So are you guys still playing this on Fury server? I've got a Priest of Mitra up to level 18 today, after finally using my 30 free days, and I'm getting really pissed off at the White Sands and Underhalls. I really just want off this stupid island, but I can't seem to complete any quests what with the being killed by other players all the time.
Well I am on the Wiccana server, lvl 38 currently. One easy way to get around being repeatedly killed by players is to join a PVE server. The main PVP draw to me is the guild warfare and sieges, which you can still do on a PVE server. Also if you wish to do some PVP just go to the Border Kingdoms. Full on PVP there.
Axen on
A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
Yeah, I think you may be right, Axen. I'm just getting too frustrated by not being able to talk to NPCs without getting killed mid-cutscene and such in PVP zones.
Whit sands was horrible for PvP until you got to lvl 20.
Darius Black on
Quick, quiet, confident
Comfortable, permanent
Undisputed, every tense
Not a trace of what went left
More equal than the best
Unparalleled success
Everybody, V-impressed
Do rangers and casters still run into the water if they start to lose a fight? I think that was the thing that pissed me off the most about PvP in that game.
Agent Cooper on
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AxenMy avatar is Excalibur.Yes, the sword.Registered Userregular
Do rangers and casters still run into the water if they start to lose a fight? I think that was the thing that pissed me off the most about PvP in that game.
Well I am not on a PvP server so I can't tell you for sure, but I can tell you that there isn't much water at all once you leave Tortage.
Axen on
A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
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AxenMy avatar is Excalibur.Yes, the sword.Registered Userregular
edited September 2009
Well, not sure if anyone really cares, but for the whole two of us who do Funcom has announced a new expansion for AoC.
Rise of the Godslayer. The game takes place exclusively in Khitai. The expansion adds a new race, the Khitans, content for all levels, new zones, dungeons, quests, yadda yadda, the usual fare. No increase to the level cap though. One nice thing is that all the Khitan zones border each other and you can actually see into bordering zones. I'd guess it would help make everything feel more alive/connected. No travel NPCs here, no sir!
Standard background/fluff follows:
As the sun sets on the Empire of the East,
the Godslayer rises from the shadows.
'Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer' is the first expansion for the best-selling and critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game 'Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures'. 'Rise of the Godslayer' will deliver a wealth of new content and features for players across several level ranges, all set in the fading eastern empire of Khitai - a mysterious and fabled setting within the world of Hyboria.
Continue your adventures with your existing character or start off fresh with a Khitan - an all-new character race. Unearth ancient treasures, battle new monsters and traverse the lengths and breadths of the world from the back of majestic new mounts such as the Tiger. Choose a side in the conflicts between the Khitan people, fight for your faction and reap the rewards as you unravel the story of the Godslayer!
Story introduction
Far to the east, beyond the devil-haunted towers of Zamora and the wind-tossed waves of the Vilayet Sea, the Empire of Khitai spirals slowly into chaos. The tendrils of darkness spread through the lands, tainting them. The Hyrkanians, kept at bay for thousands of years by the Great Wall, now spill across the Northern Grasslands in a wave of savage slaughter. The once beautiful lands of Chosain Province burn as power-hungry warlords fight to control every inch of the land.
And behind the scenes, sorcerers play games of power for stakes that would shrivel the soul. The desert of black sand known as Kara Korum seethes with alien creatures, bizarre and twisted forms of life that cry out human voices yet attack with demonic fury. And deep in the vine-choked jungles of Paikang, the heart of the corruption beats to the rhythm of another world.
Now, the slave who became a liberator must walk the dark roads of the empire and rise against the darkness that dwells there.
Let the rise of the Godslayer begin!
And the informative FAQ:
When will the 'Rise of the Godslayer' be released and for what platforms?
'Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer' is in development for the Windows PC platform, with the release date yet to be announced. 'Rise of the Godslayer' is the first expansion pack for the best-selling new MMO of 2008 'Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures'.
Will I need the original game to play the expansion?
Yes, you will need an 'Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures' account in order to activate the expansion.
Can I use my existing characters in the expansion?
Yes, depending on your character's level. 'Rise of the Godslayer' contain a large amount of new content for high-level characters, but will also introduce content for characters at lower levels. The expansion will also introduce a new character race - the Khitan - and there will be new content for those characters after they leave Tortage.
What goals did the development team set for this expansion?
We wanted to expand the content of the game, and to add an exciting new continent to our game-world. The team has been challenged to take everything we have learnt over the last year and build upon it to provide even more interesting and dynamic game-play for our players.
Conflict is also very important to the expansion. Each region has a key conflict going on as a background to everything the player will experience and get to play through. Khitai is currently being torn apart by and is wracked with conflict, the source of the chaos isn't immediately apparent at first, but players will be able to learn more and more about the mysteries of this eastern continent as they progress through the regions.
Will 'Rise of the Godslayer' introduce any new land area?
Yes! The expansion will feature a whole new land for players to explore, the Empire of Khitai. The first glimpse that players will get of Khitai is actually from the western side of the Great Wall. The aptly named Gateway to Khitai contains rolling steppes that climb up to the foothills of the Mountains of Night.
