The Anvil of Crom: Ranting ranger is ranty (oh and some opinions on the dev update)
Yes, it's that time of the month again: It's time for another analysis of a Funcom development update. This time around, there's the added bonus of a new patch (2.0.7) to discuss, but for the most part I'll spend today rant... er, talking about Craig Morrison's latest monthly roadmap for Age of Conan.
After two weeks of positivity, I guess the time is right to bring a little balance to the Force (or at least, to The Anvil of Crom), so join me after the cut as I break down the good, bad, and fugly in relation to where the Hyborian Express seems to be headed.
Let me get this out of the way up front: I greatly enjoy Age of Conan. Said enjoyment waxes and wanes as it does with all constantly changing MMORPGs, but by and large I'm pretty happy with the way the game has rebounded from its launch disaster as well as with the fact that it is busily building itself into a respectable AAA title (faction grinds notwithstanding).
That said, sometimes I wonder if Funcom is simply throwing darts at a wall full of ideas and implementing the ones that survive the prickly onslaught. Unlike August's high-level development update, the September version of Morrison's manifesto takes a longer, deeper look at many of the additions coming with the 2.1 patch series.
The PvP
First up is the PvP sauce, and though many of the hardcore killas no doubt consider it of the weak variety, it says here that the new Call of Jhebbal Sag minigame sounds pretty spiffy (even if I can't pronounce it). Also, in a move that rather eerily echoes Warhammer Online's RvR changes, Funcom is adding a resource-based mechanic to its new Conquest game mode. Actually, let's back up a minute, because I'm already confusing myself and likely a few of you.
Conquest is an entirely new game mode, while The Call of Jhebbal Sag is a new PvP minigame that will make use of the new Conquest game mode. Got that? Good. What's different and/or desirable about the new mini, beyond the fact that it makes use of Conquest and features resource management? Well for one thing it's 12v12, meaning you can get more of your premade into the action... oh, actually you can't. Funcom is also adjusting the sign-up queue to "evenly distribute players between the teams, regardless of whether they were in a group when signing up. That will apply to all the old mini-games as well," according to lead designer Einar Forselv. Whether or not this cuts down on the domination of certain endgame guilds in PvP minis remains to be seen, but even if it does, I'm not so sure it's a step in the right direction.
While many in the AoC community like to complain about the evils of premade PvP groups, I'm at a loss to explain said whining as anything other than envy. Shouldn't good tactics and coordination be rewarded? Don't PvPers want challenges and the ability to rise to the occasion against a worthy (or epically geared, whichever) foe? Yes, it can be frustrating to stumble into a mini that is a complete and utter gankfest, with a pro-gamer, Vent-using group that wipes the floor with the unfortunate PUG that has dared to cross its path. However, isn't the point of group PvP something along the lines of hanging out with, you know, your groupmates, whether they be guildmates, real-life friends, or both?
The perceived randomness of the upcoming mechanic doesn't really appeal to me. Maybe it will as I get a better understanding of it, but as it stands now, I'd rather continue getting rolled with my group of non-uber friends (and perhaps eventually learning to be effective as a team) than ride the coattails of Joe Blow from the Ubergear guild who doesn't really want to be playing with me anyway.
The PvE
The other big news in this month's update is the forthcoming social content. Said content is broken into two parts: horse racing and guild events, the latter of which are subdivided further into treasure hunts, demon hunts, Ymir's hunt, storytelling, and insult contests. Insult contests?
Anyway, on the one hand I applaud Funcom for spending development cycles on things that don't involve killing. More of that please. On the other hand, I can't help but be a little disappointed that we still lack basic things like housing, appearance tabs, and a crafting system that doesn't define the word suck. Yes, I know, I've harped on all three of those things before, but frankly they're important, and they will continue to be harped on until they see the light of day. Maybe it's just the mood I'm in this week (decidedly ornery), but the prospect of scavenger hunts and storytelling/insult contests simply don't register on my personal excite-o-meter. Storytelling is much deeper and more meaningful when it's left up to the players -- not the game mechanics -- and giving players more tools to tell stories (and customize their avatars) should take priority over these new guild events.
As for horse racing, well, I really can't find anything to complain about there. It sounds like a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to trying it out when it hits Test Live.
The 2.0.7 patch
Sweet mother of Crom, can Funcom please leave my rangers alone for one bloody patch? I know it's an MMO, which means the change-monster must rear its gnarly head at each and every whiff of an opportunity, but come on. First we had the ranger revamp, then we had the ranger nerf, and now we have the 2.0.7 patch (the un-nerf?) that tweaks the bow and crossbow population yet again. Seriously, playing this class is an exercise in managing rug-burns, as it is constantly being pulled out from under you in an (apparently) neverending struggle to get it right. Maybe there have been some similarly problematic classes in MMO annals that I'm unaware of, but never have I seen one particular group be the focus of so much balancing, re-balancing, and whoops-we-screwed-that-up counter-balancing to balance the unbalancedness of this balance-defying archetype. Honestly, enough already.
I've been saving a ranger-focused column for the better part of a month now (yes I rerolled another one, from scratch, in order to get a full picture of the class post-revamp) but am putting it off yet again in order to gain a few more levels and see how 2.0.7 has affected the class.
Aside from ranger concerns, the patch also purported to improve the ghastly performance in Khitai's Northern Crashlands. Whether it is has or not is difficult to tell. Personally I've seen next to no difference. The load times are as lengthy as ever, and the frame rates are still noticeably lower than in the old world zones, even on great hardware. That said, I've heard reports from a couple of guildies that indicate a bit of an improvement here or there, so hopefully I'm the exception as opposed to the rule.
Anyways, my bottle of rant sauce is nearing the bottom. While the September development update wasn't horrific, it did feature more than a few items that caused me to scratch my head. Here's to hoping the actual implementation will be better than my interpretations and suppositions. Until next week, I leave you with the requisite concept art.
Jef Reahard is an Age of Conan beta and launch day veteran, as well as the creator of Massively's weekly Anvil of Crom. Feel free to suggest a column topic, propose a guide, or perform a verbal fatality via jef@massively.com.
