I had tried it at launch, and while having a good time, I was just too busy at that point in my life to really sit down and play.

So i gave it a  whirl, after the dust had settled , The game was not F2P at the time and a subscription was needed.  I got out my card and subbed to see just how the game had evolved. 

These are subject words that i will elaborate on with my experiance (and on going) with Age of Conan.

Story: Enough said here folks, This is top notch story telling, The characters do have voice overs up until you leave Tortage (The starting zone 1-20) This is great for me, I do like getting that quick immersion grasp, being a fan of Howards books i can safely say Funcom did excellent here. The reading doesn't bother me after tortage, In fact, i really like it. 90% of the time i read faster than any voice-over can speak! I did try starwars, Although they claim to be "innovative" with having every npc with a voice. I personally get dull of it. Who cares? Reading is good for you.  

Community: The community in AoC is one of, if not the best! Sure they're are a few taints but its very uncommon. Infact people will take time out of their play just to help newer players. I've seen in Global channels where people are offering free blue gear to people leveling whom might need it. I joined a guild during my extensive review/play and i must say, that these people and I have really grown fond of one another. Not only do we ask game related questions, these people care about your day, your life, and your dog! Really though, It's what EQ offered that WoW didn't , a great community! Even if you're not in the same guild you can meet a lot of very nice people out there.

Raiding: Upon reaching level 80 you can start raiding! The raids in AoC offer greater gear (duh!) One key element that i have seen in mmo's today that conan offers is body blocking/surroundment. Some key fights require the raid force to circle the boss/mob so that it cannot escape the circle. AoC doesnt let you "Magically" pass through people, this in itself adds a whole new element in raiding and tactics which must be followed. So lets say you're playing Rift, or WoW and you've gotta run to get out of the green shit, Well its possible to just ghost through people as long as your safe, but in conan if a "teammate" isnt thinking about his "team"  and doesnt move for John it may cause extra damage to that player or the entire raid! (Can cause a raid wipe in T3). The raiding is fun, exciting and downright a blast to do! It keeps your brain and YOU! on your toes!

Roleplaying: AoC handles RP very well, With a list emotions that can make your headspin due to its sheer amount,  and the Vanity tab (allows you equip a gearset which you favor over the current and still retain the stats!)  I'm going to keep this subject light but all in all, Roleplayers are in a safe haven here in Age of Conan. With weelky RP meets you'll get your dose of RP happily.

Combat: The combat is simply amazing, I love the fatlities! Combo's make everything more "Skillfull" Every keystroke can matter here, Conan's combat is nothing like anything out there at the moment, Any melee character you choose offers cone damage with said weapon. For example, If i have 3 enemies right up on me, and I'm using a polearm swinging left to right it's going to hit every single one. Not just your selected target. Certain weapons offer a distance in which they can attack.  Daggers being the shortest range require you being very close to the mob.  After playing conan then trying out starwars, i simply felt cheated of money because TOR felt cheap, it's a simple warhammer/wow single target/single damage type thing where everyskill is on a  global cooldown. 

Graphics: I saved this one for last, simply becasue AoC outshines the others in this department. I can only think of ONE mmo which has better graphics overall and thats FFXIV (lol...) TOR's are Fitting, but without a in-game option for AA and having to post-inject it is simply just bad an worse for performance. Hero engine isn't good. sorry.... The dreamworld engine still to this day from its 08' release is mind blowing!  It offers an insane amount of options to fully immerse a person. The shadows/godrays/water accoustics simply show how much funcom prides in their engine and using it for The Secret World. Nothing out there offers this type of exploration with this level of detail. NONE!  Small shurbs will actually move when walking through instead of you "Magically" passing through it.

I could go more in-depth, but i wanted to leave it at that. I'm sure many Anti-funcom haters will chime in and thats fine. Really, your only helping ;)  The launch was rough but most MMO's experiance that, many vets will know this aswell too. The game has changed and only for the better. I highly recommend this game for anyone who is currently bored or just tired of the extensive end game TOR has to offer (lol...)  It has some bugs but nothing game-breaking at the moment, in-fact i have experianced only very minor things which would hardly fault as a bug and also seen commonly in many other mmo's.

