Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Previews
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Even though the possibility of smart tactical strategy in an online game's combat system seems intriguing, perhaps the most exciting form of combat in Age of Conan will be on the backs of beasts. We saw several examples of mounted combat in action as characters took up one of three different animals: a charger horse, a war mammoth, and a war rhino reminiscent of the motion picture 300. Interestingly, though you won't be able to access all your on-foot combination attacks while riding, you will have access to other different attacks suited specifically for mounted combat. Your attacks will also be more deadly the faster you're riding--this seems like it will mostly come into play while on horseback, since horses can gallop furiously, though they can also rear back and attack with their front legs, as well as lean forward and send enemies flying with a powerful kick from their rear legs. Mammoths and rhinos won't allow for weapon combat (they're just too big) and will handle much more poorly than swift steeds, but they'll still be extremely powerful in battle, and can even be used to deal siege damage to enemy walls.Next is 1UP.
Speaking of that 'Dreamworld' engine -- it is the thing that powers this particular combat-centric MMO. It is part of what powers a particularly impressive array of character customization options (think Oblivion with things that usually end up really looking like people).Then there's IGN.
When it comes to upcoming MMOs in which you can wander about topless (with a slight defensive hit, of course -- I mean, you're not wearing armor "up top") there is just nothing better coming out this year. Age of Conan is the first mature-rated MMO and the numerous decapitations and graphic bursts of bloodshed during the demo confirmed what the funbags already decreed.
In addition, when fighting an enemy you'll notice thin silver scale-looking icons pop up on your selected monster. These will appear on a particular side of the monster, indicating they have extra shielding in that area. The more scales on a side, the more shielding there is. Your job, at least as a tank, is to try and maneuver yourself around a monster so your powerful attacks can hit the unshielded side, since the shielding shifts depending on your position relative to the monster. Or, instead of moving around behind or to a different side of the monster, you could try using attacks that swing from another direction. As a player, you have your own shielding and can adjust it's orientation around your avatar as you see fit. While this may not be all that useful for PvE gamplay, Funcom says it's instrumental for successful PvP play since dynamically altering your shielding based on opponents' attacks can have dramatic effects on the damage you take. It reminded us a little bit of adjustable shielding systems in space combat games like Freespace 2.And, finally, GameSpy.
The beta version demonstrated by game director Gaute Godager today filled in a few blanks. Upon awakening on the shore, a mysterious benefactor informs you that the slave master of the galley has got a head start on you toward the city at the center of the island. The one problem: the city will not admit slaves through its gate. Thus, you have to find and kill the eunuch slave master before he gets to town. Don't worry; he's not actually racing you. This is an MMO, after all. Eventually you'll find him and bludgeon your way into freedman status. So yes, Age of Conan kicks things off with a newbie experience that is genuinely Howardian.
Godager's demo soon moved on to the late game. A party of five, composed of different classes, tackled a high-level "social dungeon" -- a persistent indoor playfield with populated quick-respawning monsters so as to permit multiple player groups to adventure simultaneously. This portion of the demo served to showcase that Age of Conan will indeed be governed by many of the same conventions that define MMO gameplay. Godager's own character was a Guardian, one of the game's tank classes. Accompanying him was a host of other characters, all filling the requisite roles of a well-balanced party. Pretty much standard fare, yes, but there were some significant deviations evident.
