Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures E3 Previews
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The game's social system is also quite sensitive to race, class, and clothing. While there won't be any hard-coded factions or factional reputations in the game, what a player does and how he or she presents himself will be a factor in the game. In the case of our demonstration, the fighter that was walking through the Cimmerian town of Tortage got a favorable reaction from those he passed because he was wearing leather armor and a helmet that was of obviously Cimmerian cut and materials. Players who wear Stygian clothing may find themselves not quite as welcome in Cimmerian towns and vice-versa, and characters who approach high level quest givers or factional leaders dressed in smelly plate armor or with damaged clothing may receive a chilly reception. That leads to the possibility of the need for "social" outfits, clothing that players can wear in towns, "court clothes," or armor where the armor's style is as important as its protective ability.
The second is at GameSpot:
We passed a blacksmith who had just finished creating an iron broadsword, after which the man approached us and began making an aggressive sales pitch. Game director Gaute Godager explained that characters will be powered by a "needs-based AI." That is, all characters you meet in the game will have specific needs for food and sleep, and in the case of the village's children, socialization (which explained why they quit their idle play and chased after us throughout the town for some minutes before becoming bored again). We also passed a female merchant hawking what appeared to be various types of pottery, but after Godager accelerated time to show off the game's impressive real-time lighting and shadow system, we saw the same female merchant as she emerged from the top window of her house. Silhouetted by yellow light, the merchant began peddling a very different sort of ware. Godager hastily explained that Age of Conan won't have any kind of explicit sexual content, but this sort of thing was common in Howard's Hyboria, and Funcom aims to do justice to that legacy.
The third is at IGN PC:
After the quick view of combat and formation, the demo moved into town. The town looks really, really good. There is a lot of detail going into this area and frankly, it's the most lived in and real looking town environment I've ever seen in an MMO. It's a bit cramped and dirty. There are people going about their business, including children running in the streets. When I saw that and started thinking about it, it seems like an obvious addition. Children are everywhere in every culture and always underfoot. This is the first MMO I can think of that even thought about including that detail of everyday life. But then again, most towns don't have simple people just walking around, going to their jobs, and having their lives. Either way, the city had a very lived in feel and fit the world of Conan perfectly.
The fourth is at WorthPlaying:
PvP will be present in the MMORPG portion of the game, but characters will be automatically brought up to the level of their enemy for the sake of combat in order to promote fair play and reduce the unfairness of level disparity. Players will also be able to build castles and other structures in the wilderness that other players can then attack as part of massive siege combat.
The fifth is at Warcry:
While you play the single player game, you may find yourself in a tavern with other players. This allows for a little interaction during your stay in slavery, and introduces the most casual of PvP systems: the brawl. Yes, this is the same brawls you'll see in those western (and sometimes not-so-western) movies; punching, breaking bottles, etc. Not only will the brawls have a familiar feel, but also another familiar aspect will be a big part of your skills. Are you drunk? How drunk are you? How mean can you get, and can you even hit your target? These questions and more seek answers that are only available in one of four PvP styles, but I'll get to the rest later let's get off the island!
And the sixth is at GamersInfo.net:
The first thing that jumped out at me about this game, though, was not the gameplay elements. It was the outstanding graphics. Using the latest technology, Funcom is able to create a game that includes incredibly vast landscapes; highly detailed textures for creatures, players and terrain; and also real time shadow creation. A very cool part of the demo involved the developer accelerating the movement of the sun the shadows moved and scaled exceptionally well. This game is, by far, ahead of the MMO pack when it comes to graphics.