On the eastern side of the Great Wall, the Northern Grasslands stretch as far as the eye can see. Beneath the shadow of the Kang Pagoda lies the village of Chow and further east, the frontier city of Pin Pin awaits. South of Pin Pin, the grasslands are swallowed by impenetrable jungle, while to the north the road winds across the River of Yellow Curses and into the desert of Kara Korum. East the grassland stops abruptly at the Khitain Escarpment. From the edge of the escarpment, you can see clear across the beautiful lands of Chosain Province.
Chosain Province, once a stretch of idyllic countryside, is now torn by battle. The northern city of Gun Hai and the southern city of Gun Xui are at war, and the once peaceful city of Shaulun has become a staging ground for mercenaries from across the world. The northern marshes, which bound the southern side of the River of Yellow Curses are populated by monstrous creatures, no doubt crawling across the river from Kara Korum.
Kara Korum, the desert of black sand, is eerily silent in comparison with the southern countryside. Nothing moves in the streets of the village known as Ghost Hill and a gentle breeze carries forth the stench of decay from the forest to the south. Northwards, in the center of Kara Korum, the high walls of The Crater dominate the landscape and the sense of the alien that pervades the landscape seems to stem from that place.
South again, and on the eastern side of Chosain Province gives way to vine-choked jungles of Paikang. To the north, through Souleater Pass lies Heavens Lake and to the east is Shatterspar Coastline, dotted with the wreckage of a hundred ships. But south is the imperial city itself, Paikang, its purple towered minarets gleaming in the sunlight.
How does Khitai differ from the other regions available in Age of Conan?
Visually it has all the difference that one would associate with an eastern culture - different architecture, different armor and weapon styles, and different landscapes.
Culturally, it is an empire in decline. One of the great themes of Howards work was the inevitable decline of civilization into decadence and then to barbarism. Khitai was a great empire, but it has rotted from within and only signs of the greatness still remain. Unlike barbaric Cimmeria, civilized Aquilonia or decadent Stygia, Khitai actually has elements of all of the stages of the cycle.
Finally, all of the regions in the expansion are connected to form a single coherent map. This means that players will be able to see the areas that surround them, and zone across border lines - much like we did recently in Tarantia Commons but on a much larger scale.
How will the layout of the world work in the expansion, is it still divided into zones?
Yes, we still use zones (or regions or playfields as they are often referred to as). But for the expansion we're putting all the regions next to each other and players will be able to stand in one region and look into the other. This is quite different from the original game where regions are detached from each other completely. This worked well in the original game because regions were spread over a larger map and filling the gap between them was not feasible, but we wanted to do something different for the expansion.
You will still experience loading when going from one region to another, but this should make it feel more "seamless" and provide the increased level of immersion that our players have been requesting. There will be no "travel NPCs" that takes you hundreds or thousands of kilometers away.
What is the background story for the expansion?
The story in the expansion is both about looking at the events of Conan's past and how they have shaped the world, and asking the player character some pertinent questions about their future. We know he is King of Aquilonia, but his past actions have also had serious consequences in other parts of the world, even well before he rose to the Aquilonian throne.
Conan's actions in the story "The Tower of the Elephant" were a catalyst for the events which have shaped Khitai for the last two decades. When the player enters Khitai, they are entering a land irrevocably shaped by Conan and the people of Khitai see Conan in a very different light to those of the west. Players will be able to discover exactly how the great barbarian's previous exploits have plunged the land of Khitai into darkness and chaos.
As the player travels through Khitai, they will also be called upon to consider the events of their own past in a new light. The question of immortality and what is the true difference between a man and a god will also feature prominently.
With conflict being at the core of the experience we have designed the content around presenting the player with meaningful faction choices in each of the new gameplay regions.
How will the new faction gameplay work in the expansion?
In each of the new regions players will encounter separate factions that are, for various reasons, in a constant state of conflict. Players will have to choose which side of each individual conflict they ally themselves to!
There will be separate quest lines for each faction that helps to weave the story of the conflict in Khitai in a way that has an impact on every player's experience.
You gain standing with a faction by killing their enemies and completing quests for them. You lose standing by killing members of a faction or taking betrayal quests.
Once a player's standing is high enough with a particular faction, they can complete ranking quests to earn ranks. Ranks unlock special rewards, titles and additional tiers of quests. NPCs will react to you differently depending on your standing with their friends or enemies, so be warned, your actions may not go unnoticed!
Will there be new armor sets in the expansion?
Yes, each faction has its own unique armor set, with four separate tiers to achieve within each faction. Gaining good standing with the various factions will allow players to earn these armor sets as they progress.
Will there be any new abilities for my character to obtain?
Players will be able to learn brand new combo attacks through the new expansion content and the alternate advancement system. As with the original game all our attack animations are expertly motion-captured and really bring the combat game-play to life! We couldn't explore the eastern theme and not incorporate some martial arts moves! Players will also be able to acquire new spells and other abilities.
Are there any new classes being added to the game in the expansion?
No, we felt that there was already the right number of class options in the game. We would rather focus on adding something meaningful and useful to all the existing classes. This is where the new alternate advancement system mentioned above comes in. Though this system players can get access to new skills, abilities, combos and spells for their existing characters.
Is the level cap being raised in the expansion?
