every once in a while the mmorpg scene is in a buzz because the next big (preferably World of Warcraft killer) mmorpg is about to hit the shelves. this time the game in question is Age of Conan (AoC) that is going to be released at the end of may. the current hype is enourmous and makes me wonder how many people will leave their current game to try AoC. personally i am a bit twisted when it comes to AoC.
for starters, it has very high system requirements and my current gaming rig does not meet the recommended requirements. i do intent to upgrade my hardware later this year when DDR3 prices are in an affordable range but not right now and not because of one game i might (or might not) play for a month or two. i do know that AoC runs on my computer on low to mid settings but i am afraid this will have an impact on the visual quality and i am a sucker for great graphics experiences.
next up, it is hailed to have a “revolutionary combat” system, sometimes even referred to as “real time combat”. my very first mmorpg Neocron featured a real time combat system back in 2002 and it was rather cumbersome to use. real time means that you control the combat more directly, you aim your attacks instead of pressing just one button and wait for your character to execute the attack. in AoC that means that you have to decide if you want to attack your opponent on the left or right or hit him in the middle. from various videos and explanations i gathered that you do not have “skills” per se but the order you hit the mob (left, right, middle) unlocks certain combos that have a special effect like extra damage or so. this sounds like a button smashing frenzy to me and i am very sceptical if i want a combat system like that in a mmorpg with lags and other issues.
AoC is also rated M for Mature, meaning it is brutal and gory. this fact does not necessarily bother me but i am worried what kind of community a game “for adults only” will attract. judging by the ongoing hype of the open beta, a lot of former “WoW kids” will head over to AoC to give it a try. from my experience the WoW community is by far the worst mmorpg around, full of teenagers and leet kids that only want ”phat lewt”.
last but not least i do have the lingering suspicion that AoC could turn into another Vanguard. Vanguard: Saga of Heroes was proclaimed as “WoW killer” and failed badly. the hype surrounding Vanguard was enourmous, but the game could not live up to the expectations due to bugs, server performance issues and downright annoying issues in gameplay like a harsh death penalty. the AoC hype is similar bloated and a lot of people i have talked to about it say they will try it for the free month that comes with the game to see if they like it or not. so only time will tell if AoC is the next best mmorpg.
Yep your correct AOC is a flop still borken and its been 3 monthes since release.. FUNCOM really screwed over and lied to anyone who bought AOC.