[Neomage]

While browsing the Bethesda Oblivion forums, I heard mention of a new MMO, comming out. This MMO, was Age of Conan. I did some looking into it, and this game looks just plain awesome. It has both PvE and PvP servers, though these mostly govern rules and safe zones. Both types have a healthy dose of each.

This game seems to combine the best of RTS, RPG, and FPS games into one. The game is in Beta right now with some NDAs in place, but from what I have heard the PvE is excellent right now, and the PvP, while acceptable, needs polishing before the final release.

Some of the best features, in my opinion, are:

PvE:
Instanced Dungeons.
You actually have to attack monsters. No more Auto-Attack and AFK.
More in-depth and strategical combat.
Player-Built Cities. Thats right, build your own city for various benefits.
Gem Sockets. Customize your gear with cut jewels and gems.
Combinations. Similar to SC, but can be done solo or in group. Mages get them also.
Full player customization. No more "Face A-2". You set everything from height, gender and muscle build, to details such as tatoos, scars and facial features .

PvP:
Battlekeeps. Like Player-Built cities, but more benefits and risk.
Massive Siege Battles. Like Besieged or Campaign, but with it being PvP.
Blood Coins. Purchace various equipment from PvP vendors.
Mercenary System. Sell your services or hire others.
Towers. For those guilds that are just to small to own a Battlekeep.

Oh, right, and one more thing I forgot: There is nudity in-game. Not full nudity, but topless characters, both male and female, display everything including nipples. Lower body comes equipped with loincloths and thongs though.

Check it out.
Official Forums.

Having just quit FFXI again, I think this game may take it's place. Not trying to convert anyone from FFXI or anything, but if anyone wants to join a guild on a PvE server, let me know. I found a nice guild with a lot of other veteran members from FFXI.

[Murphie]

Don't abuse the comma!

AoC looks fun and all, but my PC won't be able to handle it, and I doubt I'm going to buy another PC anytime soon. And even if I did, I'd probably play the upcoming Warhammer MMO with the folks from Penny Arcade first.

[Effedup]

I've been waiting for this game for a while now. I signed up for the beta over a year ago, and still no word...what worries me is that my PC isn't top of the line, but isn't a piece of garbage, and if they skipped me over I'm wondering if this is going to be very hardware intensive...

Either that, or I'm just unlucky... ; ;

At any rate, the customization options are a big win in my book (I've always wanted to have a character that at least looked a little like me ^^) and from the screenshots I've seen to date it looks to be a very nice looking game. And honestly, a down and dirty, blood and guts MMO geared towards adults will definitely ease some frustrations for me after a bad day in FFXI ^^

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

At the very least, I'll say its trying to deviate just a bit from the way WoW and prior MMOs have functioned. They're totally riffing on FFVII materia system though.

There really isn't a problem with the Auto-Attack, in fact attack per button press and be more problematic than one might think due to lag. The only real problem with Auto Attack is when you have a job such as MNK that has little else to do but attack - I'm of the opinion that all jobs should have a fairly constant amount of activity.

Conan is an old, old franchise, too. Age of Conan will probably garner a more grown-up fanbase and attract fewer kids because of it.

Meaning, far less drama than you'd get in FFXI, SWG or WoW.

If I go with another MMO, unless its based on a FF world I liked - like perhaps FFIV, VI or XII - I'd probably go with a non-franchised MMO. Non-franchised MMOs filter out so many brats and screwed-up people. Not 100%, mind you, but an idiot filter none-the-less.

[Feba]

Originally Posted by Omgwtfbbqkitten

Meaning, far less drama than you'd get in FFXI, SWG or WoW.

not really. Having a higher age limit doesn't have any effect on whether people will be idiots or not.

Originally Posted by Omgwtfbbqkitten

on-franchised MMOs filter out so many brats and screwed-up people.

I think it's more that franchises (especially movie franchises) attract those kinds of people more than that original ones repel them.

As to the game, personally, I'm not interested. Everything I've heard about it relates to either the graphics or combat-- It didn't look like they were doing anything fantastical with the graphics, so I don't really care; and you need more than combat to make a good MMO. It might surprise me, but I'm just highly uninterested right now. I do hope it has success though, WoW really needs to die, or at least suffer greatly.

[Balfree]

Im eager to try it out but im afraid about expecting too much like i did with vanguard. What a huge disappointment that way.

[Feba]

Well, even if you like it, that doesn't mean it's actually good.

I mean, lime green.

[Jei]

hmm PVP... Have you checked out warhammer? That one will feature RvR which was my favourite aspect of DAoC. It looks like WoW clone tho : /

Hey Bal didn't know you played vanguard too. I read some really good reviews about it now, people are saying SOE is doing a great job bringing the game to completion.

[Murphie]

RvR is why I'm more interested in Warhammer than AoC.

[Neomage]

RvR is okay I guess, but I don't really like it. I prefer to ally myself with anyone, regardless of where they come from.

[Kailea]

I want to try this, but yeah combat alone will not make a good MMO, so it all depends on how the game was done as a whole. OH yeah and just because its 17+ means nothing -.- it will have just as many 12yo playing it as FFXI does.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

I'm taking RvR to mean "Realm versus Realm," meaning, cross-server combat, correct? Kinda like Ballista Royale went cross-server, but in this case, just another part of the PvP experience of this particular game?

[Neomage]

I guess it makes sense in that context also, but I always thought if it as faction warfare... like how in WoW there was Alliance and Horde, and in WAR there will be the various armies.

[Murphie]

Originally Posted by Omgwtfbbqkitten

I'm taking RvR to mean "Realm versus Realm," meaning, cross-server combat, correct? Kinda like Ballista Royale went cross-server, but in this case, just another part of the PvP experience of this particular game?

It's faction combat, sort of like what WoW has, but far more advanced. Your realm fights to control certain areas (actually, kind of like Campaign), and the more areas you have, the more overall bonuses there are to members of your realm in every aspect of what they do (PvE, PvP, etc.) Also, at least in DAoC (same makers as the WAR MMO) there are certain dungeons that your realm only has access to when you control certain areas. So it's a constant struggle to maintain that control. There are siege weapons you can control, and keeps, and so on. It's a lot of fun.

[Telera]

Never was into the Conan mythos.

Not really interesting in seeing half-naked people running around.

PvP isn't my thing outside of something 'controlled' like the Ettenmoors/Ballista/etc.

Sooooo.... I'm gonna pass. Everyone on LotRO forums swear it'll take all the PvP'ers away from the server. I say, let it. And leave only those of us who play the Ettens because we love it, not because we want teals. Maybe it'll thin out the cheap-ass star-whore Burg-packs.