Age of Conan Forum » General Discussion » MMOgamer director interview:

Out today: www.mmogamer.com/07/01/2009/age-of-conans-craig-morrison-talks-gangs-of-tarantia

It is a pretty good read, I like this part:

The MMO Gamer: You had quite awhile to get most of the kinks worked out on the test server, so there shouldn’t have been too many surprises. But now that it’s gone live, have you been taken aback by any reactions to it from the playerbase?

Craig Morrison: I don’t think surprised is the right word, at least not in any negative sense. We always knew, and told people quite clearly, that we fully expected there to be tweaks and adjustments we would have to make after the update went live, and that is the case.

If anything we have been encouraged that those issues haven’t been as serious or as difficult to address as you sometimes fear with your ‘worst case scenario’ head on, which as producer is pretty much my default state! There are of course some things we need to address, as we expected, but by and large, outside of the expected balance adjustments, the changes seem to have been quite well received.

The MMO Gamer: As a bookend to that last question: How do you respond to the derogatory “Age of Casters” label being applied to the patch on the boards and in global chat?

Craig Morrison: See, that why I said, ‘outside of the balance adjustments…’ above, as that is of course where our attention has to turn now. As we have already addressed on our forums, that is definitely one of the areas that we will be looking at in the post-update tweaks and adjustments mentioned above.

There are two factors here, the first in more of a general distinction between spell using classes and melee classes in our game. The spell using classes in Age of Conan are inherently easier to play, or rather more forgiving to play that leads to the opinion of them being easier to play, and they are certainly easier to master. That element won’t really change. Those classes are a deal more forgiving and easier to really master. That said I think that I think on the other hand a really well played melee character is a far more challenging foe and adversary at the hands of a skilled and experienced PVP player.

All that said, and to get down to the bare bones of it, No, the balance there isn’t quite right out of the gate as it were in respect with 1.05 and that is an area the subsequent balance adjustments will focus on. As I mentioned above we always knew there would be issues like that this that would come out of the changes as players adapted to the new power scales and abilities. It is something we were prepared to react to and already are preparing the follow-up update to address some of these issues.
 

In that they acknowledge there are still some issues with balance and that they are working to address those and the fact the patch is not being promoted as the "be and end all". Even though the is that the patch is being well received overall and that continual improvements are forthcoming. I like the fact they are hard at work on more stuff.

Originally posted by AmazingAvery

There are two factors here, the first in more of a general distinction between spell using classes and melee classes in our game. The spell using classes in Age of Conan are inherently easier to play, or rather more forgiving to play that leads to the opinion of them being easier to play, and they are certainly easier to master. That element won’t really change. Those classes are a deal more forgiving and easier to really master. That said I think that I think on the other hand a really well played melee character is a far more challenging foe and adversary at the hands of a skilled and experienced PVP player.

 

Wow that paragraph is just nonsensical babbling. Get well soon Craig.

Originally posted by Unfinished

Originally posted by AmazingAvery

There are two factors here, the first in more of a general distinction between spell using classes and melee classes in our game. The spell using classes in Age of Conan are inherently easier to play, or rather more forgiving to play that leads to the opinion of them being easier to play, and they are certainly easier to master. That element won’t really change. Those classes are a deal more forgiving and easier to really master. That said I think that I think on the other hand a really well played melee character is a far more challenging foe and adversary at the hands of a skilled and experienced PVP player.

 

 

Wow that paragraph is just nonsensical babbling. Get well soon Craig.

Craig: I have an interview coming up, I'm not sure I'll be able to get through it. Avery, can you help?

Avery: *opens pot* Hey black lotus, Stgyian, the best! *closes pot*

Craig: This had better not be Haga!

Avery: Would I sell Haga to a producer such as you?

Five minutes latter Craig and Avery stagger into the interview laughing uncontrolably. Craig is startled by a fat chick getting up from her desk and punches her with a right hook straight on the chin. She hits the floor like a sack of potatoes and Avery whispers in his ear "You're too lame to be a producer!".

Originally posted by Agricola1

Originally posted by Unfinished

Originally posted by AmazingAvery

There are two factors here, the first in more of a general distinction between spell using classes and melee classes in our game. The spell using classes in Age of Conan are inherently easier to play, or rather more forgiving to play that leads to the opinion of them being easier to play, and they are certainly easier to master. That element won’t really change. Those classes are a deal more forgiving and easier to really master. That said I think that I think on the other hand a really well played melee character is a far more challenging foe and adversary at the hands of a skilled and experienced PVP player.

 

 

Wow that paragraph is just nonsensical babbling. Get well soon Craig.

 

Craig: I have an interview coming up, I'm not sure I'll be able to get through it. Avery, can you help?

Avery: *opens pot* Hey black lotus, Stgyian, the best! *closes pot*

Craig: This had better not be Haga!

Avery: Would I sell Haga to a producer such as you?

Five minutes latter Craig and Avery stagger into the interview laughing uncontrolably. Craig is startled by a fat chick getting up from her desk and punches her with a right hook straight on the chin. She hits the floor like a sack of potatoes and Avery whispers in his ear "You're too lame to be a producer!".

At least he's honest and TRIES to do the right thing.

Originally posted by Unfinished

Originally posted by AmazingAvery

There are two factors here, the first in more of a general distinction between spell using classes and melee classes in our game. The spell using classes in Age of Conan are inherently easier to play, or rather more forgiving to play that leads to the opinion of them being easier to play, and they are certainly easier to master. That element won’t really change. Those classes are a deal more forgiving and easier to really master. That said I think that I think on the other hand a really well played melee character is a far more challenging foe and adversary at the hands of a skilled and experienced PVP player.

