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AoC mount bug fixes and speed boosts on the way
If you already own a horse mount in Age of Conan, you are probably extremely unimpressed with your new companion's speed -- it almost seems like you don't move any faster at all. According to this post at AoC's official forums, this is in fact the case. One of the game's designers has confirmed that, currently, even the mighty horse trots along at regular run-speed. A proper fix for this is coming in a future patch, but a temporary workaround is shared for now (which a lot of people in the community had already figured out): simply sheathe or unsheathe your weapon while mounted, and enjoy the mount's speed boost as it was intended.Also included in the post is the fact that the speed boost itself will be increased very soon. Horses will be slightly faster, and Mammoths and Rhinos will get a smaller boost. As well as this, to address a complaint that those with Mammoth/Rhino pre-order privileges have, the riding skills (charging, attacks, etc.) associated with these mounts will be given automatically with the "/claim" command after a future patch, and those who already have the skills through buying Basic Riding will need to perform the command to receive them again.EDIT: Going by this forum thread, the mount speed increase is already in effect as of today's patch. Some in-game testing of our own shows that at the very least, the bug requiring weapon sheathing/unsheathing is fixed. More on these other undocumented patch changes shortly.
One Shots: Riding to the Fields of Bone
With the recent talk of mounts here on Massively, we thought we'd show off one of the unique mounts that we've gotten a screenshot of lately. While many games boast horses, cats and the like, there's something intimidating about the idea of being run down by a heavily-armored rhino. Today's EverQuest II One Shots comes to us from Robert S. who writes: This is Firelore the 72 Warden, atop his newly acquired Rilissian rhino, just outside the Field of Bone. That mount just screams out for mounted combat, don't you think?Do you have a screenshot of a unique mount, or perhaps a cool-looking monster? If so we'd love to see them! Just send them to us here at oneshots AT massively.com. Yours could be next!%Gallery-9798%
Erling Ellingsen describes AoC mounted combat in dev video
Videogamer.com is featuring a new developer diary for Age of Conan, presented by Erling Ellingsen, all about the mounted combat that will be found in the game. Rather than going into fine details about the system, Ellingsen elects to describe some of the cool things that will be possible when engaging in mounted combat.Players will get to either fight while on their mount, or actually use their mount as a weapon. With the former, the faster you are moving, the more damage you will inflict upon a target, making old fashioned drive-bys the order of the day -- Ellingsen says that you can lop someone's head off as you zoom past, if you're going fast enough. It will also be possible to make your mount attack, and these attacks vary depending on the animal you're riding. Check out the roughly two-minute video to see the mounts in action, rearing up and knocking crowds of enemies to the ground.
GDC08: A preview of Age of Conan's wild and wooly mounted combat
Massively had the chance to sit with the Age of Conan developers yesterday, to take in a brand-new preview of the blood-and-guts gameplay due out later this year. One of the highlights of that demo was the chance to see mounted combat in action. We traveled to the desolate landscape of Khopshef province for a look at what the riding animals of Hyborea could do in a scuffle. Game director Gaute Godager walked us through the tusk-tossing and hoof-stomping, revealing details of when and how you'll be able to grab your mounts. He also hinted at post-launch possibilities for some of the bigger animals, and touched on the nteraction these mighty steeds will have with the game's signature 'seige PvP' gameplay. Read on for just a taste of what it might be like to rampage across the ancient world on the back of War Mammoth. Or, alternatively, check out our audio recording of this part of the presentation to get the word straight from the mammoth's mouth.%Gallery-16341%
Led Zeppelin tunes land on Verizon Wireless
Earlier this summer, Led Zepplin decided to make the leap to iTunes, and now a segment of the band's catalog will also be available through Verizon Wireless. Reportedly, VZW customers will soon be able to access landmark jams for use in ring tones, ringback tones, alerts and over-the-air song downloads, and for the true fan, you can even select a Zeppelin wallpaper. Unfortunately, details beyond that are pretty slim, but we do know that full-song downloads will launch on November 13th to coincide with the release of Mothership, "a two-CD collection that spans the band's illustrious career."
