone. It really captures the essence of Howard's stories. It truly does. The art direction was taking care of from Funcom's Didrik Tollefsen and most of it was made of their Asian office and they did an outstanding job. Didrik should have an award for what he did. I think he did the best job of the mmo business ever. I always stated that even when I was critical of this game. In the collectors edition there is a picture of the team in the back of the book. Book is beautiful too.

All I think is that everyone should give this game a chance. Sure it is a rough diamond, but in my opinion it is the only mature looking mmo game, with blood splatter, sinister atmosphere and what not. The classes play maybe towards the old healer-tank-dps triangle, but the classes themselves have a cool vibe to them, bear shamans, dark templars, priests of mitra - I like what they did with it.

9. One of the aspects that made me leave was itemization and I know it has been worked on. Just like they work on making stats more meaningful.

10. For the people who left this game after reaching level 80 and who feels angry for lack of polish, I can only say I am not trying to take anything away from you. I can not even begin to judge. Sure there may be too few raids and instances at high levels. And I understand the sieges are still not perfected. But all these things seems to be improved upon. At launch there were none of the promised sieges - now they are in, though not working perfectly. And the total number of instances in this game is not low by any means. But for hardcore players or players who played a long time, sure there might be problems. I am fine with that.

What I am say to that is that for a new player this game has sooo much to offer before you even get to level 80 - before you even get to do sieges. I know I have missed some instances that I am now too high level for and haven't quested in some regions at or below my level. What I do see is a game worth visiting - at least once. If nothing else - and that is why I made this thread: at least try the trial.

11. Whatever Funcom's state of business or number of subscriptions doesn't interest me right now. I doesn't take a financial expert to see they could do better. Neither does it take one to see that they are still making money and have enough cash to develop THE SECRET WORLD. 

12. Talking of THE SECRET WORLD. I know many will refrain from even trying it and some will blast it for being made by Funcom and troll the forums. This time around I won't. As long as Funcom no longer mislead their community I am willing to let bygones be bygones. Why? I am too old for holding a grudge at a gaming company and I am a huge Lovecraft / Call of Cthulhu fan, so since this game is close in spirit to the Cthulhu mythos, I for one will be right there following this game. On top of all it is promised to be less instanced and class-less - two of my most important mmo aspects, so I am definitely intrigued.

13. Community. I actually find the community quite good. Yesterday I was out and about in the Noble district getting my behind handed to me over and over by other players usually 5-6 levels higher than me, but interestingly I could get ganked by someone two three times, but when I pm'ed them to ask them to help me finish this or that mission or asking questions, they would always oblige and help me kill this or that boss so I could fulfill my mission. Sure, five minutes later I would bump into them again ... and get my behind handed to me again - but honestly - I didn't mind.. For the last few days people have been quite cool and helpful and brutal..

14. Some class fixes have definitely taken place. When I left I was at a solo instance I just couldn't complete. I tried and tried and tried. My Necro was way too broken. Now at least I can compete and found the death ratio much more acceptable. Again some classes still needs love and some things are not perfect, class balances are always an issue, but Funcom DID make the game more playable and fix some of the most glaring mistakes!

-----

Sorry for the wall of text. I know not many people will read this or understand where it is coming from. I think I have proven I am definitely NOT a shill for Funcom. I am merely trying to say I have stared at all the mmos out there. Age of Conan is the only one that comes close (however far) to be the perfect game for me. Thus I have decided to not try Aion for now - I might later - I haven't decided 100% - but right now I feel AoC have more to offer with its setting; as shallow as it is, it comes down to art style. I beta'ed CO for a very short moment and felt the same. I am pretty sure SW ToR is not for me. WoW hasn't been for years, SWG doesn't exist any more (cry), COH has gotten old, Jumpgate might be worth checking out, but instances and limited pvp = not worth my effort. Fallen Earth while great on paper just looks off - like it was made in the 90s with feeble technology.

Age of Conan sucks me in graphically, musically. And while waiting for the next big thing it is worth another serious look. And anyone not trying a free tryout (I still have three buddy keys out of five left) - is cheating themselves. Stargate is maybe never seeing the light of day. Tabula Rasa was cancelled shortly after I got into it. Earthrise might be a big thing - though the videos didn't impress me at all, I like the game on paper. So until something better shows up I will be summoning my undead and roaming Hyboria for a while...

