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Age of Conan

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This article is about a computer game. For the title character and namesake, see Conan the Cimmerian.
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures
File:Age of Conan Cover.jpg
Developer(s)Funcom
Publisher(s)Funcom
Eidos Interactive[2]
Designer(s)Gaute Godager,[3]
Game Director
Rui Casais,[4]
Lead Programmer
Erling Ellingsen,[5]
Product Manager
EngineProprietary DreamWorld Engine™ using SpeedTree Technology by IDV, Inc.[6]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Windows Vista, Xbox 360[7]
ReleaseMarch 25, 2008[1] (official)
Genre(s)Low Fantasy MMORPG, Online RPG
Mode(s)Single Player, Multiplayer

Age of Conan (commonly abbreviated as AoC) is an upcoming fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Funcom for PC and the Xbox 360.[9] Funcom has stated the release date is to be March 25, 2008, for the PC version with the Xbox 360 version to follow later in 2008.[10] Age of Conan began internal beta testing in Summer 2006,[11] and opened the beta registration process on April 3, 2007.[12]

Hyborian Adventures is the first installment in the planned Age of Conan series that will include expansion packs hinted at on the official forums. The Age of Conan series is set in the Hyborian Age, a fantasy setting created by Robert E. Howard in 1932. Age of Conan itself takes place within the continent of the Hyborian kingdoms, a year after the events depicted in Howard's sole Conan novel, The Hour of the Dragon.[13] Hyborian Adventures' release will celebrate the 76th anniversary of the Conan franchise.

There is also a slated Age of Conan Fantasy Battle Game in development by Mongoose Publishing[14] and an Age of Conan Strategy Board Game published by Nexus Editrice.[15]

Overview

In development since 2003, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is an upcoming online action role-playing game based on the Conan the Cimmerian stories written by Robert E. Howard in the early 1930s. The game is being developed for the PC and the Xbox 360 by Funcom, the creators of the science fiction MMORPG Anarchy Online and the adventure game The Longest Journey. While the game appears to be a traditional MMORPG, Funcom prefers using the term "online action RPG" instead.[16]

When first entering the world of Hyboria, the game is divided into two sections: In the first section you can choose if you want to play alone or with other players. At night, the game is a single-player-experience, while at day it is a multiplayer-experience. Switching between the two is done by sleeping in an inn. This whole first part is done on an island called Tortage. When you reach level 20, you are allowed to leave the island and thus the second section takes the character created during the first portion to a whole new environment. The online world promises to be dynamic, as players may form guilds (player organizations), conquer territories and erect cities which are vulnerable to attacks by humanoid NPCs.

Originally the Tortage-part was going to be a full single-player-experience, but that has now been changed. [17]

One of the primary attractions of Age of Conan is the "Real Combat" system, which promises greater player interaction during combat than previously seen in online role-playing games. The player is able to direct the swings of their character's weapon during combat to attack six separate target zones. Funcom has stated that this system will be easy to learn even for veteran MMORPG players who are used to "click and wait" combat; however, the specific details of this system have yet to be unveiled. In order to utilize the combat mechanics, the player will use 5 keys; 1, 2, 3, Q, and E. Other features will include battle formations, which impart bonuses to the group using them, and mounted combat, which will also use the "Real Combat" engine.

Funcom is focusing on developing content for the "end game," the time at which characters have reached maximum advancement, rather than the "grind" and promises a fast leveling process. Funcom has also promised the graphic nature of Robert E. Howard's short stories will not be toned down for the game and that they expect Age of Conan to receive an ESRB rating of Mature due to its content.

Characters

Main article: Characters in Age of Conan

Characters in Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures are created via a user account on an online server. Characters created on one server are not usable on another; however, Funcom is planning to have a server transfer process for characters after the game is launched. Players create characters which function as their virtual avatars in the online world of Hyboria. When creating a character in Age of Conan, the player may choose from three playable races. There have been hints of more playable races with expansions.

