Welcome to Age Of Conan

[Detomah]

Gameplay
What is Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures?
Age of Conan is an online action RPG set in the Conan universe as created by Robert E Howard.

What exactly is an online action RPG?
Age of Conan takes all the best aspects from the various genres and melds them into an enjoyable whole. The frantic combat action of the best action titles, a deep and involving story crafted by our experienced and award winning storytellers all set within an online world full of other players to enjoy the action, trade and share experiences with!

Does the game have single player elements?
The first sections of the game will be played just like a single player title as you develop your character through an involving storyline, as you prepare for even greater adventures beyond. The whole game will always be played on online game servers.

Is the game turn based or real-time?
The gameplay will be very action orientated, and while you will find the standard RPG skill sets in there, from thieves with nimble fingers to pick the stoutest locks to Demonologists torturing the souls of their enemies, the system itself will be very much based around fast reaction gaming.

With our unique control systems though we hope that players of all skill levels will be able to dive right into the meat of the combat and allow them to wade into the field of battle, alongside the gaming veterans who will be able to take our combat system and make it their own!

What type of gameplay features can we expect to see?
Everything from enthralling quests (you won’t be sent to kill the local rat population in Age of Conan, we promise!) through exploring dungeons all the way up to large-scale multiplayer battles and siege situations!

The beginning of the game will be played alone as you begin your journey through the world of King Conan, then once you have earned your power and ability to survive, the world opens up again to a whole new range of exciting adventures that can be experienced alone or as part of a huge online community!

So you will need an Internet connection to play the game?
Yes, you will require an internet connection to play Age of Conan.

Is the game level based or skill based?
The game is based around a level progression, as you grow stronger more adventures will open up to you, and you will be able to take part in epic battles with other players in many diverse regions of Hyboria.

How many playable classes will there be?
For the first five levels you are a “commoner”, without class, but of Cimmerian, Aquilonian or Stygian origin. Then at level five you choose your base class from four archetypes: Mage, Priest, Thief or Warrior.

At level twenty you get further three to four class selections for each archetype (14 in total), which branches again into two specialized classes for each selection at level sixty.

Additionally you can pick one of four distinct professions at level 40, which gives an additional, parallel, path of development. You can be a Craftsman (making things), a Master (earning you a full time squire), a Commander (adept at multiplayer gameplay) or a General - an expert on siege gameplay.

Will there be PvP options?
Yes there will be PvP gameplay in Age of Conan, we will be announcing more details on the PvP systems closer to release.

How does the action combat system work?
There are actually three main aspects to the action sections of the game; each will provide a very different and dynamic gameplay situation for the player.

So what is "Real Combat"?
This is our revolutionary multi point melee system. This unique aspect of this system is that you swing your weapon where you direct it. This system will let the players direct, and combine, the swings of their weapon to create fancy, brutal and effective slashes and thrusts, or combine them in combos or special attacks that do additional damage. You should really “feel” the power of your character when you fight, feel the power of each and every blow.

"Real Combat" is easy to learn, and allows for a very different experience to both the slow studious nature of RPG combat and the ‘twitch’ nature of a first person shooter. When you pick it up the first time you might not even notice it as you happily slash and thrust away. With experience you might see certain attacks swinging better together. As you learn to string it into combos you become a dancing machine of brutal death. The same multipoint system is true for ranged combat and spell casting. In both cases the Real Combat engine allows you to string hits or spells together to form new fantastic effects.

The Real Combat will also work with mounted combat.

What do you mean by Formation Combat?
This is a completely new, aspect of multiplayer gameplay. In previous RPGs with indirect point-and-click movement you have seen party based formations, as in the “Baldurs Gate” series for instance. In Conan you can for the first time not only have a formation, but be in direct control of both your character, NPC’s and other players..

The leader of the formation can decide on different formations and the degree of freedom the various players and NPC’s can have within the formation. The formation also serves as a cooperative travel system, yielding beneficial effects to the team as the collision of the formation itself protect the members at the rear. Formations yield beneficial bonuses to members, and offer a new type of depth to a RPG. In some cases it will be essential to pick the right formation to survive.

What about Siege Combat?
As a player you can cooperate with other players in building cities, with walls, towers and keeps, protecting softer targets like houses, inns and merchants. In the same regions you will have the forces of evil like the Picts not only building their own city, like a real-life Real Time Strategy AI, but with the ability to mount sieges against your city. With ample warning you must return home to protect the walls of your city against enemy catapults and hordes of monsters swarming through the breaches.

Yes, the only true way to combat this oncoming evil is to gang up with your friends and take the battle to their walls. Lay siege to their towers, blow them up and see the vermin scream for mercy when your catapults sing their merry song of death and destruction. Naturally, mercy is unheard of in the Hyborian time. A swift death would be the extent of friendliness offered by (or to) your foes. Massive battles hide almost any form of cruelty or chivalry.

