Prices at Play.com

[Ludicrouse]

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/3310624/Age-Of-Conan-Hyborian-Adventures/Product.html)
Price: £24.99

Three day Headstart.
Eight extra Inventory slots.
War Rhino Mount - Exclusive to Play.com.


Summary: The no nonsense basic edition. Cheap for what you get bundled in. Far better value than the CE. Im personally getting this. What the info doesnt tell you is that apparantly you get the option to Digital Download the game from Funcom for Three days before the Headstart. A godsend especially since Play.com are not exactly trustworty with delivery dates.


Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures - Collectors Edition (http://www.play.com/Games/PC/4-/5366178/Age-Of-Conan-Hyborian-Adventures-Collector-Edition/Product.html)
Price: £59.99

Exclusive ingame Item - Ring ofAcheron, gives a small bonus to XP gained.
Exclusive Ingame item - Drinking Cape, get one free drink in all of Hyborias Taverns.
Fake leather Map of Hyboria.
Concept Art Book.
Exclusive Soundtrack CD.
Buddy codes for five friends.


Summary: Bleeding rip off imho. No mention of Headstart access or a Mount. If they are included and Play/Eidos have screwed up on listing them then it may be worth a gander but at over twice the price of the normal version for what can only be called "fluff" ill stick with the cheaper option.

[Volw]

I'll defo buy the basic one, 60 quid is crazy.

But considering what you usually get from Collectors, this one's not bad.

(Fake) leather map's quite cool and the XP bonus is quite nice as well. It's going to sell really well imo.

[WiGgLr]

Interestingly, gamestop has the same offer but with a "War Mammoth" mount and an additional fiction book. Although it is a US based shop.

It would seem that there will be a few of these offers available.

[Ludicrouse]

Amazon.com reportedly has a "Amazonian Bow" rather than a mount as their offer.

[Gunhead]

Here's an extensive list of places to preorder from:

http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=50058

[Volw]

Nice find Gun.

Gameplay has it for 17.99! Thats cheaper than peanuts.

http://shop.gameplay.co.uk/webstore/productpage.asp?productcode=RM03367&title=age_of_conan_-_hyborian_adventures

[Ludicrouse]

No info on Headstart or a Mount. Id rather spend the extra £8.

[Hovis]

Any idea on a release date yet?

[Volw]

No info on Headstart or a Mount. Id rather spend the extra £8.

True.

@Hov, 30th of May -3

[Hovis]

So judging from the fact that even the master of the itchy feet Ludi is still in the beta, are we to presume this is a decent game after all? :D

[GuardianAnge1]

...i thought we agreed it was shit but wouldnt tell gun since he already got the tattoo on his arse

[Hovis]

...i thought we agreed it was shit but wouldnt tell gun since he already got the tattoo on his arse

Well it seems to have woven it's spell over a bunch of much needed fleet captains. Which is a pain as there are Brits to kill.

[WiGgLr]

So now I'm left in a bit of a quandry

Do I preorder this or not? Or will this be another game where everyone leaves after a few weeks?

[Gunhead]

Do I preorder this or not? Or will this be another game where everyone leaves after a few weeks?

Hard to see the future it is, shrouded by the dark side it has become.

[Ludicrouse]

Its actually May 20th for release, May 17th for the Headstart.

Its a good game, im not going to say it isnt. It has its failings and it has been watered down from the original concept.

Most of the people who come out with the doom and gloom posts are unable to cope with the Combat system which i personally had no problem understanding, implementing and enjoying as NPC's heads bounced and rolled along the floor. I blame over a decade of the same format of combat engine being unimproved for over a decade tbh.

AoC is all blood, guts and half naked women. If it had a tonne of racism in it then it could easily be mistaken for the work of Howard himself.

[WiGgLr]

Well, I guess it's play.com for me so I get the 4% cashback through quidco :)

[Hovis]

Well I might check it out. Pirates is going strong at the mo in the meantime. We're back to a dozen or more guys in prime time and more PvP than you can shake a stick at.

My only problem with it is that, new combat system or not, it's all a bit too familiar to me. Swords, saucery, stabbing, levelling and consequence free PvP.

[Ludicrouse]

My only problem with it is that, new combat system or not, it's all a bit too familiar to me. Swords, saucery, stabbing, levelling and consequence free PvP.

Correct, Correct, Correct, Correct, Wrong ;)

[Hovis]

Correct, Correct, Correct, Correct, Wrong ;)

What are the consequences? I don't need it to be EVE like, but if it's not PotBS like it's effectively consequence free. Put it simply, if I kill a man, what does it cost him?

[Ludicrouse]

His PvP XP, PvP'ing has its own level system, and Blood Money for definate. I dunno if equipment suffers a durability hit but you deffo lose your PvP XP.