For the first five levels the player is a "commoner," without a class, but of one of three origins. Then at level five, the player chooses from three of four archetypes (in bold), affected by racial origin. At level twenty, the player selects from two to four class selections for each archetype.

A screenshot of the character creation and extensive customization featured in Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures.
Aquilonian Cimmerian Stygian
Rogue Rogue Rogue
  • Assassin
  • Ranger
Priest Priest Priest
Soldier Soldier Mage

Additionally at level twenty[18], the player may choose from one of four prestige classes which provide an additional, parallel, path of development. Each of these has extremely valuable advantages that can be used both in solo play and in team play, and each has specific skills and benefits that can make a great difference.

Prestige Classes
Lord Master Crafter Commander
Has placement rights for the main Keep Can have one “follower” who, while of questionable use in combat, is able to gather resources when the player is offline. Can build crafting premises in the guild villages Adds one additional maximum member to a team
Can build Guard Towers Can build Stables which upgrade the quality of mounts Each Crafter in a guild increases the resource extraction of wood for all guild members Can build Barracks that will spawn soldiers to protect the village on attack
Each Lord in a guild increases the resource extraction of gold nuggets for all guild members – up to a max of 30 Lords Each Master in a guild will increase the resource extraction of stone for all guild members – up to a max of 30 Masters Has access to all forms of crafting Each Commander in a guild increases the resource extraction of iron ore for all guild members – up to a max of 30 Commanders
Each Lord in a guild increases the experience point bonus for all guild members – up to a max of 20 Lords Has access to the Armorsmith crafting skill Can draw up special “Tactical Plans” to enable Commander only formations
Has access to the Architect and Alchemy crafting skills Has access to the Weaponsmith crafting skill

Combat

File:Aoc 03.jpg
A helmeted warrior attired in Aquilonian armor, with Picts riding mammoths in the background.

From an IGN interview with game director Gaute Godager of Funcom:

We call the engine Real Combat, and it is based on six directions, or ways, of attacking an opponent with a sword. First, you can hack down against the head. Second, you can slash diagonally down from the right, while the third is slashing the same way from the left. Fourth, you can thrust against the torso. Fifth, you can slash diagonally up from the left, and sixth, you can slash diagonally up from the right. The point here is that these directions lend themselves naturally to being strung together in combinations. These combos unlock additional damage and faster combat, if done well.[19]

More than any other feature, combat is the prime attraction of Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. Funcom is determined to make the traditional Dungeons & Dragons-inspired "round-based" system of combat that is the current standard in RPGs obsolete. Instead Age of Conan will feature what Funcom has termed the "Real Combat" system. This system is a first-person melee approach in which every enemy is divided into five different areas that players can swing at. Players choose where they wish to swing along with which weapons, spells, or techniques they wish to use, and then watch as their avatar completes the action. As players become better at using the system, they will find combinations of abilities, swing styles and target points that string together to make more devastating attack combos. While player stats and items bonuses will play a role in this system, the idea of "Real Combat" is to bring more player skill into MMO fighting.

Players will also have more fighting options than they may be used to in older MMOs. While the "Real Combat" system is the basis for one-on-one weapon battle, players will also use the system for spell-casting, ranged combat and even battling on horseback (mounted combat). In some situations, however, players will choose to band together and unite their skills to face other bands of players or AI controlled armies or uber-mobs; in essence, "formations." Player bands using formations can temporarily choose to surrender some control over their character's movement to a commander who will direct their unit in battle. In return, the members of the formation will gain special attack and defensive bonuses as well as tactics that they can use against other formations.

