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A new reign begins on the GW Amp site today. A new herald of the Site Manager title has been chosen and his name is Wyat_Hawke.
For those unaware, outstanding staffer/member Kanna recently stepped down as Site Manager for the site. In his departure, a new SM was sought to fill in the void. Kanna will be missed as staffer but I am pretty sure he isn't completely leaving the site. I would like to be one of the first to thank him for his time and effort he placed into the site on a daily basis. Also please give congratulations to Wyat in his new position for the site.
With Wyat taking over as SM, we are considering opening up to take on new staffers. Stay tuned for news on seeking out site assistance. If anyone has any questions feel free to contact Wyat or myself.
Stay tuned to Gameamp.com for more news on Guild Wars.
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The Crafting system that Age of Conan has has so far not been touted much.
When you start reading the Interview that Funcom Community Manager Shannon “Pharamond” Drake held with AOCMMO, you soon start to realize why.
She puts it like "There is not a “hammering the air bubbles out of your molten iron”-type crafting system in place." which is an obvious reference to systems like in Everquest II or Vanguard. Instead it will be more like the collecting and gathering system most will recognize from WOW. To those who enjoy a full crafting sphere, it will seem like the actual Crafting itself is somewhat missing. Probably because it is.
The challenge in the Age of Conan crafting system comes from ... Getting the right materials which is saying, we don't have a crafting system, but we will have a trading system, probably.
But the true gem of the article is probably the thinly veiled admittance of neglect: “Generally happy with what we have while always trying to do better” as the statement how Funcom feels about it. Which is Community Management speak for "this is what we could slap together on short notice with limited resources and no overall vision".
Read the full Interview at AoCMMO and pray that the overhauled combat system will keep you happy. Sounds like Crafting won't do it.
Source
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Finally, we get to see the Age of Conan System Requirements through this week's Friday Update:
Required:
OS: Windows Vista/XP
Processor: 3GHz Pentium IV
RAM: 1GB RAM
Video Card: Shader Model 2.0 and 128MB RAM: NVIDIA GeForce 5800 or ATI 9800
Recommended:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz (E6600) or better
Vdeo Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7950GX2 or better
RAM: 2GB or more
Enhanced for: DirectX 10, 64-bit processors, multi-core
Supports Parental Controls on Windows Vista
I'm actually surprised at the Recommended level. Looking at the screens and movies we've seen so far, I'd say this is Recommended for Medium quality and for High you'll need a Brute of a Beast with Vista on it for DX10.
Source: AoC FAQ
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Kindly hosted at Gamespot where there's a widescreen version and a download available. (Note that you have to fill in your age and they got month and date mixed up. So say you're born on 09/09/70 or some such.
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As you can read here Funcom has had to make a few choices concerning sex & violence in the game. As it's all juridiscial mumbo jumbo, here's the short overview version for your convenience:
Neo-Berlin
and surrounding territories
VIOLENCE NEIN!
Sex is cool.
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The Holy Christian States
of America
SEX CAUSES COOTIES
Blood is great, though
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The Free European
Socialist Paradise of Brussels
We’re a bunch of degenerates.
We can take anything. |
Also of interest is that Funcom "accidentally" sent the Eurotrash version to be certified for the US.
Source
The one question that remains is whether Eurotrash vendors will be willing to ship their version to the US and how many US citizens will be willing to pay that extra buck, and if you can play on US servers with an EU client....
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Well, there's a lot more interesting stuff in Eurogamer's Interview Ole Herbjornsen (associate producer), Joel Bylos (quest designer) and Erling Ellingsen (product manager) over at Funcom, like what the heck is a l'espirit d'escalier but it makes for a nice title.
The three guys from Funcom talk about a lot of things from ranging to Quest dialogue "we've set it up by design so that people can do the World of Warcraft thing if they're very lazy." to Maturity level "Violence and sex seem mature if you're a thirteen year old boy".
Also of interest are some new approaches to serving both Casual and hardcore players, and both small and large Guilds.
Take for instance that intruiging Mercenary system...
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This week, Age of Conan takes a look at the role that women characters will play in the game. They've updated the Howard stereotypes and are excited to explore their new outlook with all of you:
| QUOTE | As some of you may have picked up during our development, we have chosen a somewhat updated view on women compared to the works of Robert E. Howard. The world circa-2007 is very different, in most places, than the 1930’s in which the original Conan stories came around. Early on in our development, we therefore made a very clear and conscious choice: Namely that any female player in Hyboria should be just as strong and able as any man! The strong, fierce and independent female is perfectly in line with the lore of Howard, however, we have expanded it to include ALL the female players. And seriously guys, you wouldn’t want anything else, now would you? (let the discussions start!)
To this extent, we have put an amazing amount of work into the female characters in the game, ranging from capturing some 2500 “female-only” animations to sets of special emotes to an incredible array of female clothing and armor. We haven’t just re-skinned male armor, but gone about to create something unique, something strong, something sexy, but at the same time avoiding making it tacky. Should you wish, you can naturally also wear nature’s own armor (but you cannot be completely naked inside the game). And, to underline the point stated above again; our goal has been to make any female player in Hyboria just as strong and able as any man!
