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A naked barbarian simulator saved FunCom from bankruptcy
It's easy to disassociate game developers from the success or failure of their titles. The average gamer might not notice if a company's most recent releases aren't selling well, and would be none the wiser if one of their favorite companies was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. That's where FunCom was before it decided to make Conan Exiles. Despite the popularity of its previous Conan games, critical acclaim for titles like The Park and being the developer behind the LEGO Minifigures Online MMO, the company was hemorrhaging money. "We were basically loaning money from our investors for wages," FunCom creative director Joe Bylos told Engadget at GDC. "We were pretty close to bankruptcy." If its next game wasn't a hit, the company was done for.
ICYMI: Hawaiian crows are our new favorite animal
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Scientists filmed young Hawaiian crows and discovered that they're so smart, they figured out how to use tools to get food without ever having been taught by adult crows. There are very few Alala in the world, but some are about to be released back into the wild so researchers are excited they'll bring their stick engineering ways with them.
Conan O'Brien takes a field trip to Minecraft
In a promo no doubt aimed at those lucrative younger demographics, talk show host Conan O'Brien transports his co-host, set and musical accompaniment to the wildly popular cubist sandbox known as Minecraft. [Image: Mojang/TBS]
Age of Conan has its eye on achievements, crafting for 2015
Is Hyboria one of your planned destinations for 2015? If so, then you're in luck, as Joel Bylos has a taste of what's in store for Age of Conan this year in a new game director letter. The two big initiatives for the year revolve around the brand-new achievement and revamped crafting systems. The first iteration of achievements are coming with update 4.5 in a few weeks. These will include achievements for completing speed challenges for dungeons. Following that, players will get to dive into a richer crafting experience. Bylos hinted at a few other highlights for 2015, including the return of the world boss system and PvP festivals. "We are still nailing down our production schedule for the year," he wrote. "You can expect to hear more about the status of Palace of Cetriss and The Slithering Chaos in an upcoming letter."
Age of Conan is selling instant level-80s until January 2nd
Getting a high-level character in Age of Conan now requires you only to break out your wallet and plunk down a few bills. Funcom announced today that players can purchase an instant level 80 character on the cash shop for $40 (or $30 if that player already has another level 80 toon). These new level 80s will come equipped with a set of rare gear, a fast mount, the riding skill, a 56-slot bag, 79 expertise points, and other goodies. If you're planning on picking up one of these "go straight to buff" packages, you'll need to do so before the promotion ends on January 2nd. Age of Conan is also offering bonus free months of subscription and other goods when you sign up or extend your membership by at least three additional months.
Age of Conan gives rewards for testing achievement system
Age of Conan is hopping on board this cool, hip achievement train that all of the kids are talking about these days with its Update 4.5. In November's game director letter, Joel Bylos said that the upcoming achievements will be merely "the first wave" in an ever-expanding system. In fact, if players help the team test achievements before they go live, they will be given a random pet as a thank-you. Bylos said that work is also progressing on revamping the world boss event "to provide a more entertaining experience." He also asked the community for its input on which one of two styles of lore entries that players preferred.
Super-sized wooden emoji are Nick Offerman's latest project (update)
Ron Swanson is the portrait of manliness on Parks and Recreation, and in real life, Nick Offerman is an avid craftsman. The Offerman Woodshop cranks out all kinds of wares using its namesake material, and a recent effort took quite the tech culture twist. If a picture's worth a thousand words, a solid oak 14-pound emoji must be worth more than that. The project was part of an infomercial sketch this week on Conan, so you won't be able to nab the smiling poop block, but you also won't suffer a back injury from hauling all of the items around for IRL chats. It does mean that you'll miss out on a "more personal and more American way of communication," though. You can, however, put that $30 towards a set of whiskey coasters.
Age of Conan's achievement system, Pit of Trials coming soon
It's still spooky in Age of Conan, at least according to today's dev update letter. The Hyborian Halloween event will run through November 12th, but chances are you'll be more interested in Funcom's plans for the game going forward. Chief among those plans is the achievement system slated for update 4.5. Funcom says you'll collect achievements for everything from leveling to PvP stats and minigames to dungeon and raid completion. There's also a lore journal and a panorama mechanic that provides "a camera path, an achievement, and experience" each time you find one. Don't forget about the pit of trials, a level 80 arena designed with both PvEers and PvPers in mind.