If you do decide to play, I suggest wiccanna, I currently play there and love it. If you have any help feel to send me a tell if you join in ! IGN: Etzul

Originally posted by Foreverdream

 

Community: The community in AoC is one of, if not the best! Sure they're are a few taints but its very uncommon. Infact people will take time out of their play just to help newer players. I've seen in Global channels where people are offering free blue gear to people leveling whom might need it. I joined a guild during my extensive review/play and i must say, that these people and I have really grown fond of one another. Not only do we ask game related questions, these people care about your day, your life, and your dog! Really though, It's what EQ offered that WoW didn't , a great community! Even if you're not in the same guild you can meet a lot of very nice people out there.

  

THIS.

You pretty much sumed up, how awesome this games community has been, as a former AoC player for 3 years i gotta say i spit on WoW, even GW, comparing my AoC guild and the external guild friends and people i knew on the path was just too awesome, really rewarding community :D, damn nostalgy :(

Originally posted by Thunderous

Nice promotional ad...

How much did Funcom pay you to write and post that?  Funcom took a great IP and made about the most pathetic adaptation of it humanly possible.  The only redeeming quality to Age of Conan are the graphics.  Once you leave Tortage (starter level) the game turns craptastic QUICKLY.

Viral advertising at it's finest. 

Funcom didn't pay me a dime, I'm just expressing my feelings towards the game in hopes that new "like minded" players will join in on something they've been missing. Sorry you feel that way bud.

^^ This.

I play AoC to this day. Like it, and I have my friends there. :)

Originally posted by Thunderous

Nice promotional ad...

How much did Funcom pay you to write and post that?  Funcom took a great IP and made about the most pathetic adaptation of it humanly possible.  The only redeeming quality to Age of Conan are the graphics.  Once you leave Tortage (starter level) the game turns craptastic QUICKLY.

Viral advertising at it's finest. 

You know where the door is dont ya

Originally posted by Thunderous

Nice promotional ad...

How much did Funcom pay you to write and post that?  Funcom took a great IP and made about the most pathetic adaptation of it humanly possible.  The only redeeming quality to Age of Conan are the graphics.  Once you leave Tortage (starter level) the game turns craptastic QUICKLY.

Viral advertising at it's finest. 

I guess I am payed as well then.

And no, from a person that have played the game 3 years soon, this game has much more to offer than graphics.

Like seriously i hate people that think they know everything about a game just becuase they've played it for a few days, months, nor even a year.

We, the people that have been here for 3 years knows what has been going on, within the epicness and failing, so seriously if you are gonna bash the game becuase it turns down as soon as you get out of tortage, you got 0 idea of what the real game is.

Said.

Originally posted by Thunderous

Nice promotional ad...

 Funcom took a great IP and made about the most pathetic adaptation of it humanly possible.

 

I think your view of AoC is about as far from reality as humanly possible. Funcom took Howard's creation and did a fabulous job capturing the grit and atmosphere of the original stories. In fact I think the artists and designers have elevated the Conan IP as much as anyone since Frank Frazetta and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The main reason I enjoy the game as much as I do is because of the beautifully rendered  Conan universe.

Come on, I can see knocking AoC for gameplay short comings, or some technology glitches, but to say it is a poor / pathetic adaptation of the Conan IP is ludicrous.

^^This. No doubt that the IP have grown with the art added to the Hyborian world by Funcom.

Thought this forum was about the MMO age of conan.  That one is subpar to everything aside from graphics but best of luck with TSW.  

i honestly feel like people are not giving this game a proper chance. the game is simply great. the bugs suck (no doubt) but they are not game breaking. i really dont care much for its graphics, but i do like the gameplay.

I think much of the negativity comes from disgruntled PvPers, or players from a long ago launch who can't let go of a grudge.

Originally posted by Thunderous

Originally posted by Davirok

Like seriously i hate people that think they know everything about a game just becuase they've played it for a few days, months, nor even a year.

We, the people that have been here for 3 years knows what has been going on, within the epicness and failing, so seriously if you are gonna bash the game becuase it turns down as soon as you get out of tortage, you got 0 idea of what the real game is.

Said.

You lasted 3 full years with Age of Conan?  That's simply amazing to me...  It's like Stockholm Syndrome...  You're sympathetic and even protective of he who holds you hostage.

Like I said, the graphics have always been great but once Tortage is over the game goes to crap - fast.  I had such higher hopes for this game but in the end it's Funcom, and well, they're just 2nd rate...

I'm impressed and sorry that you've spent so much of your time playing this game...  It must take a heck of a stomach to endure it day after day LMAO...

