Conan's Tree of Woe
by Britton LaRoche · 12/01/2008 (7:02 pm) · 21 comments
The game Age of Conan, is very much breathing its last breath. I suppose there is hope, just as much hope as conan had when he was tied to his tree of woe (in the books and movie). This article sums it up pretty well. Maximum PC's the beginning of the end of Conan
After they released the patch, requiring the latest DirectX video drivers in the game, I could not play it. I knew it was going to take some work to get everything upgraded. None the less, I upgraded my video drivers and logged in one last time before uninstalling the game. Like any good game developer I always play a game with the Frames Per Second (FPS) displayed. The FPS before was 11 - 20 on my PC with high activity. Now its 39-77 FPS. So we see a nice boost with the upgrades, and the effects look more crisp than ever... but... well, with a subscription based game you need players.
The server known as "Set" (always the most popular) had about 40 players online. The Bane server only had 3 online players. No one is playing AoC anymore. AoC Was losing subscribers at a fairly rapid rate a few months after launch. In my opinion the mandatory video upgrade to the latest direct x drivers slaughtered the remaining subscriber population. Let that be a lesson to all you game developers. Do not use direct x. (Good joke!) Actually the message is never force a video upgrade. (Using Open GL is just common sense... ) Lats time I checked, the Bane server had 40 online players before the upgrade. I found that number (40) to be a ghost town. Today after the forced directX upgrade, the only server to have more than 3 players is Set, the most popular server of all. It used to have hundreds... endless fields of lowbies for me to gank. Plenty of newbie heads to collect! Now its like the US calvary and "Buffalo Bill" have come through and wiped out all the AoC Subscribers the same way they did with the Buffalo back in the 1800s.
Lets look at why this DirectX driver update was probably so terribly traumatic to the average AoC subscriber.
It took about two hours to jump through hoops and upgrade my video drivers and direct x. It was not easy and I like to think I have more than the average ability to do such a thing. I figure half the subscribers didn't event try.
Why would the average subscriber give up? The current direct x downloader from Microsoft does not work. The smarter than average cat will search about for a way to download the drivers with out using the Microsoft direct x down loader. But this step probably wiped out 75% or more of the remaining AOC subscribers.
I found the November updates and pulled them down. Then I spent 15 minutes poking about trying to figure out why I could not extract the files, then to find where I stuck the files after I fat fingered the temporary extract location.
After locating the temporary folder and running the setup.exe, I finally upgraded to the latest version of DirectX. I logged back into AoC. Ah success. And well... emptiness. No one to play with. I looked around. Did player searches and found I was just about the only one playing. Now, I'm not much of a conspiracy theorist.... But... I do have a theory. This was planned. Not by the accountants, but by the developers. The accountants rush things... but they don't even know what a video driver update is. The developers do. And ... they know what effect it will have.
I think the developers are pulling the plug on the game. For what reason? Not sure, but I think they have a plan... Will Conan survive the tree of woe? Only time will tell. But the game looks "wicked dead" to me.
Previous Posts
The Demise of Age of Conan
Combat in the Age of Conan
Exploring the Age of Conan
After they released the patch, requiring the latest DirectX video drivers in the game, I could not play it. I knew it was going to take some work to get everything upgraded. None the less, I upgraded my video drivers and logged in one last time before uninstalling the game. Like any good game developer I always play a game with the Frames Per Second (FPS) displayed. The FPS before was 11 - 20 on my PC with high activity. Now its 39-77 FPS. So we see a nice boost with the upgrades, and the effects look more crisp than ever... but... well, with a subscription based game you need players.
The server known as "Set" (always the most popular) had about 40 players online. The Bane server only had 3 online players. No one is playing AoC anymore. AoC Was losing subscribers at a fairly rapid rate a few months after launch. In my opinion the mandatory video upgrade to the latest direct x drivers slaughtered the remaining subscriber population. Let that be a lesson to all you game developers. Do not use direct x. (Good joke!) Actually the message is never force a video upgrade. (Using Open GL is just common sense... ) Lats time I checked, the Bane server had 40 online players before the upgrade. I found that number (40) to be a ghost town. Today after the forced directX upgrade, the only server to have more than 3 players is Set, the most popular server of all. It used to have hundreds... endless fields of lowbies for me to gank. Plenty of newbie heads to collect! Now its like the US calvary and "Buffalo Bill" have come through and wiped out all the AoC Subscribers the same way they did with the Buffalo back in the 1800s.