We have chosen not to raise the level cap, but the expansion content will get harder as you progress through the various regions. Players will have to earn and master the various new alternate advancement abilities in order to take on the new content!
Will there be any new mounts in the expansion?
The expansion will introduce two new mounts: the Tiger and the Wolf. Both of these mounts are predators and are not used to carrying riders. Thus they must be captured young and trained to bear the weight of a human.
How do you train Tigers and Wolves to become mounts?
In the case of the Tiger mount, for example, it is a religious ritual for the cult that you must join. In order to capture their tiger, the player must travel into the woods unarmed and unarmored and kill the Tigress barehanded. Then they can pluck the mewling and defenseless newborn from the den and bring it back to raise it as their own. It first becomes a pet and the player must teach the tiger all of the necessary skills for survival such as hunting, stalking and battle. Once the tiger has grown large enough and if the bond is strong enough, the player must create a saddle out of various ingredients scattered across the land. Only then will the Tiger become a mount.
Will there be any new dungeons in the expansion; what can you tell us about them?
Yes, there will be new dungeons. For example, Pillars of Heaven is a group instance designed to give players 2-3hrs of playtime. The Pillars are actually a temple that was built thousands of years ago by the Lemurians. It was long since abandoned and recently has been claimed as a base for a renegade Hyrkanian chieftain known as Bhangi Khan. Bhangi Khan and his bandits have been plundering the nearby grasslands and players will travel to the Pillars to put an end to his reign. The pillars contain ancient traps and special puzzles which will require the players to think on their feet.
How are you approaching storytelling in 'Rise of the Godslayer' compared to the original game?
We are taking the things we have been doing with the live game and building on it further for the expansion. Dynamic and interesting quests will drive the story further for the player and reveal more about the mysteries of Khitai. The team is focusing on providing a more interesting and varied game-play experience as you have seen in Ymir's Pass and Tarantia Commons, areas that we added to 'Age of Conan' after launch through free updates. This time around you have much more important choices in each region of the game world. As we mentioned above, conflict is a pivotal aspect of the expansion, and the conflict in each of the regions will force the player into some hard choices!
Will there be a new race and what content will be available to new characters?
Yes, players will be able to create a Khitan character. The Khitan race will play through Tortage Island as all new arrivals in Hyboria do (but veteran players may notice a few changes here and there as the east has opened up), but when they leave Tortage they will return to their homeland in Khitai and be able to explore a large new region built specifically for players leaving Tortage to introduce them to the eastern lands and start to reveal some of the secrets of these new lands. While players won't be able to actually get past the great wall until they are much higher in level they will be able to play through this low level content in their own homeland.
How will the alternate advancement system work?
The alternate advancement system will basically allow players to use their experience towards special alternate advancement feats and combos. This will open up a lot of new potential abilities for players. In addition the players will also be able to 'train' these feats to a second level over time to perfect them. This will allow players to choose which of their new feats or abilities to focus on and decide which order they build them up in. This training will continue whether you are online or offline, and will take a certain amount of time to complete (depending on the power of the feat), so it is a tactical choice for the player as to which order they do this training.
Where are you getting inspiration from when developing this expansion?
First and foremost are the original Howard stories. There is not a whole lot about Khitai in those stories, but anything that is mentioned is tied to the expansion in some way. Also as we have hinted at above, key elements from one of Conan's most iconic adventures is key to everything that is happening in Khitai!
We've made a conscious choice to avoid the Japanese style of the Dark Horse Khitai comics - we've focused much more on the cultures of ancient China and Korea. We also use the recent Khitai sourcebook by Mongoose Publishing as a source of inspiration. And naturally there is a wealth of Chinese and Korean myth and legend to draw upon and write our own conanesque take.
Will there be any new music for this expansion?
Yes, we have retained the services of the fantastic composer of the games original soundtrack, Knut Avenstrup Haugen, who is putting together a great eastern themed soundtrack.. I think it was one of the elements of the game that people really responded well too, so we were very glad to be able to get him back on board for the expansion!
For how long have Funcom been working on the expansion?
In its early stages there were a very small team working on concepts and paper zone designs in the fall last year. We had a lot of focus on the live game last year and early this year, so that core team worked on the concepts and ideas during that period. Then at the beginning of the year we moved more people onto the expansion team and started full scale production.
And of course fancy screenshots:
Axen on
A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
I'm so starved for a mmo right now, im contimplating running to the store and buying it. I'd play wow again but id rather wait for the new changes with cataclysm, eq2 wont run cause of ports being blocked by my isp. I burned out on War, and Lotr wont keep connected for longer then 15 mins right now do to my terrible nets.
Draeven on
Morskitter wrote "Spikes, choppas, tentacles, magic? Can't hold a candle to Sergeant Pimp here."
I'm so starved for a mmo right now, im contimplating running to the store and buying it. I'd play wow again but id rather wait for the new changes with cataclysm, eq2 wont run cause of ports being blocked by my isp. I burned out on War, and Lotr wont keep connected for longer then 15 mins right now do to my terrible nets.
Try the trial before buying it, although I suspect they just give you Tortage which is arguably the only decent spot in the game.
lol, yeah i decided i would eat the 30 bucks for a full 30 days of trial time. I have such a crap network that downloading that 12+ gig would make me stab my eyes out. I really just want a game to play right now my interest might only last a week or it could go 3 months you never know. I wouldn't be in this situation if Lotro would actualy freaking run.