"Goodnight and good luck!"

D.

Well either way, numbers or not,  I tried downloading AOC ( which took like three days, literally)  I couldn't get it to work for nothing.  Frustration only takes one so far and I had reached my limit.  Funny thing was AOC gave me an extension after a survey and I tried the fixes the engineer told me to try, and of course nothing.  It's no wonder WOW and other games like Perfect World and Requeim play like a dream on almost any comp are so popular.  Same thing with Warhammer, can't play it at all.  The problem with the industry is that they think it's funny to partner with comp companies and force people to buy newer comps and/or bitch about lower subscriptions.  I don't think WOW is the best out there for sure but at least they know what it takes to keep people interested and have the respect enough to know folks just can't afford really bad ass comps.  So to prove that a really detailed and fun game can be downloaded and played on a mid level computer,  go to the Sword of the New World and give that a try.  Until then though funcom should revamp they're engine and cater to the masses, much like Blizz does.  Hmmm what a concept, actually caring about your subscription base.  Sorry if this offends anyones feelings, but getting a little tired of hearing how great AOC is.  Blessed Be

Originally posted by UnDeadKiss

Well either way, numbers or not,  I tried downloading AOC ( which took like three days, literally)  I couldn't get it to work for nothing.  Frustration only takes one so far and I had reached my limit.  Funny thing was AOC gave me an extension after a survey and I tried the fixes the engineer told me to try, and of course nothing.  It's no wonder WOW and other games like Perfect World and Requeim play like a dream on almost any comp are so popular.  Same thing with Warhammer, can't play it at all.  The problem with the industry is that they think it's funny to partner with comp companies and force people to buy newer comps and/or bitch about lower subscriptions.  I don't think WOW is the best out there for sure but at least they know what it takes to keep people interested and have the respect enough to know folks just can't afford really bad ass comps.  So to prove that a really detailed and fun game can be downloaded and played on a mid level computer,  go to the Sword of the New World and give that a try.  Until then though funcom should revamp they're engine and cater to the masses, much like Blizz does.  Hmmm what a concept, actually caring about your subscription base.  Sorry if this offends anyones feelings, but getting a little tired of hearing how great AOC is.  Blessed Be

What I would blame though is PCs. PCs are wrought with so much bad code. Windows is not perfect for sure. The constant new video cards and updates makes it hard for developers to catch up. The lack of standards. There are just so many problems...

At least the Funcom engineer tried to help you. I find that quite good. But sorry about your troubles!

This is what I think about AoC. I liked the game  and waiting for the expansion. I played the whole thing, maxed to 80, raided, you name it. As it stands now, AoC is not a PvP-based game. It is understandable people leaving AoC for Aion. I bet some of them will come back after the first month though.

What I think will happen is that AoC will continue patching the game and improve PvP like WoW did. But overall, AoC is all about the PvE.

Originally posted by Draccan

Okay time for some replies to this thread I started. To clear up some misconceptions and to set things right.

 

1. I am being called a shill and it is hinted on that Funcom is behind blah blah. Seriously: Look at my post history. If anything I have hurt Funcom by persistingly arguing over two years about this game. I have been a HUGE critic, maybe one of the largest and most vocal (if you discount the nonsensical spammers and trolls). But I have tried to put forward a reasonable argument over what I was against. Anyone looking at my post history (and include the pre-launch forum, the tech beta, the beta, the open beta, the official forums, here on mmorpg.com especially) will know how BIG a critic I have been.

2. I followed AoC because I thought Funcom would be the right company and Conan to be the right IP.

3. My biggest arguments with Funcom in the past came over the communication and blatant miscommunication Funcom did. I was pissed off too. I could have turned my back and never played the game again and never made this thread. But truth is I think I too have overreacted in the past. I mostly wrote long threads voicing dissent about the where the game was going. And most of them, I think, were right on the money. I am also - however - when the game launched, guilty of the occasional anti-Funcom rant. I too spelled doom for them some time ago. I admit it. But Funcom had it coming.

