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Age of Conan dev update talks open-world PvP, House of Crom
Funcom game director Craig Morrison has released his monthly Age of Conan development update a couple of weeks early. Morrison usually closes each month with a summary of where the game has been and where it's going, and the December version is no different save for the mid-month release date. While there's a lot of info, the most interesting bits concern the projected live date of the long-awaited House of Crom dungeon. Morrison says that the new content will most likely debut on January 11th or 12th, and that the dungeon will be playable on AoC's test shard over the Christmas holidays. Also new this month is a detailed explanation of the game's upcoming open-world PvP content. When the new feature was first announced, the game's hardcore PvP community unleashed an epic tidal wave of tears due to suppositions about "PVE sheep trying to pass in PVP wolf's clothing," not to mention concerns about a possible rehash of the game's disastrous Shrines of Bori mechanic. Morrison spends several paragraphs of this month's update explaining what Funcom has learned since Bori, and how that knowledge is going to translate into a fun system that isn't exploitable via PvE mechanics. You can read the full update at the official AoC website.
The Anvil of Crom Extra: Silirrion on Age of Conan's past, present, and future
Welcome, barbarian friends, to a special edition of The Anvil of Crom. Age of Conan's third anniversary is here, and the sheer amount of things to talk about has necessitated two columns this week -- and driven me to consume a celebratory pint (or six) of Cimmerian ale. First up is a recent sit-down with Funcom's Craig "Silirrion" Morrison wherein the game director chats about the fantasy title's past, present, and future. Hyboria has changed dramatically since AoC's May 2008 release, and even bigger changes are coming, including new content, a new server ruleset, and a big announcement that Morrison's been hinting at via Twitter in recent weeks. Join us after the cut as we discuss PvP, PvE, forthcoming appearance slots, and more!
The Anvil of Crom: Is Age of Conan a PvP-focused game?
One of the great things about Massively is the deluge of MMO information and opinion that is spread across the site on a daily basis. Since I'm so closely tied to our Age of Conan coverage, it's interesting to read other writers' perspectives on Hyboria, particularly when they don't match my own. Take one of our recent early-morning conversation starters in which Funcom's title is described as a PvP-focused game. Despite being a throw-away reference, the wording here struck a strange chord. Age of Conan does feature both open world and instanced PvP, but said PvP is -- in my experience -- a red-headed step-child in terms of content updates, system tweaks, and player preference. The key here is "in my experience," and it's amazing how a simple turn of phrase like "PvP-focused game" can send the mind drifting on all manner of perceptual tangents. Analytically, though, is Age of Conan a PvP-focused game as of May 2011? Head past the cut to find out.
AoC 2.0.5 revamps rangers, Shrines of Bori
After several hours of downtime, Age of Conan's servers are back in action and sporting the new 2.0.5 game update. For many players, things will likely remain as they are, but if you play the ranger class or frequent the Shrines of Bori, get ready to relearn the game. The hefty patch upends a number of things, so many in fact that the patch notes are split into two posts on the official boards: one for the Shrines, and one for the rangers. For the former, the highlights include a relocation of shrines around the playfield (theoretically allowing small guilds to hold one), an increase in the Favor of Bori buff time, and a tweak that now gives sacrifice rewards to the group or raid making the sacrifice (allowing players to form extra-guild groups and still receive credit). Additionally, a new Pyre mechanic has been added, whereby player kills will now reward the victor with a body bag full of dismembered parts which can then be burned atop the appropriate pyre for for PvP XP as well as Glory and Prowess renown. For the ranger revamp, start wrapping your head around the following tweaks: fundamental changes to class combos, removal of stances in favor of a new mechanic called Advantages, extensive changes to traps, and the unification of bow and crossbow weapon types. Finally, Funcom has added a fair number of high-level quests to the Paikang and Kara Korum zones. You can check out a comprehensive list of patch changes on the official boards.
AoC PvP changes incoming
Age of Conan's Shrines of Bori PvP update has been the subject of a fair amount of player controversy since going live back in late March. While the spirit of the patch was appreciated, many players took issue with the fact that PvP rank could be gained via PvE farming, as well as an exploit allowing single guilds to monopolize the play fields. This morning, Funcom executive producer and game director Craig 'Silirrion' Morrison checked in on the official forums to bring players an update on the coming fixes. Improvements will include sacrifice rewards given to the group/raid making the sacrifice, relocated altars to reduce the ease of a single dominating force, increased duration on the Favor of Bori buff, an increase on the time period during which shrine destruction gives a reward, and a decreased respawn time on the Idol of Bori recipe. Morrison goes on to discuss a new butcher bag/body part mechanic, as well as some of the reasoning behind the original design decisions. "These changes should be coming to the test server this week, and we hope they are ready for deployment on the live servers with the 2.0.5 update. We will of course be watching these changes carefully, and will continue to make further adjustments if we see a need," he said. Check out the full post on the official forums.