[Volw]

Nice, tbh I don't like when I'm required to grind X hours/day just to enjoy pvp.

[Mero]

aight im convinced, preordering :)

[Gunhead]

His PvP XP, PvP'ing has its own level system, and Blood Money for definate. I dunno if equipment suffers a durability hit but you deffo lose your PvP XP.

And after a fashion AoC will be sporting the possibility for one of the most massive losses in PvP to date: Battlekeeps. A guild builds it up and running, another guild turns up in force during the attack window and razes the whole thing to ground. Only nine keeps per server, my bet is blood will spill by tankerloads over them.

That said i'm not re-hyped to it if that's what it seems, i'm still bummered by the watering down of it but been always intending to give it a chance.

Btw EU launch is 23rd of may, US one is 20th - provided it doesn't get postponed again...

[Volw]

So how does pvp look like, I mean outside of those 9 instanced towns? Is there like a massive pvp zone? If yes how does it work if there are no factions in game?

[Ludicrouse]

Btw EU launch is 23rd of may, US one is 20th - provided it doesn't get postponed again...

It wont, they have started to release stuff like Fansite kits, Wallpapers, Sample Soundtrack files and such fluff. Together its stuff you would only expect to see around release.

[Gunhead]

So how does pvp look like, I mean outside of those 9 instanced towns? Is there like a massive pvp zone?

Battlekeeps aren't instanced afaik, they're located three each in the three massive PvP zones tagged Border Kingdoms. A guild can hold one of the "nodes" at a time - Battlekeeps being biggest of those - which provide resources for your guild only available in Border Kingdoms.

Here's a bit more detailed read on it all: http://community.ageofconan.com/wsp/conan/frontend.cgi?func=publish.show&template=content&func_id=1923&table=CONTENT

If yes how does it work if there are no factions in game?

Everyone not in your party, raid group or guild is flagged hostile as in you can attack them. They're also putting in a mercenary system so a guild can hire loners or even other smaller guilds to fight for them. Once hired the mercenary players will be flagged friendly for your guild.


edit: Oh and here's something else that might interest a profiteering ferengi such as yourself Volw ;)
http://community.ageofconan.com/wsp/conan/frontend.cgi?func=publish.show&template=content&func_id=2203&table=CONTENT

[Ludicrouse]

Bloody hell Volw, i told you all that weeks ago on MSN!

You vs. World.

[Gunhead]

Volwie's mind wanders, last seen in Burma in 1997...

[Tapja]

But the real question is... which class is the imbaest in PvP :)

Well, that, and if the game actually has potential of being fun.

[Ludicrouse]

But the real question is... which class is the imbaest in PvP :)

Thats easy....


...its always the one i dont pick.

[Tapja]

Thats easy....


...its always the one i dont pick.

And which class(es) will you pick then, so I know what to avoid...

[Ludicrouse]

Conqueror, Barbarian and Ranger. :p

[Volw]

Well I'm quessing that for the open pvp it will be as usual - stealth classes if you want to solo.


I'll prolly pick Tempest of Set (heal/dps/cc hybrid).


@Gun, I hate crafting. Button mashing and the system PotBS have is something completely different. It looked to be quite good at first, shame it didn't work and turned into the biggest timesink in mmo history. However, managing rl again to build cities etc doesn't sound bad ... as long as there is no hauling involved ;)

Edit: @Gun, you have your own calass in game! (ToS) the new 'Cobra Stare' ability is a short-term paralysis ability, capable of stunning the target for a period of time

[Gunhead]

Well I'm quessing that for the open pvp it will be as usual - stealth classes if you want to solo.

All classes can "stealth" in AoC, rogue classes are a notch better at it though. There's also a common skill called "perception" which'll increase your chances of spotting mister Shad0wD3athNinjaOfMurd3r types.

And afaik stealth isn't in AoC what it is in WoW meaning people won't be going *boof* in broad daylight on open field. Could be wrong on that considering the other mainstreaming of the game's features during development.


/stare

[Ludicrouse]

Gun is indeed correct on all counts.

On the subject of Stealth he is paticulary correct that players do not just vanish out of sight. Noise, shadows and time of day all factor into how visible you are as well as Perception and other stealth breaking buffs/debuffs.

A very good analogy is the Theif series, playing a Rogue in AoC is very much akin.

[Volw]

Are we racing to have our own Battlekeep up and ready asap then ?;)

[Genya Arikado]

I am just trying to decide what to play since they axed my Lich :*(

[Volw]

I am just trying to decide what to play since they axed my Lich :*(

They merged classes so most of it is probably still there, as a spec line.

[Bagpuss]

well i'm now officially undecided on primary class ... initially the ranger looked a hoot, but after seeing the Blood-mage/Cleric [Vanguard] clone i'm thinking the DPS-Healer may be the way to go.