4. The worst Funcom did was misleading about the content of the game. I never cared rat's ass about drunken brawling, DX10 or any of that matter. But I hated to be misled. I still strongly believe Funcom should fire their entire PR department. Seriously. And start anew with a new open policy. They underestimated their player base and angered so many people. Including me. If Funcom had from the start been more honest about its short comings, they would have had many more people spearheading the game and defending them. They could have been a darling instead of an enemy to many mmo gamers. People DO understand if spoken to directly, open and honest.

5. My personal aim is to voice my opinion about the dream of a true polished sandbox game; and to call out developers who are not open with their community. Honestly I think Funcom has learned from this whole affair. They engage more with the community. They state where the game is going, what they can and can not do. I have passionate ideas of the potential of mmos and the kind of games I would like to see released. I am super critical of the kind of game Bioware for example is making with SW ToR which in my opinion is reaching the lowest common denominator, setting the bar really low.

6. I have had run ins with Amazing Avery in the past and I have been rude once or twice (maybe thrice) and I apologize for it. I have learned from it and am trying these days to refrain from personal attacks. What I really respect about Amazing Avery is his consistency in advocating this game and taking things from the bright side. It IS a game after all.

7. Here comes a little truth, I wasn't going to say. When I originally played AoC my new computer (that I assembled to play AoC) crashed all the time. A few other games seemed fine and I thought it was AoC that was the problem. However after half a year I finally realized the graphics card was broken and when I exchanged it I had no more problems in AoC. So I admit having been to hasty in blaming AoC for my own PC's short comings. Sorry.

8. I will never say that Age of Conan is a perfect game. I can't judge as I never really did raids in my life, I play occassionally, I have never reached more than half way through the game. I can not judge the entire game.

So what I AM saying is that AGE OF CONAN is the most beautiful mmo I have ever tried. The art direction is really just that, ART. Anyone who never tried to game should try it for that alone. It really captures the essence of Howard's stories. It truly does. The art direction was taking care of from Funcom's Didrik Tollefsen and most of it was made of their Asian office and they did an outstanding job. Didrik should have an award for what he did. I think he did the best job of the mmo business ever. I always stated that even when I was critical of this game. In the collectors edition there is a picture of the team in the back of the book. Book is beautiful too.

All I think is that everyone should give this game a chance. Sure it is a rough diamond, but in my opinion it is the only mature looking mmo game, with blood splatter, sinister atmosphere and what not. The classes play maybe towards the old healer-tank-dps triangle, but the classes themselves have a cool vibe to them, bear shamans, dark templars, priests of mitra - I like what they did with it.

9. One of the aspects that made me leave was itemization and I know it has been worked on. Just like they work on making stats more meaningful.

10. For the people who left this game after reaching level 80 and who feels angry for lack of polish, I can only say I am not trying to take anything away from you. I can not even begin to judge. Sure there may be too few raids and instances at high levels. And I understand the sieges are still not perfected. But all these things seems to be improved upon. At launch there were none of the promised sieges - now they are in, though not working perfectly. And the total number of instances in this game is not low by any means. But for hardcore players or players who played a long time, sure there might be problems. I am fine with that.

What I am say to that is that for a new player this game has sooo much to offer before you even get to level 80 - before you even get to do sieges. I know I have missed some instances that I am now too high level for and haven't quested in some regions at or below my level. What I do see is a game worth visiting - at least once. If nothing else - and that is why I made this thread: at least try the trial.

11. Whatever Funcom's state of business or number of subscriptions doesn't interest me right now. I doesn't take a financial expert to see they could do better. Neither does it take one to see that they are still making money and have enough cash to develop THE SECRET WORLD. 

12. Talking of THE SECRET WORLD. I know many will refrain from even trying it and some will blast it for being made by Funcom and troll the forums. This time around I won't. As long as Funcom no longer mislead their community I am willing to let bygones be bygones. Why? I am too old for holding a grudge at a gaming company and I am a huge Lovecraft / Call of Cthulhu fan, so since this game is close in spirit to the Cthulhu mythos, I for one will be right there following this game. On top of all it is promised to be less instanced and class-less - two of my most important mmo aspects, so I am definitely intrigued.

13. Community. I actually find the community quite good. Yesterday I was out and about in the Noble district getting my behind handed to me over and over by other players usually 5-6 levels higher than me, but interestingly I could get ganked by someone two three times, but when I pm'ed them to ask them to help me finish this or that mission or asking questions, they would always oblige and help me kill this or that boss so I could fulfill my mission. Sure, five minutes later I would bump into them again ... and get my behind handed to me again - but honestly - I didn't mind.. For the last few days people have been quite cool and helpful and brutal..

