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Exploring Age Of Conan
Exploring Age Of Conan
| Name: | Britton LaRoche |  |
|---|---|---|
| Date Posted: | Jun 18, 2008 | |
| Rating: |  Not Rated | |
| Public: | YES | |
| Comments: | YES | |
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| Profile Page: | View profile page for Britton LaRoche |
Blog post
Age of Conan Blogs
-------------------------------------------
Exploring the Age of Conan
Combat in the Age of Conan
I've been playing Age of Conan for "research" purposes. Its a great idea to play games to get an idea of what is going on in the game industry, and its a lot of fun.
Maps
--------------------------------------
Here is a great leveling flow chart of all the AOC maps
Old Tarantia
Resource Maps
Characters
--------------------------------------
I've played the POM, HOX, Assassin, Ranger, DT, and Barbarian. So far my favorite is the barbarian, followed closely by the assassin. For me, nothing beats the adrenaline rush and human drama of Player Versus Player.
The ranger is a great people hunter class, it has medium damage and armor so the PVP battle is long and drawn out. The assassin is quick, the poisons do their work nicely and death soon follows. I've "tied" a number of battles, the assassin has no armor so he goes down quick... after I drop I often see my foe drop next to me from the continued affect of the poisons. But, my favorite is the Barbarian. The Barbarian has light armor and really awesome damage potential.
I like the two handed sword combos and I'm detailing a massive attack by the barbarian that can take down a player 10 to 15 levels higher. My character Hadrian is a level 33 Barbarian and I hunt level 39+ players, that like to gank lowbies.
I've used the feat tree to get me the "earth shatter," "stun," and "follow up" feats to provide an endless barrage of one sided attacks that leave my opponent stunned and beaten. His health is taken from 100% to about 20% after my opening attack.
Alt Bar
--------------------------------------
Here is my Alt Attack with the magic. I start with Earth Shatter followed by, Stunning punch 2, Clobber 2, Follow up, and then No Escape. No escape can only be used once every 5 minutes, but thats about right for pvp encounter and battles. I have these on my alt bar (press alt key to use) because they all have long periods of time before they can be used again.
Alt + 1 Earth Shatter stuns all foes in the vicinity.
Alt + 2 Stunning punch II stuns the target for several seconds,
Alt + 3 clobber II knocks him back
Alt + 4 Follow up deals massive damage while he is down
Alt + 5 I plant my two handed sword in his chest with "no escape" where he is impaled helplessly as he takes massive damage for several seconds.
The other player can do absolutely nothing during this barrage because of all the stun effects.
Alt bar (for two handed sword) here
Using the alt power bar
You can press the alt key with your thumb (to bring up the alt power bar) and then click the attack options in the bar with the mouse. I don't recommend using the mouse, as the tool tips often pop up and get in the way. I've dragged the attack power out of the slot bar before during combat and dropped it by mistake... oops. Not a good thing to do in battle.
The best thing to do is use the keys with your left hand as shown above (My opening move Alt +1 is shown). Place your left thumb on the alt key and use your fingers to press the numbered keys. Each of these power / stun attacks takes a second to execute, so you can press each key with a bit of leisure.
After using this combo I go back to my main attacks. I have to box with my empty hands for awhile because "no escape" has planted my two handed sword in his chest (it takes about 15 seconds to get it back). The effect is a one sided can of "whoop ass" that Popeye himself would be proud of. At level 32 I nearly took down a level 52 bully with this massive combo.
Main Bar
--------------------------------------
Now we go to the main bar of the two handed combos.... The power attacks are in the alt bar, the speed is in the Main bar.
These are my main combos and they replenish quick. When I get my two handed sword back I finish them off with butcher 1-3, Slam and Sweep combos.
Main bar (for two handed sword) here
Using the main power bar
They default key board layout is nice and very comfortable. The swift magic in your main bar is enhanced by how you hold your left hand on the key board. With a bit of practice you can litterally run circles around your opponent.