Preserving the culture of games
Curmudgeon Gamer reflects on the likely outcome of GameStop's buyout of the Rhino Games retail franchise: "cultural loss." Rhino will no doubt undergo some significant changes, which will probably include the divestment of its aging inventory. Presumably, the "new" Rhino will not stock console titles that pre-date PlayStation 2. Similarly, GameStop's conquest of the used games market has driven the 'mom & pop' shops that carry retro hardware and software out of business.Curmudgeon Gamer concludes: "[GameStop Corp's] focus on only the most profitable games, the newest ones, will necessarily limit the consumer's focus on those same games ... To me that's a loss, not just personally but for the whole culture that's grown up around videogames." So who is working to preserve our history?Although purists may argue that digital distribution services like Xbox Live Arcade and Wii Virtual Console lack authenticity, these platforms are working to preserve our classic games using viable retail means. Much like old records made the jump to CD (now iTunes and the like), or movies to DVD (now Xbox 360 Video Marketplace), games of yesteryear are finding new platforms for survival. The cynic in us says re-releasing classic (and not-so classic) games is fast money for publishers, but let's not ignore the cultural preservation at work. The hook for these services might be nostalgia, but we can crack a collective smile imagining some youngster discovering The Legend of Zelda for the first time on Virtual Console.
Confirmed: Rhino sold to GameStop [update 1]
As rumored last week, Blockbuster has reached an agreement to sell Rhino Video Games to GameStop. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter estimates that GameStop will pay less than $40 million for the small retail chain, which operates 72 locations in the southeastern United States and averages roughly $550,000 in annual sales (per store). Blockbuster has owned Rhino since May 2004, but has elected to divest this non-core asset as the company focuses on its Total Access rental service. GameStop was the obvious buyer, as the umbrella corporation already controls an estimated 98% of the US's used games market.GameStop chairman and CEO R. Richard Fontaine explained that Rhino's integration into the GameStop network would result in "operating synergies." That's business-speak for "no more 2-for-1 trade-ins."Update: clarified revenue averages.
Rumor: GameStop Corp to absorb Rhino
Over on the Cheap Ass Gamer forums panic has begun to take hold. Poster 'FSUEagles' claims that in no less than ten days Rhino Video Games will be officially converted to a GameStop property. While it's hard to imagine the transition would occur that quickly (especially when store managers are allegedly being told today), the acquisition would not be unprecedented.Aside from the GameStop brand, the corporate umbrella encompasses EB Games, FuncoLand, and Software Etc., and governs 4,592 retail stores throughout the U.S. Adding Rhino, which has fewer than 100 locations, is small potatoes -- the move would be similar to GameStop's 2002 Gamesworld buyout in Ireland -- but still an important step in controlling the used game market. Rhino currently promotes a popular 2-for-1 deal, whereby patrons can trade two qualifying used titles for any one game priced under $50 (a difference must be paid on games that exceed the price restriction). If GameStop does acquire Rhino from Blockbuster then expect trade-in values to diminish overnight.
PS3 launch shipments restricted to top 5 retailers?
According to a memo obtained by GameDaily BIZ from smaller video game chain Rhino Video Games, Sony has "decided to limit the supply of hardware (systems and accessories) to its top five volume retailers (Wal-Mart, Target, etc.)" on the November 17 launch day. However, we know of at least seven major retailers receiving PlayStation 3 units on launch day. In addition to Target and Wal-Mart, we know GameStop / EB Games, Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears and Toys 'R' Us are having PS3s on launch day. We know supplies will be very limited and GameStop won't be fulfilling all of its PS3 pre-orders (already conservative figures).That smaller retail chains will not have PS3s on launch day is not that surprising, but only the "top five retailers" is wrong and makes the memo a bit suspect. Rhino Video Games will not be getting PS3s on launch day -- a fact reaffirmed on its website -- the rest is not true. Rest assured, there will be PS3s for sale at all retailers by the end of 2007. We hope.