Draeven on
Morskitter wrote "Spikes, choppas, tentacles, magic? Can't hold a candle to Sergeant Pimp here."
yeah, i know. but 3 to 4 gigs i can do in a day and a half, sure I'll have to wait for tomorrow night to play but I work all morning so shouldn't be that big of a deal. From retail box its 2.4 gigs worth of patching. So will be up and running by the time i get off work tomorrow.
Draeven on
Morskitter wrote "Spikes, choppas, tentacles, magic? Can't hold a candle to Sergeant Pimp here."
I'm kinda excited for the expansion. I will be trying the high end and then making a Chinese character from scratch. Maybe a demonologist or something. What's got me the most excited is the tiger mounts!
Darius Black on
Quick, quiet, confident
Comfortable, permanent
Undisputed, every tense
Not a trace of what went left
More equal than the best
Unparalleled success
Everybody, V-impressed
those tigers do look slick, well currently not playing this due to my ISP blocking ports 7000 but it sounds like they are installing new equipment, so that they dont need to block ports to control their bandwitdth as much , but i shall know tomorrow.
Draeven on
Morskitter wrote "Spikes, choppas, tentacles, magic? Can't hold a candle to Sergeant Pimp here."
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AxenMy avatar is Excalibur.Yes, the sword.Registered Userregular
edited September 2009
I actually still play this fairly regularly, though DDO has recently taken up my AoC time. Tonight though, my buddy dragged me away from DDO for some adventures in Hyboria.
I have a level 40 CONQ named Davic on the Wiccana server (non-pvp).
Axen on
A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
AoC is a game that I really want to like, and I really enjoyed the combat system, but... meh.
I feel the same exact way. I tried to get back into it, but I always hit this massive wall of self apathy when I try to play through Tortage for the nth time. Also, heavily instanced world is heavily instanced. Just saying. Unless that changed.
AoC is a game that I really want to like, and I really enjoyed the combat system, but... meh.
I feel the same exact way. I tried to get back into it, but I always hit this massive wall of self apathy when I try to play through Tortage for the nth time. Also, heavily instanced world is heavily instanced. Just saying. Unless that changed.
It's still heavily instanced in the sense that each zone is it's own instance. I re subbed a few months back and because the server pops aren't as high as they were at launch most of the time (unless you were in a tavern or somewhere small like that) everyone was in one instance for a particular zone.
I'm pretty sure this will always be the case with the original content because it was designed that way from the ground up. It sounds like they're trying to get away from the feeling of the instanced zones with this expansion as they said you'd be able to see into one zone from another but I imagine it would take significant reworking of the engine to handle a open type world like WoW or Vanguard.
LittleBoots on
Tofu wrote: Here be Littleboots, destroyer of threads and master of drunkposting.
I've talked with one of the Funcom exhibitors at PAX and he said that the re-trial period actually got some people back in the game. He said that Funcom is very likely to have another one of those very soon, and that they did major balancing and tweaking to the game.
Honestly, next time a re-trial comes up, I'll try it.
I'm highly skeptical, but hey, I wanted to love this game so much, I'm willing to give it a few more tries (as long as they are all free).
Djiem on
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AxenMy avatar is Excalibur.Yes, the sword.Registered Userregular
Heh, actually I was busy doing things for the Gov't this week. However I will be on AoC tonight I think.
Back in June Funcom did a massive overhaul of the game, from skill trees, to loot, to abilities just about everything was changed. Pretty much all for the best.
I went in for that re-trial thing back in July after my buddy dragged me to the game. I told it him sucked ass and was a waste of time, but he talked me into it. I was completely surprised at how much fun the game was compared to launch. Replaying Tortage for the millionth time is no problem since they offer a way to bypass it (IIRC I think you need to talk to a "smuggler" or some such). Sure all the zones are instanced, but they are so large and you end up spending so much time there that you hardly notice. The Cimmerian lvl 20 zone starts you off in the snowy mountains, then it opens up to a ruined city under siege, which gives way to a forest area, which finally ends in a rocky wasteland. The actual instanced Dungeons are really fun to do, though some are a bit more fun then others. The expansion area seems like it is going to have a much better flow to it.
My only complaint with the game (which I hope they fix in the expansion, but doubt it) is that all the armor looks the same. Like if you wear heavy armor you are going to see the same heavy armor model for a long ass time and rarely will you get anything that looks a bit different.
Axen on
A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
Heh, actually I was busy doing things for the Gov't this week. However I will be on AoC tonight I think.
Back in June Funcom did a massive overhaul of the game, from skill trees, to loot, to abilities just about everything was changed. Pretty much all for the best.
I went in for that re-trial thing back in July after my buddy dragged me to the game. I told it him sucked ass and was a waste of time, but he talked me into it. I was completely surprised at how much fun the game was compared to launch. Replaying Tortage for the millionth time is no problem since they offer a way to bypass it (IIRC I think you need to talk to a "smuggler" or some such). Sure all the zones are instanced, but they are so large and you end up spending so much time there that you hardly notice. The Cimmerian lvl 20 zone starts you off in the snowy mountains, then it opens up to a ruined city under siege, which gives way to a forest area, which finally ends in a rocky wasteland. The actual instanced Dungeons are really fun to do, though some are a bit more fun then others. The expansion area seems like it is going to have a much better flow to it.
