Gaming AOC vs. WAR!

[Pumpkin]

[size=2][font=tahoma][color=#CC6633]What? No thread on either one of these? Man, no one must play mmo's anymore. Anyhow, it's been in recent conflict that WOW's reign will come to an end with either AOC or WAR, however it could just be a flop like when VG was set to come out. So my question to you all is, which are you most looking forward to [url=http://www.ageofconan.com/]Age of Conan[/url] or [url=http://www.warhammeronline.com/]Warhammer Online[/url]? Which do you think will be the biggest competition? Do you think WOW will end as the top mmo anytime soon? What are you looking most forward to trying in either game?

Honestly, I was really hoping for AOC simply because it puts a new twist on mmo's with things such as mounted combat and an escape from the basic fantasy-genre mmo. WAR resembles WOW too much, however I do think because of that reason that all WOW fans are just going to march over to WAR because of the similarities. I also read on some forums that most think AOC is not ready to be released, and yet I think that with a coming expansion (to input player housing into player cities, an attribute I love while playing SWG) that it could be a very unique game.

Share your thoughts.[/size][/color][/font]

[Semjaza]

There have been a few "every mmorpg coming up!" threads here... even those have only gotten a few posts at most. I think it's safe to say that most people here simply don't even play them. And unfortunately those of us that do seem to play entirely different games or have radically different playtime schedules. I've not been able to meet up with [I]anyone[/I] from here since FFXI was new.

I was in the Age of Conan stress test, but I didn't even get to log in during it. I wound up deleting the game entirely after the [I]second [/I]5 GB patch (and this is after an almost 10 GB download) because I couldn't even get the game to load the title screen at that point (and it's definitely not that my computer is underpowered, it's not). That and Funcom apparently didn't want to let me into the general beta.

Of course, the next day I get a message saying I (and all stress test testers) would be allowed to play in the general beta. Oh well.

The game looks promising in various ways. The combat sounds fun and the game certainly looks good. My main concern is that I'm just not sure how the instanced "newbie" zone will work out in the scheme of things. Essentially the first 20 levels are so are almost entirely played within a main quest line that's single player. You can leave this to access the main MMORPG with towns, shops, crafting and so forth... but the juxtaposition of it is odd, to say the least. It almost makes me wonder why I should have to pay a fee to access that portion of the game. And it also makes me wonder how many players will find the transition from what is essentially a single player RPG to a MMORPG incredibly jarring, as well as how many will never want to make the move to begin with... but then again, who knows why they'd be buying a MMORPG in that case lol.

Warhammer is way too far off for me to make any real comments. It does look really similar to WoW at this point, but I'm [I]****ing tired of WoW[/I]. I finally just gave my account to my brothers. Like you said, a lot of WoW fans could potentially move to it, which is ironic since they ***** about wanting something "new" when all they want is something [I]just like WoW[/I]. I don't know how that works.

I signed up for the beta on that one too, but I doubt I'll hear much about it again until the release nears. Last I heard it wasn't hitting until October.

In the meantime I'm still completely happy with Lord of the Rings Online and the only MMORPG-related thing I'm 100% buying is its expansion, The Mines of Moria, which is supposed to come out in the Fall.

[Drizzt Do'urden]

I played WOW for a month or so. Didn't even get my character to lvl 20 for lack of interest. I do see the attraction to it...though I don't share it myself. I honestly think it's going to be sometime before its dethroned. Probably going to go the way of everquest. It's fan base will start to "outgrow" it and it will die off. Then and only then will it be taken down.

I know this is off the subject in a way. But I'm more interested in text based MMO's. Aardwolf in particular. Haven't been on in awhile, but If i were to have to choose b/w the two. I would choose it over WOW.

[Semjaza]

I actually picked up Age of Conan today. So far all I have to say is this has been the world's longest game install... and I've not even started patching yet.

EDIT: OK, be prepared for about a 60 minute plus install then around 700 MBs in patches.

Anyway, the game is a lot of fun. I'm only level 7 so I'm not terribly far into it, but it's been very enjoyable. I'm actually liking the "instanced island" aspect. Essentially, the first 19/20 levels take place on this island and you move off of it once you complete a certain quest line. This takes place at night, but you can talk to anyone to shift back to day time where you'll run into other players.

I thought it would be jarring and bizarre, but it really allows you to get used to the game's mechanics (which will similar to other MMORPGs, are still definitely more rooted in action games). It also allows you to get better acquainted with the game's universe and the storyline. To help with this, there are actual dialog choice when talking to important NPCs, much like you'd see a traditional computer RPG. The NPCs are fully voiced, although honestly it's still obvious this is a MMORPG... there's no realistic facial movements or anything.

The game is also pretty gorgeous. I have a Radeon 3870 HD, which runs Direct X 10.1 and it definitely takes advantage of it. Lord of the Rings Online has DX10 support, although it was added later and is still not horribly smooth (although it adds really nice shadows from everything, including tree leaves)... but this is the first game I've personally played that really takes advantage of it (I've not played Crysis lol). I'm impressed by how well it runs. Of course, I realize not everyone has my card... the game recommends at least a Nvidia GeForce 7900 GTX, but it will run on a GeForce 6600 or better.

I started out as a Necromancer, so I can summon monsters and cast spells. It's been fun. Most of this plays out like in other MMORPGs, although the game's combat is more action-based. You attack straight, left or right based upon cues that appear around enemies. Hitting them at the right times in the right spots deals increased damage. It's minor, but it's interesting.

Anyway, if anyone has any specific questions about it let me know.