The World of Conan
When in the timeline of the Conan Universe is the game set?
The setting is chronologically directly after the Robert E. Howard book “The Hour of the Dragon”, in the era when Conan was king of Aquilonia. This novel is heralded by many as one of Howard’s strongest, and gives us a great entry point into Howard’s world.

Will I be able to ‘be’ Conan?
No, Conan will not be a playable character, rather you will be playing in King Conan’s world. You can in some way see the journey through the game as many alternate ways of sampling Conan’s history, and getting to know him. This will gradually bring you closer and closer to the grand King of Aquilonia, to his royal court and who knows, maybe even joining him at this top table!

How true to the original writings of Howard are you intending to be?
The world that Howard created was a dark and gritty place and we certainly aim to very true to that feeling and atmosphere. Obviously Howard wrote the original works in the 1930’s, a long time before world war two, Martin Luther King or the 60’s sexual revolution, and some of his themes and characters are very much creations of their time that do occasionally jar our modern sensibilities, so Age of Conan will not be done in a tasteless, exploitative manner. Rest assured however that the world of Conan will never, ever, be politically correct and we hope that the game will capture all the elements of Howard’s creation that make it what it is!

What rating do you expect the game to have?
Although the game is not yet rated we are certainly expecting for the game to be rated as ‘Mature’

General
When is the game due for release?
We do not have a set release date yet but we are currently planning for release in the first half of 2006

What platforms is the game being released on?
The game is currently being developed for Windows.

Will the game be subscription based like MMOs or free like online FPS or RTS games?
The pricing structure for the game hasn’t been decided yet, check back nearer release for more details

Experience the World of Conan!

Age of Conan – Hyborian Adventures is an Online Action RPG scheduled for Windows in the first half of 2006. A mix of a deep, story-driven single-player experience and a massive and brutal multiplayer end-game brings forth the ultimate representation of the Age of Conan. Now you can enter the brutal domain of the world’s greatest fantasy hero.

In Conan the players will encounter a dark, lush, violent and sinful universe, presented in fantastic graphics and stunning 7.1 surround audio. In a world filled with cruel gods, mythical creatures, lost civilizations and a struggling human race, the mighty barbarian has finally seized the throne as king of Aquilonia. But Conan’s rule is on the brink of chaos, spiraling towards the doom of ancient evils.

In this twisted fantasy world, dark magic and brutal combat lurks around every corner, and each man and woman must carve their own unique destiny under Conan’s reign. In the true vision of Robert E. Howard’s dark universe it’s now time for you to become a messenger of death.

1. Explore Hyboria, the legendary world of Conan, presented in incredible graphics and sound.
2. Emerge as a hero from a story-driven single-player experience and embark into even greater adventures in the multiplayer part of the game. The branching single-player story is created by the award-winning writers behind 3. The Longest Journey, Dreamfall and Anarchy Online so expect a rare treat.
Experience Funcom’s revolutionary “Real Combat” engine. A new multi-point melee system allows the players to swing their weapons where they direct it, in real-time, going head-on against the formulaic nature of online RPG combat.
4. Create player-made battle formations, and command both NPC’s and other players in epic multiplayer battles.
5. Form guilds in the multiplayer game and lay siege to hostile castles. Let the catapults sing their merry song of death as the enemy is brutally crushed to a pulp.

Age of Conan has a plethora of additional features, as is expected from a Funcom online game.

Press Release:
Funcom announces Age of Conan – Hyborian adventures
- Staggeringly attractive* Online Action RPG from the creators of The Longest Journey and Anarchy Online -

Durham, USA — April 20, 2005 – Funcom announces 'Age of Conan – Hyborian Adventures', an Online Action RPG scheduled for Windows in the first half of 2006. A mix of a deep, story-driven single-player experience and a massive and brutal multiplayer end-game brings forth the ultimate representation of the Age of Conan. Now you can enter the brutal domain of the world’s greatest fantasy hero.

In 'Conan' the players will encounter a dark, lush, violent and sinful universe, presented in fantastic graphics and stunning 7.1 surround audio. In a world filled with cruel gods, mythical creatures, lost civilizations and a struggling human race, the mighty barbarian has finally seized the throne as king of Aquilonia. But Conan’s rule is on the brink of chaos, spiraling towards the doom of ancient evils. In this twisted fantasy world, dark magic and brutal combat lurks around every corner, and each man and woman must carve their own unique destiny under Conan’s reign. In the true vision of Robert E. Howard’s dark universe it’s now time for you to become a messenger of death.

In addition to incredible graphics and sound, the game will be filled with unique features like the "Real Combat" engine; a revolutionary new multi-point melee system which allows the players to swing their weapons where they direct it, in real-time! This easy to learn and fun melee system lets the players truly feel they are on the battlefield, and goes head-on against the formulaic nature of online RPG combat. In 'Conan' you can also, for the first time in an online RPG, create player-made battle formations where you can command NPC’s and other players in combat, making for epic multiplayer battles. The multiplayer game also allow the players to form guilds and lay siege to enemy castles, letting their catapults sing their merry song of death as the enemy is crushed to a pulp.

