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Age of Conan

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Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures
File:Age of Conan Cover.jpg
Developer(s)Funcom
Publisher(s)Funcom
Eidos Interactive[4]
Designer(s)Gaute Godager,[5] Game Director
Rui Casais,[6] Lead Programmer
Erling Ellingsen,[7] Product Manager
EngineDreamWorld Engine using SpeedTree [8]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360[9]
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows

Xbox 360

2009[3]
Genre(s)Low fantasy MMORPG, online RPG
Mode(s)Multiplayer (some single player gameplay)

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is a fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by the Norwegian computer, video game developer company Funcom for PC and the Xbox 360.[10] The game launched at 9 p.m. (GMT) on May 17, 2008 in a limited way, being available to those who had pre-ordered the game and registered for early access. The full release of the game for North America was May 20, 2008 and for Europe May 23, 2008 for the PC version.[11] The Xbox 360 version is scheduled to be released a year after the PC release.[3]

Hyborian Adventures is the first installment in the planned Age of Conan series. Age of Conan itself takes place within the continent of the Hyborian kingdoms, a year after the events depicted in Howard's sole Conan novel, The Hour of the Dragon.[12] Hyborian Adventures' release celebrated the 76th anniversary of the Conan franchise.

Like many other MMO games, there is a monthly subscription fee. The suggested retail price of an Age of Conan subscription card is $29.99 (€19.28) for two months. Another available option is a recurring monthly subscription plan paid online by credit card, usually costing $14.99 (€9.63) a month. Discounts can be obtained when subscribing online by purchasing multiple months of play time simultaneously; however, the first month is free.

There is also a slated Age of Conan Fantasy Battle Game in development by Mongoose Publishing[13] and an Age of Conan Strategy Board Game published by Nexus Editrice.[14]

Characters

Characters in Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures are created on a user account on a particular online server. Characters created on one server cannot be played on another; however, Funcom is planning to have a server transfer process for characters after the game is launched. Players create characters which function as their virtual avatars in the online world of Hyboria. When creating a character in Age of Conan, the player may choose from three playable races. The character is one of four archetypes (in bold) and one of three class selections for each archetype. There have been hints of more playable races with expansions.

Aquilonian Cimmerian Stygian
Rogue
  • Assassin
  • Ranger
  • Barbarian
 Rogue
  • Ranger
  • Barbarian
 Rogue
  • Assassin
  • Ranger
Priest
  • Priest of Mitra
 Priest
  • Bear Shaman
 Priest
  • Tempest of Set
Soldier
  • Guardian
  • Dark Templar
  • Conqueror
 Soldier
  • Guardian
  • Dark Templar
  • Conqueror
 Mage
  • Necromancer
  • Herald of Xotli
  • Demonologist
A screenshot of the character creation and extensive customization featured in Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures.

Combat

From an IGN interview with game director Gaute Godager of Funcom:

We call the engine Real Combat, and it is based on six directions, or ways, of attacking an opponent with a sword. First, you can hack down against the head. Second, you can slash diagonally down from the right, while the third is slashing the same way from the left. Fourth, you can thrust against the torso. Fifth, you can slash diagonally up from the left, and sixth, you can slash diagonally up from the right. The point here is that these directions lend themselves naturally to being strung together in combinations. These combos unlock additional damage and faster combat, if done well.[15]

Funcom has said that their "Real Combat" system, a combat system designed to offer more real-time options than traditional Dungeons & Dragons-inspired "turn-based" combat systems commonly used in RPGs, will be a prime attraction of Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. This Real Combat system is a first-person melee approach in which every enemy starts with three different areas that players can swing at, with a possible increase at future levels depending on the class. Combos can be performed by stringing together consecutive successful attacks in particular directions. As players become better at using the system, they will find combinations of abilities, swing styles and target points that string together to make more devastating attack combos. Player stats and item bonuses will also play a role in this system. However, the idea of "Real Combat" is to eliminate the dullness of typical MMO fighting, which often consists of an auto-attack feature.

