Age of Conan: Servers Merge Imminent

Craig ‘Silirrion’ Morrison, Age of Conan’s new Game Director, revealed that Funcom is “actively working on an approach to merge servers”. Morrison also confirmed that the DX10 features will be pushed to testing servers soon:

 

 

Another aspect which has popped up in the forums recently is whether we are going to do a server merge or not, and I can today confirm that we are actively working on an approach to merge servers, both in Europe and North America. It’s important for us to ensure the best gameplay experience for you all, and more healthy populations on each and every server will make sure we maintain healthy communities for the game in the future. Still, there are many complexities involved in this, and we want to ensure that everything happens as fair and streamlined as possible. That work has now started, and we are naturally making sure that guilds and players can get to new servers in the best possible way. We will come back with more info on this, but I hope that this will serve as a positive injection to the social scene in the game.

Lastly for today (I think I have taken a good deal of your time already, hopefully constructively so!) I also wanted to mention that we’ve come very far with the DirectX 10 version, which we unfortunately had to keep on internal test-servers for launch. It’s now almost ready for the full test server. Once the next game-play update is out expect to start to see the DX10 functionality coming to the test environment. How long it will take to transition to live will depend on the testing of course, but it’s starting to shape up nicely. Having done some reviews of it internally over the last few weeks I can admit that a few of the features really do give some added visual punch. I know it’s a feature that is long awaited and I can assure you the technical folk here are working flat out to try and get the version in a state where it can be considered for live release.

So that’s about it for this update, I think there is a fair amount to take in and comment on there, so I’ll leave you all to digest it and I look forward to your input.

Letter from Age of Conan’s Director

Craig Morrison, Age of Conan’s new director,  has posted an article outlined upcoming updates for the game, including details on server merges, Ymir’s Pass and the PvP update. See what’s up for Age of Conan below:

Today I wanted to take the opportunity to go over some of the updates, changes and developments you will see in the game over the coming weeks and months. Hopefully this will give you a little insight into what order things are being addressed in and what sequence you will see the new content arrive in.

There are two things on the immediate horizon that will very soon be on the test server for public testing in the shape of Ymir’s Pass and the second stage of the PVP update. There are a couple of things I want to address on these.

Firstly Ymir’s Pass is a large zone and has quite a bit of content to test. This may mean that it stays on the test server through several updates on live. We have the ability not to include a given playfield when we build new versions for live, which means that this testing won’t hold up the release of the other new content and Ymir’s Pass will still get the time on the test server that it needs. We want the experience to be as good as possible for its release and feel the public testing phase is important in that. We hope to be bringing the playfield to the test server shortly, and we all hope you will enjoy the many varied encounters it brings.

Then there is the second stage of the PVP update that brings with it the consequence system. This new system allows for players PVP actions to have real consequences in the world, and it will greatly enhance the entire PvP experience in Conan. As you know the system is meant to bring repercussions for repeated evil behaviour (i.e. killing players outside of your level range), so should you chose to “gank” other players, a whole new gameplay area opens up! For one, it will result in you no longer being welcome in many parts of the game-world, but in its place you will have to rely on a newly arrived network of camps and areas that function with a little more moral ambiguity. This is very true to the essence of the Conan lore, and a change I think many players will find intriguing.

Another aspect which has popped up in the forums recently is whether we are going to do a server merge or not, and I can today confirm that we are actively working on an approach to merge servers, both in Europe and North America. It’s important for us to ensure the best gameplay experience for you all, and more healthy populations on each and every server will make sure we maintain healthy communities for the game in the future. Still, there are many complexities involved in this, and we want to ensure that everything happens as fair and streamlined as possible. That work has now started, and we are naturally making sure that guilds and players can get to new servers in the best possible way. We will come back with more info on this, but I hope that this will serve as a positive injection to the social scene in the game.

 

 

 

Age of Conan: PvP System Update

As PvP leveling is now a part of  Age of Conan  , here lists the first of a series of updates to the entire PvP system in the game. Check out them below.

With todays update the first step of the PvP System Update has been introduced to the Age of Conan live servers. Read here what exactly this includes and what future updates have in store.

PVP levels and statistics

 

 

This update now activates the PVP leveling system. You can now gain PVP levels by engaging in your normal PVP activities, be it world PVP, siege encounters or defeating your foes in the PVP mini-games. There are ten PVP levels in total that you can work through to prove your worth on the battlefield.

Your PVP stats are now also active in your character tab, keeping track of your performance in PVP.