"I have always been a huge fan of Conan and his Hyborian universe, and to direct this game is a dream come true" said Game Director Gaute Godager, one of Funcom’s founders and Game Director of ‘Anarchy Online’ and the heralded masterpiece ‘Anarchy Online – Shadowlands’. "We are truly trying to make this the ultimate representation of Conan’s world, and we are filling it with features never before seen in an online game. Have you not felt the urge when a great single-player RPG ends to have your character live on and interact with other fellow travelers? To enter an even greater world? This is that opportunity, to have a detailed RPG all about you, your choices and your character, and if you win – to share that victory at an even greater stage."

'Age of Conan' will have a plethora of additional features, as is expected from a Funcom online game. A presentation of the game, including more information about its features, will be held at E3 in May.

_ _ _
The Conan brand is destined to become THE fantasy license of 2006 as over 45 companies are working on a massive coordinated re-launch of the world’s greatest fantasy hero. With a movie from Warner Brothers and an anime movie from Swordplay Entertainment underway, an ongoing comic series from Dark Horse Comics, new novels from Penguin, a collectible toy line from McFarlane Toys, an Online Action RPG from Funcom and a vast range of official merchandise, Conan is reentering the global scene of entertainment with a brutal beheading of the competition.

“This is the first time fans will be able to experience Conan’s incredible world first-hand, and be in awe at the scope of it” said Fredrik Malmberg, Head of licensing and Creative Affairs at Conan Properties International. "The game is incredibly true to the works of Conan creator Robert E. Howard, who envisioned a violent, visceral world akin to a volcano about to erupt. Heads will roll."

Official information about the Conan universe: www.conan.com

* Quote taken from PC Zones upcoming preview for May 2005: "Robert E. Howard’s mystical fantasy world brought to staggeringly attractive life online (...) we can’t wait to strap on our furry boots, oil up our pectorals and practice our best Austrian accents. And it takes a lot to make us admit to that kind of behaviour."
_ _ __ _ _ _

ABOUT FUNCOM - Funcom is an independent developer and publisher of computer and console games with a focus on Action Adventure and Online Games. Funcom has provided outstanding entertainment since 1993 and continues to expand its track-record of 24 released games to date. Recent successes include 'The Longest Journey' and 'Anarchy Online'. For corporate information please visit www.funcom.com. For information about Funcom games visit www.anarchy-online.com, www.dreamfall.com or www.ageofconan.com.

ABOUT CONAN PROPERTIES INTERNATIONAL - Conan Properties International, a wholly owned subsidiary of Paradox Entertainment Inc., controls all rights to Conan, associated characters and the Hyborian world, as created by Robert E. Howard and expanded upon by acclaimed authors and artists for decades. Conan is considered to be the world’s best-known fantasy character. For more information about Conan Properties International, visit www.conan.com. For information about Paradox Entertainment Inc., visit www.paradox-entertainment.com.

Interview With The Game Director:

In English and French
EN: Regarding the original writings of Robert E. Howard, each bloodline (Cimmerian, Aquilonian or Stygian) is supposed to have specific fighting style and weapons.
Will it be the case in the game ? Will we be able to learn new combat arts like Conan did as a mercenary ?

FR: Au sujet des écrits orignaux de Robert E. Howard, chaque race (Cimmerien, Aquilonien, Stygien) disposent de styles de combat spécifiques, ainsi que des armes propres.
Retrouverons-nous les mêmes caractéristiques dans le jeu ? Serons-nous capable d'apprendre de nouveaux styles de combat, comme Conan en qualité de mercenaire ?


EN: Each of the three nations in the game (Cimmeria, Aqquilonia, Stygia), and the characters from the different nations, has their own distinct looks and also abilities to a certain extent.
We have tried to make each nation into something unique, not just in terms of combat, but also in terms of architecture, clothes, buildings and so forth and so on.
You will also find that the various nations have different approaches to combat, for instance the magic classes who naturally "pray" and draw power from different gods.

You will most definitively be able to learn new combat arts during the game. We are investing heavily into the combat aspects, and are doing our very best to make sure that you are constantly rewarded with new possibilities.
With our motion capture studio and combat mechanics we have also been able to create combat into something incredibly lifelike and even realistic (that's why we have called it "real combat").
It's therefore not just about getting new special attacks and feats, but also mastering the system itself.
It should be easy for anyone to learn, but it will take some time to master fully.


FR: Chacune des trois nations dans le jeu, et les personnages de chacune d'entre elles, disposent de leurs propres apparences et capacités, jusqu'à un certain degré.
Nous avons essayé de faire chaque nation unique, pas seulement en terme de combat, mais aussi dans l'architecture, vêtements, batiments, etc..
Vous constaterez effectivement que les nations disposent d'une approche différente dans le combat, également dans les classes magiques de personnages qui prient et tirent leurs pouvoirs de Dieux différents.

