In addition, when fighting an enemy you'll notice thin silver scale-looking icons pop up on your selected monster. These will appear on a particular side of the monster, indicating they have extra shielding in that area. The more scales on a side, the more shielding there is. Your job, at least as a tank, is to try and maneuver yourself around a monster so your powerful attacks can hit the unshielded side, since the shielding shifts depending on your position relative to the monster. Or, instead of moving around behind or to a different side of the monster, you could try using attacks that swing from another direction. |
At level 20 you get the ability to start harvesting resources, which has so far proven to be mind-numbingly boring. Thankfully the game's auction and bank systems were brought back online last week so there's more of a point to the whole system, as you finally have a convenient way to sell items, but the way the resources are laid out makes harvesting extremely tedious. The game features three resource zones, all of which are set up for you to just run around and chop wood, mine ore, pick cotton, and launch arrows at prey. |
Game Director Gaute Godager, Senior System Designer Andrew Griffin, and System Designer Evan Michaels, all take part in dishing out the details on the melee combat in the game. |
The movie will surely help game developer Funcom to bring more attention to its Conan-based MMO, which is expected to be released in December 2006. The MMO is ready to spark renewed interest in the classic tales of battle and heroism while the movie is set to lure mainstream audiences. With rights to develop Conan-based MMO games until 2023, Funcom is looking at more movie/game tie-ins in the coming years. |
Could this unnamed title be a Dreamfall MMO? On the one hand, that sudden infusion of money from the Norwegian government could propel the franchise in new directions. On the other hand, it's not exactly "present-day Earth;" future/fantasy, yes, but not exactly present-day. |
"Siege warfare and player-versus-player battles are some of the most anticipated features in 'Age of Conan'," says Game Director Gaute Godager. " |
"We have strong faith in the sales potential for Age of Conan, and by combining the knowledge and reach of both SCi/ Eidos and Funcom we believe the game will become a great success," said Ian Livingstone, Product Acquisition Director of Eidos. " |
So far we can say that though the game has a lot in common with other MMOGs like World of Warcraft, Age of Conan does manage to feel a little different because of its combat system. While you still need to manage a skill bar, your basic attacks (if you're a melee class) aren't just limited to click to auto-attack. |
Aside from the above listed, another surprise comes in the form of Kalanthes. This character is the first one all players will meet when they enter the world of Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. |
In line with the new launch date, Funcom also announced that they will be continuing the close beta tests. That's all the details the developer divulged at the moment - check back again in case we receive any word regarding this MMORPG's much-awaited Open Beta phase. |
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