Lets look at why this DirectX driver update was probably so terribly traumatic to the average AoC subscriber.
It took about two hours to jump through hoops and upgrade my video drivers and direct x. It was not easy and I like to think I have more than the average ability to do such a thing. I figure half the subscribers didn't event try.
Why would the average subscriber give up? The current direct x downloader from Microsoft does not work. The smarter than average cat will search about for a way to download the drivers with out using the Microsoft direct x down loader. But this step probably wiped out 75% or more of the remaining AOC subscribers.
I found the November updates and pulled them down. Then I spent 15 minutes poking about trying to figure out why I could not extract the files, then to find where I stuck the files after I fat fingered the temporary extract location.
After locating the temporary folder and running the setup.exe, I finally upgraded to the latest version of DirectX. I logged back into AoC. Ah success. And well... emptiness. No one to play with. I looked around. Did player searches and found I was just about the only one playing. Now, I'm not much of a conspiracy theorist.... But... I do have a theory. This was planned. Not by the accountants, but by the developers. The accountants rush things... but they don't even know what a video driver update is. The developers do. And ... they know what effect it will have.
I think the developers are pulling the plug on the game. For what reason? Not sure, but I think they have a plan... Will Conan survive the tree of woe? Only time will tell. But the game looks "wicked dead" to me.
Previous Posts
The Demise of Age of Conan
Combat in the Age of Conan
Exploring the Age of Conan
#2
"This weekend, we received news that Funcom had laid off a large portion of their US employees. While at the time, we ran it as a rumor as we hadn't yet received an official comment from Funcom, we can now confirm the story. We asked Funcom about the layoffs, and this is what they had to say.
We did have some staffing cuts at Funcom this week as well as new positions opening in the organization as part of our ongoing cost based efficiency and performance initiatives that are vital to any business."
About 60 people were let go. Real lives, real people. Real mistakes. Things to Learn.
12/01/2008 (7:51 pm)
FYI... this article was from ten ton hammer."This weekend, we received news that Funcom had laid off a large portion of their US employees. While at the time, we ran it as a rumor as we hadn't yet received an official comment from Funcom, we can now confirm the story. We asked Funcom about the layoffs, and this is what they had to say.
We did have some staffing cuts at Funcom this week as well as new positions opening in the organization as part of our ongoing cost based efficiency and performance initiatives that are vital to any business."
About 60 people were let go. Real lives, real people. Real mistakes. Things to Learn.
#3
City of Heroes, Age of conan ... and Team Fortress 2.... all great games, were wiped from my hard drive. I really love playing games. If ever want to accomplish anything... I need to stop playing.
...
12/01/2008 (7:54 pm)
@Jamie, I don't have it in for the game. I like the game. I actually uninstalled all my games today. Research is over... time to get productive, and learn from others. Lots of visual eye candy etc... does not make a successful game. Rushing a game like Funcom did... is death.City of Heroes, Age of conan ... and Team Fortress 2.... all great games, were wiped from my hard drive. I really love playing games. If ever want to accomplish anything... I need to stop playing.
...
#4
edit: Sorry, I misinterpreted your second post as a reply to mine. I'm with you, games have been eating up my time as well. If not for Fallout 3, I would be much further along. I've lost two whole weeks of my life to Fallout 3. But they've been 2 good weeks. :)
12/01/2008 (7:56 pm)
I am more than familiar with all the woes of funcom and AOC, since my daughter works there on AOC. I can tell you that ten-ton-hammer is off-base about what happened. Any more would need to be by private mail.edit: Sorry, I misinterpreted your second post as a reply to mine. I'm with you, games have been eating up my time as well. If not for Fallout 3, I would be much further along. I've lost two whole weeks of my life to Fallout 3. But they've been 2 good weeks. :)
#5
I must admit. I do, however; "have it in" (small chip on my shoulder) for the finance and accounting guys at big game companies.
12/01/2008 (7:58 pm)
@Jamie, I'd love to know whats really going on behind the scenes at Funcom... But I have a big mouth, Especially if there are lessons to be learned. I must admit. I do, however; "have it in" (small chip on my shoulder) for the finance and accounting guys at big game companies.