Players will also take part in massive siege operations. Adventurers can cooperate with one another to build massive cities with walls, towers and catapults that can protect player-owned taverns and merchant facilities. The world will respond appropriately to the rise of player cities, though, even AI controlled enemies will build their own cities, ensuring a constant stream of brutal city-vs.-city combat as players try to knock down enemy walls or defend their homes.[20]

Community

File:AoC 02.jpg
Player mounts in Age of Conan include horses, camels, mammoths, donkeys, wagons and chariots

Due to the game being in rumored development since 2003, an online virtual community had steadily clustered around various fan websites regarding Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. By February 2005, this informal community was still going strong despite no true public announcement concerning the rumored game. Finally, Funcom and Conan Properties LLC jointly confirmed the in-development status of Age of Conan in an official press release on April 20, 2005. Shortly thereafter, a primitive game website debuted and thousands of Conan enthusiasts migrated from their fan sites to the new official forums hosted by Funcom. Many Anarchy Online fans also followed the development of the product due to the involvement of Funcom, who created the Anarchy Online PC series.

Between March 2005 and January 2006, Funcom periodically revealed concept art and screenshots from Age of Conan. The Art Director for the Conan project is Didrik Tollefsen, known for such classics as The Longest Journey and Anarchy Online - Shadowlands, which won the Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction award at RPG Vault in 2003.

On January 24, 2006, Funcom unveiled the community portal for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. By this time, much of the pre-launch community had gathered around the forums and IRC chat of the official Age of Conan website. There were informal events such as IRC chats with the developers and, in summer 2006, community contests.

In April 2006, Funcom created a Guild Hall for its pre-launch community and, within hours, forum members began organizing their "player guilds." These guilds consist of individuals who typically share the same playing styles and gameplay opinions. In January 2007, several important updates were announced regarding class merges and the expected launch window for the game. On January 12th, Funcom announced the original twenty-three classes had been merged down to fourteen classes due to beta feedback.[21]

On April 3, 2007, Funcom began its Beta Sign-Up program[22] which attracted more than 100,000 gamers over the Easter holiday.[23] Shortly thereafter, the "technical beta" phase began on April 27, 2007, and several hundred individuals from the Age of Conan online community began formal testing.[24] On August 10, 2007, Funcom announced the new official release date for Age of Conan as March 25, 2008.[25]

Setting

Main article: Hyborian Age
An Aquilonian character in Age of Conan gazing at the snowy mountains of northern Cimmeria.

From an OGaming interview with game director Gaute Godager of Funcom:

The [Hyborian Age] is like a dark, decadent, twisted and corrupt version of Euro-Asian history. Mix a bit of the Roman Empire, Mongolian culture and Babylonian mysticism with '30s-era myths of undiscovered Africa...[26]

Age of Conan is set in a low fantasy, pseudo-historical ancient world called the Hyborian Age created by Robert E. Howard. In this world filled with cruel gods, mythical creatures, lost civilizations and a struggling human race, the mighty warlord Conan has finally seized the throne as king of Aquilonia. Yet King Conan's grip on the Aquilonian throne has become tenuous, with ancient evils threatening to throw the realm into chaos. In this twisted fantasy world, dark magic and brutal combat lurks around every corner, and each man and woman must carve their own unique destiny under Conan's reign. In the true vision of Robert E. Howard's dark universe, the time is ripe for those with the strength and will to carve out their own destinies.[27]

The primitive brutality and decadent bacchanalia of the Hyborian Age is one of the unique attractions of Age of Conan due to its stark contrast to the high fantasy settings that typify the majority of contemporary MMOs such as EverQuest II, The Lord of the Rings Online and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. In Age of Conan, there are few of the elements that are common in high fantasy, such as elves, halflings, orcs, fire-breathing dragons or Arthurian courtliness. Though one can have a fantasy setting with elves and the like and still be "Low Fantasy" as the defining factor is lack of moral dichotomy of altruistic good, and pure unredeemable evil, this is rarely, if ever, the case.