Ciao.

How exactly does the game instantly become crap after tortage? Simply because minor quest/npc characters dont have a voice? That is whats keeping you from going further? 

Please....Elaborate on how this game goes to "crap" after tortage. Anyone thats leveled to 80, and gave the game a full chance will relise that this game offers something unique which others dont.

Have a nice day

Originally posted by Foreverdream

I had tried it at launch, and while having a good time, I was just too busy at that point in my life to really sit down and play.

 

So i gave it a  whirl, after the dust had settled , The game was not F2P at the time and a subscription was needed.  I got out my card and subbed to see just how the game had evolved. 

These are subject words that i will elaborate on with my experiance (and on going) with Age of Conan.

 

Story: Enough said here folks, This is top notch story telling, The characters do have voice overs up until you leave Tortage (The starting zone 1-20) This is great for me, I do like getting that quick immersion grasp, being a fan of Howards books i can safely say Funcom did excellent here. The reading doesn't bother me after tortage, In fact, i really like it. 90% of the time i read faster than any voice-over can speak! I did try starwars, Although they claim to be "innovative" with having every npc with a voice. I personally get dull of it. Who cares? Reading is good for you.  

 

Community: The community in AoC is one of, if not the best! Sure they're are a few taints but its very uncommon. Infact people will take time out of their play just to help newer players. I've seen in Global channels where people are offering free blue gear to people leveling whom might need it. I joined a guild during my extensive review/play and i must say, that these people and I have really grown fond of one another. Not only do we ask game related questions, these people care about your day, your life, and your dog! Really though, It's what EQ offered that WoW didn't , a great community! Even if you're not in the same guild you can meet a lot of very nice people out there.

 

Raiding: Upon reaching level 80 you can start raiding! The raids in AoC offer greater gear (duh!) One key element that i have seen in mmo's today that conan offers is body blocking/surroundment. Some key fights require the raid force to circle the boss/mob so that it cannot escape the circle. AoC doesnt let you "Magically" pass through people, this in itself adds a whole new element in raiding and tactics which must be followed. So lets say you're playing Rift, or WoW and you've gotta run to get out of the green shit, Well its possible to just ghost through people as long as your safe, but in conan if a "teammate" isnt thinking about his "team"  and doesnt move for John it may cause extra damage to that player or the entire raid! (Can cause a raid wipe in T3). The raiding is fun, exciting and downright a blast to do! It keeps your brain and YOU! on your toes!

 

Roleplaying: AoC handles RP very well, With a list emotions that can make your headspin due to its sheer amount,  and the Vanity tab (allows you equip a gearset which you favor over the current and still retain the stats!)  I'm going to keep this subject light but all in all, Roleplayers are in a safe haven here in Age of Conan. With weelky RP meets you'll get your dose of RP happily.

 

Combat: The combat is simply amazing, I love the fatlities! Combo's make everything more "Skillfull" Every keystroke can matter here, Conan's combat is nothing like anything out there at the moment, Any melee character you choose offers cone damage with said weapon. For example, If i have 3 enemies right up on me, and I'm using a polearm swinging left to right it's going to hit every single one. Not just your selected target. Certain weapons offer a distance in which they can attack.  Daggers being the shortest range require you being very close to the mob.  After playing conan then trying out starwars, i simply felt cheated of money because TOR felt cheap, it's a simple warhammer/wow single target/single damage type thing where everyskill is on a  global cooldown. 

 

Graphics: I saved this one for last, simply becasue AoC outshines the others in this department. I can only think of ONE mmo which has better graphics overall and thats FFXIV (lol...) TOR's are Fitting, but without a in-game option for AA and having to post-inject it is simply just bad an worse for performance. Hero engine isn't good. sorry.... The dreamworld engine still to this day from its 08' release is mind blowing!  It offers an insane amount of options to fully immerse a person. The shadows/godrays/water accoustics simply show how much funcom prides in their engine and using it for The Secret World. Nothing out there offers this type of exploration with this level of detail. NONE!  Small shurbs will actually move when walking through instead of you "Magically" passing through it.

 

I could go more in-depth, but i wanted to leave it at that. I'm sure many Anti-funcom haters will chime in and thats fine. Really, your only helping ;)  The launch was rough but most MMO's experiance that, many vets will know this aswell too. The game has changed and only for the better. I highly recommend this game for anyone who is currently bored or just tired of the extensive end game TOR has to offer (lol...)  It has some bugs but nothing game-breaking at the moment, in-fact i have experianced only very minor things which would hardly fault as a bug and also seen commonly in many other mmo's.