#6
You uninstall games???? That statement is so alarming I must get back to playing Smackdown vs Raw 2009 before my head explodes.
12/01/2008 (7:59 pm)
So does this mean we won't be seeing anymore game reviews/discussion in blogs? =)You uninstall games???? That statement is so alarming I must get back to playing Smackdown vs Raw 2009 before my head explodes.
#7
I honestly am trying hard not to play games. I love them. Egad I love em so much is sickening, its more along the lines of obsession. I measure my lifespan against them. Asteriods... the first at age 10. Centipede in 1981... Galaga, Front line, 1941, Street Fighter 2, Soul Calibur, Mortal Kombat, Unreal Tournament, Tribes II, just to name a few. I was not just a player... but a true master of each. I'm better at Kung Fu type games than FPS for sure. From Stand up arcade to PC... I could be 10 years younger easy (if I could get all the time I spent playing games back in a box some how)
Front Line Circa 1982 was when I first realized I had a problem. Front Line I don't care what anyone says. Front line was a freaking awesome game. I was in an arcade playing this thing when a cute girl my own age came up and tried to talk to me. I told her to take a hike, I was busy. That was at 13 when I really started to notice girls. Had she said hello anywhere else, I might not have been such an idiot. That was "gasp"... 26 years ago.
See how you can measure your life with video games? How bout this:
Mortal Kombat ... only a mere 16 years ago? I'm sure that hits home with just about everyone here. 16 years... no wait 17 years since you last played MK2?
How about ... Street Fighter II? Yeah... 18 years ago. Tribes 2... originally out in 2001... that is now 8 about years ago. Ouch... hurts doesn't it?
....
12/01/2008 (8:03 pm)
@michael, it means I'm back on making games. Gotta update this blog now: tdn.garagegames.com/wiki/TGEA/CreatingYourFirstFPS and it needs a lot of work.I honestly am trying hard not to play games. I love them. Egad I love em so much is sickening, its more along the lines of obsession. I measure my lifespan against them. Asteriods... the first at age 10. Centipede in 1981... Galaga, Front line, 1941, Street Fighter 2, Soul Calibur, Mortal Kombat, Unreal Tournament, Tribes II, just to name a few. I was not just a player... but a true master of each. I'm better at Kung Fu type games than FPS for sure. From Stand up arcade to PC... I could be 10 years younger easy (if I could get all the time I spent playing games back in a box some how)
Front Line Circa 1982 was when I first realized I had a problem. Front Line I don't care what anyone says. Front line was a freaking awesome game. I was in an arcade playing this thing when a cute girl my own age came up and tried to talk to me. I told her to take a hike, I was busy. That was at 13 when I really started to notice girls. Had she said hello anywhere else, I might not have been such an idiot. That was "gasp"... 26 years ago.
See how you can measure your life with video games? How bout this:
Mortal Kombat ... only a mere 16 years ago? I'm sure that hits home with just about everyone here. 16 years... no wait 17 years since you last played MK2?
How about ... Street Fighter II? Yeah... 18 years ago. Tribes 2... originally out in 2001... that is now 8 about years ago. Ouch... hurts doesn't it?
....
#8
12/01/2008 (9:00 pm)
... 
#9
12/02/2008 (5:49 am)
One thing I do have to say though is, I think the game is doing a bit better on European servers. 
#10
Good thinking, the only game I have on my drive ('cos it's the most recent) is CoD:WaW (terrible acroynm) and I ain't playing that much. Something like Fallout3 would bring all productivity to a screeching halt......
*must ... resist ... indepth ... games*
12/02/2008 (7:28 am)
Quote:great games, were wiped from my hard drive. I really love playing games. If ever want to accomplish anything... I need to stop playing.
Good thinking, the only game I have on my drive ('cos it's the most recent) is CoD:WaW (terrible acroynm) and I ain't playing that much. Something like Fallout3 would bring all productivity to a screeching halt......