My only complaint with the game (which I hope they fix in the expansion, but doubt it) is that all the armor looks the same. Like if you wear heavy armor you are going to see the same heavy armor model for a long ass time and rarely will you get anything that looks a bit different.
You are letting the DDO team down! All of us are about to double your level pretty soon!
So I just bought this off of D2D for five bucks. I've heard great things about the first few hours (at least) of the game, and kinda wanted to experience it for myself.
Any suggestions on a really fun class? I was considering Barbarian or Assassin, simply because I don't think I want to play a Magic user in a game which is praised for its hand to hand fighting.
Foolish Chaos on
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AxenMy avatar is Excalibur.Yes, the sword.Registered Userregular
So I just bought this off of D2D for five bucks. I've heard great things about the first few hours (at least) of the game, and kinda wanted to experience it for myself.
Any suggestions on a really fun class? I was considering Barbarian or Assassin, simply because I don't think I want to play a Magic user in a game which is praised for its hand to hand fighting.
Well, I haven't played either class, but from what I gather Barbarians are pure carnage in a loin cloth. Assassins I think have much better DPS, but are quite squishy.
To improve enjoyment of the game I suggest you play on a PvE server (I am on Wiccana). On PvE servers you still got guild warfare and keep sieges, you just don't have to put up with being repeatedly ganked when you spawn (hyperbole).
Also, I made this (actually a couple, it's sort of an on going thing) for a buddy of mine who doesn't play and to learn photoshop, but I mind as well post it here.
Warning, NSFW (a little bit)
edit- Also READ what NPCs say. Not only is it fairly interesting, it can be pretty funny too. Also, what you say might matter to a quest giver, my buddy failed a quest (permanently) because he answered some questions incorrectly. The questions weren't hard at all, he is just the type to click through the dialog really fast without paying attention.
Axen on
A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
AxenMy avatar is Excalibur.Yes, the sword.Registered Userregular
edited September 2009
I feel like the Patron Saint of Lost Causes when it comes to this game. :P
Since their massive June update the game has taken a sharp turn for the better. They also have a new Game Director leading the changes. One of which is that all the gear now has stats that make sense. With standard stat buffs that we've come to know and love. They've also been overhauling each class. I know for sure they've done Barbarian, Bear Shaman, Dark Templar, and Conqueror (which was updated 15 SEP 09). They may have done up some of the other classes too, I do not know. By the way they've allowed Dark Templars and Conquerors to wear Full plate now .
Tortage is still crappy/awesome. If it's your first time or even second Tortage is pretty kickass. If you've been through it a hundred times already then you will probably be bored.
They've been adding news zones almost every two months or so. I think next month they release two more zones.
If you stop and read what the quest NPCs are saying you will probably find even more enjoyment. Example: I ran some errands for chick. She offered to pay me in sex. I declined. She then implied I was gay. Another NPC I talked to ask me what I was about. I told him I was there to seek my fortune. He said, "Oh you're a real smart one, eh? Fortune here? Why don't you put me down for half of all the rocks and mud you find!" He then continued to laugh at me and mock me.
I have reached level 63 on my current play through and have found no shortage of quests or things to do. Not like when I played at release. Actually that is one thing I really like about the game is that I can have fun just killing things.
The Expansion is looking to further change things, seemingly for the better as well. I am quite excited for it.
However everything is not sunshine and lolipops.
If you are in a group doing quests it seems some quests will update for the group and others won't. Ie: My buddy and I had one quest where we had to rescue a whore from demons. We found her in the cave and my buddy started the quest. We defended her as she ran out. He got quest complete, I didn't :x. On the flipside one quest had us destroying Ballistas and we each got credit when one of us destroyed one. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to it. It is an annoyance, but not one that has really hampered my fun having.
All the instancing! Actually this one does not bother me at all, but for many people having everything load into it's own zone is pretty archaic. AoC used to have multiple instances of the same zone. This still exists, but I have yet to see it in all my 63 levels of playing. On weekends there is a massive amount of people in each zones and sometimes I wish they would move some of them away to a mirror instance! Also each adventure zone is large enough that you will spend a good long time in one before you really have to go back to the your home city.
Another complaint is that there is no easy way to see who has what quest in your party. Might seem like a minor thing to some, but it's a feature I've come to expect out of MMOs.
Mounted Combat! Is kinda non existent really. Sure you can fight from atop your horse, but it's not too wise. I however have a pre-order Rhino and it kicks major fucking ass (as do Mammoths). So. . yeah.
Gear and the variety of models. I went a long time looking like I was wearing the same armor. For Enchanted (Green) armor there is very little variation, not even color swaps! Your Rare (Blue) armor is a lot more varied, but much harder to find and more expensive to buy. It seems the problem isn't so much that there isn't much variety, it's that the variety is locked away in Epic Mode where your average people probably won't go. Plus the drop rate on that stuff is pretty low too. Since I hit 40+ I have been getting a steady stream on unique-ish armor. This seems to become even more true the closer to 80 (the level cap) you get. It is rare when I see someone in my group wearing the exact same thing as me. However the lack of variety at lower levels and among Greens is damn near criminal.