Vous pourrez également apprendre de nouveaux arts de combat dans le jeu. Nous faisons beaucoup de travail pour cela dans les différents aspects de combat, nous faisons de notre mieux pour que vous soyez constamment récompensés de vos efforts par de nouvelles possibilités.
Avec notre studio de motion capture et les méchaniques de combats du jeu, nous sommes capables de recréer, dans les scènes d'actions, quelque chose d'incroyablement réaliste (ce que nous avons appellé "real combat").
Ce n'est pas seulement avoir de nouvelles attaques et coups spéciaux, mais aussi dans l'apprentissage du système de combat lui même.
Il devrait être facile pour tout le monde d'apprendre le système, mais du temps sera nécessaire pour le maitriser totalement.



EN: How long will be the first 'offline' section in the game for an average player ? Will we be allowed more than one character ?
If so, will we have to play the 'offline' section for each character ?

FR:Combien de temps prendra la section 'offline' du jeu pour un joueur moyen ? Pourrons-nous avoir plusieurs personnages ?
Si oui, devrons-nous répéter la section 'offline' pour chacun de nos personnages ?


EN: It's too early to say exactly how long it will take, but it will be for the first 20 levels (out of 80).
We reckon it will take around 15 hours or so, depending on how good you are and what your focus is.
I am not sure I fully understand what you mean by "more than one character" but in Conan you can naturally create several characters, which you can take through the single-player.
Since we have four branching story-arcs you can therefore go at it again and again with a different approach.
If you can skip this part entirely remains to be seen, but we are working on various approaches to see what works best.


FR: Il est trop tôt pour savoir exactement combien de temps sera nécessaire, ce sera 20 niveaux sur 80 au total.
Nous estimons que cela devrait prendre 15 heures, approximativement, cela dépend bien sur de votre efficacité et sur quoi vous voulez vous focaliser.
Je ne suis pas sûr de comprendre ce que vous voulez dire par "more than one character" mais dans Conan vous pouvez bien sûr créer plusieurs personnages, avec chacun d'entre eux vous pourrez commencer par l'introduction solo.
Mais cette introduction peut-être jouée de différentes façons et l'histoire n'est pas figée, vous aurez donc à chaque fois une approche du jeu différente.
Nous ne sommes pas encore certain de laisser la possibilité de passer complètement cette étape, nous travaillons sur plusieurs possibilités afin de déterminer celle qui sera la plus appropriée




EN: Conan is announced as a mature game, it's very exciting, could you tell us more ? For eg. we've seen a beheading screenshot, will it be an available fight trick in game ?
I was thinking too about some Conan novels aspects like alcohol, Conan's girls, etc..

FR: Conan est annoncé comme un jeu mature, ce qui nous paraît plus qu'intéressant, pouvez-vous nous en dire plus ? Par exemple, nous avons vu des screenshots de décapitation ? Est-ce que celà sera un coup spécial disponible dans le jeu ?
Je pensais également à certains aspects des nouvelles de Conan, comme l'alcool, les femmes, etc...



EN: The Conan license is a brutal and gritty universe with raw violence, dark magic, evil gods and strong warriors.
To water down the feel of the universe was for sure not something we wanted to do, and we are thus trying to be as true to the spirit of Conan as we can be.
We are fans after all ;p .
We expect the rating for the game to be mature, but at the same time we are not speculating in the violence and brutality.
You shouldn't, for instance, be able to spray the ground with the blood gushing out from the artery of a fallen enemy, but you should be able to behead a demon or two
As for women Gaute and the team are trying to take Conan into the 21st century, and you will find that women are just as strong as the men!

Oh, there will for sure be alcohol! Actually one of the PvP games we call "brawling" is based around the consumption of alcohol.
This very "Conanesque" PvP mini-game is only turned on for drunk players in bars and inns.
In brawling you fight with other stats than your regular abilities, with a system designed around how much you drink and what weapon you are holding (table, stool, bottle etc.).
This PvP games is just for fun, of course, and should mean that any level could bash it out together:


FR: L'univers de Conan est brutal, sombre avec une rare violence, des magies obscures, dieux démoniaques et guerriers puissants.
Edulcorer ces aspects de l'univers n'était certainement pas quelquechose que nous voulions, nous essayons d'être le plus fidèle possible à l'esprit de Conan, autant que possible.
Nous sommes tous des fans après tout ;p
Nous nous attendons à ce que ce soit considéré comme tel, mais en même temps nous ne courons pas après la violence et la brutalité.
Vous ne devriez pas, par exemple, être en mesure d'étaler le sang de votre ennemie, au sol après lui avoir tranché une artère, mais vous devriez par contre pouvoir décapiter un démon ou deux
Pour les femmes, Gaute et son équipe tentent d'amener Conan dans le 21 siècle, et vous les trouvez aussi fortes que les hommes !

Ho, il y'aura bien de l'alcool ! En fait, l'un des aspects PVP que nous appellons "brawling" est basé sur la consommation d'alcool.
Ceci est une fidèle transcription de l'univers de Conan, un mini jeu pour les joueurs saouls dans les bars et tavernes.
Dans les séances de "brawlings", vous combattez avec d'autres statistiques que celles des personnages, le système du jeu calcule quelle quantité d'alcool vous avez ingurgité et l'arme que vous disposez (table, chaise, bouteille, etc..).
Ce pvp est juste là pour s'amuser, bien sur, il n'y aura aucune restriction de niveau pour s'affronter dans un bar.