14. Some class fixes have definitely taken place. When I left I was at a solo instance I just couldn't complete. I tried and tried and tried. My Necro was way too broken. Now at least I can compete and found the death ratio much more acceptable. Again some classes still needs love and some things are not perfect, class balances are always an issue, but Funcom DID make the game more playable and fix some of the most glaring mistakes!

 

-----

Sorry for the wall of text. I know not many people will read this or understand where it is coming from. I think I have proven I am definitely NOT a shill for Funcom. I am merely trying to say I have stared at all the mmos out there. Age of Conan is the only one that comes close (however far) to be the perfect game for me. Thus I have decided to not try Aion for now - I might later - I haven't decided 100% - but right now I feel AoC have more to offer with its setting; as shallow as it is, it comes down to art style. I beta'ed CO for a very short moment and felt the same. I am pretty sure SW ToR is not for me. WoW hasn't been for years, SWG doesn't exist any more (cry), COH has gotten old, Jumpgate might be worth checking out, but instances and limited pvp = not worth my effort. Fallen Earth while great on paper just looks off - like it was made in the 90s with feeble technology.

Age of Conan sucks me in graphically, musically. And while waiting for the next big thing it is worth another serious look. And anyone not trying a free tryout (I still have three buddy keys out of five left) - is cheating themselves. Stargate is maybe never seeing the light of day. Tabula Rasa was cancelled shortly after I got into it. Earthrise might be a big thing - though the videos didn't impress me at all, I like the game on paper. So until something better shows up I will be summoning my undead and roaming Hyboria for a while...

"Goodnight and good luck!"

D.

 

 

 

 

awsome post .agree whole heartly.

Originally posted by eureka105

Originally posted by Moretrinkets

This is what I think about AoC. I liked the game  and waiting for the expansion. I played the whole thing, maxed to 80, raided, you name it. As it stands now, AoC is not a PvP-based game. It is understandable people leaving AoC for Aion. I bet some of them will come back after the first month though.

What I think will happen is that AoC will continue patching the game and improve PvP like WoW did. But overall, AoC is all about the PvE.

 

This is what I've been saying since day one. AoC is all about PvE.

People who say AoC has good PvP are probably ones that have little experience with PvP in MMO's and don't know any better. If you compare it to Hello Kitty online then yes, AoC has good PvP. Unfortunately if you compare it to GOOD PvP games like GW or EVE, you'll see why most big PvP guilds have quit AoC a long time ago. One recent example is the guild AD (veteran PvP'ers) who quit this week.

Hmm aoc is all about the pve?

Your all raided up in top gear, i can gather that, but are you pvp level 5? do you have pvp gear? are you in a guild with a battle keep and related buffs?  Soon you will be able to achive renown points and level your guild.

If your on a pvp server you will know before you leave tortage that this game is a pvp game hands down.  Ignoring all the pvp hot spots, ignoring ot commons, ignoring pvp levels, seiges and guild drama, yes this game is a pve game....especially since it takes a very shot time to reach endgame....

Originally posted by crunchyblack

Originally posted by eureka105

Originally posted by Moretrinkets

This is what I think about AoC. I liked the game  and waiting for the expansion. I played the whole thing, maxed to 80, raided, you name it. As it stands now, AoC is not a PvP-based game. It is understandable people leaving AoC for Aion. I bet some of them will come back after the first month though.

What I think will happen is that AoC will continue patching the game and improve PvP like WoW did. But overall, AoC is all about the PvE.

 

This is what I've been saying since day one. AoC is all about PvE.

People who say AoC has good PvP are probably ones that have little experience with PvP in MMO's and don't know any better. If you compare it to Hello Kitty online then yes, AoC has good PvP. Unfortunately if you compare it to GOOD PvP games like GW or EVE, you'll see why most big PvP guilds have quit AoC a long time ago. One recent example is the guild AD (veteran PvP'ers) who quit this week.

 

Hmm aoc is all about the pve?