Instead, Hyboria is a land of neither good nor evil, but "moral shades of gray" in which Conan, himself, is a barbaric anti-hero and his enemies are, upon occasion, rightful princes or altruistic minstrels revolting against his militaristic autocracy. As such, this moral ambiguity and bloodthirsty atavism of R.E. Howard's Hyborian Age sometimes disconcerts newcomers to the lore who are accustomed to the classicist fantasy of authors like C.S. Lewis.[28]

See also: Absence of stereotypical good-versus-evil conflict in the Hyborian Age.

Music

There are three principal individuals overseeing the music and audio for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. The Audio Director is Morten Sørlie, who created the widely hailed soundtrack for Anarchy Online - Shadowlands. Sørlie is accompanied by sound designer Tord D. Nikolaisen, and composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen who is writing the musical score for the game.[29] To create a fitting musical score for the Hyborian universe, composer Knut Avenstroup Haugen turned to many different sources. For the music of the different ethnic groups, Haugen studied traditional music from relevant parts of the world. For the overall theme of the Hyborian Age, Haugen researched its musical history, primarily Basil Poledouris' orchestral soundtrack to the Conan the Barbarian (1982) film, while avoiding conventions that connect too closely to specific historical periods.[30]

Technology

Main article: Funcom
Tortage City, the backwater capital of the Barrachan Isles, as seen in Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures.
DreamWorld Engine™

The DreamWorld graphics engine was developed by Funcom circa 2000. Other computer games powered by DreamWorld technology include Anarchy Online and its various expansion packs. When Funcom began developing Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, the company reviewed its existing technology base and decided to focus on the further evolution of their proprietary DreamWorld engine as opposed to licensing a third-party engine like many online RPG companies do. As such, Funcom began to retool their engine with the overall design, pipeline and implementation process was taken into account. In light of these changes, the DreamWorld engine has been rebuilt for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures with new features, special effects and optimizations.[31]

"Real Combat"

"Real Combat" is being touted by Funcom as a revolutionary approach to combat in online RPGs where the player is in direct control of the character's weapon strikes in real time. This multi-point melee and ranged combat system is purportedly easy-to-learn and is one of the prime attractions of the title. Allegedly, the "Real Combat" system will take the ritualized combat experience previously found in online RPGs in a new direction. For this system, Funcom has also added aspects such as formation combat, mounted combat, siege combat and hive combat.[32]

Cheetah

Cheetah is a shader-oriented proprietary render engine re-written from scratch by Funcom featuring a phong per pixel lighting system. This engine allows for improved graphics and ambience. This is coupled with a trapezoidal shadow system, an in-house system developed by Funcom that allows all objects to cast shadows onto everything.[33]

Perlin noise-based cloud generating system

Perlin noise-based cloud generating system is a five-layered procedural system that enables multiple layers of dynamic clouds; thus, visually-realistic cloud behavior.[34]

SpeedTree©RT

SpeedTree is a programming package produced by Interactive Data Visualization, Inc. (IDV) that aims to produce high-quality virtual foliage in real time, suitable especially for video games but also aimed to a lesser extent at some other kinds of simulations. It has so far been licensed to a substantial number of video game developers, including developers of the Unreal engine series. SpeedTree is currently being used in several games, one of which is a MMO action game World War II Online, and the renowned RPG The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.[35]

DirectX 10

"Funcom is proud to be one of the few developers who is tapping into this technology, and we look forward to showing you even more of DirectX 10. Some of the improvements visible in the videos and the screenshots are improved parallax mapping, better lighting and more advanced shadows technology. DirectX 10 will also make it possible to have sharper textures, more details in every scene, longer view distances and much more."[36]

Pre-Launch Acclaim

During the past several years, Funcom has twice previewed Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, more commonly known as E3, and the product has received various critic awards for these demonstrations. The following information is a partial listing of those awards.

