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76,000 changes since launch - new interview with some nice details on Expac too!
AmazingAvery
Age of Conan AdvocateMember UncommonPosts: 7,188
www.ztgamedomain.com/8525/Interview-With-Funcoms-Craig-Morrison.html
Craig lets us know a little bit more about the expansion and also that there has been a lot of work gone into the game since release ~ 7 major updates and 76,000 changes have happened.
If only half of that was ready for May'08, nevertheless, we are here in the future now, dealing with the present and there is obviously a large amount of focus now on content since many "major" things have been fixed / adjusted / rebalanced.
Of course there are still some issues that crop up but there is work going on to rectify them, prioritization is good, in the right order and the game will soon be on the cusp of another major update focusing on 3 key area's.
There is a whole new updated dynamic lighting engine coming with the expansion too.
Comments
Ooooww....Oooow.../raises hand
I have a question....
What (in God's name) do they mean when they say adding "a whole new dynamic lighting engine"?
Does that mean they are losing Dreamworld (Anarchy Online's old engine) and adding a whole new engine?
-or is it just a bullshit way of saying they are adding some lighting effects?
Funcom has announced a deal with Geometrics to use their 'Enlighten' real-time lighting engine inside both MMOs: the Age of Conan and The Secret World. Enlighten allows lighting elements to be rendered in real-time as opposed to more traditional 'pre-baked' elements. Basically real time radiosity and other next generation lighting effects, difference is that curent AoC uses real lighting in the exterior, but shadowmaps in the interiors.In the expansion it will use real lighting in both environments.
Press Release & Geometrics Video demo & Conan demo with Englighten from GDC Video
No bullshit here. Will be in the TSW too.
After lying and deceiving customer base at beginning way they did i'm not going to touch another funcom product with long stick. Rather vote with wallet what they can get off with.
Funcom has announced a deal with Geometrics to use their 'Enlighten' real-time lighting engine inside both MMOs: the Age of Conan and The Secret World. Enlighten allows lighting elements to be rendered in real-time as opposed to more traditional 'pre-baked' elements. Basically real time radiosity and other next generation lighting effects, difference is that curent AoC uses real lighting in the exterior, but shadowmaps in the interiors.In the expansion it will use real lighting in both environments.
Press Release & Geometrics Video demo & Conan demo with Englighten from GDC Video
No bullshit here. Will be in the TSW too.
Ok Avery--I never heard of this company...but if EvE has signed up with them it's probably good.
saw the demo--looks neat--real-time sunlight and what not.
Let's see how well it integrates
Funcom has announced a deal with Geometrics to use their 'Enlighten' real-time lighting engine inside both MMOs: the Age of Conan and The Secret World. Enlighten allows lighting elements to be rendered in real-time as opposed to more traditional 'pre-baked' elements. Basically real time radiosity and other next generation lighting effects, difference is that curent AoC uses real lighting in the exterior, but shadowmaps in the interiors.In the expansion it will use real lighting in both environments.
Press Release & Geometrics Video demo & Conan demo with Englighten from GDC Video
No bullshit here. Will be in the TSW too.
Ok Avery--I never heard of this company...but if EvE has signed up with them it's probably good.
saw the demo--looks neat--real-time sunlight and what not.
Let's see how well it integrates
Yes CCP did a deal too early this year for forthcoming updates to that game too. As far as I can tell Enlighten is not in EvE yet but as someone who is in to this kind of thing it is very interesting to see what the results will be.
I think it is safe to say the graphic artists at Funcom are very talented, if this works out well it can keep the game ahead of the curve in this area. For the rest of the game there has been a lot of work done, we are now in the 10 month of behind the scenes development for the expansion.
I would like to see FC release the Enlighten demo that was shown themselves so we can see a better quality version.
The expansion will be most welcomed, it seems like another 1/3 + added to the game, I have chewed through pretty much everything so far and in the meantime if 1.06 can get out before Christmas I will be most happy.
That explains a lot about how unfinished this game was at release....now what pushed away countless players over the free trials and win backs? Seems like Funcom needs 7 fold 76,000 more changes to grow.
I'm doubtfull that if AoC was first released today its fate would have changed one bit just because of what happened from free trials. Funcom could have doubled their population and began growing over free trials...now they are probably out of chances as the expansion will costs money and not many will pay to beta test an AoC expansion for a year.
EDIT: Prioritization is good? no, Funcom should not know the priority as they gave out a priority questionaire to players, is that more lip service?
Funcom has reviewed all of its assets relevant for
impairment testing. This process has led to
recognition of an impairment loss of around
3,1 MUSD for Age of Conan due to a decrease in
numbers of subscribers for the game. Funcom Q4 10 report.
http://forums.ageofconan.com/showpost.php?p=2926123&postcount=7 500 mains/alts on Tyranny in past 30 days - instead of merge servers let's open a new PvP server, again! http://forums-eu.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=106427
Is this the same technology that is suppose to lower the poly size count? If I said that right, something about for example a 4meg file and reducing it to 200k or something like that? Where it would load faster on the screen or wouldn't take up so much hard drive space?
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Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate.
That would be "procedural rendering" www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/243771 be sure to check the links out if not done already in that thread
Smaller game client and advances in game could very well be for AoC with the Expac, and most likely for sure (I think) with TSW.
That would be "procedural rendering" www.mmorpg.com/discussion2.cfm/thread/243771 be sure to check the links out if not done already in that thread
Smaller game client and advances in game could very well be for AoC with the Expac, and most likely for sure (I think) with TSW.
That's it, thank you. I think both will allow them to put AoC on xbox finally. As it stands now I don't see how that would be possible. Anyways, thanks for the link.
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Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate.
