Can't believe I had never tried AoC until like a week ago and since have now subscribed and am having a blast. Made it off Tortage and I must say the world is freakin massive!  I didn't know any games like this even existed anymore...guess I should stop buying into all the negative hype over games in forums and make my own decisions. AoC has def convinced me of that fact! I have been spoiled over the years of always having my hand held in other games and  am so lost now as to where I should go and loving it.

Got a couple of rl friends to come try it with me as well and we ALL are amazed. The combat system is incredidle. Killing groups of 3 or more mobs by yourself and coming out victorious truly is sexy. The concussion effects during combat makes my heart jump!

 Anyways for anyone wanting to know what it's like should def read this guide from the official website. Excellent and well written. Now i'm really hooked and have a lot to look forwards too.

Enjoy!

http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=71780

I started playing AoC about a year ago, on and off but mostly on. I gave it a try because I was in the mood for a low fantasy combat intensive game. I always thought the game was great, never understood all the hate and trolls the game attracted. The game is huge, it will take weeks or months to play through to 80 and even then you won't see it all. It is just too big to see everything in one play through. That's not even considering the end game content, which is what the Godslayer expansion mostly is.

The strong points are realistic art style and graphics, motion quality, music, fatalities, beautifully detailed environments, and the fact that it is pretty faithful to the Conan IP.

The weak points are gameplay that is pretty much exclusively combat focused, persistant bugs that can be annoying, although there is nothing game breaking that I have run into. There is a lot of trash talk about the community, but I have no problem with other players at all, and I use global chat quite a bit.

The change over to FtP has been a big boost to the game. The population has doubled at least, and there are many more opportunities for grouping to get things done. Before FtP the population was pretty sparse on the road to 80. Most players were all at max level and I found myself having to solo a lot of the time. I didn't really mind, but it is fun seeing so many others enjoying the game.

Originally posted by Wrender

 Anyways for anyone wanting to know what it's like should def read this guide from the official website. Excellent and well written. Now i'm really hooked and have a lot to look forwards too.

Enjoy!

http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=71780

Woah that guide is from 2008!  Old news. There might be some valid info in there, but most is probably out dated. Jef Reahard has some nice current guides, he has been playing the game since beta and knows it pretty well. http://massively.joystiq.com/tag/anvil-of-crom-guides

AoC is not a bad game at all, but I wouldn't call it massive by any account, not even with the zones from the expansion.

Compared to games like EQ2 and Wow it feels rather claustrophobic. I think world size is AoCs great disadvantage.

It is a really pretty game and the combat system feels different from the rest of the MMOs out there and since they fixed the bugs it is a must to at least try it, but Funcom needs to become faster at adding content.

AoC does have good potential to be great,but the community sucks. it seems like one of those games you have to start playing with current friends or a guild.

The character customization sucks too, without even considering the limited facial choices, you can only be white, middle eastern, or really white. Unless they changed that, I don't I'd ever bother again. I'm there are others out there who consider character customization very important

Originally posted by jinxxed0

 

 

The character customization sucks too, without even considering the limited facial choices, you can only be white, middle eastern, or really white. Unless they changed that, I don't I'd ever bother again. I'm there are others out there who consider character customization very important

There has been one more race added since you have done any character creation, Asian. As far as character customization the FtP model ushered in vanity tabs, or appearance slots that allows you to substitute any armor you chose for the set you are wearing for stats. This has freed up the creation process quite a bit. In fact I think it is the single best feature of the whole FtP model. Before FtP your character was bound to look  the way the game demanded, now you are entirely free to look and wear whatever you choose as long as your class allows it, i.e. a Barb cannot wear plate armor. You can go topless for example, while actually  "wearing" chest armor, or substitute a shirt you like instead. The appearance tabs have really freed up the game, I dunno why it took this long to implement the feature!

Originally posted by Ravenspen
That guide was updated in june of 2010 and is still a great basics guide. Mostly just general suggestions that would aid any new player.

 I kinda figured it was outdated when I saw it but afterleaving Tortage and feeling so overwhelmed I foud that guide and at least better understood what was out there and a general idea of where I needed to go and do and that was enough to convince me that I just might have found my dream game after playing soo much crap over the last 8 years. Hey I'm over 50 yrs old and todays kids games just mainly annoy me.Hell, I have even stopped anticipating the new crop of games coming out now. I think I have found a home for awhile!

Originally posted by jinxxed0

AoC does have good potential to be great,but the community sucks. it seems like one of those games you have to start playing with current friends or a guild.

 

The character customization sucks too, without even considering the limited facial choices, you can only be white, middle eastern, or really white. Unless they changed that, I don't I'd ever bother again. I'm there are others out there who consider character customization very important

I am on the Wiccana server and the community there is great. Lots of new people, and more people to roleplay with than you can possibly get to. The server is bursting with life, I would say it is probably at game launch levels.

