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Zones?
dyermaker714
Member UncommonPosts: 192
I'm building a new computer thats pretty much going to be able to breeze through anything, maximum settings no problem and I've been wanting to start playing a new mmo. AoC seems to be the one im leaning towards but I have a question reguarding zoning.
I prefer, almost require an mmo to have a seamless gameworld and from what i've heard aoc does not. How does the zoning work in AoC, how large are they, if it is not seamless then how bad are the load times between zones (keeping in mind I have a fast internet connection/computer). thanks for the info.peace
Comments
AoC has a variety of playfields of all sizes. Each of the main zones can have up to several instances (dungeons, taverns, seperate area and the like attached) Some zones can be a few kilometers in length. The view distance maxes out at 3.5 kilometers and in some zones you can't see the end. There are smaller zones though, so I think a good mix.
Now the way that it is set up is that there is a load screen between them. If you have been through the zones once already and go again the average for me on a good system and V fast inet is less than 5 seconds. In comparison (and measured just recently) Guild Wars game is about 8-12 seconds. Not that this bother me to be honest.
In Tortage (starter Island - level 1-20) you will find half a dozen load screens some that are near instant (1 second) and others just normal.
It is not as bad as it may suggest or appear to be. It is and can be a critical point for some. The game is not seamless.
It will be changing things up in the expansion coming out next year and the start of this can be seen in a recent update we had. Basically if you are in one zone like Tarantia Commons, you can walk across to the Main Tarantia city at any point and get a quick loading screen instead of going to a predetirmined exit point. They are going this way with the expac - you can see the other side basically.
Honestly I don't think that the load screens are a massive issue. They are less frequent outside the starting area. And they are quicker than Guild Wars loads if you have played that game.
In summing up in the past a few have said it kills immersion. When you fire AoC up on a good rig setting turned up and simultanious sounds > high amount the immersion and feeling you get when in the zones is better than nearly every game out there in the genre. From dynamic sound effects (such as spell sounds being different each time, to 7.1 surround sound (positional or from character) to different sounds for the different grounds you walk on instead of generic sounds, that is what I call immersion and I'd rather have this with a load screen I might see one during well over an hours play than not at all.
Thank you! Much better info than I expected. Immersion was my concern. Is it difficult to max this game out?
What do you mean by max this game out?
you mean max lv? or max gear? or Max skill?
Max Lv is easy.. Lv1-80 can do it 5-6day(144hr)+).. normally take 2month if you play 2-3hr per day
Max Gear? require alot of time, It have 12part of gears, 2rings/necklace.. head/ belt/ feet/ shoulder/ wrist/ hand/ chest/ Leg / Cloak (and weapon) Raid gear probably take your vary between 6month to 1yr+.
Max Skill,, it does require some skill to be good in pvp. So It not surprise if someone lv70 beat a lv80..
First thing: Understand that AoC uses Anarchy Online's engines (Dreamworld) from 1999 which is very old. You may think:... AoC had some crazy artwork therefore your super computer should eat it---but this is not the case.
I could get into this big speech about the "shoddy" production level of AoC and while the game has a decent level of art work.. the actual graphic package is a mess.
However-I will let this thread speak for itself. If you are into PC's you should be able to extrapolate what problems FC has caused themselves by putting "million dollar" art work on a" ten cent" engine. It's a failed experiment in "cut and paste."
forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php
AoC uses a modified version of AO's engine, if they used the same engine it would be very easy for Funcom to improve AO's graphic. Something they are planning on doing for several years so I guess it's safe to say it hasn't got the biggest priority. Just like TSW will be using a modified version of the engine being used in AoC. The dreamworld engine might be old, but it still does the trick and with a good computer you shouldn't have any issue with running the game.
Playing: Battlefield - Bad company (Xbox360) Arma2, DFO (PC)
On my radar: TSW, MO
MMO's played: SWG (pre cu/cu), WoW, AoC, WAR, DFO, Planetside
MMO's that I have tested: Lotro, L2, Aion, Ryzom
First off - AA is a fanboy and his long version of answering the question is PR bull rather than the truth.
AOC is HEAVILY Zoned. This includes loading screens for:
going in and out of houses (pub in Tortage)
Switching from day to night questing
Dungeons - and even some dungeons (Cellars in Tortage) have multiple Zones.