The "c" key is the trick. Place your left thumb on the "c" key and press it down. This makes you character straif right. You can direct the right straif with your mouse. Move the mouse so that you cirle left. Practice with a non player enemy, it works well on them too. Most players stand stationary and fight eachother toe to toe. By holding down the c key with your thumb your player is in constant motion and hard to target. But there is more, using your left fingers you can press the attack number keys at the same time and attack while you are in motion.
Once you are behind a human player he cannot target you, and you are free to beat him with out mercy, or fear of retribution. The amount of time it takes for him to rotate and target you is all you need to get in a couple of extra hits. Then straif again. Optionally you can hold the c key down continuosly and use the standard 1, 2 and 3 key attacks. While in straif mode some of your combos wont work, but the effect is well worth it. I learned it by having it use on me when I first started playing, I was amazed that a lower level opponent took me down with this strategy, and I began reading the key bindings under the options menu.
The straif attack with the c key is a great technique to use with the "spawn ganker." The spawn gankers are people like to attack you right after you respawn at a resurection point when your health and stamina are low. You need stamina for your power combos. Usually your only option is the standard 1,2 and 3 basic attacks. My opinion is the "spawn ganker" is not a very good player or he wouldn't need the easy kills. Running in circles around him really confuses this type of player. I've taken down higher level players who had full health, when I had next to no health with this technique. The other option is to press "h" and hide in stealth mode, so you can sneak away to heal.
Feats (the keys to true power)
--------------------------------------
As you complete missions and rise in level you gain "feat points." You can assign these points to new powers in your "feat tree." The feat tree menu is brought up by clicking the feats tab in the menu in the center top of your hud.
Here is my feat tree. (No Escape is awesome) The focus is on shock and stun as you can see below
Sunning Punch and No escape on my alt are feats I trained. Once you train a feat it will show up in your combos tab or in your abilities tab (if it requires action to activate). You then drag and drop the feat into your main or alt bar.
I found that you cant really switch between two handed mode and dual blade single handed mode effectively. So I chose two handed mode for all my feat training, and it has worked out nicely.
Fishing for the Bully
--------------------------------
I've finished playing the Stygia Khemi's Khopshef province. No more quests there for me. But while I was there I found its a great place to hang out and find tons of PVP bully players. Just stand in front of a mission NPC and they will sneak up behind you. Most people are engaged in a conversation with the NPC and they can not fight.
I stand infornt of the NPC with my finger on ALT +1 ready to start my barrage attack. I dont interact with the NPC. I just wait (like live bait at level 33) for that level 42 player to attack.... (A bully never picks on someone his own size or level, he might lose)
Picking a Fight
--------------------------------
I consider higher level players fair game. Not everyone is a bully. I feel akward attacking a nice player for no reason. So I find excuses to start a fight. I run up behind another player while he or she is heading to a quest. Or I stand infront of them while they are talking to a NPC. Most of the time they feel a bit threatend by my presence and might atttack me. If they dont attack me I invite them to a group.
/invite (player name)
90% of the time they decline. I don't really want them to join, I'm just picking a fight. If they are standing still I use an emote to let them know I'm a little crazy and not happy. Its a great prelude to the physical barrage of attacks that follow.
/emote burning
The character moves about like a crazy man on fire and there is a loud audible scream that startles the unsuspecting player. Right after the emote I attack them. If I kill them I say "Thats for not joining my group" or "I don't handle rejection well."
/emote blowkiss
Is a nice farewell, to insure they will be back for more PVP action. The aim is to insure that they are really upset and angry. That makes it so much more fun when you beat them a second time. My goal is to have the other player drop everything and think of nothing more than getting revenge.
If they do join I'm ready for my next quest.
-------------------------------------------
Exploring the Age of Conan
Combat in the Age of Conan
I've been playing Age of Conan for "research" purposes. Its a great idea to play games to get an idea of what is going on in the game industry, and its a lot of fun.
Maps
--------------------------------------
Here is a great leveling flow chart of all the AOC maps
Old Tarantia
Resource Maps
Characters
--------------------------------------
I've played the POM, HOX, Assassin, Ranger, DT, and Barbarian. So far my favorite is the barbarian, followed closely by the assassin. For me, nothing beats the adrenaline rush and human drama of Player Versus Player.