If you RP and happen to be on wicanna, send me a tell, I'll introduce you to a few good folks. Vallens is my toons name.

Hope it helps.

Cool!  I have an alt there will def add you!

Originally posted by Loke666

AoC is not a bad game at all, but I wouldn't call it massive by any account, not even with the zones from the expansion.

Compared to games like EQ2 and Wow it feels rather claustrophobic. I think world size is AoCs great disadvantage.

Actually I would.

True it may not be as big as the worlds of other games but what it's got (and I think that's why the OP calls it massive) is scale. (the concept that I knew, but never had the name for - until a GW2 fan revealed it to me)

I have never seen cities in an MMO (well aside from Aion's cities) that are as large, breath-taking and realistic as AoC's. I have only played up to 33 now, but the land zones feel fairly large - perhaps it will change, and feel smaller with a mount?

I dunno but I feel having large instances are better than a "seamless world" as server technology (and client technology) isn't there yet. The loadscreens are minor annoyances. Instancing helps the world "feel" huge IMO.

Besides, very few games are truly seamless these days. WoW, which was advertised (and did a very good job as) a completely seamless MMO without any loadscreens between zones now has quite a few loadscreens - when you hearth, when you accept a summon (even if it  is nearby), etc. It's been this way since 2008.

Maybe I need to play till 80, but the world feels immense to me. \o/

Feels like a living world too, unlike the world of RIFT which felt sadly dead.

It is a really pretty game and the combat system feels different from the rest of the MMOs out there and since they fixed the bugs it is a must to at least try it, but Funcom needs to become faster at adding content.

Yeah, it saddens me to see what has happened to AoC - so much promise, so many dreams and none of them were realised. Or they are being realised, but very slowly.

My biggest fear is that FC has abandoned AoC - hopefully, not the case lol.

~

OP, I really love the game so far.

Don't know if I'll get into the cutting edge raiding since I have been burnt off raiding since my WoW days, and also how worth is it to raid in a F2P game?

But levelling has been really fun; I have a month sub on right now and I'll definitely level a couple more characters I think.

I am also playing on Wicanna and the community is alright; apart from the handful of 13 year olds that spam Global with size 72 text, and the occasional WoW sucks/WoW is great debates, it seems fun.

Originally posted by Wrender

Can't believe I had never tried AoC until like a week ago and since have now subscribed and am having a blast. Made it off Tortage and I must say the world is freakin massive!  I didn't know any games like this even existed anymore...guess I should stop buying into all the negative hype over games in forums and make my own decisions. AoC has def convinced me of that fact! I have been spoiled over the years of always having my hand held in other games and  am so lost now as to where I should go and loving it.

Got a couple of rl friends to come try it with me as well and we ALL are amazed. The combat system is incredidle. Killing groups of 3 or more mobs by yourself and coming out victorious truly is sexy. The concussion effects during combat makes my heart jump!

 Anyways for anyone wanting to know what it's like should def read this guide from the official website. Excellent and well written. Now i'm really hooked and have a lot to look forwards too.

Enjoy!

http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=71780

You said it brother!  The game is so epic.  I mean, instead of separating races into their own continents and giving them a true sense of purpose in pvp combat, they just start everyone in Tortage!  That is so awesome, because it totally takes the reality factor away.  I mean, I read the conan novels as a kid (there are a good number of them if you look to the Le Sprage De Camp edits)...and they were always about nations rising against one another over complex poilitical issues.  Even Conan himself finally became a king, and from that point on, defended his realm banner from outside forces.

In the game you don't have to worry about lore.  Priests of Mitra can kill each other, even group with priests of Set.  Cimmeria is noted in the books for being violently superstitious - but in the game you can be a necromancer with all pets out, and just run past guards and even get quests!  So cool how they evaded the lore, took away any sense of individuality, and tossed out all that sillyness you learn about real world conflicts, or even the epic ones in the conan novels.

It may be all about nation vs nation vs nation warfare in the novels, but in the game any combo of races can all beat each other up! 

/good job Funcom! Woot!

Originally posted by Comaf

Originally posted by Wrender

Can't believe I had never tried AoC until like a week ago and since have now subscribed and am having a blast. Made it off Tortage and I must say the world is freakin massive!  I didn't know any games like this even existed anymore...guess I should stop buying into all the negative hype over games in forums and make my own decisions. AoC has def convinced me of that fact! I have been spoiled over the years of always having my hand held in other games and  am so lost now as to where I should go and loving it.