EN: Concerning real time combat and multipoint melee, it looks like a very impressive feature but what will be the most important in melee ?
Character skills or player abilities (swiftness, accuracy)? Could you tell us more about this ?

FR: Au sujet du combat temps réel et le "multipoint melee", il apparaît comme très impressionnant mais qu'est-ce qui sera le plus important dans les combats ?
Les aptitudes de votre personnage ou les capacitiés du joueur (rapidité, précision) ? Pouvez-vous nous en dire plus à ce sujet ?


EN: This is an RPG so player-level will in the end matter more than skills, even though skills will naturally aid you a long way.
The more adept you get at the combat system, the more damage you can deal, but if you meet someone, say 20 levels above you, you shouldn't stand a chance regardless.

What we have tried to do though is to make a system where skill matters more than in most other RPG's. With the multipoint system, which also works with ranged combat, we are finally taking online RPG's away from the static, almost ritualized, combat and into an arena where you are more active in the gameplay experience.
This is all for the good in my personal opinion, and think it will hopefully be as revolutionary as when we first came up with for instance the instancing and mission systems in Anarchy Online.


FR: Le jeu est un RPG avant tout, donc le niveau de votre personnage et ses aptitudes sont les plus importantes, mais vos propres capacités vous aideront énormémement tout au long de votre progression.
Plus vous maîtriserez les mécaniques du jeu, plus vous ferez de dommages, mais si vous rencontrez un autre joueur, ayant 20 niveaux de plus que vous, vous n'aurez aucune chance contre lui.

Ce que nous avons essayé de faire est de concevoir un système ou vos aptitudes seront plus importantes que dans n'importe quel autre RPG actuel. Avec le système mutlipoints, qui fonctionne également dans le combat à distance, nous avons enfin un RPG dynamique, les arènes par exemple vous proposeront une nouvelle expérience de jeu.
Mon opinion personnelle sur le sujet est que ce sera une révolution dans le monde du RPG, tout comme AO en son temps avec le système de missions.



EN: Questions from some members: will the archery skill be available for range combat ? Also, will the thief archetype be able to hide from ennemies and use dual daggers for eg. ?

FR: Une question de nos membres: est-ce que l'archerie sera disponible pour les combats à distance ? De même, le voleur sera-t-il capable de se dissimuler aux yeux des ennemis et utiliser deux dagues ?



EN: We won't go too much into specifics on the various classes just yet, but I can assure you we will give extensive info as we get closer to launch.


FR: Nous ne voulons pas aller trop dans les détails au niveau des classes, pas encore, mais je peux vous assurer que nous donnerons plus d'infos à ce sujet à l'approche de la sortie du jeu.



EN: An offline beginning, servers with 2500 players (instead of 3000/3500 for "common" current titles), how do you consider Age of Conan ? A full mmorpg ? An hybrid style between mmorpg and classic games ? A new approach for online gaming ?

FR: Un début de jeu en Solo, des serveurs avec 2.500 joueurs (au lieu de 3.000/3.500 pour les jeux courants du même type), comment considerez-vous Age of Conan ? Un mmorpg à part entière ? Un style hybride entre le mmorpg et les jeux classiques ? Une nouvelle approche pour le jeu en ligne ?



EN: Conan shows a brand new approach for online gaming, and it's filled with features and approaches as you have never seen before.
Remember that we have some 8 years of development of Anarchy Online under our belt, so we are trying to take all the best parts of that game, while bringing something completely new to the table.

In the bigger picture I think you can for sure call it a hybrid, with a more classic single-player RPG in the beginning, and with a full-fledged MMO in the later parts of the game.


FR: Conan apportera une nouvelle approche du jeu en ligne, et il est rempli de possibilités et options que vous n'avez jamais vu encore.
Gardez à l'esprit que nous avons 8 années developpement sur Anarchy Online derrière nous, nous essayons de prendre le meilleur de ce jeu, tout en apportant quelque chose de totalement nouveau sur la table.

Dans une certaine mesure, vous pouvez le qualifier d'"hybride", avec un début de jeu en Solo et un mmorpg à part entière une fois passé cette étape.


EN: How big will be the world ? Will all Hyperboree areas from the novell be available?


FR: Quelle grandeur aura le monde au départ ? Est-ce que toutes les contrées d'Hyperborée seront disponibles ?


EN: At launch there will be about 30 regions found in the game spread across Aquilonia, Cimmeria and Stygia, so there will be a lot of real-estate.
That said, it's impossible for us to implement all of Conan's world, this is after all one of the richest and most diverse fantasy licenses on the planet, but I am sure you will get to see even more through expansion packs and updates after launch


FR: Au début, il y aura 30 régions, qui traverseront l'Aquilonie, la Cimmérie, et la Stygie, nous aurons donc de quoi voyager.
Ceci dit, il serait impossible pour nous de rendre disponible dès le départ le monde entier de Conan, un des plus riches et plus diverse univers, mais je suis sûr que vous verrez par la suite de nombreuses extensions et updates une fois la sortie passée


EN: The fight system seems to be the most important aspect in the game, specially formation combat and sieges.
How many opponents the game will be able to handle for a single fight? And how huge fights will we be able to see and participate ?