The ranger is a great people hunter class, it has medium damage and armor so the PVP battle is long and drawn out. The assassin is quick, the poisons do their work nicely and death soon follows. I've "tied" a number of battles, the assassin has no armor so he goes down quick... after I drop I often see my foe drop next to me from the continued affect of the poisons. But, my favorite is the Barbarian. The Barbarian has light armor and really awesome damage potential.
I like the two handed sword combos and I'm detailing a massive attack by the barbarian that can take down a player 10 to 15 levels higher. My character Hadrian is a level 33 Barbarian and I hunt level 39+ players, that like to gank lowbies.
I've used the feat tree to get me the "earth shatter," "stun," and "follow up" feats to provide an endless barrage of one sided attacks that leave my opponent stunned and beaten. His health is taken from 100% to about 20% after my opening attack.
Alt Bar
--------------------------------------
Here is my Alt Attack with the magic. I start with Earth Shatter followed by, Stunning punch 2, Clobber 2, Follow up, and then No Escape. No escape can only be used once every 5 minutes, but thats about right for pvp encounter and battles. I have these on my alt bar (press alt key to use) because they all have long periods of time before they can be used again.
Alt + 1 Earth Shatter stuns all foes in the vicinity.
Alt + 2 Stunning punch II stuns the target for several seconds,
Alt + 3 clobber II knocks him back
Alt + 4 Follow up deals massive damage while he is down
Alt + 5 I plant my two handed sword in his chest with "no escape" where he is impaled helplessly as he takes massive damage for several seconds.
The other player can do absolutely nothing during this barrage because of all the stun effects.
Alt bar (for two handed sword) here
Using the alt power bar
You can press the alt key with your thumb (to bring up the alt power bar) and then click the attack options in the bar with the mouse. I don't recommend using the mouse, as the tool tips often pop up and get in the way. I've dragged the attack power out of the slot bar before during combat and dropped it by mistake... oops. Not a good thing to do in battle.
The best thing to do is use the keys with your left hand as shown above (My opening move Alt +1 is shown). Place your left thumb on the alt key and use your fingers to press the numbered keys. Each of these power / stun attacks takes a second to execute, so you can press each key with a bit of leisure.
After using this combo I go back to my main attacks. I have to box with my empty hands for awhile because "no escape" has planted my two handed sword in his chest (it takes about 15 seconds to get it back). The effect is a one sided can of "whoop ass" that Popeye himself would be proud of. At level 32 I nearly took down a level 52 bully with this massive combo.
Main Bar
--------------------------------------
Now we go to the main bar of the two handed combos.... The power attacks are in the alt bar, the speed is in the Main bar.
These are my main combos and they replenish quick. When I get my two handed sword back I finish them off with butcher 1-3, Slam and Sweep combos.
Main bar (for two handed sword) here
Using the main power bar
They default key board layout is nice and very comfortable. The swift magic in your main bar is enhanced by how you hold your left hand on the key board. With a bit of practice you can litterally run circles around your opponent.
The "c" key is the trick. Place your left thumb on the "c" key and press it down. This makes you character straif right. You can direct the right straif with your mouse. Move the mouse so that you cirle left. Practice with a non player enemy, it works well on them too. Most players stand stationary and fight eachother toe to toe. By holding down the c key with your thumb your player is in constant motion and hard to target. But there is more, using your left fingers you can press the attack number keys at the same time and attack while you are in motion.
Once you are behind a human player he cannot target you, and you are free to beat him with out mercy, or fear of retribution. The amount of time it takes for him to rotate and target you is all you need to get in a couple of extra hits. Then straif again. Optionally you can hold the c key down continuosly and use the standard 1, 2 and 3 key attacks. While in straif mode some of your combos wont work, but the effect is well worth it. I learned it by having it use on me when I first started playing, I was amazed that a lower level opponent took me down with this strategy, and I began reading the key bindings under the options menu.
