http://www.grapheine.com/bombaytv/index.php?module=see&lang=uk&code=989871bf99b376303324505ab38ab72e

Awesome, thanks guys!

Ive been burned so may times by raising my hopes for MMOs in dev stages only to have them dashed at release. See -> Vanguard, HG:L, AoC... etc. ( Though in their defense, Vanguard and HG:L have shaped up pretty well and are now playable. Currently playing HG:L and having lots of fun  )

Im placing alot of hope on WAR and by what ive seen written from most beta testers (even a few NDA breakers im afraid to say  hehe) its shaping up quite nicely.

Hell, as long as they release with stable servers, a client that dosent crash, and no major core gameplay glitches, ill probably still have a blast.

I just dont want them to make the same stupid mistakes ive seen other dev teams make over and over in the past... you would think that people would flippin learn how NOT to run/launch an MMO after seeing fiascos like AO/DnL/HG:L/Vanguard/AoC releases.

...that the WAR dev staff takes a good long look at how Funcom is running AoC into the ground and make notes of the following things.

1) Communicate changes/fixes/content updates accurately to your customerbase. No incomplete patch notes, no ninja nerfs/changes, no unannounced downtimes. When you nerf/buff something in the game, give reasons as to why so that people understand the change. Communication between a company and its customers is VERY important.

2) Dont make promises you cant keep. Many players I know have quit simply because Funcom has promised them things and has failed to deliver, on timelines that they themselves set. This goes hand in hand with communicating with your customerbase. Do not tell them things/promise things that are simply not true or will not happen.

3) Fix the game before you tamper with class balance. A huge mistake made by the Funcom staff is that they are trying to balance classes while the game is still poorly optimized. Work on things like memory leaks/server stability/basic core game stuff before you start tweaking classes. Its natural for a PvP game's customers to cry out for class balance, but FFS, ignore the whiners who will inevitably surface, at least until the game is completely stable clientwise/serverwise.

At the rate that people are becoming bored with AoC's lack of mid-high-endgame content and completely worthless PvP system (no rewards/risk to mention). I believe that the game will be a ghosttown come November unless Funcom makes some MASSIVE changes, which at the rate theyve been going, and the direction theyve been heading, seem to be a pipedream of the fanboiz and fangurlz.

I had very high hopes for AoC and they lasted up until I hit level 20.

I hope that WAR does not disappoint in the same way.

Originally posted by markoraos

Yeah, I heard that it's improved a lot since the release.

Might give it another go, it's been collecting dust on that shelf for too long...

However, I'm not really convinced it's going to do much for me until they implement some quality PvP modes.

Apparently 2.1 is the PvP patch, and its coming soonish according to what ive read. :)

And to the other guy who posted saying this thread is meaningless/useless. Well, sure it is, everything on this site is if you cut to the core of it. Its a site dedicated to the meaningless/useless passtime we all enjoy, and if I want to post about how im having fun with a new game, in that game's dedicated forum, ill do it as much as I please.

You sir, can kindly STFU and GTFO.

...and ive been nothing but impressed.

This game "feels" very much like what Diablo 2 would be if it were set in a post-apocalyptic future and had  a 1st person view feature.

Im having a blast. Nothing says "fun" like mowing down a horde of demons and undead monsters with a heavily modified fire-slinging rifle of death while your little bot army follows you around, helping out here and there.

I got over level 45 in AoC on two different characters within a month of release (( and im a roleplayer who spends alot of time just hanging out talking / playing out stories with other characters, so that is VERY fast for me )) and I am already bored out of my mind with that game. Having seen whats to come with HG:L 's 2.0 and 2.1 patches, I think ive found my new game for the summer :D!

I would get a 6month sub to AoC in a heartbeat if this was even remotely true...

Also, as an aside, I think the game was released too early. Another couple months of beta would have made a world of difference.

Allright, so I basically upgraded my entire computer system for this game and Warhammer (which I am very glad was pushed back), and I bought the game within days of its release.

Levels 1-25

In a word, brilliant. In two words, brilliantly engaging. The first time I performed a fatality, I was blown away. The voiceovers were awesome, the storyline drew me in, I was completely hooked.

Then I got clear of Tortage and started exploring Cimmeria, and still, the sheer volume of quests and the richness of the backdrop they were set upon enthralled me.

I levelled steadily from 1-25 as a conqueror in around 3 days of casual play of a few hours a night.

Overall, the experience for this level bracket was incredibly well done. Yes, there are a great many silly bugs and such, but fixes should be coming shortly (heres hoping).

Levels 26-38

After twenty five, I noticed a distinct decline in the amount and quality of quests in Conall's Valley, where I was levelling. Granted, there was no shortage of things to do in the early levels of this bracket, and I was still enjoying the combat system and the fatalities, but things seemed to be heading downhill.

Past level 35, I ran out of things to do in Conall's Valley, so I travelled to Aquilonia and did all the quests in the Wild Lands of Zelata, going into the Sanctum a couple times with groups. This got me to 38. However, it was disenheartening to have to move to a different lowlevel area and grind off grey quests to level up.