 

If you do decide to play, I suggest wiccanna, I currently play there and love it. If you have any help feel to send me a tell if you join in ! IGN: Etzul

   I agree with some of your points and dis agree with others.   GRAPHICS-   Excellent, the best of any mmo.      STORY- Very good, although after awhile it becomes a bit repetitive but over all quite good. It is clear they put all their marbles into Tortage, which may have seemed like a good strategy at the time, turned off alot of people who wanted the voice overs to continue. The voice overs and story line are not as good as TOR and of course after Tortage you get your WOW wall of text, that being said the story line is much better than WOW.    COMMUNITY-  This is where Conan takes a big hit, I played on a PvP server and this may have had something to do with it, but I have never seen more wacked out teen agers on a server before, the global chat was gibberish and the community was really bad.     RAIDING-  Did not do enough to really comment on it buy why do you have to wait til lvl 80 to do it.    CRAFTING----  The fact that the op does not even mention it says it all. Poorly implemented an after thought at best and they refuse to make it better.       COMBAT----- Great if you are a melee character, the best combat of any mmo, not very good if your are not a melee character, one of the weekest of any mmo for PvE. However if you are a Melee character you will be seriousely gimped vs a non melee in PvP, although the combos are great fun in PvE they take to long to implement in PvP.     

      This being said Conan is a very good game, I dont like it as much as TOR but that is my opinion, I think the developers have made alot of bad decisions and that is a shame.  After Tortage, Crafting , Meleee vs Non Melee-this is what they should have been working on, if they did it would be the best mmo out there

Originally posted by LuckyDucky

I think much of the negativity comes from disgruntled PvPers, or players from a long ago launch who can't let go of a grudge.

Which is true - I am one of them, but I am proud to tell you this: Age of Conan PvP was too intense for me, too realistic in terms of playing an RPG and "living / being" your character. It felt so "real" to get harassed in this game like in no other I have played in my MMO career since Meridian 59. And the bad part of those feelings were the major point. I had nice times in this game, but there were more bad ones than the goodies. Including the non-excisting endgame at launch. Of course this is just me.

And this comes from a PvP LOVER! who rather likes X vs 1 fights, rather than team-fights. So speaking from a more than fair perspective.

But from what I can recall from AoC is a pure unfairness in which your getting thrown in. Getting ganked was so uber-mean in this game, like no where else. And from the words of my friends, they had all the same experience^^ so maybe, just maybe here in this forum there might be some fellas aswell, who know what it mean to get ganked and harassed in AoC.

I tried the game after the swtor beta weekend and still enjoy it. Especially the mini dungeons (only take 20 minutes to clear) are well made.

And no I'm not getting paid for saying I like this game. (Though I wish I was..)

One other thing the F2P model is very bad and not nearly as good as Lotro or Fe about on a par with eq2 F2P which is to say bad LOL

Originally posted by eddieg50

Originally posted by Foreverdream

I had tried it at launch, and while having a good time, I was just too busy at that point in my life to really sit down and play.

 

So i gave it a  whirl, after the dust had settled , The game was not F2P at the time and a subscription was needed.  I got out my card and subbed to see just how the game had evolved. 

These are subject words that i will elaborate on with my experiance (and on going) with Age of Conan.

 

Story: Enough said here folks, This is top notch story telling, The characters do have voice overs up until you leave Tortage (The starting zone 1-20) This is great for me, I do like getting that quick immersion grasp, being a fan of Howards books i can safely say Funcom did excellent here. The reading doesn't bother me after tortage, In fact, i really like it. 90% of the time i read faster than any voice-over can speak! I did try starwars, Although they claim to be "innovative" with having every npc with a voice. I personally get dull of it. Who cares? Reading is good for you.  

 

Community: The community in AoC is one of, if not the best! Sure they're are a few taints but its very uncommon. Infact people will take time out of their play just to help newer players. I've seen in Global channels where people are offering free blue gear to people leveling whom might need it. I joined a guild during my extensive review/play and i must say, that these people and I have really grown fond of one another. Not only do we ask game related questions, these people care about your day, your life, and your dog! Really though, It's what EQ offered that WoW didn't , a great community! Even if you're not in the same guild you can meet a lot of very nice people out there.