In addition your new PVP armor ratings come into play now that the system is active. These provide additional mitigation of damage against damage that comes from other players. The new PVP armors will be the primary means of raising these ratings, although we will look to add additional means of raising these PVP defensive ratings in the future.

Diminishing Returns

Diminishing returns have also been set on PVP XP. This means that you receive less and less of a benefit from killing the same person in quick succession. This is an area that we will most likely continue to tweak and adjust over time. It is the type of feature that will require some additional feedback from the live servers to get exactly right. For the launch we have tried to set it a little conservatively to ensure that it isn’t abused or exploited. That doesn’t mean though that we aren’t open to adjusting it further in the future once we see how people progress with the current system in place.

New Armories and PVP rewards

So other than the obligatory bragging rights what will the new PVP levels provide? That’s where the new PVP specific gear comes in. Each class has a special new set of blue armor for PVP levels one to five

You will be able to visit new armory locations in all the racial hubs, these special shops stock new PVP based items for players to access. Vendors in the armories will stock you up with great new items starting as low as level twenty, as you progress through your normal levels and the PVP levels then you will find more and more accessories and armor and finally weapons that you can purchase in the armory.

Different vendors appear in the armory as you level up so be sure to check back as you progress.

PVP gear will come in all shapes and sizes. At level eighty there are new blue armor sets that are class specific, while for those not yet at the maximum level you can find an armor set for each of the armor types with upgrades available as you level up. Maximum level players will also get access to a great new set of blue weapons.

All of the PVP items introduced in this update reward players for levels one through five in the PVP progression system. New epic items that serve levels six through ten will be introduced in coming updates, and on the subject of coming updates…

Future Updates

This update is just the start of the planned PVP updates. Next up will come the PVP consequence (or Notoriety) system. Now we had hoped to include both at the same time, however the consequence system needed some extra work to be fully realized. Since we took the decision to support the idea of players being ‘notorious’ in PVP and including consequences for their actions we felt it was important to ensure we did it properly. We saw from the feedback on the test server that we needed to make sure there are more than just penalties to notoriety system when it arrives and want to take a little extra time to account for as many of the scenarios as possible so that the PVP game-play itself isn’t diminished on the servers.

Keep your eyes peeled for more information on this over the next few weeks as we get closer to rolling out the second part of the PVP update to the test server.

Also, as mentioned above, you will see more PVP items added to the game in the form of the rewards for the PVP levels six through ten. These class specific epic armor sets will also have great new visuals and be a prestigious reward for those who battle up the PVP levels.

Age of Conan: Director Replacement

Age of Conan: Craig Morrison has been appointed as the new Producer and Game Director for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures.

Craig Morrison has served as the Producer and Game Director on Anarchy Online for several years, as well as working as the Funcom Community Manager prior to that. Funcom believes he is the perfect candidate to take Age of Conan to the next level. Mr. Morrison will replace former Producer and Game Director Gaute Godager.

Prior to starting at Funcom in 2004, Craig Morrison worked as an Operations Executive at the Telegraph group, the respected UK newspaper, taking care of operational aspects related to IT and Customer Service. Due to his passion for MMO games he simultaneously worked as an Associate Editor at IGN’s Vault Network, managing dedicated websites for several MMO games. He has extensive experience in managing various sized teams and complex projects across large media based environments. He has also played, written about, managed, produced and directed MMO games for over a decade by now. With his passion and unique skill-set he brings proven MMO experience to his new position, and during his years as Producer on Anarchy Online he has shown a unique ability to tailor development according to the needs and requirements of the players.

“Taking on the position as Producer and Game Director on Age of Conan is a great challenge but also one I welcome. I have a clear conviction I can lead the further development in a good way, evolving Age of Conan into something even better. My main priority now is therefore to listen to, and act on, player concerns, while ensuring we add additional great content to the game,” said Craig Morrison. “At heart I will always be a gamer, and the coming changes and additions to Conan will always be done with the gamers in mind. Together I am certain we will shape an amazing future for Age of Conan.”

Former Producer and Game Director Gaute Godager has chosen to resign from Funcom after working on Age of Conan since the initial conception, and he leaves the company after 16 years. Godager was one of the original founders of Funcom, and leaves a large legacy, having contributed to making Funcom the largest MMO company in Europe. “I have done my very best making this fabulous game, but I have concluded there are elements which I am dissatisfied with. I have decided to act on this, and as a result I have chosen to leave Funcom. It is time to get new, fresh eyes on Age of Conan, and I wholeheartedly support the appointment of Craig. I have had a fantastic time these last 16 years, and I am very proud of the many things Funcom has achieved. Funcom and Conan will always be a big part of me, but as I now look to new ventures outside the gaming industry I am certain Age of Conan’s future is in the best of hands.”

