Last week, Funcom let out the first details about Conan Exiles and how both private and official servers would function as well as released some of the first information about how players can "rent" server space for the game. We had the opportunity to send in a few questions to learn more. See what Community Manager Jens Erik Vaaler had to say.
MMORPG: Tell us more about the decision to perform a server wipe every 30 days. That seems awfully short.
Jens Erik Vaaler: We’ve spent all weekend monitoring the community discussions on server reset vs. no server reset, and one thing is for sure: this has definitely been a hot topic. Long story short, after taking in all that feedback and trying to find a good compromise, we’ve announced to the community today that there will now be three types of servers from start of Early Access launch:
- PvE
- PvP
- PvP Blitz
The first two will not be reset, while PvP Blitz servers will provide an accelerated experience, but will reset after thirty days. Basically progression, resource gathering, and such will be significantly faster on PvP Blitz servers, allowing players to experience more of the content in a shorter amount of time before the server is reset.
This essentially allows for two very different playstyles, and players can choose what works best for them.
The full community announcement can be read here.
MMORPG: What carries over after a server wipe? Character progress? Resources?
JEV: For the PvP Blitz servers, a reset means everything is reset. All buildings and all character progression is reset. You start afresh.
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MMORPG: Will players be able to make "templates" of structures, cities, crafted items, etc. to use after the server is wiped (similar to Landmark players being able to make templates out of constructed buildings)?
JEV: No, there is no template system in for Early Access launch. It’s an interesting idea, but not something we have planned right now. Conan Exiles and Landmark are definitely fairly different games, where Conan Exiles is not a traditional MMO but an online multiplayer game where players can either play alone or online on servers up to 70 people.
MMORPG: Will private servers be able to set their own wipe schedules or even be required to have one?
JEV: People hosting private servers can choose whether they want to reset it or not. It’s entirely up to them and they can easily do it whenever they want. As detailed above they can also control every aspect of the gameplay on their server, so they could in theory make progression super fast and reset even more often than the public PvP-Blitz servers. MMORPG: What can you tell us about the cost of 'renting' a private server?
JEV: You can either set up your own dedicated machine and just download the server files from Steam, which is essentially cost free if you already have a spare machine to use as a server. You can also rent a server from various hosting services, and our preferred partner is PingPerfect which offers great service as a competitive price. They just announced today that they have modified their pricing after having performed further tests with servers running on their hardware, and they are actually cheaper than most of the competition.
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MMORPG: What other features will server admins be able to customize other than the ones mentioned in the blog post?
JEV: They can control every aspect of the game experience, from length of day and night cycle to switching off avatars or making progression faster. They even have access to an admin panel where they can spawn anything from dragons to swords. I think a lot of people are going to have fun turning themselves into Dungeon Masters, turning themselves invisible, and unleashing hell on players joining their server!
MMORPG: In terms of mod support: Will mods and / or items created by the modding community be able to be shared? Do you anticipate allowing players to sell mod packages either for in-game or real world currency?
JEV: Absolutely, all mods can be shared via the Steam Workshop. So it’s quick and easy to download and use the mods you want. Mods can be made with a special Unreal Editor customized for Conan Exiles that you can download from UnrealEngine.com when the game hits Early Access. We’re not going to allow for selling mods via Steam Workshop – user-created mods must remain free.
