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Age of Conan, One Year On
One year after its rocky launch, Age of Conan has stabilized and seen a growth in its player base, reports FunCom. What's more, they say, is that players seem to be playing for longer periods of time as well. Game Director Craig Morrison said in his May letter that work on the next major update, 1.05, is nearing completion, and provided some more details about the new features. This is the same patch which, due to the sweeping stat and equipment changes, will allow players who have a character at level 50 or higher to create a brand new character already at level 50. Reader Kheldon points out a two-part interview with Morrison in which he discusses the laundry list of changes they've made in the past year to improve the game, as well as some broader thoughts about storytelling in the MMO genre. FunCom also released some early details yesterday on two new, free-to-play MMOs they're working on, one of which is browser-based and one of which is Java-based.
Ah who am I kidding. This isn't first :P
First, off, let me lead by saying this: I have an 80 Warlock and an 80 Paladin, so when it comes to MMOs, it's no idle boast to say that I'm something of an expert.
When AoC was first announced, I, like most of the savvier players, took a look at the game. It promised stellar graphics, a lush game world, dynamic PvP, and innovative controls (WoW players will realize that these same things were what sold us on WoW). After what seemed like an eternity, the game finally shipped, amongst an enormous advertising blitz. My guildies and I were literally drooling with anticipation.
The game launched. I had pre-ordered the collector's edition from Amazon, so it actually arrived several days before. Once the servers opened, I rushed in headfirst, eager as a young groom to consummate this new MMO relationship.
First, things first: character creation. Scroll through the factions, and then it hit me. No Blood Elves. I checked the calendar -- it said 2008. How does a game released in 2008 not have Blood Elves? Unthinkable! I don't know how Funcom thought we could overlook this, or how whatever passes for a Norewegian FTC could allow this garbage to be released as a "game" when there are no Blood Elves. I couldn't believe it... I was in shock... it was unplayable. How that got past QA is beyond me, but now, I could care less. I uninstalled, and haven't looked back since.
Blizzard has raised the bar, apparently too high for any other company to see. Twelve million players really says it all, I think. And for god's sake: Blood Elves.