hyborean-adventures
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PC Gamer previews Age of Conan
PC Gamer (part of the CVG network) has just released their preview of Funcom's Age of Conan: Hyborean Adventures. It is packed full of tasty observations, screenshots, and interesting details about this eagerly anticipated MMO. While we knew some parts of it already (the conversational choices with NPCs affecting your standing with them) other parts were interesting to hear about. We're most interested in the work of the 8 dedicated quest-writers, working hard to fulfill the promise of staying true to the books that we've heard so much about. Apparently they've cranked out 800 quests for launch! Someone order these guys a pizza and a frosty adult beverage for writing approximately 100 quests a piece -- and for trying to do it without using the "kill x things" mechanic. When you couple this with the other great write-ups we've seen and the statement at the very end: "The open beta starts any moment now" we can honestly say we're more than ready to go Barbarian! Anytime you want to hook us up with some of that sweet, sweet beta love Funcom, we'll be here.
Postcards from the Age of Conan beta
One of the things we really love about the way Funcom is handling the development of Age of Conan is how they just keep us craving more by letting out little tidbits. When we were lucky enough to catch the demo of AoC at Dragon*Con 2007, we were thrilled to see how it was progressing. The Postcard series on the official AoC site is building further on those little tastes. Their intrepid beta adventurer, now in his second week of "postcards" gives us some glimpses into how life is progressing in-game after the new player areas. This time around, we get to follow him across the landscape, through ruins and into angry mobs of Picts, and into even more intriguing territory. We won't spoil the surprise for you, though. If you want to know, you'll just have to pop over to the AoC site and check out the screens and story for yourself.
Massively's Massive Giveaways: Age of Conan, redux
One of the things that we've been looking forward to in Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is the combat system. For those of you not familiar, it will involve different move combinations that in turn play out different animations. So it's not just smacking someone and seeing a number floating above their head, or watching a health bar drop. Instead, you'll smack someone (depending on localization, according to the Funcom devs) and watch an arm fly off! (There's also all the blood spatter, which isn't too common in MMOs.)Of course, to pull off these killer gaming moves, it only makes sense to have a sweet piece of equipment to game on. So, for this giveaway we're offering up another Ideazon Z Board for your gaming enjoyment. You of course know the drill -- 18+, U.S. residents only, and all the other official rule stuff . Aside from that, you must also leave a comment between now and 4:00 PM tomorrow (11/11) with what kinds of things you'd like to see in the combat system. Do you like the idea of special combo animations, including fatalities? Should there be rag-doll physics, or is that better suited to the FPS genre where there aren't tens of thousands of people sending limbs flying up in the air all at once? (Do bunches of arms and legs flying through the air cause lag we wonder.) Let us know!
Massively's Massive Giveaways: Age of Conan
Heading into our second week of Massively's launch, we would like to take some time to talk about some of the upcoming titles that have really caught our attention. As such, we have decided to declare today Age of Conan day, in honor of Funcom's upcoming MMORPG, Age of Conan: Hyborean Adventures. Having been able to see the demo and get some hands-on with Age of Conan at Dragon*Con this year, we can honestly say that we've been looking forward to its release (and a chance to play it more) ever since. It was very obvious to us that the Funcom team involved with AoC is a group of gamers dedicated to putting out the best possible content they can. From the earliest parts wandering through the trees and villages, to later getting knee-deep in blood, the attention to detail is impressive. That said, a game like this requires a prize equal to its potential. After all, you don't want to be playing AoC on a beat-up old keyboard that decides to die on you while you're mid-PvP. Thus today we're offering a prize that will help you get your best game on; an Ideazon Z-Board keyboard! One lucky winner (age 18+, U.S. resident, etc. according to the official rules) will walk away with this truly fantastic piece of gaming equipment just for answering this one question;What are you most looking forward to in Age of Conan? (Well, okay, other than that Playboy spread about it.) Leave your thoughts before 12:00 PM Eastern time tomorrow (11/11) and let us know!