By the time I reached 38, I had run out of things to do again, so I went looking for other zones. Also, at this point, the combat system had started to lose its appeal, and after seeing the same five or six fatalities over and over and over, they began to lose their flair.

Levels 39-45 (my current level is 45)

So, having run out of things to do in the lower level areas, I went searching and found the Noble District and the Fields of the Dead. Granted, both of these areas had several quests my level to accomplish, but for some reason much of the flair and gritty atmosphere that captured my interest earlier in the game, was sadly missing.

I did a bunch of quests in the Fields of the Dead, but the layout of the zone is frustrating, and the amount of bugged mobs/overcrowded areas where say, an army of bugged vanir or werewolves will just suddenly agro and run at you became very frustrating.

Being annoyed with the Cimmerian 40+ area, I moved to Aquilonia and worked in the Noble District. There were many quests there (most of which were far more interesting and fun than the ones in Cimmeria) and I ran through them happily. Unfortunately, the big Villa quests there, are bugged and I was unable to complete them.

So that brings me to where I am now. I hit 45 a couple days ago, and ive just kinda been in a holding pattern. I find myself completely disinterested in the game now, after around a week or so. I feel like an immense amount of work went into the 1-30 level range, making that area of gameplay very interesting and engaging, but the lack of content/effort/polish in levels after 30, shows... glaringly so...

I will be watching and waiting to see if Funcom gets their act together and sets this game back on track. The lack of mid-high level content is annoying and kills alot of the fun once you get there, but the incredible number of tiny bugs/glitches dont help matters.

-Content

-Class balance

-Bug fixes

Im hoping Funcom works on those three things. As of now, my sub is inactive, and im playing out my 30 days to see where they take the game in the next two weeks.

Still looking for more roleplayers to help us make Hyperborea a better server!

To those who are interested in joining the fight against the tide of evil and darkness which threatens the free lands of Hyboria, I bid you all answer the call and join those who have sworn honorable oaths to raise their blades in defense of our homes and peoples!

Let no evil prevail in Cimmeria, Aquilonia, or even Stygia! That is the goal of the Honor-Bound, to push the darkness back until such time as it is no longer a threat.

Seek me out if you wish to be a part of our struggle!

/OOC

Honor-Bound is a Cimmeria based roleplaying guild on the Hyperborea server of AoC. We are dedicated to fighting "Murderers" (PK's/Griefers/Gankers) whenever they appear, as well as any who would threaten normal players trying to have fun in AoC. Our guild places a heavy emphasis on comraderie and teamwork, as well as roleplaying and remaining in character. So if you dislike making new frends and working with them in an IC setting, this guild may not be for you.

Please visit our guildportal site -> www.guildportal.com/Guild.aspx <- and post an application on our forums if you are interested. After doing so, please take the initiative to seek out either myself (Durfang), Grolm, or Sterkvarr ingame for details.

Thanks in advance! I look forward to roleplaying with you soon!

- Jon, PoDurfang

Theres a place where I can downgrade to XP for free? >_>

So a better videcard is the answer to my problems? What would you recommend?

So I have a new-ish computer. Its not the greatest machine in the world, but its got enough processing power and RAM to run pretty much everything thats on the market gamewise today... except Age of Conan apparently.

System Specs:

Acer tower

AMD Athlon 64X2 Dual Core Processor 5000+

3 gigs of DDR2 ram

Nvidia 8400GS 512meg videocard

Windows Vista Premium 32bit

Good monitor, plenty of harddrive space...

The game chugs along on the lowest possible settings, barely, usually ranging from 2-15FPS (though anytime it climbs over 10FPS is super rare). Is there something im doing wrong? Ive even gone in and disabled alot of the crappy vista programs that run automatically in the background.

Anyone with constructive comments/thoughts/help... please help :)

I would really like to play this game, and I hear tell of people with systems that are MUCH less powerful, running it with ease on low settings.

EDIT: Forgot to put in the processor speed heh

We have come together because too many homins from all races have suffered... We are here, now, to stand apart from the conflict that rages on between the two factions to this day.

Kami, Karavan, we are all homins, we are all beholden to Atys and as such we are all equal. As long as there is conflict, as long as there is war, homins will continue to suffer needlessly and so, Nightsong will stand as a beacon, to draw all of those who wish for peace and stability on this, our world.

Whether you be Matis, Fyros, Tryker or Zorai, you are welcome in our ranks and in our company. We will do our part to help anyone who finds themselves in need and defend those who cannot defend themselves.

Stability through peace, peace through unity, unity through acceptance.

(( Nightsong is a neutral roleplay guild that exists to bring roleplayers together on the Cho server, providing us all with an improved gaming experience. We accept all races/classes so long as youre a roleplayer and are willing to remain neutral with regards to alignment.

One of the first guilds registered on Cho and thus far we are over 15 members strong!

If youre interested please contact Chennai, Rayn or Ikon on the Cho server! We're always recruiting able minded roleplayers :D

Our forums can be found at http://nightsong.spreebb.com/))