I don't know if it is when I play, but trying to get a group together is like pulling teeth! I'll start and it is at least a good hour or so before we finally have a full group. Luckily I have plenty of things to do to keep me entertained, but Christ it's almost as bad as FFXI. Luckily for AoC you do not need groups to do normal quests. You only need to group for "Elite" quests or "Dungeon" quests.
This one is simply personal preference, but when it comes to melee vs. magic I just think melee is way more fun.
Another preference of mine is playing on a PvE server. One of the things I always see people complain about is getting repeatedly ganked. I understand that AoC was supposed to be "the" PvP game before it's release, but honestly if you're looking for good MMO PvP game play WAR. On a PvE server you still got access to the arena battle grounds, the Border Kingdom and whatever the Stygian one is (zones where there is FFA PvP), Guild cities, and keep sieges. I haven't actually taken part in a keep siege yet.
Sadly there is no free trial at the moment otherwise I would suggest people check it out.
Which fits you best? is a nice overview of what each class has to offer and what they are all about. It is a little outdated since June, but the basic ideas are still the same.
edit- Also many of the classes do not start coming into their own until around level 10. This is a leftover from a long time ago (before release I think) when you didn't choose a class at the start, but instead just picked a base class (Soldier, Priest, Rogue, Mage). This is more noticeable in some classes then others.
Axen on
A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
Seems like they're improving this game a bunch. My biggest qualm was that once out of Tortage, the world was too open. After completing one quest in my home land I got 3 quests to goto 3 different areas. I just felt like I was doing fetch quests EVERYWHERE!
Was a shame too, cause this was a pretty game. And I enjoyed Tortage, especially doing it with 3 different main classes so I got the full story on how things went down.
Currently a level 10 Barbarian on Wiccina. Might want to try a different class, just to see how they vary.
When you exit the Jungle and enter Tortage, you are assigned a person who gives you quests. I got Tina. I'm assuming that each role gives different quests and such (I assumed I got Tina because Barbarian is of the rogue type, and she deals with stealth)? Or is it only the first one or two.
Foolish Chaos on
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AxenMy avatar is Excalibur.Yes, the sword.Registered Userregular
edited September 2009
Yeah each of the four base classes has it's own story. Or I suppose more accurately, each base class sees a certain side of the same story. The quest line in Tortage for each base class is also designed for it. So as a Healer a lot of your quests will involved healing people, smiting evil, and so forth. Soldier quests are all about bashing heads. Rogue quests focus a bit more on stealth (you hide better in shadows btw). Mage quests deal with magic and the arcane.
The quest stories also overlap a bit. Like as a Soldier I may be told that thanks to one of the Resistance's spies, they now know the location of some dude for me to kill. As a Rogue you are the one who finds the location of the dude.
Axen on
A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
Are Tempest of Sets still the only thing worth playing for PvP?
Do ranged characters (press 1 button to attack) still have a massive advantage over the melee characters (do a DDR combo to execute an attack)?
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AxenMy avatar is Excalibur.Yes, the sword.Registered Userregular
edited September 2009
Unfortunately I do not have much experience in PvP since the update. I do know that ToS are rediculously OP when it comes to PvE. Like I actually watched my buddy grab about 6 or 7 of equal level mobs and let them beat on him without him fighting back. His freaking damage shield buff killed them all, leaving him at like 1/4 or so health!
All Soldier classes have a Charge attack that allows them to easily close distance and stun their enemies. Plus they have various abilities for interrupting casting/abilities. I am pretty sure Barbarians get a Charge ability as well. I often hear Dark Templars referred to as "caster killers". Most all of the Ranger's attacks require the DDR style combo to execute as well.
As an outsider looking in, it is hard for me to figure out how the PvP is. Checking the forums I have seen people bitch about each class being OP at PvP. Funcom has said though that they do not balance PvP on a 1v1 scale. That is, PvP in AoC is a bit Rock, Paper, Scissor-ish. I do know that Funcom hasn't really been giving any love to PvP at all lately and that they have been focusing on expanding and filling out their PvE game. They do say that they have a couple PvP updates in store, but who knows when that will be.
edit- IMO (as someone who normally really enjoys PvP in MMOs) I'd say AoC is at it's funnest as a PvE game. Which does mean Funcom failed pretty hard at their original intention of creating a PvP-centric MMO.
Axen on
A Capellan's favorite sheath for any blade is your back.
thats saying alot because when i played the game had almost no PVE after lvl 20, it was just big and empty other than gank squads rolling around lower level area's being dickheads to new people.
Posts
Well I am on the Wiccana server, lvl 38 currently. One easy way to get around being repeatedly killed by players is to join a PVE server. The main PVP draw to me is the guild warfare and sieges, which you can still do on a PVE server. Also if you wish to do some PVP just go to the Border Kingdoms. Full on PVP there.
Comfortable, permanent
Undisputed, every tense
Not a trace of what went left
More equal than the best
Unparalleled success
Everybody, V-impressed
Well I am not on a PvP server so I can't tell you for sure, but I can tell you that there isn't much water at all once you leave Tortage.