 

 

Wow that paragraph is just nonsensical babbling. Get well soon Craig.

Umm, maybe because I know the subject but the post is pretty easy to understand even if you disagree.

Casters in AoC = easier to play = easier to be really good with

Melee in AoC = much harder to play. However, melee = more powerful in the hands of a master.

This is pretty common in pvp games. For example, mages in WoW for example do not exist in the lower arena brackets. However, in the top end brackets, well speced and highly skilled mages often control the match.

Originally posted by catlana

Umm, maybe because I know the subject but the post is pretty easy to understand even if you disagree.

Casters in AoC = easier to play = easier to be really good with

Melee in AoC = much harder to play. However, melee = more powerful in the hands of a master.

This is pretty common in pvp games. For example, mages in WoW for example do not exist in the lower arena brackets. However, in the top end brackets, well speced and highly skilled mages often control the match.

Umm, I don't think anyone had a problem deciphering what he meant by that mess, it was just painful to read. Craig started out in communications (IGN, later FunCom), it almost seems the longer he works for FC the more symptoms of frontal lobe damage he displays. 

Unfortunately anecdotal evidence does not show that to be true, sieges are famous for being caster vs caster lag fests. AoC still has serious range vs. melee balance problems that were not addressed in the re-vamp and have been criticized since early closed beta.

Originally posted by Unfinished

Originally posted by catlana

Umm, maybe because I know the subject but the post is pretty easy to understand even if you disagree.

Casters in AoC = easier to play = easier to be really good with

Melee in AoC = much harder to play. However, melee = more powerful in the hands of a master.

This is pretty common in pvp games. For example, mages in WoW for example do not exist in the lower arena brackets. However, in the top end brackets, well speced and highly skilled mages often control the match.

 

Umm, I don't think anyone had a problem deciphering what he meant by that mess, it was just painful to read. Craig started out in communications (IGN, later FunCom), it almost seems the longer he works for FC the more symptoms of frontal lobe damage he displays. 

Unfortunately anecdotal evidence does not show that to be true, sieges are famous for being caster vs caster lag fests. AoC still has serious range vs. melee balance problems that were not addressed in the re-vamp and have been criticized since early closed beta.

[Mod Edit]

I would suggest you look at some recent siege stats from guilds participating across all servers from attendance of class and see the better, truer picture. Many guild front page websites have the stats, the parses and so on :)

^{"There are two factors here, the first in more of a general distinction between spell using classes and melee classes in our game. The spell using classes in Age of Conan are inherently easier to play, or rather more forgiving to play that leads to the opinion of them being easier to play, and they are certainly easier to master. That element won’t really change. Those classes are a deal more forgiving and easier to really master. That said I think that I think on the other hand a really well played melee character is a far more challenging foe and adversary at the hands of a skilled and experienced PVP player."}

Translation: If you think caster is a more powerful class than melee, you must suck at playing melee.

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Here is what the game director said on the forums on the subject of balance:

forums-eu.ageofconan.com/showpost.php

"As I have said in the other threads (and this one) there will be adjustments made, and that will include to the relative power in PVP between the spells using classes and the melee classes. That is an area the balance update will focus on. Yes, there is a definite balance to be struck with it, we definitely do not want to go to far the other direction either, but recognise that we need to make some adjustments there."

Further adjustments to be made, as ever, with mmo's.

Yes, and sieges are still borked, broken and unplayable after... one year. Truly amazing. Just participate in a siege on Fury server, you'll see. I figure that if they aren't fixed after 1.6, they might as well scrap them and focus more on the Borderland Kingdom pvp (which they will).

Funcom's handling of massive pvp is way worse than what Blizzard is doing to their beloved Wintergrasp. Neither companies wish to admit that they have absolutely no idea how to make massive pvp playable and smooth, though in this case I must admit Blizz made some "fixes" which kind of alleviate the lagfest problem and at least do something. But Funcom... they won't even admit that there are problems with sieges. Seriously, what the hell were they thinking when they implemented this shame into their game? I mean, one year and now after 1.5 people on Fury get disconnected during a siege? Let's see what 1.6 will bring.

Originally posted by Krewel

Yes, and sieges are still borked, broken and unplayable after... one year. Truly amazing. Just participate in a siege on Fury server, you'll see. I figure that if they aren't fixed after 1.6, they might as well scrap them and focus more on the Borderland Kingdom pvp (which they will).

 

Funcom's handling of massive pvp is way worse than what Blizzard is doing to their beloved Wintergrasp. Neither companies wish to admit that they have absolutely no idea how to make massive pvp playable and smooth, though in this case I must admit Blizz made some "fixes" which kind of alleviate the lagfest problem and at least do something. But Funcom... they won't even admit that there are problems with sieges. Seriously, what the hell were they thinking when they implemented this shame into their game? I mean, one year and now after 1.5 people on Fury get disconnected during a siege? Let's see what 1.6 will bring.

they were thinking "we'll make endgame content for the expansion for more $"

unfortunately by then i'll be playing star wars the old republic.. bad timing, funcom

shame, childhood memories of funcom always brought joy.. fkd it all up

THAT GOES to show you... theory (especially theory from a psychologist!!!) is gas. reality and experience is the earth/solid u need for mmo