Donate to Age of Conan board game Kickstarter for an in-game MMO mount
If you're an avid player of Funcom's Age of Conan MMORPG, chances are good you're a Conan fan and a gaming geek, so why not combine the three with an Age of Conan board game? Funcom posted today that Ares Games is remaking the Conan-flavored strategy board game complete with a new expansion called Adventures in Hyboria. The catch is that the board game's designers are seeking Kickstarter funding, but it's already raised $52,000 more than asked for as of the time of this writing, so faith in the project appears high. There's even a tie-in for Age of Conan MMO players who pledge funds to the campaign. Writes Funcom, [W]e are happy to announce that anyone who contributes to this Kickstarter will get the all new Strategist's Steed mount in our Age of Conan Unchained MMORPG! Once the Kickstarter is finished, anyone who has contributed will receive a key which can be used on the Age of Conan account pages. This key gives the Strategist's Steed armored swift horse in-game (requiring advanced riding training to use), which can then be claimed in the Item Shop once per account. Stretch goal rewards for the Kickstarter include special miniatures, bonus cards, and die-cut board pieces.
Age of Conan's Update 4.4 ushers in new raids, new tier sets
As summer fades into memory, Age of Conan players turn their gaze toward the Halloween event and the next major patch of the game. The latest game director's letter is about exactly those topics, as well, so that works out nicely. While update 4.4 will bring with it new Unchained raids, there are other improvements coming along as well, not the least of which are visual improvements to the Tier 5 sets that will be released along with the raids. The update also brings with it the PvP streak system and new area looting functionality; pressing Shift and V will automatically loot all eligible corpses in the immediate area. Players can also look forward to the upcoming gem system and Thirst of the Serpent God event at the end of the month. Check out the full letter for more details about what's coming next for the game over the next 31 days.
Conan's #bendgate parody is pretty much perfect
All the needless outrage over the iPhone 6's supposed tendency to bend when you sit on it with your entire weight has finally reached the late night talk show circuit courtesy of Conan. The comedian even went so far as to produce a parody of a Samsung ad that targets Apple's "flaccid" phones, and while it's probably SFW, you'll definitely want to watch it with headphones, or else expect some odd looks from your coworkers.
Conan's "documentary" about Apple's U2 removal program is incredible
The public reaction to Apple's giveaway of U2's latest album was decidedly mixed. Some people were excited to find the new album in their iTunes account, while a large contingent of users either didn't want to hear it or found the way the giveaway was handled an invasion of privacy. Regardless of what side you took, the giveaway obviously didn't go the way Apple intended, as shown by its creation of a removal page to help people ditch the album. Now from the rubble of the Great U2 Controversy of 2014 comes a short "documentary" of sorts from the parody factory at TBS' Conan. "Apple's U2-Removal Service" goes the extra step in making sure you forget every aspect of hearing the new U2 album, even if it means rewriting your brain. Enjoy.
Age of Conan update talks streaking, crafting, and more
Hearken to me, Hyborian faithful, for I've an Age of Conan update to share. Actually, hearken to game director Joel Bylos, who has posted an August update letter that talks about raiding updates and tier 5 gear as well as the new PvP minigame streak system (no, not that kind of streaking, you naughty Barbarian). AoC is also getting a version of The Secret World's achievement and lore system, and the loooooong-delayed crafting revamp is still in process.
Funcom's revenues decrease in Q2
Funcom has released its second-quarter financial results for the year, and it's not a glowing success story. Revenue dropped roughly $600,000 compared to Q1, a drop attributed to weaker in-game item sales over the quarter. Despite this, the report indicates that the company remains on-track as a whole, with the overall pattern of expenses not significantly changed. All of the major MMOs in the studio's portfolio are stated to be cash-flow positive, which is good news for fans. While the company launched several marketing attempts to draw more players into its titles, The Secret World was the most successful at bringing in more players via its most recent major update. The company projects good results for LEGO Minifigures Online when it releases in October. Interested players can look at the full report, which is less overwhelmingly positive than might be ideal but hardly paints a picture of doom.