See also

References

  1. ^ Age of Conan released date announced to be March 25, 2008 - retrieved on August 22, 2007
  2. ^ Funcom and Eidos sign publishing agreement for Age of Conan - July 24, 2006 - retrieved on July 24, 2006
  3. ^ Gaute Godager, the Game Director for Age of Conan - December 19, 2006 - retrieved on April 6, 2007
  4. ^ Friday Update: 6th April 2007 - The Journey into Beta for Age of Conan - April 6, 2007 - retrieved on April 6, 2007
  5. ^ Age of Conan interview with Erling Ellingsen: Product Manager - March 13, 2007 - retrieved on April 6, 2007
  6. ^ Funcom Brings SpeedTree©RT Into Age of Conan - October 1, 2006 - retrieved on April 6, 2007
  7. ^ Age of Conan Confirmed for Xbox 360 - December 10, 2006 - retrieved on December 12, 2006
  8. ^ http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest
  9. ^ Age of Conan Confirmed for Xbox 360 - December 10, 2006 - retrieved on December 12, 2006
  10. ^ Age of Conan released date announced to be March 25, 2008 - retrieved on August 22, 2007
  11. ^ Funcom Online Product Manager: "‘Age of Conan’ is currently in the Beta phase." (July 24, 2006).
  12. ^ Funcom Community Manager: "Beta Sign-Up has started." (April 3, 2007).
  13. ^ Age of Conan is set after The Hour of the Dragon. - September 16, 2006 - retrieved on January 25, 2007
  14. ^ Age Of Conan: Fantasy Battle Game from Mongoose Publishing - June 1, 2006 - retrieved on January 25, 2007
  15. ^ Nexus Editrice to publish the strategy board game - August 8, 2006 - retrieved on February 18, 2007
  16. ^ A Funcom Community Manager defines AoC as an "online action RPG." - April 7, 2006 - January 25, 2007
  17. ^ Single-player experience changed" - May 31, 2007
  18. ^ By Mitra! Mini Q&A - June 7, 2007 - retrieved on November 15, 2007
  19. ^ Pre-E3 2005: Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures (Page 2 of 4) - May 10, 2005 - retrieved on July 24, 2006
  20. ^ GameSpy Preview: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (Page 3 of 3) - retrieved on July 22, 2006
  21. ^ Funcom announces class merges. - January 12, 2007 - retrieved on January 25, 2007
  22. ^ Funcom Community Manager: "Beta Sign-Up has started." (April 3, 2007).
  23. ^ 100,000 gamers signed up for Age of Conan Beta during Easter. (April 11, 2007).
  24. ^ The technical beta kicks off. (April 27, 2007).
  25. ^ Age of Conan released date announced to be March 25, 2008 - retrieved on August 22, 2007
  26. ^ OGaming Interview with Gaute Godager (Page 1 of 3) - January 20, 2006 - retrieved on July 25, 2006
  27. ^ RPG Vault: Age of Conan Interview with Gaute Godager (Page 1) - July 17, 2005 - retrieved on August 8, 2006
  28. ^ Age of Conan Interview with Terje Lundberg by MMOG Welten - December 10, 2005 - retrieved on July 25, 2006
  29. ^ Sound and music in Age of Conan. - retrieved on April 13, 2007
  30. ^ Music in Age of Conan - November 22, 2005 - retrieved on July 22, 2006
  31. ^ Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Peek #3 (Page 1 of 3) - November 24, 2005 - retrieved on July 22, 2006
  32. ^ "Real-combat engine" - November 24, 2005 - retrieved on July 22, 2006
  33. ^ Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Peek #3 (Page 2 of 3) - November 24, 2005 - retrieved on July 22, 2006
  34. ^ Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Peek #3 (Page 2 of 3) - November 24, 2005 - retrieved on July 22, 2006
  35. ^ Funcom Brings SpeedTree©RT into Age of Conan - retrieved on July 22, 2006
  36. ^ Funcom utilizes DirectX 10 for Age of Conan - January 24, 2007 - retrieved on January 25, 2007
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