The "Real Combat" system is used in one-on-one weapon battle, as well as spell-casting, ranged combat and even mounted combat. In some situations, however, players will choose to band together and unite their skills to face other bands of players or AI controlled armies or uber-mobs; in essence, "formations", location based effects available for some classes. For example, a character standing in line with a Conqueror when he is running his formation will have a great deal of resistance to knockbacks. [16]

Players will also be able to take part in large scale siege operations. Adventurers can cooperate with one another to build cities with walls, towers and catapults that can protect player-owned taverns and merchant facilities. The world will respond appropriately to the rise of player cities with AI controlled enemies building their own cities, ensuring a renewing supply of city-vs.-city combat as players try to knock down enemy walls or defend their homes.[17]

Community

File:AoC 02.jpg
Player mounts in Age of Conan include horses, mammoths and rhinos.

Due to the game being in rumored development since 2003, an online virtual community had steadily clustered around various fan websites regarding Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. By February 2005, this informal community was still going strong despite no true public announcement concerning the rumored game. Finally, Funcom and Conan Properties LLC jointly confirmed the in-development status of Age of Conan in an official press release on April 20, 2005. Shortly thereafter, a primitive game website debuted and thousands of Conan enthusiasts migrated from their fan sites to the new official forums hosted by Funcom. Many Anarchy Online fans also followed the development of the product due to the involvement of Funcom, who created the Anarchy Online PC series.

Between March 2005 and January 2006, Funcom periodically revealed concept art and screenshots from Age of Conan. The Art Director for the Conan project is Didrik Tollefsen, known for such classics as The Longest Journey and Anarchy Online - Shadowlands, which won the Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction award at RPG Vault in 2003.

On January 24, 2006, Funcom unveiled the community portal for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. By this time, much of the pre-launch community had gathered around the forums and IRC chat of the official Age of Conan website. There were informal events such as IRC chats with the developers and, in summer 2006, community contests.

In April 2006, Funcom created a Guild Hall for its pre-launch community and, within hours, forum members began organizing their "player guilds." These guilds consist of individuals who typically share the same playing styles and gameplay opinions. In January 2007, several important updates were announced regarding class merges and the expected launch window for the game. On January 12th, Funcom announced the original twenty-three classes had been merged down to fourteen classes due to beta feedback.[18]

On April 3, 2007, Funcom began its Beta Sign-Up program[19] which attracted more than 100,000 gamers over the Easter holiday.[20] Shortly thereafter, the "technical beta" phase began on April 27, 2007, and several hundred individuals from the Age of Conan online community began formal testing.[21]

On January 14, 2008, despite earlier comments to the contrary, Pharamond posted on the official forums that there will be an Open Beta, with more details to be announced closer to release date. [22]

On February 7, 2008, Funcom and Eidos announced that over 500,000 people had signed up for the Beta Testing of Age of Conan.[23]

On May 19, 2008, GameZone.com presents a series of original fictional stories by Michael Lafferty stemming from the massively multiplayer online world of Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures. The stories are written with the permission and cooperation of Funcom. The tales deal with the world, the characters and the lore involved in Hyboria. [24]

Setting

Main article: Hyborian Age
An Aquilonian character in Age of Conan gazing at the snowy mountains of northern Cimmeria.

From an OGaming interview with game director Gaute Godager of Funcom:

The [Hyborian Age] is like a dark, decadent, twisted and corrupt version of Euro-Asian history. Mix a bit of the Roman Empire, Mongolian culture and Babylonian mysticism with '30s-era myths of undiscovered Africa...[25]

Age of Conan is set in a low fantasy, pseudo-historical ancient world called the Hyborian Age created by Robert E. Howard. The warlord Conan has seized the throne of Aquilonia, but ancient evils seek to overthrow him.

Regarding the world design, lead artist Terje Lundberg said, "our main impressions about the look and feel of Hyboria come from our interpretation of the stories written by Robert E. Howard. When you read Howard's work you're immediately drawn into a gritty world of dark and ancient forces, and mighty and decadent civilizations. You feel the great weight of the ages and sense the very history in the crumbling mortar and the ruins. Therefore we've been mindful from the outset to create a world which is true to Howard's writing. There is majesty in Hyboria but it's of a monolithic, brutal and primitive kind - it certainly isn't "high fairie" where everything appears as though it was built only yesterday and is devoid of context."[26]