[MiMaRz]

havent looked to much into AoC classes etc (top much to catch up on).
But what would be the closest class to say a mage in wow if there is anything similiar.

[Volw]

ToS seems to be very blood magish. The more dmg dealt, the bigger the heal buff. (Blood Union?;))

Bear shammy is pretty much the same as the one in VG.

I wonder how are the casting classes going to play, compared to melee, considering that the spell-weaving is not in game for the release.

[Volw]

havent looked to much into AoC classes etc (top much to catch up on).
But what would be the closest class to say a mage in wow if there is anything similiar.

Demonologist I think.

Necro is a pet-class and HoX is a shapeshifting class.


From what I read (some forum post so nothing confirmed) it is possible to have a pet out as a Demo, but at a cost of dmg. Would be quite nice imo, pet decent to solo or tank in small groups and no-pet for group work.

[Gunhead]

Yea i recall a dev answering "Demonologist" to the question "which class is closest to the traditional rpg mage".

[WiGgLr]

well i'm now officially undecided on primary class ... initially the ranger looked a hoot, but after seeing the Blood-mage/Cleric [Vanguard] clone i'm thinking the DPS-Healer may be the way to go.

I've been playing a bloodmage in Vanguard, so I know the way I'm going :)

[Ludicrouse]

Wonder what they mean on here? (https://register.ageofconan.com/downtime/) :p

[Volw]

havent looked to much into AoC classes etc (top much to catch up on).
But what would be the closest class to say a mage in wow if there is anything similiar.

Some more info about Demo.

http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/21268

[FuSs]

Whats the difference between AoC and WoW now?
It looks pretty similar these days. At least from the gameplay movie i saw.

[Daymare]

I still think it's shit, but the dudes working on it from school say they are fixing a lot of shit these days, so might have a look again in a few weeks.

[Volw]

Well, it looks like there's going to be a lot of pvp involved which is a win for me.

[Ludicrouse]

Whats the difference between AoC and WoW now?
It looks pretty similar these days. At least from the gameplay movie i saw.

If you play a Ranger, of which there are no movies of, then its pretty much an MMOFPS. Combat is just different, its kind of hard to explain but its just more fun and requires alot more thought about what you actually do.

[WiGgLr]

If you play a Ranger, of which there are no movies of, then its pretty much an MMOFPS. Combat is just different, its kind of hard to explain but its just more fun and requires alot more thought about what you actually do.

fraps?

[Ludicrouse]

Not got the game installed anymore. I can tell you now that there are two modes of Combat for Rangers. One is a similar system to the current crop of MMO's, you lock the Target and just spam the Homing Arrows.

The second is the best. Your camera shifts into your head and you see your bow and arrows as you do in Oblivion. The system isnt too different between those two games tbh. While i cant give you any indepth info about how the various types of Arrow work i can just tell you that it plays the closest to an MMOFPS as is possible withou playing PS at this time.

[Neraj]

there are two modes of Combat for Rangers. One is a similar system to the current crop of MMO's, you lock the Target and just spam the Homing Arrows.

The second is the best. Your camera shifts into your head and you see your bow and arrows as you do in Oblivion.

I take it there is some sort of incentive if you choose to manually aim? or is it that certain weapons can only be manually aimed and the rest are auto lock?

[Ludicrouse]

Iirc the difference is Range and the ability to place your shots. Its been a while since i dabbled with it. Here is a quote from TenTonHammer's Class Interview with Evan Micheals.

Ten Ton Hammer: Is the ranged “first person shooter” mode still in Age of Conan? Will there be a “sticky” targeting system included with this class as well?

Evan: Yes, we still have a first-person targeting mode although it is not the only method of participating in ranged combat. Given the hectic nature of many of the fights, we felt that not having a “lock-on” mode would lead to a frustrating experience for the players in some situations and thus we have included that as an option in addition to first-person mode. Both modes of targeting lead to a very different gameplay experience but we will leave it to the player to decide which they prefer.

Ten Ton Hammer: How does the ranged “first person shooter” mode affect the way a player operates with his Ranger? It’s said that the FPS mode can shoot further and do more damage than the third person mode, so why would anyone want to shoot from third person rather than first person?

Evan: Given the team and positioning-based nature of our combat system, it may sometimes be beneficial to be able to see what is directly around one’s character. Some players prefer third-person targeting as it gives them a better overview of their direct surroundings at any given time—although they will sacrifice some long-distance viewing ability in the process. As noted before, this will primarily be up to the players to decide which they prefer.

There you have it, basically the difference is Range and Spatial Awareness. For you Raj i cant see the latter being a problem in FPS mode anyway :p

[Ludicrouse]

In related news to the origin of this thread.