The straif attack with the c key is a great technique to use with the "spawn ganker." The spawn gankers are people like to attack you right after you respawn at a resurection point when your health and stamina are low. You need stamina for your power combos. Usually your only option is the standard 1,2 and 3 basic attacks. My opinion is the "spawn ganker" is not a very good player or he wouldn't need the easy kills. Running in circles around him really confuses this type of player. I've taken down higher level players who had full health, when I had next to no health with this technique. The other option is to press "h" and hide in stealth mode, so you can sneak away to heal.
Feats (the keys to true power)
--------------------------------------
As you complete missions and rise in level you gain "feat points." You can assign these points to new powers in your "feat tree." The feat tree menu is brought up by clicking the feats tab in the menu in the center top of your hud.
Here is my feat tree. (No Escape is awesome) The focus is on shock and stun as you can see below
Sunning Punch and No escape on my alt are feats I trained. Once you train a feat it will show up in your combos tab or in your abilities tab (if it requires action to activate). You then drag and drop the feat into your main or alt bar.
I found that you cant really switch between two handed mode and dual blade single handed mode effectively. So I chose two handed mode for all my feat training, and it has worked out nicely.
Fishing for the Bully
--------------------------------
I've finished playing the Stygia Khemi's Khopshef province. No more quests there for me. But while I was there I found its a great place to hang out and find tons of PVP bully players. Just stand in front of a mission NPC and they will sneak up behind you. Most people are engaged in a conversation with the NPC and they can not fight.
I stand infornt of the NPC with my finger on ALT +1 ready to start my barrage attack. I dont interact with the NPC. I just wait (like live bait at level 33) for that level 42 player to attack.... (A bully never picks on someone his own size or level, he might lose)
Picking a Fight
--------------------------------
I consider higher level players fair game. Not everyone is a bully. I feel akward attacking a nice player for no reason. So I find excuses to start a fight. I run up behind another player while he or she is heading to a quest. Or I stand infront of them while they are talking to a NPC. Most of the time they feel a bit threatend by my presence and might atttack me. If they dont attack me I invite them to a group.
/invite (player name)
90% of the time they decline. I don't really want them to join, I'm just picking a fight. If they are standing still I use an emote to let them know I'm a little crazy and not happy. Its a great prelude to the physical barrage of attacks that follow.
/emote burning
The character moves about like a crazy man on fire and there is a loud audible scream that startles the unsuspecting player. Right after the emote I attack them. If I kill them I say "Thats for not joining my group" or "I don't handle rejection well."
/emote blowkiss
Is a nice farewell, to insure they will be back for more PVP action. The aim is to insure that they are really upset and angry. That makes it so much more fun when you beat them a second time. My goal is to have the other player drop everything and think of nothing more than getting revenge.
If they do join I'm ready for my next quest.
Recent Blog Posts
| List: | 08/08/08 - iPhone and the TGB 06/24/08 - Combat in the Age of Conan 06/18/08 - Exploring Age Of Conan 05/28/08 - TGEA New Tutorials! 05/22/08 - Game development is all about the tutorial 05/10/08 - Why the good guys always win 03/11/08 - Catching up 10/05/07 - MSVC 2005 is Free! |
|---|
Submit your own resources!| Konrad Kiss (Jun 18, 2008 at 16:32 GMT) |
I think it's a great idea to make a list of games and gather what new they invented - or in what fields they presented something truly innovative.
As much as I hated AOC for taking up so much of my precious hard drive space (32 gigs!), I really enjoy the fight / combo / battle system. I like it that I need to pay attention, and because of that even PvE fights give me some adrenaline. I also did PvP, but the barbarian is so much stronger than other classes, that I had no problem killing a lvl 14 mage on lvl 12, so I decided to try again later on.
Another thing I enjoy is the Night missions mode, where I can play alone in my own instance - I like soloing, and it lets me dive into the story deeper.
I haven't had a problem with the 18+ material I've seen people mention, you see that on TV every day, so it didn't even feel strange. That's bad, but.. the game's good and lots of fun.