*must ... resist ... indepth ... games*
#11
The reason I say so? Well, I waited for AoC since about 2006, registered on the forums etc. Very early on in the public announcements and forum discussions for the game, it was reported by Funcom that AoC would be departing from the ever-boring 3DMUD gameplay (i.e., the gameplay present in most MMOs today*) and focusing on *real-time* gameplay (namely combat) instead. It was revealed then that you would be able to dodge (i.e., physically dodge your character out of the way of attacks in the game), would have to aim ranged weapons (this *sorta* made it in) and would have to aim attacks by your character.
When the Fileplanet beta hit before the game was released, it was acknowledged that Funcom apparently scrapped the entire concept of the whole "Let's do something new." thing and went for a bog standard 3DMUD gameplay system, with the apparent scrap thrown to most of their then-potential-customer-base in the form of "but there's no auto-attack".
As one can imagine, people on the forums went livid, and they probably halved or quartered their future subscribers right then. WoW *owns* the 3DMUD MMO niche. AoC was, until the reveal, supposed to be targeting the unfulfilled niche of non-turn-based non-3DMUD-based gameplay, and they did a 180* at the last minute and basically just abandoned their fans up to that point.
IMO, when that segment of gamers (and I had 3-4 friends lined up to play the game with me, if it in fact stood up to the promise of it not being another crappy 3DMUD with a new "skin") heard the news, any chance of AoC surviving went out the window. They basically said "Hey niche that is entirely untapped, f* you, we don't care about you, we're going to cater to what our competitor's players want instead."
So instead of a healthy, albeit niche, subscriber base, they instead of the dregs from WoW, who are now probably leaving due to the WoW expansion and the other reasons you listed (where as the real-time niche players probably wouldn't have cared as much about things like upgrading drivers, since AoC would be the sole competitor in that space if they had stayed true to their vision of two years ago).
* - The reason I term this *specifically* "3DMUD" gameplay is simply because that is where the primary inspiration for the current set of gameplay in *most* MMOs today came from. Most MMOs are basically trying to be a MUD, but in 3D. They use the same method of conveying information, and the primarily gameplay in 99% of them (combat) functions almost identically to a MUD (i.e., turn based in that your character may only perform a certain number of actions (say, attacks) in a given time frame, and this is represented by text which conveys who you attacked, what the internal representation (random die rolls) generated as a result, and any other status from the action).
12/02/2008 (1:50 pm)
Honestly, and this is just my own take on it, I think AoC was stillborn, and not necessarily for any of the reasons you've listed here or on your other plans about it.The reason I say so? Well, I waited for AoC since about 2006, registered on the forums etc. Very early on in the public announcements and forum discussions for the game, it was reported by Funcom that AoC would be departing from the ever-boring 3DMUD gameplay (i.e., the gameplay present in most MMOs today*) and focusing on *real-time* gameplay (namely combat) instead. It was revealed then that you would be able to dodge (i.e., physically dodge your character out of the way of attacks in the game), would have to aim ranged weapons (this *sorta* made it in) and would have to aim attacks by your character.
When the Fileplanet beta hit before the game was released, it was acknowledged that Funcom apparently scrapped the entire concept of the whole "Let's do something new." thing and went for a bog standard 3DMUD gameplay system, with the apparent scrap thrown to most of their then-potential-customer-base in the form of "but there's no auto-attack".
As one can imagine, people on the forums went livid, and they probably halved or quartered their future subscribers right then. WoW *owns* the 3DMUD MMO niche. AoC was, until the reveal, supposed to be targeting the unfulfilled niche of non-turn-based non-3DMUD-based gameplay, and they did a 180* at the last minute and basically just abandoned their fans up to that point.
IMO, when that segment of gamers (and I had 3-4 friends lined up to play the game with me, if it in fact stood up to the promise of it not being another crappy 3DMUD with a new "skin") heard the news, any chance of AoC surviving went out the window. They basically said "Hey niche that is entirely untapped, f* you, we don't care about you, we're going to cater to what our competitor's players want instead."
So instead of a healthy, albeit niche, subscriber base, they instead of the dregs from WoW, who are now probably leaving due to the WoW expansion and the other reasons you listed (where as the real-time niche players probably wouldn't have cared as much about things like upgrading drivers, since AoC would be the sole competitor in that space if they had stayed true to their vision of two years ago).