In addition to a large selection of clothes, armor and whatnot we are also delivering a character creation tool which allows for a stunning variety in looks and appearance. Some of you have seen how flexible and strong our character creation system truly is, and once you can get your hands on it come March, we are sure many of you will spend hours on the various sliders and options in the menu (some sliders might be of more interest to the male players than the female players to be honest ;) ). With more than thirty different “base heads” in the female character creation part you can also go from the cutest of cute to the ugliest of ugly. The choice is completely up to you! |
You can read the entire article HERE.
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I regret to inform all those patiently waiting for Age of Conan that we have a delay on our hands.
Funcom has announced that AoC will be pushed back from October 30, 2007 to March 25, 2008.
| QUOTE | | “We naturally regret that we have to push back Age of Conan. However, after careful consideration, and analysis of recent Beta feedback, we believe that the new release date is in the best interest of the gamers, our company and our owners,” said Trond Arne Aas, CEO of Funcom. |
Sadly we will have to keep waiting. However, fear not! this could make AoC even better!
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This week, Age of Conan takes a look at the inspirational frontline fighter in the world of Conan: The Conqueror.
Here's a sample of what we have to look forward to:
| QUOTE | The Conqueror is the heart and soul of any party in Hyboria. Conquerors fill two roles, first, as an impressive fighter on the front lines soaking up the damage and dishing out damage of their own, and second, as an inspirational presence that makes the party prevail where it would normally falter. All foes that get within the conqueror's reach fall before their weapons, and all friends that stand nearby find themselves heartened, ready and eager to carry on the fight. A party without a conqueror may be mighty indeed, but a party with a conqueror becomes a band of heroes with almost legendary abilities.
To protect themselves from the dangerous world outside, conquerors have access to everything from the flimsiest of cloth armor to the stoutest heavy armor, but do not gain access to shields. Conquerors tend to be a bit more offensively-minded as a class, preferring to either dual-wield two one-handed weapons or to use a single large weapon to smite their foes. Unlike the barbarian—which focuses on putting out as much damage as possible in a short amount of time—conquerors are a bit more conservative. Their combat training focuses primarily on effects that help the group as a whole, though they remain fierce and deadly opponents in a one on one fight.
Conquerors wielding two-handed weapons make for tremendous fighters in their own right, and there's always the matter of that huge sword they're carrying, but they also gain a number of combos making them even harder to defeat. Some lower their foes' ability to inflict damage, while the powerful Dancing Steel combos make it easier for the conqueror to dodge and, if the timing is right, they can counterattack instantly when attacked with a melee weapon. Conquerors also learn to unleash multiple hits via their ferocious Furious Strikes, starting with a Hail of Furious Strikes and ending with a Barrage of Furious Strikes from the strongest conquerers. They also learn to knock their foes aside with Concussive attacks, making an opening for the advance, or knocking away a troublesome foe. Conquerors can also sound a Heroic Call, inspiring all of their fellows to strike harder at the enemies troubling them. |
You can read the entire preview HERE.
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This week, Age of Conan takes a look at another of the exciting classes that we'll be able to play...the walking fortress Hyboria knows as: The Guardian.
Here's a sample of what future tanks can look forward to:
| QUOTE | Guardians are not just hulking figures in heavy armor, however. While Guardians have access to a full range of armor, from simple cloth to imposing suits of full plate armor, no fortress is complete without a way to strike back at its attackers, and guardians have an array of combat abilities that focus on their strength: letting their opponents wear themselves down trying to penetrate impenetrable steel, then striking with all the fury of a raging wind. Members of this class can choose one-handed weapons of the blunt or edged variety and pair it up with a shield, or they can forsake the shield entirely and take up one of the many polearms Hyboria's weaponsmiths offer.
As with the barbarians, one-handed weapons are used mainly for one-on-one battles and individual feats of strength, while polearms are perfect for sweeping attacks when charging into massive groupes of enemies. Guardians aren't limited to melee weapons alone, however, as they can also use thrown weapons. Higher-level guardians also gain the ability to use the deadly crossbow, for those who dare to try and attack at range. The guardian is another class that eschews spells, preferring to entrust their safety and that of their charges to solid things like steel and leather, rather than to the etheral whims of strange and terrible powers.
Guardians may be a defensively-minded class, but like all in Hyboria, those who don't learn to fight soon perish at the hands of those who do know how to fight. Guardians who choose one-handed weapons study the human body, learning how to damage it in precise ways. They learn to Exploit their opponent's vulnerabilities, as well as to Create Vulnerabilities, which leaves their foe open to devastating attacks. It begins with the lower limbs, but they soon learn to slip a blade into an opponent's chest, or bring a mace crashing down upon their head. |
You can read the entire preview HERE.
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