Age of Conan opinions needed

[Hurlshort]

MMO's are actually one of the few genres that are really keeping PC's relevant as a gaming platform. The line of logic here is:

 

1. AoC requires a powerful PC to play

 

2. Gamer buys powerful PC in order to play AoC

 

3. Gamer has powerful PC, so developers are willing to try and release their games on the PC.

 

Without MMO's, the PC gaming market would suffer tremendously.

 

So realistically, if you are a fan of PC gaming, you should hope that MMO's continue to thrive. That doesn't mean you need to play them, it just means you shouldn't be negative about their existence.

[Gfted1]

Hmm, I was under the impression that MMO's are the least intensive wrt PC hardware requirements. The whole shebang is online, all you need is a good video card and a fast internet connection.

[Hurlshort]

Age of Conan is very steep on the hardware requirements.

 

WoW is definitely on the low end, you can play that on almost anything. Still, it requires a functional PC (or mac, bleh)

 

Many are built for a variety of performance levels. LotR Online can run on a lower computer, but it looks fantastic with DirectX 10 on a high end system. EQ2 also has a pretty broad range of performances.

[Dark_Raven]

People need to stop buying games that require a monthly fee. Once the developers see that no one is buying their game they'll quit making those types of games or offer free internet play like BattleNet and GuildWars.

 

You are correct, the monthly fee system needs to die an extremely painful death.

Not gonna happen, unless you want to see MMOs dying an extremely painful death.

A good thing?

[Deadly_Nightshade]

People need to stop buying games that require a monthly fee. Once the developers see that no one is buying their game they'll quit making those types of games or offer free internet play like BattleNet and GuildWars.

 

You are correct, the monthly fee system needs to die an extremely painful death.

Not gonna happen, unless you want to see MMOs dying an extremely painful death.

A good thing?

 

[Hurlshort]

So you two hate PC gaming? Bummer.

[Deadly_Nightshade]

MMO's are actually one of the few genres that are really keeping PC's relevant as a gaming platform.

 

Not really. Games like AoC are being ported to consoles and some MMOs are console only (although I cannot think of one off the top of my head).

[Hurlshort]

MMO's are actually one of the few genres that are really keeping PC's relevant as a gaming platform.

 

Not really. Games like AoC are being ported to consoles and some MMOs are console only (although I cannot think of one off the top of my head).

 

No. The base audience for MMO's is on the PC. AoC has a goal of reaching the 360...they might accomplish it, and they might even succeed on that platform. But the fact remains that they sold about a million units to PC gamers. That is a fantastic number and fantastic for the PC industry.

 

FFXI is on the consoles, but I doubt those users outnumber folks on the PC.

 

This is a genre dominated by the PC. That might change someday, but it looks very far off.

[Bokishi]

No one in my AoC guild is online anymore....

[Kools]

It bothers me whenever anyone complains about endgame content in MMO's. How many hours did it take to get to level 50? Did you enjoy those hours? I hear it on every MMO game, but the fact is some folks rush to the endgame and play crazy hours, and no developer can really keep up with those people.

 

People need to be patient and wait for the content to come out, they are working on it. Just take a break for a month or two if there's nothing to do. I've done that for LotR Online and I'm always amazed at what was done when I return.

 

Took me about as long as it did in WoW. Which, coincidentally, is about the amount of time Funcom themselves said they thought it should take. I wasn't the first on my server or anything, by any means.

 

And, no, MMO developers need to stop releasing games with absolutely no endgame and telling themselves they can get it patched in within the first month. Rarely, if ever, happens, because - in AoC's case, at least - massive technical and gameplay issues take priority.

 

Finally, as stated earlier, this isn't just an endgame complaint; content thins out at 50, to the point where you spend far more time grinding than questing. There are literally nowhere near enough quests to get you to 80. There are nowhere near enough quests to get you from 55 to 58, really. It's pretty bad.

[Hurlshort]

I agree with your points about endgame content, developers need to have it in place at release, but I'm still curious about how many hours you played the game. Would you say 50 hours is a fair estimate? I'm asking because so many people seem to complain about these MMO's after spending an insane amount of hours playing them.

 

50 hours is a very solid gameplay experience. You got your moneys worth for $50 and maybe another $15 for one month of fees, at least in my eyes. It's totally understandable to cancel your account (I cancelled mine after getting a few to level 20). I just don't see it being understandable to be negative about the game, given that you seem to have gotten a lot out of it.

 

It's also not really you, I just saw sooooo many people whine over WoW after getting their characters to level 60.

[Kools]

I agree with your points about endgame content, developers need to have it in place at release, but I'm still curious about how many hours you played the game. Would you say 50 hours is a fair estimate? I'm asking because so many people seem to complain about these MMO's after spending an insane amount of hours playing them.

 

50 hours is a very solid gameplay experience. You got your moneys worth for $50 and maybe another $15 for one month of fees, at least in my eyes. It's totally understandable to cancel your account (I cancelled mine after getting a few to level 20). I just don't see it being understandable to be negative about the game, given that you seem to have gotten a lot out of it.