Last - Going from zone to zone in AOC does not only mean loading screens. It also takes you totally out of context with the immersion - since a NPC might take you for 100s of Km to totally diffrent place on the map. And it takes the same amount as loading into a pub..
Hope this answers the question
I am thinking you are referring to the setting right? With that in mind if your going to have a good PC then you shouldn'y have an issue.
If you really want the visual and sound effects (which in my book are probably the best contributors to immersion) then the setting in game will not disappoint. The benefits of the game engine let it scale right down for entry level computers (so at least they can play, if not on great basic settings) but also, the game caters for the high end user. The design philosophy and implementation is simple in that the amount of settings you will find outweigh I think all mmorpg's in this area. The direct x10 option are more than any other DX10 game I own or played. There is a vast array to tinker with. This is why anandtech use AoC in benchmarks from time to time because it lets you not only crank up the AA x16 but also the anisotropic x16 too parcelled in a dx10 settings galore and view distances of 3.5 kilometers and you get some serious visuals. Here is a glimpse of some of the setting and performance. I will say that even with the best hardware you can still get FPS drops in heavy locations as will all mmo's. The game has a "raid" setting which is customized for the environment built in.
If your referring to maxing out as in hiting level cap then no it is not very hard to do. The way the game was designed was that they wanted to make it easy to level so it didn't seem like a chore. The problem is that once at level 80 there was not too much to do. Notice past tense there. Reason why past tense is that there was a shortage on content post lvl 80. Now not so much so. Raid content is back playable and improved again, with new introductions, inclusions of several new solo and group instances and it is not going to stop there. The Iron Tower is on it's way in a couple of weeks if that. Once that is out the way then the PvP content for control Towers is coming along with new Tier 3 raid content. Mash that in with Sieges and Crafting, which both have seen 'some' improvements (siege bug issues fix on test server) then you have plenty to do when you get to level 80.
PS. careful where you get your info from. The proof is in the trying. With Frobner above he knows the pub "the Thirsty Dog Inn" in Tortage is a very brief load screen compared to an whole open zone is different and not the same - he just wants to lump the experience together as one as it will enchance the negative vision trying to be represented. There is a clear difference you can even if you try the trial to find out yourself and draw your own conclusions.
When the game was in initial design they said the world would be spilt into zones and varying sizes, right up to 4x4 kilometers with dozens of them - this is what we got.
Those loading screens are faster that Guild Wars and the ones for small instances especially on Tortage are so brief you can't even sip a drink quicker..
^^^ this
Amazing Avery is about as close to being a Funcom employee as possible.
The game is heavily instanced. I remember my first run through Tortage. Every time you enter a house.... loadscreen. it was like playing some mid-90's game.
And as another poster has pointed out. While AOC has great graphics, the game is very underoptimized. Your computer won't see much of a difference from a mid-level computer. Don't get me wrong, if you love graphics, your first 30 mins will be awesome. If only there wasn't this crazy thing called 'gameplay'... or else AOC would be number one.
sounds like its heavily instanced which will undoubtedly annoy the shit outta me so screw that. gonna hold out for tsw or somethin else. thank you all so much for the information i really appreciate it (:
AoC is quite instanced in the starter zone that's for sure. Tortage is the starter area and you have several houses you must enter there all which are seperate instances. You have the tortage underhalls who have 1 seperate instance in a prison cell where you need to talk with a guy. However once you get past the starter area the game does open up more. Areas are bigger and there is fewer seperate zones. The instances you find within the instance you are in are either specific quest instances like small solo dungeons, group dungeons and in some zones raid dungeons.
However since you seem to require a seamless world it's safe to say that AoC might just not be your type of game. Because it's far from seamless. The instances never really annoyed me personally but it is all about personal preferences etc. You could always try the trial and see for yourself, but the world is far from seamless.
Playing: Battlefield - Bad company (Xbox360) Arma2, DFO (PC)
On my radar: TSW, MO
MMO's played: SWG (pre cu/cu), WoW, AoC, WAR, DFO, Planetside
MMO's that I have tested: Lotro, L2, Aion, Ryzom