The Anvil of Crom: Age of Conan anniversary retrospective
Thinking of coming back to Age of Conan? You're not alone, as the recently released Rise of the Godslayer expansion, plus a wave of generally positive buzz, have conspired to reverse the fortunes that Funcom's ambitious Hyborian MMORPG experienced during its rocky launch. Two years is an eternity in the computer gaming world, and the game bears little more than a skin-deep resemblance to the title that launched way back in May 2008. Age of Conan has undergone significant revision in its short lifespan, from a sweeping combat and itemization revamp to the addition of numerous dungeons and play fields, all of them pre-dating the new expansion. The laundry list of additions can be broken down into six major categories: combat and itemization, PvP, crafting, gameplay, new zones, and the expansion. We'll also touch on smaller details such as performance tweaks and offline leveling, so hack your way past the cut to see the gory details.
The Anvil of Crom: Craig Morrison interview
Welcome to another installment of The Anvil of Crom, Massively's weekly look at Funcom's Age of Conan. It has been a big week for the sword and sorcery title, with the much-anticipated Update 1.07 going live on Tuesday, bringing a wealth of fixes as well as the Shrines of Bori PvP content. With Rise of the Godslayer looming on the horizon, it's as good a time as ever to take a break from our normal commentary format and chat with Craig 'Silirrion' Morrison, Age of Conan's Executive Producer and Game Director. Follow along after the cut as we chat about everything from the forthcoming expansion, to PvP mini-games, to social options.
Age of Conan's Shrines of Bori goes live
Funcom has officially released Update 1.07 for its Age of Conan fantasy MMORPG. The sword and sorcery title, based on the literary works of the late Robert E. Howard, now features a new guild-based PvP challenge known as the Shrines of Bori that allows players and guilds to capture and defend both shrines and resources in the lawless Border Kingdoms. In addition, the patch features new PvP levels, Tier 2 PvP gear, and an Expansion Teaser Event called 'The Silver Atrium' that allows players to battle spies, assassins, and various scum and villainy from the far east in preparation for the upcoming Rise of the Godslayer expansion. Finally, Funcom has added a new regional fast travel system accessible via new wagoneer NPCs in major quest hubs and outposts, as well as various game system tweaks including mini-game XP, GUI optimizations, and a laundry list of bug fixes. The much-anticipated Offline Character Progression system did not make it in to patch 1.07. Senior Community Manager Oliver 'Tarib' Kunz states that "there are some adjustments that need to be done to this new system first. But we didn't want to hold back the entire Update 1.07 so we decided to exclude it and deploy all the other fixes and additions for our players to enjoy. You can expect the Offline Character Progression System to be part of a future update." Check out the full Update 1.07 patch notes here.
Age of Conan 1.07 update coming tomorrow
Funcom is getting ready to take the wraps off Age of Conan's 1.07 update according to executive producer Craig 'Silirrion' Morrison's Twitter feed. Morrison, who also serves as game director for the sword and sorcery MMORPG, commented that the "update wheels are in motion, last minute hitches permitting, the 1.07 update should be hitting the live servers tomorrow." The update will feature the much-anticipated Shrines of Bori PvP tweaks, which include a guild conflict mini-game system with a few new wrinkles thrown into the traditional capture-and-hold mix. Additionally, the system will be a new source of PvP reward tokens. We'll bring you full details on the patch when it officially releases. In the meantime, check out our Shrines of Bori rundown as well as our new Age of Conan weekly column.
Age of Conan pushing Shrines of Bori towards quick release
Age of Conan game director Craig 'Silirrion' Morrison dropped a lengthy post on the official forums today detailing some good news for fans of Funcom's Robert E. Howard-inspired MMORPG. In short, the new and much-discussed PvP update Shrines of Bori will debut prior to the upcoming Rise of the Godslayer expansion. Morrison confirms that the changes will be pushed to the test server in the next few days, and will roll out to the live servers as part of the 1.07 patch. "It is important to stress that this has been the result of some great extra effort put in by the team and will not effect the schedule of the expansion. When we saw the tremendous support for this feature, and the many very constructive and rational arguments from you, our players...we decided that we would find a way to achieve this," Morrison said. He goes on to state that the 1.07 patch will feature some additional "mini-event type quests" which will lead into the Godslayer expansion launch, making today a great day to be an Age of Conan fan. Look for Massively's impressions of Funcom's Rise of the Godslayer presentation from GDC 2010 later this week, and check out our previous Shrines of Bori coverage. [Thanks Ayonyx!]
Shrines of Bori to offer Age of Conan players more outdoor PvP
Even with all of the fuss around new tier 3 raids being added to the land of Hyboria, the developers at Funcom haven't forgotten about the PvPers! A brand new feature will be landing on Age of Conan's test server for all barbarians to enjoy, and it comes in a form many PvPers love -- outdoor PvP objectives. The Shrines of Bori, a brand new addition to the Border Kingdoms playfield, will give PvPers the chance to not only engage in combat with others in a wide open zone, but also to earn their next set of PvP tier gear via a complex set of capture and hold objectives in the form of altars. Have questions on how this new system will work? Say no more! We've got a full explanation of the brand new system for you right after the break.
