Where to start?
I like computer-based RPGs, and I’ll admit to being intrigued by a solo-able massively multiplayer one that is designed from the get-go for grownups. If I’m to play another RPG that involves others, then I at least want some little assurance of adult behavior, and I also want the world to not force grouping on me. In short, I want to maintain the casual side of the game that led me to love World of Warcraft before the grouping side of the game completely killed it for me.
I completely dug Oblivion, I enjoyed Neverwinter Nights 2 (although it was implemented poorly), and Kate and I just recently finished going through Titan Quest. All of these gave me a pretty satisfying experience, but they lacked the epic feel that an immense game world should provide.
I’ve read the original Conan stories (from the pulp era of the fantasy genre), and I’m pleased that the game world borrows heavily from the source material rather than the abysmal Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. So far, I’ve found the game world to be fairly fascinating, very gritty, and yet, still playable as a character moved by destiny. The quest lines have provided a good story, the voice acting has been superb, and the world has been drawn very well.
However, I’m finding the implementation of the player within the world to be hit or miss. The animations are cludgy. The control scheme is poorly implemented. The tool tips within game provide the bare minimum of information, and on top of that, they are difficult to use. The map overlay makes the game take about a 10% performance hit. The toolbars and quickslots are inadequate to my character class. The UI is an exercise in frustration, and the tweaks available are rudimentary at best. The game manual, the final arbiter of information on the game, is a glib summary that barely hits the high points of the game.
Do I like it? So far, I’m holding my judgement. It’s certainly better than the beta for Lord of the Rings Online, but I miss the smooth play of City of Heroes or World of Warcraft. I am finding it easy to solo, and I do enjoy not being chained in a cartoony world.
![Let’s Kill Hitler [HD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51hESmStH-L._SL160_.jpg)
My review:
That first quest lady (you know, after your ship wrecks, 20 feet on the island?) is really cool. So cool, in fact, that my computer decided that that is ALL of the game I’m going to see.
Actually, I should have taken a friend’s advice and not bought it… My laptop can’t play it for crap. I was hoping that, since my laptop (barely) exceeds the minimum requirements, that I could play the game at least a LITTLE bit with all the settings at their lowest… however, I find it practically unplayable
So, how cheap of a computer could you design for me that meets the recommended specs? Yes, for some obscure reason, this is now your problem, and I demand, as a loyal reader, that you fix it IMMEDIATELY! (or as soon as I can pay you, whichever doesn’t cause hell to freeze over first… )
Umm, Foxbat recently bought a computer from iBuyPower that runs anything he can throw at it for around $600. I would recommend looking there. At that price, I don’t know that you could beat the performance building it yourself.
It’s not a laptop though, it’s a desktop. So far, I have been unable to crash it, but I haven’t challenged it much either.
hrmm, sweet. Thank you for the tip! Having zero knowledge of building computers will let you down every time
and Foxbat: I don’t play on a laptop by choice, it’s just what I ended up with
My computer it right at system rec for this game but my wifes is just above min yet still below rec, all I have heard is how she needs a new computer. My sons computer is right at min sys rec and it takes a crap and locks up after about 3 min of game play on low everything. Bottom line you really need a 3 gig proc 2 gigs of ram and the fastest video card you can afford. I am using the 8800 gt and it still lags sometimes but looks awesome. Peter it really takes a while to get used to the interface or at least it did for me.
The UI is configurable just like WoW was, so it’s only a matter of time before you find something you like. Mirage UI can be found here.
http://aoc.curse.com/downloads/details/12705/
Additionally, you may want to go into the interface options and enable the “combat rose” which is kind of like a wheel in the center of your screen so you can click the directional attacks etc.
So AoC is fundamentally committed to a single player experience or do you expect it will require larger groups as part of the challenge in later levels? You ought to write a piece about why an MMO world appeal to people that don’t enjoy being forced into bigger groups. It’s a concept developers are slowly grasping, but even I have trouble articulating the appeal.
The best way to ensure an older audience is higher monthly rates. Not that kids were ever the problem. Phifer and I suspect most of the jack holes that plague the gaming community are college brats.