Good, Accurate Information (For those who care) (Also, long)

Daedalus732

There seems to be a lot of bad information passed around on this forum made worse by judgments made by people who haven't even played 20 levels of this game, so for those who care, I want to give some honest information about the game to help you make a decision on whether or not this game is right for you.

I'll be up front about my love for this game. I'm currently a level 40 Priest of Mitra on a RP-PVP in the guild known as "Imperium" on the Cimmeria server. So while I would love to see more people join AoC, my first and foremost concern is that people have fun and understand what AoC is all about before you go and spend $50.

First and foremost, before you even think about playing this game, you better have a nice rig to get the most out of the graphics, or they won't look as nice. While this seems obvious to many people, you really need to read the system requirements and understand that when they say minimum, they really do mean MINIMUM. I would recommend at least 2 GB of RAM, an 8 or 9 series GeForce Card, and a Dual Core processor around the 3 Ghz range. If you are using Windows Vista, then the more RAM the better.

Second, Conan is different from other MMOs:

1. There is no auto attack in this game. It requires both hands on your computer during combat. I've seen people complain that they can't talk on the phone while playing AoC because the combat is too complex. While I wouldn't go that far, combat does require a lot of attention and there are a lot of factors that go into a successful fight. If anyone wants me to list those, then just ask. Otherwise, take my word for it and we'll move on.

2. There is an immense amount of gore and nudity in this game. You can turn it off, but don't complain about it. It's part of the Hyborian world and it's not going anywhere. The game is rated "M' for a reason. It's not a title for prudes.

3. AoC is not as gear based as other MMOs, but more based on skill. You can hit several enemies at once in combat, caster classes can chain spells together in an effect called "spellweaving", and numbers trumps level. 3 or 4 level 8 players can easily bring down a level 15 for example.

4. If you think you can be a l33t kiddie, think again. The player guilds in AoC are powerful communities and often go around asserting their authority and dispensing justice as they see fit. In short, the community is powerfully strong and a guild name under your player name will deter a lot of PVP ganking. In point of fact, an individual who tries to go around ganking will be punished by the community.

 

As far as the general design goes, AoC is NOT, repeat, NOT an open world. This isn't ideal in my mind, and might be a game breaker for others, but it's important that people know this. There are several instances of each zone, and players can travel through them. For me personally, this takes away from some of the immersion, but I'm so used to them now, that I don't even think about it anymore.

As I said, I play on a RP-PVP server. I love it. I've been ganked and I've turned the tables on would-be gankers. Most players will in fact, leave you alone and go about your business. The concern that people would go around being psychotic killers didn't come to pass in reality. Of course, PVP server aren't for everyone, and it is FFA right now.

 

For me, the bottom line is fun, and I'm loving this game. Mounted Combat is great, combat in general is fun and not repetitive, and on my server, the community and guilds are great.

I would be happy to answer any questions people have. I'm sure there's more I could have said, but just can't think of everything right now.

afoaa

May I add about gear: This game is true to the Riddle of Steel.

"What is steel compared to the strength of the hand that wields it!"

Gear means little so far, skill means everything.

Daedalus732

Originally posted by afoaa


May I add about gear: This game is true to the Riddle of Steel.
"What is steel compared to the strength of the hand that wields it!"
Gear means little so far, skill means everything.

Also, there are thousands of sets of armor in the game, so people concerned about finding gear they like should not be concerned.

afoaa

Originally posted by Daedalus732


 
 
Also, there are thousands of sets of armor in the game, so people concerned about finding gear they like should not be concerned.

Well . . . that might be so but honestly at lvl 42 it looks like the 1400 of them are for NPCs only.

I cant put on nice civilian clothes on my toon like i can in Lotro and that is one thing that bugs me. I see a nice set of clothes and think "way cool" but its not available anywhere.

Maybe crafting later can make it but so far we dont know.

 

Miner-2049er

Originally posted by Daedalus732



Second, Conan is different from other MMOs:
1. There is no auto attack in this game. It requires both hands on your computer during combat. I've seen people complain that they can't talk on the phone while playing AoC because the combat is too complex. While I wouldn't go that far, combat does require a lot of attention and there are a lot of factors that go into a successful fight. If anyone wants me to list those, then just ask. Otherwise, take my word for it and we'll move on.
Amen, and thank god for that! About time there is a game that doesn't double up as a chat room during combat.
2. There is an immense amount of gore and nudity in this game. You can turn it off, but don't complain about it. It's part of the Hyborian world and it's not going anywhere. The game is rated "M' for a reason. It's not a title for prudes.
Yes, and I love it. I still go 'eurgggh' whet my Barbarian takes a head off,  and I love the animation when my character leans forward to pull a  mocking stance at the player that's just been hacked before leaning back to pull out the weapon.
3. AoC is not as gear based as other MMOs, but more based on skill. You can hit several enemies at once in combat, caster classes can chain spells together in an effect called "spellweaving", and numbers trumps level. 3 or 4 level 8 players can easily bring down a level 15 for example.
This is a good thing.
4. If you think you can be a l33t kiddie, think again. The player guilds in AoC are powerful communities and often go around asserting their authority and dispensing justice as they see fit. In short, the community is powerfully strong and a guild name under your player name will deter a lot of PVP ganking. In point of fact, an individual who tries to go around ganking will be punished by the community.
Yes, there has been barely any ganking and I play on PVP-RP.
 5. AoC is NOT, repeat, NOT an open world. This isn't ideal in my mind, and might be a game breaker for others, but it's important that people know this. There are several instances of each zone, and players can travel through them. For me personally, this takes away from some of the immersion, but I'm so used to them now, that I don't even think about it anymore.
This for my is by far my biggest concern with the game. I'm not yet sure if it's a game breaker but it could be. I'm really hoping that it does open up more at some stage but I am worried.