Got a couple of rl friends to come try it with me as well and we ALL are amazed. The combat system is incredidle. Killing groups of 3 or more mobs by yourself and coming out victorious truly is sexy. The concussion effects during combat makes my heart jump!

You said it brother!  The game is so epic.

This I totally agree on

As for lore and MMORPG's, shrug, I assume lore fanatics will never be fully appeased, seen it in a lot of MMO's where lore breaches happened in favor of gameplay mechanics and design, seen it with the hordes of Jedi wandering around in Star Wars movie era in SWG, in hot debates about magic and runekeepers in LotrO and in AoC with the heated discussions regarding magic classes, it's always the same.

When scale and the world in AoC, Ymir's Pass comes to mind next to the massive city of Tarantia: I found the whole design of Ymir's Pass a great example, because the large variety and use of heights, hills and valleys make it feel a whole lot larger than most zones I've encountered in other MMO's. I have no idea what the actual size is of the area, but the large content density and wide variety in it made it feel like a massive area to explore. Ther were several of that kind of areas that I encountered in AoC, where I found the area design impressive.

I hope that they take all the lessons learnt and build further upon it for TSW, but what I've seen so far regarding Solomon's Island and Kingsmouth, it seems TSW's world design will manage to impress me even more than even Ymir's Pass will

OP, glad you found an MMORPG that managed to appeal to you, personally I think AoC is indeed one of the better, more enjoyable MMORPG's currently around, certainly for a few months, after that it'll depend how your server is and what you're looking for in an MMORPG. Have fun!

Originally posted by empyros

Originally posted by Loke666

AoC is not a bad game at all, but I wouldn't call it massive by any account, not even with the zones from the expansion.

Compared to games like EQ2 and Wow it feels rather claustrophobic. I think world size is AoCs great disadvantage.

Actually I would.

True it may not be as big as the worlds of other games but what it's got (and I think that's why the OP calls it massive) is scale. (the concept that I knew, but never had the name for - until a GW2 fan revealed it to me)

I have never seen cities in an MMO (well aside from Aion's cities) that are as large, breath-taking and realistic as AoC's. I have only played up to 33 now, but the land zones feel fairly large - perhaps it will change, and feel smaller with a mount?

I dunno but I feel having large instances are better than a "seamless world" as server technology (and client technology) isn't there yet. The loadscreens are minor annoyances. Instancing helps the world "feel" huge IMO.

Besides, very few games are truly seamless these days. WoW, which was advertised (and did a very good job as) a completely seamless MMO without any loadscreens between zones now has quite a few loadscreens - when you hearth, when you accept a summon (even if it  is nearby), etc. It's been this way since 2008.

Maybe I need to play till 80, but the world feels immense to me. \o/

Feels like a living world too, unlike the world of RIFT which felt sadly dead.

It is a really pretty game and the combat system feels different from the rest of the MMOs out there and since they fixed the bugs it is a must to at least try it, but Funcom needs to become faster at adding content.

Yeah, it saddens me to see what has happened to AoC - so much promise, so many dreams and none of them were realised. Or they are being realised, but very slowly.

My biggest fear is that FC has abandoned AoC - hopefully, not the case lol.

~

OP, I really love the game so far.

Don't know if I'll get into the cutting edge raiding since I have been burnt off raiding since my WoW days, and also how worth is it to raid in a F2P game?

But levelling has been really fun; I have a month sub on right now and I'll definitely level a couple more characters I think.

 

I am also playing on Wicanna and the community is alright; apart from the handful of 13 year olds that spam Global with size 72 text, and the occasional WoW sucks/WoW is great debates, it seems fun.

Very very few f2p raids.  People don't understand really that this game is still pretty much p2p and that the f2p is really just to level a character and get a feel for the game.  Almost all of the end game stuff, raiding, AA's, Khitai are all premium or p2p content.

That said god it is so worth it the raiding in this game is freaking awesome and its not lolezmodewow raiding either stuffs tough!

Originally posted by Comaf

Originally posted by Wrender

Can't believe I had never tried AoC until like a week ago and since have now subscribed and am having a blast. Made it off Tortage and I must say the world is freakin massive!  I didn't know any games like this even existed anymore...guess I should stop buying into all the negative hype over games in forums and make my own decisions. AoC has def convinced me of that fact! I have been spoiled over the years of always having my hand held in other games and  am so lost now as to where I should go and loving it.

Got a couple of rl friends to come try it with me as well and we ALL are amazed. The combat system is incredidle. Killing groups of 3 or more mobs by yourself and coming out victorious truly is sexy. The concussion effects during combat makes my heart jump!

 Anyways for anyone wanting to know what it's like should def read this guide from the official website. Excellent and well written. Now i'm really hooked and have a lot to look forwards too.