Your all raided up in top gear, i can gather that, but are you pvp level 5? do you have pvp gear? are you in a guild with a battle keep and related buffs?  Soon you will be able to achive renown points and level your guild.

If your on a pvp server you will know before you leave tortage that this game is a pvp game hands down.  Ignoring all the pvp hot spots, ignoring ot commons, ignoring pvp levels, seiges and guild drama, yes this game is a pve game....especially since it takes a very shot time to reach endgame....

/agree

Originally posted by Draccan

Originally posted by UnDeadKiss

Well either way, numbers or not,  I tried downloading AOC ( which took like three days, literally)  I couldn't get it to work for nothing.  Frustration only takes one so far and I had reached my limit.  Funny thing was AOC gave me an extension after a survey and I tried the fixes the engineer told me to try, and of course nothing.  It's no wonder WOW and other games like Perfect World and Requeim play like a dream on almost any comp are so popular.  Same thing with Warhammer, can't play it at all.  The problem with the industry is that they think it's funny to partner with comp companies and force people to buy newer comps and/or bitch about lower subscriptions.  I don't think WOW is the best out there for sure but at least they know what it takes to keep people interested and have the respect enough to know folks just can't afford really bad ass comps.  So to prove that a really detailed and fun game can be downloaded and played on a mid level computer,  go to the Sword of the New World and give that a try.  Until then though funcom should revamp they're engine and cater to the masses, much like Blizz does.  Hmmm what a concept, actually caring about your subscription base.  Sorry if this offends anyones feelings, but getting a little tired of hearing how great AOC is.  Blessed Be

 

What I would blame though is PCs. PCs are wrought with so much bad code. Windows is not perfect for sure. The constant new video cards and updates makes it hard for developers to catch up. The lack of standards. There are just so many problems...

At least the Funcom engineer tried to help you. I find that quite good. But sorry about your troubles!

Its the PC's fault that software doesn't run on it? AHAHHAHAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, maybe you should try a Mac sir.

LOL ROTLFMFAOOMFGDHJST! :LOL LOL LOL Sometobody get me a pill I'm going to laugh myself to death. LOLALOLALALALA

Originally posted by Draccan

Okay time for some replies to this thread I started. To clear up some misconceptions and to set things right.

 

1. I am being called a shill and it is hinted on that Funcom is behind blah blah. Seriously: Look at my post history. If anything I have hurt Funcom by persistingly arguing over two years about this game. I have been a HUGE critic, maybe one of the largest and most vocal (if you discount the nonsensical spammers and trolls). But I have tried to put forward a reasonable argument over what I was against. Anyone looking at my post history (and include the pre-launch forum, the tech beta, the beta, the open beta, the official forums, here on mmorpg.com especially) will know how BIG a critic I have been.

2. I followed AoC because I thought Funcom would be the right company and Conan to be the right IP.

3. My biggest arguments with Funcom in the past came over the communication and blatant miscommunication Funcom did. I was pissed off too. I could have turned my back and never played the game again and never made this thread. But truth is I think I too have overreacted in the past. I mostly wrote long threads voicing dissent about the where the game was going. And most of them, I think, were right on the money. I am also - however - when the game launched, guilty of the occasional anti-Funcom rant. I too spelled doom for them some time ago. I admit it. But Funcom had it coming.

4. The worst Funcom did was misleading about the content of the game. I never cared rat's ass about drunken brawling, DX10 or any of that matter. But I hated to be misled. I still strongly believe Funcom should fire their entire PR department. Seriously. And start anew with a new open policy. They underestimated their player base and angered so many people. Including me. If Funcom had from the start been more honest about its short comings, they would have had many more people spearheading the game and defending them. They could have been a darling instead of an enemy to many mmo gamers. People DO understand if spoken to directly, open and honest.

5. My personal aim is to voice my opinion about the dream of a true polished sandbox game; and to call out developers who are not open with their community. Honestly I think Funcom has learned from this whole affair. They engage more with the community. They state where the game is going, what they can and can not do. I have passionate ideas of the potential of mmos and the kind of games I would like to see released. I am super critical of the kind of game Bioware for example is making with SW ToR which in my opinion is reaching the lowest common denominator, setting the bar really low.