 

Raiding: Upon reaching level 80 you can start raiding! The raids in AoC offer greater gear (duh!) One key element that i have seen in mmo's today that conan offers is body blocking/surroundment. Some key fights require the raid force to circle the boss/mob so that it cannot escape the circle. AoC doesnt let you "Magically" pass through people, this in itself adds a whole new element in raiding and tactics which must be followed. So lets say you're playing Rift, or WoW and you've gotta run to get out of the green shit, Well its possible to just ghost through people as long as your safe, but in conan if a "teammate" isnt thinking about his "team"  and doesnt move for John it may cause extra damage to that player or the entire raid! (Can cause a raid wipe in T3). The raiding is fun, exciting and downright a blast to do! It keeps your brain and YOU! on your toes!

 

Roleplaying: AoC handles RP very well, With a list emotions that can make your headspin due to its sheer amount,  and the Vanity tab (allows you equip a gearset which you favor over the current and still retain the stats!)  I'm going to keep this subject light but all in all, Roleplayers are in a safe haven here in Age of Conan. With weelky RP meets you'll get your dose of RP happily.

 

Combat: The combat is simply amazing, I love the fatlities! Combo's make everything more "Skillfull" Every keystroke can matter here, Conan's combat is nothing like anything out there at the moment, Any melee character you choose offers cone damage with said weapon. For example, If i have 3 enemies right up on me, and I'm using a polearm swinging left to right it's going to hit every single one. Not just your selected target. Certain weapons offer a distance in which they can attack.  Daggers being the shortest range require you being very close to the mob.  After playing conan then trying out starwars, i simply felt cheated of money because TOR felt cheap, it's a simple warhammer/wow single target/single damage type thing where everyskill is on a  global cooldown. 

 

Graphics: I saved this one for last, simply becasue AoC outshines the others in this department. I can only think of ONE mmo which has better graphics overall and thats FFXIV (lol...) TOR's are Fitting, but without a in-game option for AA and having to post-inject it is simply just bad an worse for performance. Hero engine isn't good. sorry.... The dreamworld engine still to this day from its 08' release is mind blowing!  It offers an insane amount of options to fully immerse a person. The shadows/godrays/water accoustics simply show how much funcom prides in their engine and using it for The Secret World. Nothing out there offers this type of exploration with this level of detail. NONE!  Small shurbs will actually move when walking through instead of you "Magically" passing through it.

 

I could go more in-depth, but i wanted to leave it at that. I'm sure many Anti-funcom haters will chime in and thats fine. Really, your only helping ;)  The launch was rough but most MMO's experiance that, many vets will know this aswell too. The game has changed and only for the better. I highly recommend this game for anyone who is currently bored or just tired of the extensive end game TOR has to offer (lol...)  It has some bugs but nothing game-breaking at the moment, in-fact i have experianced only very minor things which would hardly fault as a bug and also seen commonly in many other mmo's.

 

If you do decide to play, I suggest wiccanna, I currently play there and love it. If you have any help feel to send me a tell if you join in ! IGN: Etzul

.    CRAFTING----  The fact that the op does not even mention it says it all. Poorly implemented an after thought at best and they refuse to make it better.    

 

CRAFTING---- Actually crafting is being overhauled in a major way as we speak. Sil the game director has brought it up a couple of times in interviews recently. He says Funcom is going to revamp the whole concept, rather than tweak or try and fix what crafting is in the game now. Consequently it is going to be a deep, complicated project that will have a profound impact on the game. He says they are working to go live sometime this summer. So we will see what is delivered. It is a good sign that he is going to scrap the existing system altogether in favor of building something entirely new from scratch.

Originally posted by Thunderous

Nice promotional ad...

How much did Funcom pay you to write and post that?  Funcom took a great IP and made about the most pathetic adaptation of it humanly possible.  The only redeeming quality to Age of Conan are the graphics.  Once you leave Tortage (starter level) the game turns craptastic QUICKLY.

Viral advertising at it's finest. 

Just because someone writes something positive, they have to be on the payroll... you pessimistic brat.  I happen to fully agree with the OP, troll.

*this is the cleaned up version of my reply... as clean as I could get it.*

I'm thinking about rerolling on Age of Conan. I've played it for a while back at release but due to limited time i had to quite. I'm going to roll on Fury server since i'm from the EU. Any idea on how the population and if there are any casual PvE guilds around there?