Rise of the Godslayer. The game takes place exclusively in Khitai. The expansion adds a new race, the Khitans, content for all levels, new zones, dungeons, quests, yadda yadda, the usual fare. No increase to the level cap though. One nice thing is that all the Khitan zones border each other and you can actually see into bordering zones. I'd guess it would help make everything feel more alive/connected. No travel NPCs here, no sir!
Standard background/fluff follows:
And the informative FAQ:
And of course fancy screenshots:
Try the trial before buying it, although I suspect they just give you Tortage which is arguably the only decent spot in the game.
Comfortable, permanent
Undisputed, every tense
Not a trace of what went left
More equal than the best
Unparalleled success
Everybody, V-impressed
I have a level 40 CONQ named Davic on the Wiccana server (non-pvp).
This game needs to go the way of Atari's ET.
Hating on AoC went out of style last year.
Tofu wrote: Here be Littleboots, destroyer of threads and master of drunkposting.
I feel the same exact way. I tried to get back into it, but I always hit this massive wall of self apathy when I try to play through Tortage for the nth time. Also, heavily instanced world is heavily instanced. Just saying. Unless that changed.
It's still heavily instanced in the sense that each zone is it's own instance. I re subbed a few months back and because the server pops aren't as high as they were at launch most of the time (unless you were in a tavern or somewhere small like that) everyone was in one instance for a particular zone.
I'm pretty sure this will always be the case with the original content because it was designed that way from the ground up. It sounds like they're trying to get away from the feeling of the instanced zones with this expansion as they said you'd be able to see into one zone from another but I imagine it would take significant reworking of the engine to handle a open type world like WoW or Vanguard.
Tofu wrote: Here be Littleboots, destroyer of threads and master of drunkposting.
PS4:MrZoompants
Honestly, next time a re-trial comes up, I'll try it.
I'm highly skeptical, but hey, I wanted to love this game so much, I'm willing to give it a few more tries (as long as they are all free).
Heh, actually I was busy doing things for the Gov't this week. However I will be on AoC tonight I think.
Back in June Funcom did a massive overhaul of the game, from skill trees, to loot, to abilities just about everything was changed. Pretty much all for the best.
I went in for that re-trial thing back in July after my buddy dragged me to the game. I told it him sucked ass and was a waste of time, but he talked me into it. I was completely surprised at how much fun the game was compared to launch. Replaying Tortage for the millionth time is no problem since they offer a way to bypass it (IIRC I think you need to talk to a "smuggler" or some such). Sure all the zones are instanced, but they are so large and you end up spending so much time there that you hardly notice. The Cimmerian lvl 20 zone starts you off in the snowy mountains, then it opens up to a ruined city under siege, which gives way to a forest area, which finally ends in a rocky wasteland. The actual instanced Dungeons are really fun to do, though some are a bit more fun then others. The expansion area seems like it is going to have a much better flow to it.
My only complaint with the game (which I hope they fix in the expansion, but doubt it) is that all the armor looks the same. Like if you wear heavy armor you are going to see the same heavy armor model for a long ass time and rarely will you get anything that looks a bit different.
You are letting the DDO team down! All of us are about to double your level pretty soon!
Any suggestions on a really fun class? I was considering Barbarian or Assassin, simply because I don't think I want to play a Magic user in a game which is praised for its hand to hand fighting.
Well, I haven't played either class, but from what I gather Barbarians are pure carnage in a loin cloth. Assassins I think have much better DPS, but are quite squishy.
To improve enjoyment of the game I suggest you play on a PvE server (I am on Wiccana). On PvE servers you still got guild warfare and keep sieges, you just don't have to put up with being repeatedly ganked when you spawn (hyperbole).
Also, I made this (actually a couple, it's sort of an on going thing) for a buddy of mine who doesn't play and to learn photoshop, but I mind as well post it here.
Warning, NSFW (a little bit)
edit- Also READ what NPCs say. Not only is it fairly interesting, it can be pretty funny too. Also, what you say might matter to a quest giver, my buddy failed a quest (permanently) because he answered some questions incorrectly. The questions weren't hard at all, he is just the type to click through the dialog really fast without paying attention.
I am pissed off that I got it to work.
Actually, I do miss this game sometimes.
Since their massive June update the game has taken a sharp turn for the better. They also have a new Game Director leading the changes. One of which is that all the gear now has stats that make sense. With standard stat buffs that we've come to know and love. They've also been overhauling each class. I know for sure they've done Barbarian, Bear Shaman, Dark Templar, and Conqueror (which was updated 15 SEP 09). They may have done up some of the other classes too, I do not know. By the way they've allowed Dark Templars and Conquerors to wear Full plate now
Tortage is still crappy/awesome. If it's your first time or even second Tortage is pretty kickass. If you've been through it a hundred times already then you will probably be bored.
They've been adding news zones almost every two months or so. I think next month they release two more zones.
If you stop and read what the quest NPCs are saying you will probably find even more enjoyment. Example: I ran some errands for chick. She offered to pay me in sex. I declined. She then implied I was gay. Another NPC I talked to ask me what I was about. I told him I was there to seek my fortune. He said, "Oh you're a real smart one, eh? Fortune here? Why don't you put me down for half of all the rocks and mud you find!" He then continued to laugh at me and mock me.