FR: Le combat semble l'un des aspects les plus importants du jeu, notamment les formations et les sièges.
Combien d'opposants le jeu pourra-t-il réunir dans un seul combat ? De quelle taille seront les affrontements que nous pourrons voir, et participer ?


EN: Yes, combat is the heart and soul of Conan and will be a vital part of the gameplay experience.
We still don't know exactly how many we can have on screen but we have run tests with several hundreds on screen at the same time without any significant drops in frame-rate.
This is something which is incredibly important to us (large-scale PvP and PvE battles) and we have dedicated a lot of resources into load-balancing and network traffic improvements.
I know that we have managed more people on screen than most other MMO's with AO (300+), and with Conan we are taking this a long way further.


FR: Oui, le comabt sera l'âme du jeu et vital dans l'expérience de jeu que nous voulons vous apporter.
Mais nous ne savons toujours pas combien d'opposants nous pouvons avoir à l'écran. Nous avons déjà testé avec plusieurs centaines sans avoir de chutes de performances trop significatives.
Cet aspect est incroyablement important pour nous (aussi bien dans le PVE et le PVP), et nous avons mis beaucoup de moyens là-dessus, load balancing, réseau, etc...
Je sais que nous avons déjà par le passé réussi à réunir plus de personnes à l'ecran que dans n'importe quel autre mmo avec AO (plus de 300 personnes), et avec Conan, nous irons bien au-delà.


EN: About the craft, how important will it be in the game ? For exemple, will the crafters learn their own skills and progress without fighting ?
Will more social aspect like housing be available ?

FR: Sur l'artisanat, à quel point sera-t-il important dans le jeu? Par exemple, est-ce que les artisans pourront développer leurs propres compétences sans avoir à combattre ?
Y aura-t-il un aspect social dans le jeu, comme le fait de disposer de sa propre maison ?

You will need to fight to progress, but there are also extensive crafting opportunities in the game.
You have, for instance, resource gathering and crafting which can be done in specific regions of the game.
You should especially look for the four resources gold nuggets, iron ore, stone slabs and wood, who are gathered with an active interaction, but you will also find additional ingredients through other means (gathering, combat drop etc.).
All of these ingredients can either be combined at special locations or directly in your inventory if they are simple stuff like bandages etc.
You will also be able to build player-made cities and PvP player-made cities, where each guild can have one of each.

So, we are for sure trying to have other activities than just fighting, but the main focus is on combat, combat and combat. More on this will come closer to launch.

Vous aurez toujours besoin de combattre pour progresser, mais l'artisanat sera un aspect très important dans le jeu.
Par exemple, la collecte de ressources qui ne peut se faire, selon l'ingrédient recherché, que dans certaines régions du jeu.
Vous pourriez, par exemple, avoir besoin de pépites d'or, minerais de fer, galets et de bois, tout ceci est collecté de manière dynamique dans le jeu. Vous pourrez également collecter des ingrédients d'une autre manière (collecte, fouille de dépouilles).
Tous ces ingrédients peuvent-être combinés à différents endroits ou directement dans votre inventaire si vous disposez de l'équipement adéquat.
Vous pourrez également construire des cités de joueurs, des cités de joueurs PVP, où chaque guilde pourra tirer avantage.

Nous sommes sûrs de permettre aux joueurs de goûter à d'autres activités, mais notre objectif principal est le combat, encore le combat, et toujours le combat.
Plus d'infos là-dessus, à l'approche de la sortie du jeu.

Interview With The Game Director: Part 2

July 11, 2005 - Born in 1906, Robert Ervin Howard ranks among the foremost writers of action and adventure despite a career that lasted only 12 years, ending in a macabre manner with his suicide at the age of 30. It seems he found his calling early in life; he purportedly told a famed contemporary, H.P. Lovecraft, that he wrote his very first tale when he was only nine or 10 years old. He began submitting pieces for publication when he was 15, and made his initial sale at 18, Spear and Fang, a short story about a Cro-Magnon who rescues his mate from a Neanderthal. Howard's list of credits ultimately exceeded 100. Cumulatively, they showcased his ability to create memorable characters such as Kull of Atlantis, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, Sailor Steve Costigan and the best known of all, Conan the Cimmerian.


Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures is Funcom's contribution to a revival of the property that includes both a movie and an animated film along with new novels, a comic series, collectible toys and more. Described as an online action RPG, its aim is to bring together a story-driven single-player experience and a massively multiplayer end game, both capturing the classic swords and sorcery feeling as well as the lush, dark, brutally violent and not always politically correct nature of the franchise. The titular hero's grip on the Aquilonian throne has become tenuous, with ancient evils threatening to throw the realm into chaos. The time is ripe for those with the strength and will to carve out their own destinies. As for our fate, we were favored by fortune in finding Game Director Gaute Godager willing to answer our questions.