Lundberg said the game at launch will contain three countries, Cimmeria, a northern country with snow and highlands, Aquilonia, which contains "green hills, lush riverbeds, and the marvelous city of Tarantia", and Stygia, with mostly deserts and "some beautiful cities" — as well as the island of Tortage which "has a diverse geography ranging from jungle to harbors."[26]

Music and sound

There are five principal individuals overseeing the music and audio for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. The Audio Director is Morten Sørlie, who created the widely hailed soundtrack for Anarchy Online - Shadowlands. Simon Poole (Lead Sound designer on "Dreamfall - The Longest Journey") took over as Audio Director in May 2007, and saw the project through to completion. The sound designer are Tord D. Nikolaisen and Fredrik Martol, and composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen who is writing the musical score for the game.[27] To create a fitting musical score for the Hyborian universe, composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen turned to many different sources: For the music of the different ethnic groups, Haugen studied traditional music from relevant parts of the world. For the overall sound of the Hyborian Age, Haugen studied ancient- and medieval music as well as the romantic orchestra repertoir and film scores, while avoiding conventions that connect too closely to specific historical periods.[28] The female vocalist throughout the soundtrack is the Norwegian singer Helene Bøksle. Norwegian death punk artists, Turbonegro, contributed three songs as well.[29]

Technology

Main article: Funcom
Tortage City, the backwater capital of the Barrachan Isles, as seen in Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures.
DreamWorld Engine

The DreamWorld graphics engine was developed by Funcom circa 2000. Other computer games powered by DreamWorld technology include Anarchy Online and its various expansion packs. When Funcom began developing Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, the company reviewed its existing technology base and decided to focus on the further evolution of their proprietary DreamWorld engine as opposed to licensing a third-party engine like many online RPG companies do. As such, Funcom began to retool their engine with the overall design, pipeline and implementation process was taken into account. In light of these changes, the DreamWorld engine has been rebuilt for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures with new features, special effects and optimizations.[30]

"Real Combat"

"Real Combat" is being touted by Funcom as a revolutionary approach to combat in online RPGs where the player is in direct control of the character's weapon strikes in real time. This multi-point melee and ranged combat system is purportedly easy-to-learn and is one of the prime attractions of the title. Allegedly, the "Real Combat" system will take the ritualized combat experience previously found in online RPGs in a new direction. For this system, Funcom has also added aspects such as formation combat, mounted combat, siege combat and hive combat.[31]

Cheetah

Cheetah is a shader-oriented proprietary render engine re-written from scratch by Funcom featuring a phong per pixel lighting system. This engine allows for improved graphics and ambience. This is coupled with a trapezoidal shadow system, an in-house system developed by Funcom that allows all objects to cast shadows onto everything.[32]

Perlin noise-based cloud generating system

Perlin noise-based cloud generating system is a five-layered procedural system that enables multiple layers of dynamic clouds; thus, visually-realistic cloud behavior.[33]

SpeedTree

SpeedTree is a programming package produced by Interactive Data Visualization, Inc. (IDV) that aims to produce high-quality virtual foliage in real time, suitable especially for video games but also aimed to a lesser extent at some other kinds of simulations. It has so far been licensed to a substantial number of video game developers, including developers of the Unreal engine series. SpeedTree is currently being used in several games, including (but not limited to) the MMO action game World War II Online and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.[34]

DirectX 10

"Funcom is proud to be one of the few developers who is tapping into this technology, and we look forward to showing you even more of DirectX 10. Some of the improvements visible in the videos and the screenshots are improved parallax mapping, better lighting and more advanced shadows technology."[35] The game did not include support for DirectX 10 at the time of launch. DirectX 10 features are now slated to be premiered at the Games Convention in Leipzig in August 2008.

Reception

Reviews

The Windows version received an average score of 83% based on 13 reviews on the review aggregator Game Rankings[41] and an average score of 80 out of 100 based on 17 reviews on Metacritic.[42]

Dutch online gaming magazine Gamersnet and Norwegian online gaming magazine Gamereactor have both given the game a 9 out of 10 rating according to the official Age of Conan community site.[43] Many publications would not give the game a rating until it had come out of Beta such as Thirteen1 online gaming zine who said it 'wasn't fair' to do so. [44] G4TV gave Age of Conan a 4 out of 5 rating.