Enjoy!

http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=71780

You said it brother!  The game is so epic.  I mean, instead of separating races into their own continents and giving them a true sense of purpose in pvp combat, they just start everyone in Tortage!  That is so awesome, because it totally takes the reality factor away.  I mean, I read the conan novels as a kid (there are a good number of them if you look to the Le Sprage De Camp edits)...and they were always about nations rising against one another over complex poilitical issues.  Even Conan himself finally became a king, and from that point on, defended his realm banner from outside forces.

 

In the game you don't have to worry about lore.  Priests of Mitra can kill each other, even group with priests of Set.  Cimmeria is noted in the books for being violently superstitious - but in the game you can be a necromancer with all pets out, and just run past guards and even get quests!  So cool how they evaded the lore, took away any sense of individuality, and tossed out all that sillyness you learn about real world conflicts, or even the epic ones in the conan novels.

 

It may be all about nation vs nation vs nation warfare in the novels, but in the game any combo of races can all beat each other up! 

 

/good job Funcom! Woot!

Dood, it's an MMO. What is the point of being such a purest about it? It would be possible to make a video game with a stricter adherence to Howard's stories, but not in this genre. An  RTS  game maybe would work. I am surprised you even mention De Camp's books as something to read for some Conan action. Why not go for the real deal, Howard's original unedited stories?

Originally posted by UNH0LYEV1L

Originally posted by empyros

Originally posted by Loke666

 

Very very few f2p raids.  People don't understand really that this game is still pretty much p2p and that the f2p is really just to level a character and get a feel for the game.  Almost all of the end game stuff, raiding, AA's, Khitai are all premium or p2p content.

That said god it is so worth it the raiding in this game is freaking awesome and its not lolezmodewow raiding either stuffs tough!

AoC has improved their pve by a ton. The Khitai instances are also a lot of fun. I also like how you want a balance in AoC groups as well. 

Originally posted by Loke666

AoC is not a bad game at all, but I wouldn't call it massive by any account, not even with the zones from the expansion.

Compared to games like EQ2 and Wow it feels rather claustrophobic. I think world size is AoCs great disadvantage.

It is a really pretty game and the combat system feels different from the rest of the MMOs out there and since they fixed the bugs it is a must to at least try it, but Funcom needs to become faster at adding content.

Really??!! Even with the Turan package that just came out?? No offense but, aren't you being just a tadd eliteist if yo still say that AoC does not have enough content. It's damn hard to complete all content and rewards i AoC. I have played the game for 2 and 1/2 year now and I have still not done it all. Also, the Turan adventure package just came out. That adds even more to do.

BTW, have you tried the hardcore PvP servers? It's pretty violent, but fun :):):)

Originally posted by jinxxed0

 

 

The character customization sucks too, without even considering the limited facial choices,

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't there an advanced feature with sliders if you want something other than the preset faces? I'd check myself if it's still there, but I am not deleting one of  my two toons, only to prove something I'm pretty sure I saw with my own eyes.

Also, considering the above and the App tab, I'd say CC is pretty decent in AOC.

Originally posted by Wrender

Can't believe I had never tried AoC until like a week ago and since have now subscribed and am having a blast. Made it off Tortage and I must say the world is freakin massive!  I didn't know any games like this even existed anymore...guess I should stop buying into all the negative hype over games in forums and make my own decisions. AoC has def convinced me of that fact! I have been spoiled over the years of always having my hand held in other games and  am so lost now as to where I should go and loving it.

Got a couple of rl friends to come try it with me as well and we ALL are amazed. The combat system is incredidle. Killing groups of 3 or more mobs by yourself and coming out victorious truly is sexy. The concussion effects during combat makes my heart jump!

 Anyways for anyone wanting to know what it's like should def read this guide from the official website. Excellent and well written. Now i'm really hooked and have a lot to look forwards too.

Enjoy!

http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=71780

I thinks I smell some BS here , you claim you never played AOC untill you picked it up a week ago ?  & then you freak out about how Massive the world is . How would you know how massive it is in one weeks play ? unless you played 24/7 & reached lvl80 you have no idea how big thew world is .

I am also playing AOC Unchained  & yes I am enjoying it  but after a month  I am still in the first town lol. & only lvl 17

Originally posted by Distopia

Originally posted by jinxxed0

 

 

The character customization sucks too, without even considering the limited facial choices,

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't there an advanced feature with sliders if you want something other than the preset faces? I'd check myself if it's still there, but I am not deleting one of  my two toons, only to prove something I'm pretty sure I saw with my own eyes.

Also, considering the above and the App tab, I'd say CC is pretty decent in AOC.

Like in this video perhaps? At about the time linked the person goes into the Advanced tab to tweak the toon a bit more. Seems anything but "sucks" to me.