Age of Conan subscribers will soon have to make the decisiion on whether to resubscribe to Funcom’s new MMORPG and today Funom issued a statement oultlining future plans for the game. Will it be enough to keep gamers playing? Only time will tell.After the incredible initial success for Age of Conan, a whole world ofMMO players are eagerly anticipating the future plans for one of themost popular online games ever released. While Age of Conan has alreadyevolved massively since launch, numerous expansive additions are yet tocome. Funcom and Eidos are therefore proud to lift the veil on Age ofConan’s promising future, and today the two companies reveal selectedfeatures which are now in production.
“While we have enjoyed the initial success for Age of Conan, we knowthat a solid launch is but the start when it comes to the MMO genre,”said Gaute Godager, Game Director on Age of Conan. ”As we look ahead weare preparing a huge amount of new content, and what we are presentingtoday will evolve Age of Conan even further. It’s naturally anincredibly ambitious update plan for a live MMO game, but we arecertain our players would want nothing less.”
Without further ado, here are some of the cool things to expect in the months to come:
PvP evolved – To the Death
The great combat system in Age of Conan has taken MMO fighting to a newlevel of fun, and Player versus Player combat plays a major part inthis. As a result, a massive new PvP update is planned for late June.Aptly called To the death, this update brings more consequence andrewards to PvP, and an important part of it is the Fugitive system. Themore lower level players you kill, the easier it is for others to huntyou down. In addition, ten PvP levels with additional ranks will beintroduced, as well as specific gear and weapons for PvP.
Guild Alliance Warfare
Preproduction has started on a MASSIVE free update which will comelater this year. Currently titled “Kingship!”, large clusters of guildswill be able to form alliances, and rule and conquer on a massivescale. Everyone in a guild alliance will play a part in this system,and together they can even erect unique looking alliance Battlekeeps.The alliances can also fight over, and build, culture-specific “wondersof the world”, with a direct link to higher powers! As part of thesystem Funcom will also facilitate larger amounts of players in massivebattles.
Powerpoints
This fall, a unique reward and character evolution system calledPowerpoints will be introduced. This rewards active in-game behavior,and allows for gathering points through numerous methods, includingowning a Battlekeep, playing the end-game at level 80, winning PvPmatches, or simply being an active guild member or subscribing to thegame. There will be many ways to obtain Powerpoints, and numerousrewards, ranging from exclusive Powerfeats to weapons, armor andpotions. Powerpoints may even allow you to level faster!
New areas and dungeons
You won’t need to wait for an expansion pack to explore exciting newareas. In the next period, Funcom will include several new areas, aswell as evolving already existing areas. This includes a brand newdungeon in Aquilonia, reshaping three dungeons in Stygia, and an entiremountain range in Cimmeria!
Improved player-made villages and Battlekeep systems
While the guild alliance system brings a whole new level to the game,Funcom will continue to expand the existing player-made areas and thesystems running them. A focus on evolving the massive elements of thegame even further continues, ranging from placing NPC’s in the citiesto more choices and benefits.
Social updates
An MMO is nothing without a good social scene. While Conan is all aboutcrushing your enemies, social enhancements are also getting some love.A fun example is the combo-based dancing system which is now coming tothe game, and it’s entirely motion captured by professional danceartists.
More adventures
Age of Conan has received tremendous praise for immersion and the greatvoice-over quests. This is but the start of the adventure, and numerousnew quests are coming into the game, spread across the entire world andacross the level ranges. Soon 60 additional quests will also get fullvoice acting, further improving immersion.
Published: Jun 13, 2008 02:53 pm