6. I have had run ins with Amazing Avery in the past and I have been rude once or twice (maybe thrice) and I apologize for it. I have learned from it and am trying these days to refrain from personal attacks. What I really respect about Amazing Avery is his consistency in advocating this game and taking things from the bright side. It IS a game after all.

7. Here comes a little truth, I wasn't going to say. When I originally played AoC my new computer (that I assembled to play AoC) crashed all the time. A few other games seemed fine and I thought it was AoC that was the problem. However after half a year I finally realized the graphics card was broken and when I exchanged it I had no more problems in AoC. So I admit having been to hasty in blaming AoC for my own PC's short comings. Sorry.

8. I will never say that Age of Conan is a perfect game. I can't judge as I never really did raids in my life, I play occassionally, I have never reached more than half way through the game. I can not judge the entire game.

So what I AM saying is that AGE OF CONAN is the most beautiful mmo I have ever tried. The art direction is really just that, ART. Anyone who never tried to game should try it for that alone. It really captures the essence of Howard's stories. It truly does. The art direction was taking care of from Funcom's Didrik Tollefsen and most of it was made of their Asian office and they did an outstanding job. Didrik should have an award for what he did. I think he did the best job of the mmo business ever. I always stated that even when I was critical of this game. In the collectors edition there is a picture of the team in the back of the book. Book is beautiful too.

All I think is that everyone should give this game a chance. Sure it is a rough diamond, but in my opinion it is the only mature looking mmo game, with blood splatter, sinister atmosphere and what not. The classes play maybe towards the old healer-tank-dps triangle, but the classes themselves have a cool vibe to them, bear shamans, dark templars, priests of mitra - I like what they did with it.

9. One of the aspects that made me leave was itemization and I know it has been worked on. Just like they work on making stats more meaningful.

10. For the people who left this game after reaching level 80 and who feels angry for lack of polish, I can only say I am not trying to take anything away from you. I can not even begin to judge. Sure there may be too few raids and instances at high levels. And I understand the sieges are still not perfected. But all these things seems to be improved upon. At launch there were none of the promised sieges - now they are in, though not working perfectly. And the total number of instances in this game is not low by any means. But for hardcore players or players who played a long time, sure there might be problems. I am fine with that.

What I am say to that is that for a new player this game has sooo much to offer before you even get to level 80 - before you even get to do sieges. I know I have missed some instances that I am now too high level for and haven't quested in some regions at or below my level. What I do see is a game worth visiting - at least once. If nothing else - and that is why I made this thread: at least try the trial.

11. Whatever Funcom's state of business or number of subscriptions doesn't interest me right now. I doesn't take a financial expert to see they could do better. Neither does it take one to see that they are still making money and have enough cash to develop THE SECRET WORLD. 

12. Talking of THE SECRET WORLD. I know many will refrain from even trying it and some will blast it for being made by Funcom and troll the forums. This time around I won't. As long as Funcom no longer mislead their community I am willing to let bygones be bygones. Why? I am too old for holding a grudge at a gaming company and I am a huge Lovecraft / Call of Cthulhu fan, so since this game is close in spirit to the Cthulhu mythos, I for one will be right there following this game. On top of all it is promised to be less instanced and class-less - two of my most important mmo aspects, so I am definitely intrigued.

13. Community. I actually find the community quite good. Yesterday I was out and about in the Noble district getting my behind handed to me over and over by other players usually 5-6 levels higher than me, but interestingly I could get ganked by someone two three times, but when I pm'ed them to ask them to help me finish this or that mission or asking questions, they would always oblige and help me kill this or that boss so I could fulfill my mission. Sure, five minutes later I would bump into them again ... and get my behind handed to me again - but honestly - I didn't mind.. For the last few days people have been quite cool and helpful and brutal..

14. Some class fixes have definitely taken place. When I left I was at a solo instance I just couldn't complete. I tried and tried and tried. My Necro was way too broken. Now at least I can compete and found the death ratio much more acceptable. Again some classes still needs love and some things are not perfect, class balances are always an issue, but Funcom DID make the game more playable and fix some of the most glaring mistakes!