Sounds like AOC will be used as a testing platform for TSW. Before they put something in TSW they will most likely have the players of AOC test it out first and work out all the kinks before TSW launches with it. Its good for TSW but kinda sucks for AOC.
If only FC had taken that same approach with AOC by using AO as it's testing game then AOC may have had a different future.
When I joined AoC 2 months ago I had no idea it was going to begin looking so cool... glad I made the right choice.
Looking cool has never been AoC's problem.
But AO and AOC use different engines correct? If so, would be hard to use AO as a testbed. You make a point though and it seems Turbine does or did that with DDO for features in LOTRO.
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Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate.
But AO and AOC use different engines correct? If so, would be hard to use AO as a testbed. You make a point though and it seems Turbine does or did that with DDO for features in LOTRO.
Different iterations of the same engine... Just like what Turbine and several others do. Here is some reasonably correct linkage.
We dont need casuals in our games!!! Errm... Well we DO need casuals to fund and populate our games - But the games should be all about "hardcore" because: We dont need casuals in our games!!!
(repeat ad infinitum)
Im just going to say that FC MUST develop a new engine.- It's for their own good.
Although other MMOs are using older engines..think forward to the games that won't be using older engines, but brand new engines. By the time SW is on the market for 2 years that engine is going to be very old. You guys know how quick technology moves within GPUs.
New engines are just going to have better features, and will integrate with newer developments in software/ hardware like DX11 (but by the time SW is up and going it will probably be DX12) more seamlessly.
AoC and SW may get by without it...but "getting by" has a cheap feeling to it. The result is a lot of bugs and glitches, and a mass consumption of resources through inefficiency.
Heck AION just used a modified Unreal engine and called it 1.5--but it's new for MMO's, why doesn't FC do something like that?
I see where your coming from.
Look at it like this though, the engine they have has been built upon, modified and changed to what they want. It will continue to be upgraded such as using Enlighten. They use a custom CUDA part too.
Difference is knowing their game engine inside out puts them at an advantage to make those changes and integrations quicker, they own it and there are no licensing fees, bar Enlighten maybe speedtree and such like deal. CUDA is free and fully supported from Nvidia esp. as it has the "way it's mean't to be played" attachment.
I just think that owning your engine gives you better advantages. The world builders have talent. They have already understood feedback about travel time and instances. Lets not forgot FC was there with instances at the start too. What are they doing with this feedback? taking development where the world looks seemless but together as crossing over from one area to another for example like in WAR when you get to the end of your area and move into next there is a stutter and it all loads up.
They are working on it. I think that TSW will be mapped out much the same way as best as can be like Godslayer is.
It's a learning curve and I think that the Dreamworld engine can just as be easily enhanced again like from AO to AoC for further iterations as needs be depending on whats been developed. Using Procedual Rendering can assist with this and the limitations not being reached yet.
its easy to make changes when there is so much to fix - Saying that... these changes didnt fix much tbh. The game is still in a state of meltdown and ppl are still leaving.
Funcom keep fixing that ,fixing this. Are they playing dice game, once something not work, they change thing back & forth. But when siege was broke, they never fix it. They just leave it hanging around (i know it might be a technique issue but still need to Fix ASAP)
Like the class balance, they have change back & reverse like roller coaster (even though AOC = roller coaster). If this ride is not fun, then we have to wait until they give us more roller ride. Come on it have been almost 1.5Yr for AOC (not a new game anymore) If AOC keep fixing all the time, i mean how they can hold up new player. WIthout new player this game wont be fun anymore.
Funcom alot of ppl quit !! major reason is
*lack of people
*siege broke
*lack of content
*Class Balance (still age of Caster)
The list can be alot but those are in my mind at this moment.
Good read, its great to see such a grounded guy at the helm, honest about flaws and open about challenges.
Yeah, Craig has done alot to restore my faith in the announcements for AoC. I do see AoC being used as the test bench for TSW thou. The new lighting engine sounds interesting. Thanks for the article.
Yeah, Craig has done alot to restore my faith in the announcements for AoC. I do see AoC being used as the test bench for TSW thou. The new lighting engine sounds interesting. Thanks for the article.
I think every implementation a company will do will give them experience for new endeavours. It is natural to take AoC feedback and apply the best to TSW. At the same time the best things for AoC are happening. Changes for the best out the way (or near) focus on new content now freeing up a large portion of those people bug fixing who now can focus on the next best thing.
With an expansion including maybe another 1/3rd game content plus and updated to the game engine Funcom is on the ball and top of their game with AoC's future.
Yeah, Craig has done alot to restore my faith in the announcements for AoC. I do see AoC being used as the test bench for TSW thou. The new lighting engine sounds interesting. Thanks for the article.
I think every implementation a company will do will give them experience for new endeavours. It is natural to take AoC feedback and apply the best to TSW. At the same time the best things for AoC are happening. Changes for the best out the way (or near) focus on new content now freeing up a large portion of those people bug fixing who now can focus on the next best thing.
With an expansion including maybe another 1/3rd game content plus and updated to the game engine Funcom is on the ball and top of their game with AoC's future.
I am still trying to figure out what all these 'best things are happening' are. Both the free trial and the win-back event were pretty much failures. There has been no noticable change in the number of people playing. Like someone else said, if the game had actually improved that much in the past year, then the free trials would have made an impact, they haven't.
Yes, the game may have gotten a little better, but so have every other MMORPG out there, and they have done it at a much faster pace. You can't even compare the content additions to WOW, LOTRO and EVE to those of AOC.
And adding 'better' graphics' is hardly something to cheer about. I proves just how uninterested AOC is in actually improving the game. AOC has great graphics, it's the only real strongpoint of the game. So while they are firing a huge percentage of their workforce, they are paying to improve a part of the game most people have no problem with. I'm sure that money could have been much better spent by NOT firing your devs, and have them actually add content at a quicker pace.