Jukebox Heroes: Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer's soundtrack
Fans (or ex-fans?) of this column might recall that I went against the grain of popular opinion by pronouncing Age of Conan's soundtrack "adequate" rather than an "outstanding masterpiece." I think that I can extend an olive branch to the player army that's been chasing me since then, however, as I hold the expansion soundtrack in much higher regard. Composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen returned for Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer, creating a 22-track journey through all new barbaric lands. Unlike his first score for this MMO, this one latches onto the Asian themes of the expansion and takes the score in a decidedly Chinese direction. It's well-done across the board and aided by a full orchestra. Really, my biggest complaint is that it's not easy to purchase here in the states for some reason. You can listen to and even download a few samples from the official soundtrack site, which still remains in operation. So let's head to the far east for this week's exploration of MMO soundtracks, looking at the highlights from Rise of the Godslayer!
Conan reviews Watch Dogs, turns it into Grand Theft Auto
You give a man like Conan O'Brien an open-world game like Watch Dogs, he's going to play it like Grand Theft Auto. After deriding the concept of a city run by one operating network, the chat show host goes about destroying Chicago in almost every way possible.
Age of Conan's anniversary celebration starts today
Age of Conan turns six today, and doesn't that make you feel old? As we reported last week, Funcom is gifting players with a new PvP-themed Festival of Bloodshed that lead content designer Matthew Bennett calls "arguably our largest PvP patch in the game's history." But wait, there's more! The Shadows of the Past anniversary event sees players uncovering a plot against King Conan and traveling back to Tortage. The event, as well as a cash shop treasure chest giveaway, starts today and runs through June 3rd. The Festival of Bloodshed starts on May 21st, lasts for one week, and will recur on a monthly basis.
Age of Conan kicks off the Festival of Bloodshed for its anniversary
What's the best way to celebrate six years for Age of Conan? Obviously, by encouraging the players to kill each other! In the game, we mean. Put down that hammer. The Festival of Bloodshed is a new event that will be running for one week every month, offering players a chance to take part in all-new PvP modes and events while earning fantastic prizes. On PvP servers, the zone flagged for the Festival will rotate from place to place, while on the game's dedicated PvE server the festival will take place in the Border Kingdoms to ensure all PvP remains consensual. While in these regions, players can take part in the new Fields of Slaughter events (teams holding a designated region against all comers) as well as the Arena of Death. This comes along with new PvP daily quests, improved PvP gear, bonus experience for alternate advancement, and other rewards. So to celebrate six years of the game, read up on how you can reach out and touch someone. With a pointy bit of metal. [Thanks to Anders for the tip!]
Anarchy Online and Age of Conan players vote on new content
Newsletters for Anarchy Online and Age of Conan were posted yesterday, and both of them had a common theme: an intiative by Funcom to let players vote on what new content they want to see developed. Anarchy Online players voted for a new Shadowlands mission, which is currently being made for the Inferno zone. AO is also getting ready to show off the 18.7 patch, which contains a new ICC headquarters, the new player experience, and shop changes. As for the Age of Conan community, players voted to see Conall's Valley and the Wild Lands of Zelata included with PvP events. The studio has scheduled a world boss event for May 7th, the sixth anniversary event for May 20th, and Patch 4.2 for some time this month.
Age of Conan introduces new subscription benefits along with a new world boss
The latest of Age of Conan's monthly world bosses has arrived in the form of the Thrice Drowned queen. Emerging to terrorize the Thunder River, she will wreak havoc if left unchecked, since anyone who can be drowned three times and still come back for more is no one to be trifled with. Perhaps you'll be so enthusiastic about fighting her that you decide you simply can't miss out on any of the future bosses; if so, there's a subscription offer you might be interested in. Two new rewards are available to players who subscribe for six months or a year at a time; a ring that grants bonus alternate advancement XP and another ring that grants a bonus to PvP and Prowess XP gain. Subscribing for six months nets a version of these rings with a 25% bonus along with an extra two months of subscription time; subscribing for a year nets an extra four months and rings with a 50% bonus. In short, if you want to step up your subscription game, now is the time to do so.