Seth Schiesel, writing for the New York Times, felt that the development of the game would have benefited from a few extra months of production. Age of Conan did not receive the widespread mass-appeal of other games that are offered on home consoles, although Funcom has promised a version for Xbox 360 in 2009.[45]

Sales

The game had sold over 500,000 copies worldwide as of June,1, 2008.[46] Six days later one million copies had been shipped in total.[47]

Release delays

Funcom delayed Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures on January 21, 2008[48] and again on March 24, 2008[49]. The delays were widely reported by online game magazines such as IGN[50] and led to significant drops in Funcom's stock value.[51]

Pre-Launch acclaim

During the past several years, Funcom has twice previewed Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, more commonly known as E3, and the product has received various critic awards for these demonstrations. The following information is a partial listing of those awards.

2008

  1. MMORPG.com Most anticipated game of 2007

See also

Supported Graphic Cards

GAME WILL NOT RUN:

nVidia

  • Geforce 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5000 series
  • The Geforce 5500 series and up to 5900 *may* play this game, but their DX9 support is extremely crippled and graphical errors/crashes should be expected.

ATI

  • Rage series
  • Radeon 7000, 8000 series
  • Radeon 9000 through 9200 series (do not support DX9)


BARE MINIMUM:

nVidia

  • Geforce 6000 through 6800 series (ex: Geforce 6200)
  • Geforce 7000 through 7400 series (basically slight upgrades to the 6 series)
  • Geforce 8000 through 8400 series (slight upgrades to 7 series)


ATI

  • All Radeon IGP series (integrated graphics)
  • Radeon 9500 through 9800 series
  • Radeon x300 through x700 series
  • Radeon x1000 through x1650XT series
  • Radeon 2400 through 2600 series
  • Radeon HD3100 through HD3650 series


MID-RANGE:

nVidia

  • Geforce 7600 through 7950 series
  • Geforce 8500 through 8600 series
  • Geforce 9500 series

ATI

  • Radeon x800 through x850 series
  • Radeon x1800 through x1950 series
  • Radeon 2900 series
  • Radeon HD3690 series


HIGH-END

nVidia

  • Geforce 8800GS, GTS 320, GTS 640, GT, GTS 512 (G92), GTX, Ultra
  • Geforce 9600GT through 9800 GT, GTS, GTX
  • Geforce 9800GX2 (highest performance for nVidia)

ATI

  • Radeon HD3850, HD3870
  • Radeon HD3870 dual Crossfire
  • Radeon HD3870X2 (highest performance for ATI)


ELITE (aka EXPENSIVE!)

nVidia

  • 8800GT/GTS/GTX/Ultra in dual SLI
  • 9800GT/GTS/GTX in dual SLI
  • 9800GT/GTS/GTX/Ultra in QUAD SLI (this is just silly!)
  • 9800GX2 in dual SLI (can we say, expensive?)