It appears that Eidos have pulled the Three Day Headstart from underneath its UK customers. All UK retailers have been contacted by Eidos with the news that they will not honour any of the Headstart agreements, those on order previously or in the future.

Fucking Eidos fucktards.

[GuardianAnge1]

hmm wonder if I can access AoC's bug reporting server and see what it looks like since we're sharing a producer

[Hovis]

In related news to the origin of this thread.

It appears that Eidos have pulled the Three Day Headstart from underneath its UK customers. All UK retailers have been contacted by Eidos with the news that they will not honour any of the Headstart agreements, those on order previously or in the future.

Fucking Eidos fucktards.

From the guys who brought you the 'Give Us Good Review Or We Get You Fired' school of press relations.

[Neraj]

Ordered it, this better be good! :p

[Volw]

From the guys who brought you the 'Give Us Good Review Or We Get You Fired' school of press relations.

I see you're not really eager to review AoC? :D

[WiGgLr]

he's referring to kane and lynch

http://forums.renegade-legion.org/showthread.php?t=11036

[Volw]

I know. But I think some reviewers will think hard before slacking a game that's somenosring something next time .. ;)

[Volw]

In related news to the origin of this thread.

It appears that Eidos have pulled the Three Day Headstart from underneath its UK customers. All UK retailers have been contacted by Eidos with the news that they will not honour any of the Headstart agreements, those on order previously or in the future.

Fucking Eidos fucktards.

Umm are you sure?

If you pre-order the game you will be allowed into the world of Hyboria several days prior to the official opening of the servers, which is set for May 20th in North-America and May 23rd in Europe. This is what we call the Early Access program.

By pre-ordering the game from a retailer that retailer will supply you with a pre-order key. You can use this key to purchase Early Access from the Funcom website for $5 / 5€.

Note that Early Access is exclusively available to those who pre-order. The characters you create during your Early Access period will still be available to you once the servers officially open. Early Access will require you to download the game yourself.

The dates for Early Access are as follows:

Europe: Registration and sales of Early Access open on May 2nd. Download of the client for early access from May 16th, and you can start playing from May 20th.

North-America: Registration and sales of Early Access open on May 2nd. Download of the client for early access from May 13th, and you can start playing from May 17th.

Purchasing Early Access will not only give you the chance to jump into Conan’s world before the rest of the world, but it will also give you ten extra days of free play time. These ten days are added to your thirty days of free play that is included in the retail

If you have not received your pre-order key by they end of April please contact your retailer directly.

[Ludicrouse]

Well the information i posted was correct at date. Even Funcom had no idea what Eidos was doing. It appears they must have cleared it up with them but there is still no change to the Play.com listing with the Headstart added.

[Ludicrouse]

Fileplanet is hosting Beta access next week. For more info look here. (http://www.fileplanet.com/promotions/ageofconan/)

[Neraj]

I'm being a noob here but, do you lose anything if you die in PvP or PvE?

[Volw]

I'm being a noob here but, do you lose anything if you die in PvP or PvE?

Not sure how it ended up. But they ware testing a temporary debuff to health/mana/damage. Similar to the one GW used.

Edit:

This is something we’re still messing with in beta at the moment, so these words should not be held as Gospel truth, but as a statement of where we are now. At the moment, there are no corpse runs, but once you return to the land of the living at a resurrection point, there is a debuff (stat hits) for dying. This debuff can be taken away by running back to where you died, finding your tombstone, and clicking on it. This works the same in PvP, so it would only be a few minutes before you’re back in the fray. However, the death penalty can be quite significant. If one guy has a huge death penalty and the other does not, the guy with the death penalty will probably lose the fight (all things being equal, of course).

[Ludicrouse]

His PvP XP, PvP'ing has its own level system, and Blood Money for definate. I dunno if equipment suffers a durability hit but you deffo lose your PvP XP.


From earlier in the Thread Raj :)

[Ardesco de la Furia]

hmm the more i look at this game the more i like it












ya hovis burn me at the stake

[Volw]

Game.co.uk added Rhino mount and extra slots to the CE edition.

[Genya Arikado]

Might need to change my preorder then, did mine with Game over a year now, no such thing as a collecters ed then ^^

[Volw]

I've preodered it from GAME. Trying to contact them to change my adress 3rd day in a row now. They dont pick up the phone, don't answer the emails. Is it usual?

[Neraj]

Play also offers the inventory slots:

# Includes 30 days subscription
# Pre-Order Bonuses: Pre-order before the 20th May. Instructions will sent on how to get your pre-order bonuses shortly before release. Bonuses limited to Standard Edition only.
# Free in-game War Rhino Mount, exclusive to Play.com
# 3-day early access (offer closes 14th May)
# 8 extra inventory slots


Just realised Ludi has already mentioned this - I really need to start reading the entire thread... but nah, Im too lazy.