Includes four exclusive concept images


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Jonric: Taking into account the violent nature of the underlying universe, is it correct to assume PvP will be a major element in Age of Conan?

Gaute Godager: Yes. Basically, there are four types of PvP. Naturally, they all have the same types of basic rule set for the player - except one. If you have learned PvP in one part of the game, it should be easy to take it to another. Let me start on this topic by talking a bit about Age of Conan's PvP concept first.

To aid in these battles, the players can use hirelings, siege engines and all the tricks in the books to fight their way to the glory of King Conan's court.
No other fantasy license lends itself so well to bloody battle and bloody PvP as the saga of Conan the Barbarian. Here, crushing your enemy is the definition of the soul of the license, and it has grown on us how profoundly that should influence the in-game battles. We are really thankful for having such a clear combat vision to guide us, and it will be something we know will be more brutal and honest than anything you have seen before!

Jonric: What kind of thinking process did you go through before you started to design the four-part PvP system you're implementing?

Gaute Godager: It is hard to compare this to any non-multiplayer RPGs as there is nothing like PvP there, naturally - so I am going to refer to the first generation of western MMOs, and looking at what they did to our expectations for PvP. With all due respect to my colleagues, it seems to me as if the early games made PvP unpredictable for the players. Could it be that they hadn't put PvP in the forefront when designing the games - that it was added more as an afterthought?

Those games made killing other players too easy, too unbalanced or too crude - no depth. This led to a high degree of unpredictability for the player - or so it seems - and it made PvP into something you either had to do all the time, or not at all. It wasn't until we got Dark Age of Camelot with Realm vs. Realm, and Anarchy Online's Notum War that PvP really grew into its own. After that, all modern MMOs have seemed to address PvP as something important.

The unpredictability of early MMOs led to a dichotomy in player perception of PvP. You either loved it, or you hated it. Luckily this is now fading, and PvP is in most new MMOs, becoming something you do for fun and purpose, but always in addition to whichever other activities you participate in.

Jonric: After or during this process, did you develop a set of guidelines or core objectives core to follow in the actual design?

Gaute Godager: These four lines of thinking became the guides for the Conan team when designing PvP:
- PvP should be available to everyone, if they want it - not only on special PvP servers.
- There shouldn't be a harsh penalty should you die in PvP. No permanent loss of items or other hard-won valuables.
- There should be multiple forms of PvP, many which will serve as different mini-games.
- PvP should be available at all levels after the very first few.

These are what led us to create the different types of PvP systems:

Jonric: Will you have large-scale encounters reflecting the epic battles and wars that occur within the Conan property?

King Conan has opened Aquilonia up for expansion into the bothersome Border Kingdoms. Several individuals in his court will thus sponsor settlements in this region. This means that the players can choose a side and set up their own castles in these instantiated areas. The castles must be defended against other guilds that want these highly lucrative areas.

This form of PvP will provide large-scale battles where a set number of defenders and attackers can clash together at predefined, regulated, intervals. To aid in these battles, the players can use hirelings, siege engines and all the tricks in the books to fight their way to the glory of King Conan's court.

Jonric: What will PvP be like for smaller groups, and are you doing anything to make sure higher-level characters don't dominate these clashes?


Gaute Godager: The second type of PvP is the team-focused mini-games. Here, the players are fighting king of the hill, capture the flag and other types of team-oriented mini-games. To facilitate a "just" system in PvP games like these, we have included an auto-leveling feature where the players are divided into four different tiers; each 20 levels are grouped together. Each tier enables the player to auto-level to the highest level in it.

Magic in Hyboria is darker, scarcer and more powerful than in most other RPG campaigns. You delve into the arcane arts at your own risk, your soul being the only truly powerful bargaining chip.
Using a matchmaking interface, the players are quickly grouped together into equally sized teams, and then their levels are equaled out. This auto-leveling feature lasts the length of the battle, and means that your current abilities are boosted to be almost as good as they would have been if you had gained the level the normal way. Going the distance is naturally preferable as you will gain totally new abilities that are not available to the auto-leveled. This auto-leveling system will also be in place in the massive PvP, with a set number of units in each category.

Jonric: It seems pretty obvious that one on one duels will be the third type, but what's the fourth one you've come up with?

Gaute Godager: The other type of PvP is something very unique and Conanesque, and it's simply called "brawling". It is only turned on for drunken players who frequent bars and inns. Here, you fight with other stats than the regular level abilities, and the system is based around how much you drink, what type of brawling weapon you're holding (table, bottle, stool, etc.) as well as other abilities. The object here is simply to drink yourself satisfyingly intoxicated, and smash down your fellow bar-brawling drunkards in an all out fun and games setting. Nothing serious, only for fun.

Jonric: Before we move to the next topic, are there other aspects of PvP that you'd like our readers to be aware of?