ATI

  • Radeon HD3870 quad Crossfire
  • Radeon HD3870x2 dual Crossfire

References

  1. ^ Funcom sets new release date for Age of Conan - retrieved on March 28, 2008
  2. ^ Pharamond Posts a Clarification About the Release Date of Age of Conan - retrieved the 28th of April, 2008. Statement also mentioned in fanletters.
  3. ^ a b "Age of Conan 360 a year behind". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  4. ^ Funcom and Eidos sign publishing agreement for Age of Conan - July 24, 2006 - retrieved on July 24, 2006
  5. ^ Gaute Godager, the Game Director for Age of Conan - December 19, 2006 - retrieved on April 6, 2007
  6. ^ Friday Update: 6th April 2007 - The Journey into Beta for Age of Conan - April 6, 2007 - retrieved on April 6, 2007
  7. ^ Age of Conan interview with Erling Ellingsen: Product Manager - March 13, 2007 - retrieved on April 6, 2007
  8. ^ Funcom Brings SpeedTree©RT Into Age of Conan - October 1, 2006 - retrieved on April 6, 2007
  9. ^ Age of Conan Confirmed for Xbox 360 - December 10, 2006 - retrieved on December 12, 2006
  10. ^ Age of Conan Confirmed for Xbox 360 - December 10, 2006 - retrieved on December 12, 2006
  11. ^ Funcom sets new release date for Age of Conan to be August 31, 2008. - retrieved on January 21, 2008
  12. ^ Age of Conan is set after The Hour of the Dragon. - September 16, 2006 - retrieved on January 25, 2007
  13. ^ Age Of Conan: Fantasy Battle Game from Mongoose Publishing - June 1, 2006 - retrieved on January 25, 2007
  14. ^ Nexus Editrice to publish the strategy board game - August 8, 2006 - retrieved on February 18, 2007
  15. ^ Pre-E3 2005: Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures (Page 2 of 4) - May 10, 2005 - retrieved on July 24, 2006
  16. ^ Gaute's State of the Game -- February
  17. ^ GameSpy Preview: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (Page 3 of 3) - retrieved on July 22, 2006
  18. ^ Funcom announces class merges. - January 12, 2007 - retrieved on January 25, 2007
  19. ^ Funcom Community Manager: "Beta Sign-Up has started." (April 3, 2007).
  20. ^ 100,000 gamers signed up for Age of Conan Beta during Easter. (April 11, 2007).
  21. ^ The technical beta kicks off. (April 27, 2007).
  22. ^ A few words on Open Beta - Pharamond
  23. ^ 500,000 people sign up for Age of Conan Beta
  24. ^ GameZone Presents Tales of Conan-Fictional Stories
  25. ^ OGaming Interview with Gaute Godager (Page 1 of 3) - January 20, 2006 - retrieved on July 25, 2006
  26. ^ a b "Interview with Terje Lundberg by MMOG Welten". onlinewelten.com. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
  27. ^ Sound and music in Age of Conan. - retrieved on April 13, 2007
  28. ^ Music in Age of Conan - November 22, 2005 - retrieved on July 22, 2006
  29. ^ http://kotaku.com/5015784/age-of-conan-gets-scandinavian-punk-rock-soundtrack
  30. ^ Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Peek #3 (Page 1 of 3) - November 24, 2005 - retrieved on July 22, 2006
  31. ^ "Real-combat engine" - November 24, 2005 - retrieved on July 22, 2006
  32. ^ Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Peek #3 (Page 2 of 3) - November 24, 2005 - retrieved on July 22, 2006
  33. ^ Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Peek #3 (Page 2 of 3) - November 24, 2005 - retrieved on July 22, 2006
  34. ^ Funcom Brings SpeedTree©RT into Age of Conan - retrieved on July 22, 2006
  35. ^ Funcom utilizes DirectX 10 for Age of Conan - January 24, 2007 - retrieved on January 25, 2007
  36. ^ Emily Balistrieri. "Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures". G4TV.com. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  37. ^ Kevin VanOrd (2008-06-02). "Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures". GameSpot. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  38. ^ Allen Rausch (2008-05-30). "Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Review". GameSpy. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  39. ^ Michael Lafferty (2008-05-23). "Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures Review". GameZone. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  40. ^ Edge, vol. 191, Future Publishing, 2008-08, p. 95 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ "Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Reviews (PC)". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2008-05-31.
  42. ^ "Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (pc: 2008): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
  43. ^ http://community.ageofconan.com/wsp/conan/frontend.cgi?func=publish.show&template=content&func_id=2491&table=CONTENT
  44. ^ http://www.thirteen1.com
  45. ^ Schiesel, Seth (2008-06-04). ""At Play in a World of Savagery, but Not This One"". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  46. ^ Jimmy Thang (2008-06-02). "Age of Conan Rules the Sales Charts". Yahoo! Games. Retrieved 2008-06-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  47. ^ "Age of Conan reaches one million milestone". Funcom. Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  48. ^ Funcom sets new release date for Age of Conan - January 21, 2008 - retrieved on May 24, 2008
  49. ^ Funcom announce new release date for Age of Conan - August 10, 2007 - retrieved on May 24, 2008
  50. ^ Age of Conan Delays: Age of Conan Pushed Back - January 21, 2008 - retrieved on May 24, 2008
  51. ^ Age of Conan Delays: Funcom Stock Value Correlation - January 28, 2008 - retrieved on May 24, 2008


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