 

It's also not really you, I just saw sooooo many people whine over WoW after getting their characters to level 60.

 

But that's not really what MMOs are about; they're supposed to be a continuing experience. If everyone quit as soon as they hit the level cap, the MMO market would probably collapse. I don't know many MMO players - purely anecdotal evidence, of course - that pick up a MMO expecting to only play it for a month or so and then quit. From that standpoint, it's perfectly reasonable to be negative about the game. I'm not saying I was screwed out of my hard-earned cash or anything like that; I'm simply saying that it leaves a lot to be desired from a sustainability standpoint, since right now you hit 80 and then find yourself with nothing to do, which is a piss-poor game design.

[Setzer]

I played the game for 2 weeks out of my one free month and then cancelled and uninstalled from the hard drive. The game is gorgeous but aside from looks, it should still be in beta and I'm not going to continue to pay for a game that is still in beta. There are bugs - and lots of them! Some character skills aren't working properly, there are definite class balance issues, some quests can't be completed, their pvp system is broken. It's a mess. I'll give Funcom a year before going back and by then the game should be polished enough to where I can play and enjoy it.

Edited July 24, 2008 by Setzer

[Morgoth]

I wanted to visit the Tarantian noble district, but was immediately killed by lvl 42 thugs. Oh great, and I was just there for a bit sightseeing. Now that there're no quests for my lvl range available anymore, I'm now playing in Cimmeria. I hope I reach lvl 30 before the quests run out there, because grinding is boring.

[Jaesun]

Well it seems Funcom at least released AoC in a more working condition than Anarchy Online. THAT was such a horrible mess at launch. *shivers*.

[@\NightandtheShape/@]

All I can really say ahem, is that AoC really is set to improve.... Graphically that is...

Edited July 25, 2008 by @\NightandtheShape/@

[Sand]

http://kotaku.com/5035208/conan-gm-cyberse...ictable-results

 

 

Bokishi, how could you do that to a poor GM!

 

(j/k)

[Xard]

Greatest **** I've read in a while

[Morgoth]

Hit lvl 25 while killing Scorpions in Stygia, but now I lost all interest so I canceled my subscription. I guess MMOs just aren't my cup of tea. Still, AoC definitely crushes WoW, and is thus the best MMO avalibale on the market right now.

[Bokishi]

canceled my account! the server is a ghost town now, so I took off as well

[Bokishi]

http://kotaku.com/5035208/conan-gm-cyberse...ictable-results

 

 

Bokishi, how could you do that to a poor GM!

 

(j/k)

 

hawt

[Hurlshort]

Anyone catch the most recent episode of "The Big Bang Theory"? It was all about Age of Conan and what happens when the hot girl next door gets addicted to an MMO. It was geek-tacular. It amazes me that a sitcom on a major network during prime time focuses on MMO's and it hasn't been canceled yet.

 

I also wonder if Funcom paid for the opportunity to be in the show, or if Funcom got paid for it. They actually used the game engine to create some cut scenes, at least it looked that way.

[Hurlshort]

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/big_bang_theory/

 

Here's a link, since most of you hermits probably don't know how to work a TV.

[Maria Caliban]

I agree with your points about endgame content, developers need to have it in place at release, but I'm still curious about how many hours you played the game. Would you say 50 hours is a fair estimate? I'm asking because so many people seem to complain about these MMO's after spending an insane amount of hours playing them.

 

50 hours is a very solid gameplay experience. You got your moneys worth for $50 and maybe another $15 for one month of fees, at least in my eyes. It's totally understandable to cancel your account (I cancelled mine after getting a few to level 20). I just don't see it being understandable to be negative about the game, given that you seem to have gotten a lot out of it.

 

It's also not really you, I just saw sooooo many people whine over WoW after getting their characters to level 60.

 

I think the issue here is that different game genres have different expectations. For one thing, playing an MMO for 50 hours does not get you the same type of experience as playing a other genres. How much of that 50 hours is spent in travel? How much of it waiting for a group or regenerating health and mana? How much of it is wandering from node to node to gather herbs and minerals? How much of it is helping low level guild members through an instance?

 

Despite utilizing many elements from other game genres, most notably cRPGs, the relationship and expectations a player has with an MMO is fundamentally different. If I played an adventure game that lasted 60 hours, I

[random n00b]

How much of that 50 hours is spent in travel? How much of it waiting for a group or regenerating health and mana? How much of it is wandering from node to node to gather herbs and minerals?

Depending on the MMO, 0%. Expand your horizons, please.

 

 

How much of it is helping low level guild members through an instance?

Again, depending on the MMO, 0% since there are measures in place against powerleveling by high level characters, and loot generation can be made to depend on player level. Helping guildies can be fun, anyway. I know I've needed help on occasion from veteran players and I've returned the favor when others have needed it. That's what guilds are for... cooperation is what makes MMOs fun.

 

 

Despite utilizing many elements from other game genres, most notably cRPGs, the relationship and expectations a player has with an MMO is fundamentally different. If I played an adventure game that lasted 60 hours, I