However, I feel the lack of balance almost everywhere, I think it's just the launch grinch, they'll eventually set it right. Another thing I noticed is that - at least my server - is pretty hmm.. uncrowded.. I don't mind, but it loses the social aspects. It is possible though, that my barbarian is still too low level to freely access parts of the world, where the crowd is.
I tried to check what the engine is capable of as well, and I see that their interriors are a catastrophe. Every dungeon instance lags like hell. Obviously, they are either not using portals for rooms, or the system is not too optimized, or they just didn't care for the mid & low end PCs.
| Adib Murad (Jun 18, 2008 at 17:12 GMT) |
| Britton LaRoche (Jun 18, 2008 at 19:05 GMT) |
My interest in the AOC and COH (City of Heros) is how they manage character development and what that does to game play. Believe it or not I'm thinking a 2d version of this would be easier than a simple 3d version of burger wars with CTF only.
The TGB takes out all the 3d elements. No more 3d max or maya, no more interiors etc... The two huge pieces of the game design world: Code vs Content. I have no more time or money for content. So 2d with code that can later port to 3d might be a good strategy.
Current plan is to do a single player 2d game with character development like AOC and COH. Later I'll work in the networking multiplayer side and then later the 3d version. This is ofcourse based on the assumption that the learning curve is low and the features in the TGB are adequate.
Edited on Jun 18, 2008 21:51 GMT
| Britton LaRoche (Jun 18, 2008 at 19:11 GMT) |
Set is a populated sever.
I play on Bane. The Bane server is an experimental PVP cultural server. You cant attack another cimmerian if you are one, but every Aquilonian and Stygian are fair game (unless they are in your current quest group).
I built a PC at frys for the sole purpose of game playing "research" with a huge top of the line NVIDIA self cooling video card ( has a huge 2 inch heat sink and fan ) Even it lags with a large mob. I could expound for hours on the benifits of the TGEA over their engine... don't get me started.
Still its a pretty decent engine and I think it is the launch push as you say. They have not done any optimization in my opinion.
Edited on Jun 18, 2008 21:44 GMT
| John McGlamory (Jun 19, 2008 at 02:43 GMT) |
| Michael Perry (Jun 19, 2008 at 12:22 GMT) |
I will say this: out of all the MMORPGs I've played, this is by far my favorite and most fun for my tastes. Why do I like it so much?
- M-rated content
- Twitch based combat
- Fantastic quest lines, in both action and story
- Solo adventuring is actually possible in this game, unlike all the other MMOs that advertise the feature
There are more reasons, and I'm sure other gamers can debate the above list.
However, this is the main reason I find this game so much fun (don't laugh): a year or so ago, I created a design document for an MMORPG that I thought would be a ton of fun to develop.
The plan never saw fruition, since creating an MMO of that magnitude required more time, money, and man-power than I had available to me.
When Age of Conan was first announced, I felt like kicking someone's teeth in, because every planned feature that was going into the game.....was in the game I was designing!!!! O_o
After my rage subsided, I came to realize a simple formula:
Features I want in my MMO = what I would consider fun for me to play
Features I'm designing for my MMO = features being implemented in Age of Conan
Age of Conan = The fun MMO I've been waiting for
So, I love the game (when I have time to play it). Both my characters are on the Set server. I have a lvl 21 Conqueror named "Xanatos" and a lvl 13 Tempest of Set named "Polleo".
@John - Tempest of Set is an amazing class...kick ass solo ability, great group character, fantastic PvP, and can go pure nuke or healer/nuke....Late game play for a ToS will have you pulling mobs of 5 (at your level) and have you walking away with full health.
Edited on Jun 19, 2008 12:23 GMT
| Adib Murad (Jun 19, 2008 at 15:22 GMT) |
| Britton LaRoche (Jun 19, 2008 at 23:50 GMT) |
@Michael, I so know what you mean. My ultimate goal was to buld something very like City of Heros. I love the game. But I'm not a fan of RTS, I'm more FPS because it feels much more real to me. So I still have room to create. Many people have the same great ideas. Don't kick yourself, congradulate yourself. They just proved it was a good idea. It takes time to find your niche.
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