"So
why blog about Age of Conan (AoC), and why
now?"; "What's the appeal?"; "Isn't that game four years old?"; "Aren't there newer better games?"; "What kind of players are there?": these are some of the
questions that gamers who happen across this blog might raise. In fact, there are probably plenty more
pointed questions out there than I could list here.
For this
inaugural entry, I'll address those aforementioned quips and I suspect a few more
obvious questions will make their way into these initial entries in due time.
Why an Age of Conan blog now? First and
foremost it fills a need. AoC
players, as do most MMO devotees, gobble-up
information and enjoy discussion. There
aren't a lot of AoC blogs out there
and the better known ones are generally for more experienced players. The game's population isn't as large as bigger
MMO titles, such as Eve Online, World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic or Guild
Wars 2 ... I'd be willing to bet that even Lord of the Rings Online and The
Secret World have slightly bigger populations. I suspect that AoC probably
sits alongside Aion, Rift, or Invictus: all of which are niche games with smaller dedicated player-bases. As such, the number of
good blogs for our game reflects the population.
AoC has plenty of casual players who are enjoying the game at their own pace. Likewise, new
players do join AoC all the time and
many have questions. Trying to get that
info from the game's US and EU forums can be time-consuming considering that
AoC has evolved and some info on the forums is out of date. So this blog will comb the forums and try to consolidate some of what's there for the new and casual crowd. I hope that this site might, in due time, function like a supplementary manual.
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| "Hang on, Old Man. Where IS this bit covered in the forums?" |
The fact
is that AoC is currently making
another leap in its evolution: it has opened up further options for free players; new quests and locations will be available in The Secrets of Dragon's Spine update series that's scheduled to begin in January with additional content to follow. Additionally, the game is turning towards a more systems-based philosophy with the
advent of revamped and more dynamic crafting mechanic that will be part of the update. Accordingly, this blog will attempt to help new and
casual players negotiate that option for gear, as it becomes more familiar.
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| A Conqueror 'practicing his swing' in Dragon's Spine |
An older game? Sure, the
game is heading for its 5th year. As such, it doesn't have the novelty
factor that GW2 has. And yeah, the technology is aging; nonetheless it still
looks better than most other older MMOs and visually is still astonishingly
impressive. It's also had over 4 years to
mature: most of the glaring bugs and
all the content gaps that impeded the game after launch are gone (Are there still occasional
bugs? Yup. All MMOs have 'em.) With the
launch of The Secret World, Funcom
seems to have worked hard avoid rushing content to
market. The AoC game community has been nearly unanimous in urging FC not to
serve the next course before it's cooked. Personally, I like what Funcom's about: they make engaging MMOs and I want them to prosper.
When Funcom is at its best, it's when they deliver solid challenging
content. And the
Player-versus-Environment (PvE) aspects of
AoC are usually engaging.
This is not to say they're perfect. Funcom isn't a huge operation like Blizzard or even Turbine, and indeed they are slower to deliver than most players would like (yeah, we MMO players are greedy: we want it all and we want it now). Yes, the US server population is lower than that of the EU (hopefully Funcom's cross-server tech will help there); yes, improved player-versus-player systems need to be explored (in addition to a new mini-game, the game director has indicated that revamping sieges and/or a full PvP arena system are being considered) and yes, the development team is not always able to deliver updates 'yesterday' (few game companies can do this). Most of these won't influence a new player, there's plenty to keep you busy for months.
What's the enduring appeal? Conan, in his pit-fighter days relished, some oft quoted values ...
This is not to say they're perfect. Funcom isn't a huge operation like Blizzard or even Turbine, and indeed they are slower to deliver than most players would like (yeah, we MMO players are greedy: we want it all and we want it now). Yes, the US server population is lower than that of the EU (hopefully Funcom's cross-server tech will help there); yes, improved player-versus-player systems need to be explored (in addition to a new mini-game, the game director has indicated that revamping sieges and/or a full PvP arena system are being considered) and yes, the development team is not always able to deliver updates 'yesterday' (few game companies can do this). Most of these won't influence a new player, there's plenty to keep you busy for months.
What's the enduring appeal? Conan, in his pit-fighter days relished, some oft quoted values ...
Those better or newer games? Defining what makes something the best is a personal issue, and likewise newer does not mean fully cooked. If population is any measure of an MMOs quality, then WoW is hugely popular and despite a dropping population, retains massive numbers. However, it's directed at younger folks and isn't really a mature player's game. Players out grow the smurfs. GW2 and SW:TOR are indeed newer. The buy-to-play, GW2, looks appealing (I really liked the original GW) but the smurf-factor is there. SW:TOR has the fan-base and great appeal but, like so many MMOs, is now following the pattern Funcom established with Anarchy Online; it has moved to free-to-play to retain players. Few games will hold huge their initial numbers for long, and they inevitably spend time adjusting to player-base preferences.
“This Machine Age” is intended to be neither a soapbox for blindly praising Funcom nor for hurling invective at its decisions or its personnel. I'm sure this blog will weigh in with the
occasional wish list or post hoc analysis; but generally this blog will try to
approach its topics from the perspective of the game as it is. It will leave the back-seat drivers to offer any dissenting views on the official forums.
So what are the players like? The vast numbers of dedicated AoC players are largely a passionate, thorny, funny, ribald, and easy-going bunch. We're delighted to see folks join in.
So what are the players like? The vast numbers of dedicated AoC players are largely a passionate, thorny, funny, ribald, and easy-going bunch. We're delighted to see folks join in.
What this
blog will try to do is offer constructive insights to new players and give a
voice to the casual players. So if you're wary or weary of the official forums, this blog might constitute a second option.
There's simply no other game like it. Funcom’s take on the Hyborian Age offers bloody brutality, wicked eye-candy, reasonable complexity, and a solid share of MMO escapist high-jinx. What it doesn't have is 'smurfoids', elflings, anime-inspired wu-shu Barbie-dolls, or snot-nosed 12-year-olds who’ll trash talk you at every turn. If these latter elements are your thing, then you ought to look somewhere else. If you're a casual player looking to get a little more out of your AoC time, then stay with “This Machine Age”.
There's simply no other game like it. Funcom’s take on the Hyborian Age offers bloody brutality, wicked eye-candy, reasonable complexity, and a solid share of MMO escapist high-jinx. What it doesn't have is 'smurfoids', elflings, anime-inspired wu-shu Barbie-dolls, or snot-nosed 12-year-olds who’ll trash talk you at every turn. If these latter elements are your thing, then you ought to look somewhere else. If you're a casual player looking to get a little more out of your AoC time, then stay with “This Machine Age”.