For the original, you may read here.

3Zoom is always offering latest  Age of Conan news to our players, just keep your eyes on 3Zoom.

Switchblade for Age of Conan Interview

Have you ever wondered what the XBox 360 version of Age of Conan might handle like? Well, the folks at Blue Orb have released Switchblade, a free program that allows players to get into Hyboria using naught but a 360 controller. In this presentation, the guys tell us about the functions and availability of the product.

View the interview here.

Digital version of AoC availible via Steam

 Funcom’s flagship MMO Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures can now be downloaded via Steam.The cost is $44.99.

The latest MMO to arrive on Steam is Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. It will be available for an additional 10% off for one week until Sept 11. All games are available via Steam, a leading online platform for the delivery and management of PC games with over 15 million accounts worldwide.

• Age of Conan Steam Page

Age of Conan – Necromancer Guide

Age of Conan: MMORPG.com Age of Conan Correspondent Michael DeHart writes this guide to the Necromancer class in Funcom’s Age of Conan.

Class Overview:
Archetype: Mage
Permitted Races: Stygian
Weapons: Daggers, crossbows, and thrown weapons
Armor: Cloth and silk armor

 

The necromancer is the unofficial ‘pet’ class of AoC. They rely on their minions as well as unholy and cold damage to destroy their opponents. The necro also specializes in damage over time (DoT) spells and has a number of important crowd control spells that freeze targets or send them running. A necro’s minions are more than just meat shields. Every pet has specific special abilities such as stealing health/mana, weakening enemies or even exploding on impact. High level necros can even summon powerful liches that do ranged spell damage. The number of pets a necromancer can control depends on his or her pet points. A new character starts out with only two pet points but quickly gains up to eight by level 20. A necromancer’s pets are divided in to three categories:

Read the full article here.

Mark Jacobs of Mythic talks about AoC

The vice president of Mythic Entertainment and the lead of Warhammer Online; Mark Jacobs spoke with Tracey John over at MTV.com regarding Age of Conan and also Hellgate London.

Mythic VP explains what went wWrong with ‘Hellgate,’ why he wanted ‘Age of Conan‘  to succeed and how he feels that they should have delayed the release of the game so it could have been polished further.

“If you look at the numbers, MMOs have the highest failure rates of any entertainment product,” Jacobs said. Going all the way back 11 years to the release of “Ultima Online,” the first MMO to reach 100,000 subscribers, he said that there have only a been handful of successful MMOs compared to the number of them being developed.

For the full artcle you can read here.

Age of Conan : SwitchBlade for Conan

Funcom has announced that the application Blue Orb’s SwitchBlade allows players to play several games, including Age of Conan, with an Xbox 360 controller.

Blue Orb, creators of the intuitive SwitchBlade™ application that allows gamers to play PC games with an Xbox 360 controller, demonstrated their latest Blade for Age of Conan at the Funcom booth during this year’s Games Convention.

SwitchBlade is an easy to use application that brings a fully configured game controller interface and experience to any PC game. Once SwitchBlade is installed, it provides a console gaming experience for the gamer looking for a new way to play popular PC games. Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is the latest PC game supported by SwitchBlade, and the application’s preconfigured key bindings map the Xbox 360 controller buttons to the most commonly used Conan controls.

Read more here.

Free Content Update Details Coming Soon

Funcom have revealed two brand new zones and also new and revamped dungeons and itemization. One of the dungeons getting revamped is the Black Castle and also the Commons district of the capital city Tarantia will get revamped. There are even more juicy details, such as new social dungeon called House of Crom and on the horizon another zone named Thunder River.

Ubiquitous Funcom mouthpiece Erling Ellingsen said Funcom intended to answer the criticisms of players of the game who feel the game is too light on     content in the second half. We’re really serious about adding content,” Ellingsen said. “We agree that content thins out after level 55.”

Ellingsen demonstrated the Commons district of the capital city Tarantia, expected soon. This mid-level slum area allows players to pick a side in a gang war between street bandits and the rulers of the rooftops. Questing will include thieving, exploration and stealth gameplay as well as combat, and complex storylines with moral choices.

Attention then moved on to the Black Castle dungeon, which is being extensively revamped. Originally a basic dungeon aimed at solo players, it will soon be a more sophisticated group dungeon featuring traps and puzzles reminiscent of the Legend of Zelda – shooting an eye with an arrow to kill a giant snake, or standing on pressure pads to allow your team-mates to pass flame-throwers.

 For all,read here.