* - The reason I term this *specifically* "3DMUD" gameplay is simply because that is where the primary inspiration for the current set of gameplay in *most* MMOs today came from. Most MMOs are basically trying to be a MUD, but in 3D. They use the same method of conveying information, and the primarily gameplay in 99% of them (combat) functions almost identically to a MUD (i.e., turn based in that your character may only perform a certain number of actions (say, attacks) in a given time frame, and this is represented by text which conveys who you attacked, what the internal representation (random die rolls) generated as a result, and any other status from the action).
#12
Dragonrealms...best...MUD...ever. Given a choice, I'll play DR over any graphical MMO out there.
@Age of Conan - Was very excited for it. Bought it. Loved it. Got bored playing by myself within a month. Canceled. Lamented. Got back to work.
12/02/2008 (1:54 pm)
Whenever the word MUD appears, especially in game reviews, I must say this:Dragonrealms...best...MUD...ever. Given a choice, I'll play DR over any graphical MMO out there.
@Age of Conan - Was very excited for it. Bought it. Loved it. Got bored playing by myself within a month. Canceled. Lamented. Got back to work.
#13
12/02/2008 (2:06 pm)
@Mich, I actually really enjoy MUDs, but find when the other gameplay in them (i.e., everything NOT combat) is basically stripped away, and their (IMO) most lacking piece of gameplay is translated into 3D, they form the most hideously boring type of game ever made (that is, most current 3DMUD MMOs).
#14
Fey ( Fay ? ). Along with the new character race was a necessary Driver upgrade for those with the beefy systems, but it meant a new beefy graphics card ( and bigger power supply ) for thousands more people.
My wife watches movies or TV, I never do unless it's weather or an election year. So we chose EQ2 to share something together. That ended with the Fey race in EverQuest 2. We simply couldn't afford a new computer at the time.
The abrupt end to a favorite game left us to play those "Free to Play" games that I play for about a month and find another one. Crowns of Power made with TGE was one of those. After spending more money then I care to mention on a great concept of a game, I decided to pull the plug.
There just comes a time when you realize your missing out on so much more fun you can have sharing your time with your children. And now I spend all that money on new toys for the kids, it gives me great pleasure to see their eyes light up when i bring home a new toy.
But I have to agree with Britton about uninstalling games when you realize that your wasting time with them that could be spent on your Project in TGEa or with family.
For me, I dropped my "Free to Play" games and now the only project I work on is learning to master Houdini HD. ( DVD is in the mail, should be here this week ).
Onward and Upward guys.
12/02/2008 (2:08 pm)
Several years ago Sony's game EverQuest 2 was still relatively new when they intorduced a new race the Fey ( Fay ? ). Along with the new character race was a necessary Driver upgrade for those with the beefy systems, but it meant a new beefy graphics card ( and bigger power supply ) for thousands more people.
My wife watches movies or TV, I never do unless it's weather or an election year. So we chose EQ2 to share something together. That ended with the Fey race in EverQuest 2. We simply couldn't afford a new computer at the time.
The abrupt end to a favorite game left us to play those "Free to Play" games that I play for about a month and find another one. Crowns of Power made with TGE was one of those. After spending more money then I care to mention on a great concept of a game, I decided to pull the plug.
There just comes a time when you realize your missing out on so much more fun you can have sharing your time with your children. And now I spend all that money on new toys for the kids, it gives me great pleasure to see their eyes light up when i bring home a new toy.
But I have to agree with Britton about uninstalling games when you realize that your wasting time with them that could be spent on your Project in TGEa or with family.
For me, I dropped my "Free to Play" games and now the only project I work on is learning to master Houdini HD. ( DVD is in the mail, should be here this week ).
Onward and Upward guys.
#15
@Scott, yeah its all about choosing what to do with our very limited commodity of time. The games are great and fine if you can control yourself. I got to the point where it was just too much of a habit.
12/02/2008 (10:43 pm)
@Ross, the whole roll the dice thing takes away from true game play skills in my opinion. I did not know the original intent was to have some real time game play. That would have been unique for sure. So its looks like they got caught up in scope creep, and got pushed for a release. That killed more than just the content, it killed the original concept too.@Scott, yeah its all about choosing what to do with our very limited commodity of time. The games are great and fine if you can control yourself. I got to the point where it was just too much of a habit.