 

-----

Sorry for the wall of text. I know not many people will read this or understand where it is coming from. I think I have proven I am definitely NOT a shill for Funcom. I am merely trying to say I have stared at all the mmos out there. Age of Conan is the only one that comes close (however far) to be the perfect game for me. Thus I have decided to not try Aion for now - I might later - I haven't decided 100% - but right now I feel AoC have more to offer with its setting; as shallow as it is, it comes down to art style. I beta'ed CO for a very short moment and felt the same. I am pretty sure SW ToR is not for me. WoW hasn't been for years, SWG doesn't exist any more (cry), COH has gotten old, Jumpgate might be worth checking out, but instances and limited pvp = not worth my effort. Fallen Earth while great on paper just looks off - like it was made in the 90s with feeble technology.

Age of Conan sucks me in graphically, musically. And while waiting for the next big thing it is worth another serious look. And anyone not trying a free tryout (I still have three buddy keys out of five left) - is cheating themselves. Stargate is maybe never seeing the light of day. Tabula Rasa was cancelled shortly after I got into it. Earthrise might be a big thing - though the videos didn't impress me at all, I like the game on paper. So until something better shows up I will be summoning my undead and roaming Hyboria for a while...

"Goodnight and good luck!"

D.

 

Great read. Thanks for sharing.

I think this represents how quite a few players feel.

Originally posted by eureka105

Originally posted by crunchyblack

Hmm aoc is all about the pve?

Your all raided up in top gear, i can gather that, but are you pvp level 5? do you have pvp gear? are you in a guild with a battle keep and related buffs?  Soon you will be able to achive renown points and level your guild.

If your on a pvp server you will know before you leave tortage that this game is a pvp game hands down.  Ignoring all the pvp hot spots, ignoring ot commons, ignoring pvp levels, seiges and guild drama, yes this game is a pve game....especially since it takes a very shot time to reach endgame....

 

You know just you saying so doesn't make AoC a PvP game. Ask all those dozens of major PvP guild that have quit AoC. Are you saying they were all wrong?

Have you ever even played a REAL PvP game?

AoC has been "all about the pve" since the begenning inspite of what Funcom advertised. AoC and WoWs' pvp are practically identical if you remove the extra button mashing in AoC.(i'm not criticising wow pvp, imo its entertaining, but far from challenging)  The features that would have made AoC a more pvp focused game aren't even working properly or made it into the game (ie. seiges, drunken brawling). The market just isn't very large for a "PvP focused" game to bring in the subs wanted by most developers. IMO the majority of ppl play mmos' for entertainment, not competition. As we've seen with the last few patches, I believe funcom will contunue moving AoC even closer to the "WoW" formula trying to hold-on to and improve on their sub numbers.

Originally posted by Akiiras

Originally posted by Ubie

Originally posted by eureka105

Originally posted by crunchyblack

Hmm aoc is all about the pve?

Your all raided up in top gear, i can gather that, but are you pvp level 5? do you have pvp gear? are you in a guild with a battle keep and related buffs?  Soon you will be able to achive renown points and level your guild.

If your on a pvp server you will know before you leave tortage that this game is a pvp game hands down.  Ignoring all the pvp hot spots, ignoring ot commons, ignoring pvp levels, seiges and guild drama, yes this game is a pve game....especially since it takes a very shot time to reach endgame....

 

You know just you saying so doesn't make AoC a PvP game. Ask all those dozens of major PvP guild that have quit AoC. Are you saying they were all wrong?

Have you ever even played a REAL PvP game?

 

AoC has been "all about the pve" since the begenning inspite of what Funcom advertised. AoC and WoWs' pvp are practically identical if you remove the extra button mashing in AoC.(i'm not criticising wow pvp, imo its entertaining, but far from challenging)  The features that would have made AoC a more pvp focused game aren't even working properly or made it into the game (ie. seiges, drunken brawling). The market just isn't very large for a "PvP focused" game to bring in the subs wanted by most developers. IMO the majority of ppl play mmos' for entertainment, not competition. As we've seen with the last few patches, I believe funcom will contunue moving AoC even closer to the "WoW" formula trying to hold-on to and improve on their sub numbers.

 

Sorry to say this but you are right. AoC has been all about pve since Craig took charge.

The game caters to a 50/50 crowd.

Let the drunken brawling go, FFS, was scrapped before launch and we were all told. Idea from previous director that just didn't flesh out right..

The game has had PvP focus and updates, and then PvE ones, the next one coming is PvP focused for a large part. Swings back and forth.