I have reached level 63 on my current play through and have found no shortage of quests or things to do. Not like when I played at release. Actually that is one thing I really like about the game is that I can have fun just killing things.
The Expansion is looking to further change things, seemingly for the better as well. I am quite excited for it.
However everything is not sunshine and lolipops.
If you are in a group doing quests it seems some quests will update for the group and others won't. Ie: My buddy and I had one quest where we had to rescue a whore from demons. We found her in the cave and my buddy started the quest. We defended her as she ran out. He got quest complete, I didn't :x. On the flipside one quest had us destroying Ballistas and we each got credit when one of us destroyed one. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to it. It is an annoyance, but not one that has really hampered my fun having.
All the instancing! Actually this one does not bother me at all, but for many people having everything load into it's own zone is pretty archaic. AoC used to have multiple instances of the same zone. This still exists, but I have yet to see it in all my 63 levels of playing. On weekends there is a massive amount of people in each zones and sometimes I wish they would move some of them away to a mirror instance! Also each adventure zone is large enough that you will spend a good long time in one before you really have to go back to the your home city.
Another complaint is that there is no easy way to see who has what quest in your party. Might seem like a minor thing to some, but it's a feature I've come to expect out of MMOs.
Mounted Combat! Is kinda non existent really. Sure you can fight from atop your horse, but it's not too wise. I however have a pre-order Rhino and it kicks major fucking ass (as do Mammoths). So. . yeah.
Gear and the variety of models. I went a long time looking like I was wearing the same armor. For Enchanted (Green) armor there is very little variation, not even color swaps! Your Rare (Blue) armor is a lot more varied, but much harder to find and more expensive to buy. It seems the problem isn't so much that there isn't much variety, it's that the variety is locked away in Epic Mode where your average people probably won't go. Plus the drop rate on that stuff is pretty low too. Since I hit 40+ I have been getting a steady stream on unique-ish armor. This seems to become even more true the closer to 80 (the level cap) you get. It is rare when I see someone in my group wearing the exact same thing as me. However the lack of variety at lower levels and among Greens is damn near criminal.
I don't know if it is when I play, but trying to get a group together is like pulling teeth! I'll start and it is at least a good hour or so before we finally have a full group. Luckily I have plenty of things to do to keep me entertained, but Christ it's almost as bad as FFXI. Luckily for AoC you do not need groups to do normal quests. You only need to group for "Elite" quests or "Dungeon" quests.
This one is simply personal preference, but when it comes to melee vs. magic I just think melee is way more fun.
Another preference of mine is playing on a PvE server. One of the things I always see people complain about is getting repeatedly ganked. I understand that AoC was supposed to be "the" PvP game before it's release, but honestly if you're looking for good MMO PvP game play WAR. On a PvE server you still got access to the arena battle grounds, the Border Kingdom and whatever the Stygian one is (zones where there is FFA PvP), Guild cities, and keep sieges. I haven't actually taken part in a keep siege yet.
Sadly there is no free trial at the moment otherwise I would suggest people check it out.
Which fits you best? is a nice overview of what each class has to offer and what they are all about. It is a little outdated since June, but the basic ideas are still the same.
Video Optimization Guide may be a handy read as well.
edit- Also many of the classes do not start coming into their own until around level 10. This is a leftover from a long time ago (before release I think) when you didn't choose a class at the start, but instead just picked a base class (Soldier, Priest, Rogue, Mage). This is more noticeable in some classes then others.
Was a shame too, cause this was a pretty game. And I enjoyed Tortage, especially doing it with 3 different main classes so I got the full story on how things went down.
When you exit the Jungle and enter Tortage, you are assigned a person who gives you quests. I got Tina. I'm assuming that each role gives different quests and such (I assumed I got Tina because Barbarian is of the rogue type, and she deals with stealth)? Or is it only the first one or two.
The quest stories also overlap a bit. Like as a Soldier I may be told that thanks to one of the Resistance's spies, they now know the location of some dude for me to kill. As a Rogue you are the one who finds the location of the dude.
Do ranged characters (press 1 button to attack) still have a massive advantage over the melee characters (do a DDR combo to execute an attack)?
All Soldier classes have a Charge attack that allows them to easily close distance and stun their enemies. Plus they have various abilities for interrupting casting/abilities. I am pretty sure Barbarians get a Charge ability as well. I often hear Dark Templars referred to as "caster killers". Most all of the Ranger's attacks require the DDR style combo to execute as well.
As an outsider looking in, it is hard for me to figure out how the PvP is. Checking the forums I have seen people bitch about each class being OP at PvP. Funcom has said though that they do not balance PvP on a 1v1 scale. That is, PvP in AoC is a bit Rock, Paper, Scissor-ish. I do know that Funcom hasn't really been giving any love to PvP at all lately and that they have been focusing on expanding and filling out their PvE game. They do say that they have a couple PvP updates in store, but who knows when that will be.
edit- IMO (as someone who normally really enjoys PvP in MMOs) I'd say AoC is at it's funnest as a PvE game. Which does mean Funcom failed pretty hard at their original intention of creating a PvP-centric MMO.