#16
Anyhoo, if you're interested, check it out here.
And on the second topic.. YESSS.. there comes a time when you have to stop rationalizing playing as "research" and get down to brass tacks, lol. I can seriously empathize with that.
12/04/2008 (11:06 am)
Not to plug my own blog, but as a long time lurker of these forums and posts, avid MMO player, and fellow developer, I wanted to offer my own 2 cents worth on Conan. I agree with quite a bit of what Mr. LaRoche has to say about AoC, but not neccessarily with all of his conclusions. Anyhoo, if you're interested, check it out here.
And on the second topic.. YESSS.. there comes a time when you have to stop rationalizing playing as "research" and get down to brass tacks, lol. I can seriously empathize with that.
#17
Gemstone III > Dragon Realms
12/04/2008 (1:35 pm)
Quote:
Whenever the word MUD appears, especially in game reviews, I must say this:
Dragonrealms...best...MUD...ever. Given a choice, I'll play DR over any graphical MMO out there.
Gemstone III > Dragon Realms
#18
Are you insane? How could you....With the new stats...and Warrior Mages...and....I...
Be glad you are not within arms reach and nerf gun range of me. I'm so angry...must...abuse...someone...
Deborah is the closest person to me...
12/04/2008 (1:46 pm)
Quote:Gemstone III > Dragon RealmsO_o
Are you insane? How could you....With the new stats...and Warrior Mages...and....I...
Be glad you are not within arms reach and nerf gun range of me. I'm so angry...must...abuse...someone...
Deborah is the closest person to me...
#19
12/04/2008 (1:47 pm)
Ouch! T_T
#20
The last time I ever played Gemstone was about 2 years ago (by then it was Gemstone IV), after having had a 6 or 7 year break from playing (ironically I quit Gemstone III, which I had been playing for more than 3 years, to play Everquest... which I subsequently quit 2 months into a 6 months subcription since it reminded me of a 3D Diku MUD rather than a Gemstone or Dragon Realms-like experience which I was really hoping for...).
While Gemstone IV has a ton of features implemented that GS3 players could have only dreamed about, it lost a lot of what made it such a great game in the first place in my opinion. In about 2.5 years (after one or two major rerolls) I managed to get my dark elf wizard to level 18. This was a pretty huge accomplishment in those days (the game had been running for at least 15 years at that point and the highest level people were around 100 -- making 20 to get your Lord / Lady title was a major milestone). When I played Gemstone 4 I got my human cleric to over 20 in about a month and a half. The stuff you had to work for was now easy, and the special events (traveling merchants, invasions) seemed to be happening every other week, instead of every 6 months or more.
In any case, not to derail this blog too much I agree that the Simutronics MUDs (if they could even be called that, they are unmatched as far as MUDs go in my opinion) have been far more enjoyable to me than any MMO to date.
12/04/2008 (1:57 pm)
Quote:
Are you insane? How could you....With the new stats...and Warrior Mages...and....I...
The last time I ever played Gemstone was about 2 years ago (by then it was Gemstone IV), after having had a 6 or 7 year break from playing (ironically I quit Gemstone III, which I had been playing for more than 3 years, to play Everquest... which I subsequently quit 2 months into a 6 months subcription since it reminded me of a 3D Diku MUD rather than a Gemstone or Dragon Realms-like experience which I was really hoping for...).
While Gemstone IV has a ton of features implemented that GS3 players could have only dreamed about, it lost a lot of what made it such a great game in the first place in my opinion. In about 2.5 years (after one or two major rerolls) I managed to get my dark elf wizard to level 18. This was a pretty huge accomplishment in those days (the game had been running for at least 15 years at that point and the highest level people were around 100 -- making 20 to get your Lord / Lady title was a major milestone). When I played Gemstone 4 I got my human cleric to over 20 in about a month and a half. The stuff you had to work for was now easy, and the special events (traveling merchants, invasions) seemed to be happening every other week, instead of every 6 months or more.
In any case, not to derail this blog too much I agree that the Simutronics MUDs (if they could even be called that, they are unmatched as far as MUDs go in my opinion) have been far more enjoyable to me than any MMO to date.
Quote:Empath!..?
Ouch! T_T
Associate Jaimi McEntire
King of Flapjacks