Gaute Godager: Except for the brawling, all PvP kills will give PvP knowledge that slowly trains you in the game's 20 PvP levels. These gives you access to certain PvP-only feats, empowering abilities that can only be used in PvP situations. Though it is unlikely that much armor, quests or other PvP content will be available at launch, this system will allow us to make content updates focusing on giving the best PvPers the kudos they are due.

To summarize, PvP grew much more important to the development team as the full, deep understanding of the demands of the license dawned on us. We need to give the players as much variety and depth in PvP as we can since this will make the game alive in a way we cannot do by simply making quests and content.

Finally, I would like to mention that PvP is voluntary and will never be forced on the player. It should never encourage griefing, allowing a high-level player to gank a lower-level one, nor should the glee of winning be based on the loss of time and effort on the side of the loser.

Jonric: Since weapons, armor and items in general seem likely to be important, what will they be like in your version of the Conan universe?

Gaute Godager: There are many, many sets of armor, weapons, rings and other types of earthly goods to be gathered by the persistent traveler in Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures. The key guide to the uniquely slanted Hyborian loot is the darkness and violence of the universe. No pink trousers, no fairy-tale equipment. Realistically gritty or darker is our murky guiding star.

The requirements for wearing any type of equipment in Conan are locked by the feats given out every second level, and a massive chunk every five levels. These feats yield the different classes at various levels. As in any RPG, you can acquire equipment through quests, loot from monsters, shops and making them.

In Conan, the crafted equipment is slated to hold a very special place in the object hierarchy. The player-made items are the only ones where you can insert socket gems - thus their role will be that of flexibility and adaptability. The crafting system is a no-nonsense, quick approach where the focus is on being quick and usable, not quasi-realistic.

Jonric: For those who prefer the magical arts, what kind of system will Age of Conan have? Are there going to be various schools?

Gaute Godager: Magic in Hyboria is darker, scarcer and more powerful than in most other RPG campaigns. You delve into the arcane arts at your own risk, your soul being the only truly powerful bargaining chip. Our focus has been to give magic a visually more realistic look, less floating shiny things, and more the rumblings from hell.

The users of magic fall, as normal, into two main categories, the ones with magic being offered from their gods or the earth, and the ones where magic is created through rituals and bargains with darker powers. In both cases, you memorize spells into your spellbook, and use mana to cast them.

The current system allows you to prepare a set number of spells for casting into your arcane wheel - our ritualistic shortcut system. Casting the spells in a certain order will allow for magical combos and criticals. Most buffs will be team-based only, to eliminate the need to run around targeting everyone all the time.

Jonric: Does this aspect of the game have any other features or elements that our readers might find unusual or otherwise notable?


Gaute Godager: Many spells - most notably the highly effective forms of healing - will be touch-based, or very short range. Many spells require different directions to gain maximum impact. The spell casting in Conan will thus be a much more tactical and proactive type of activity. There will not be time to wait around for mana to regenerate during combat. Casters should be as active as the melee or ranged fighters, constantly switching sides, targets and spells to do their best / worst.
Several of the main characters from the Conan mythos will have voice actors and well-written scripts that motivate player interaction.
Moreover, the different priest classes will look and feel different. The various gods in Conan are extreme in their outlook on life and death, and casting them all in one mold would be wrong.

We have summarized what magic should look and feel like in the four words "realistic" (visually), "scary" (it should have consequences casting and using magic), "dynamic" (the system should have depth) and "empowered" (the ease of use and the feeling of power given to the user).

I could talk about these for quite some time, but I would focus on the concept of having "dynamic" magic. We have designed a system where magic spells and effects can be combined by the user to get new results. These "combo spells" can be further combined with new deadly effects, allowing the casters to experiment - but at their own risk.
One of the concepts used to moderate this risk taking is something very familiar to the fans of the Conan world. Magic is dark, and always with risk, and as the casters walk that edge of deadly power, they will accumulate something called Corruption of the Soul. Naturally, having a corrupt soul might make bargaining with demons, um, different.

Jonric: What about the NPCs in Age of Conan? To what extent do you plan to incorporate characters from the property into the game?

Gaute Godager: There are many friendly NPCs from the Conan universe brought to life for the first time in a computer role-playing game. Since these characters are so closely tied to the story, I will refrain from name-dropping as this might spoil the fun for the many people whose chief goal in the game is discovering and interacting with the story.

Several of the main characters from the Conan mythos will have voice actors and well-written scripts that motivate player interaction. These characters serve as an integrated and very important part of the license, and reflect our emphasis on storytelling in Hyboria during the reign of Conan.

With respect to telling us the story behind Age of Conan - Hyborian Adventures, there's certainly no one in a better position to do so than Game Director Gaute Godager. Accordingly, we are highly appreciative of his taking the time to provide this second segment of this interview, which has turned into its own almost epic mini-series. As you can rather easily surmise, we haven't finished yet, so we look forward to returning with lots more in the not too distant future.
-- Richard Aihoshi - 'Jonric'