Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Interview

ActionTrip: AoC: Hyborian Adventures sports PvP combat, naturally. What's the most enjoyable aspect of the game when it comes down to PvP?

Gaute Godager: That is definitively in the eye of the beholder! There are essentially three types of player vs. player combat in Age of Conan, the most important one being the siege warfare in the so-called Border Kingdoms, where players will engage in full-out war with each other. Here player guilds will go head to head and fight for ownership of battlekeeps - gigantic structures players actually get to construct themselves, placing different buildings such as stables and blacksmiths. Guilds will challenge each other by setting up war tents outside the enemy's battlekeep, and then agreeing on a time where the battle takes place. Imagine entire armies of players clashing against each other, using siege weapons such as catapults and trebuchets, fighting for honor, land and fortunes. But players can also take part in less epic player vs. player combat. The most interesting alternative is probably the drunken brawling, where players will go into inns and taverns, get drunk and fight with their bare hands against each other. In this case, there are no penalties for losing and all players are, basically, on the same level. There are also arena fights, where players, groups or guilds, will challenge each other in gigantic forums where there can be spectators watching battles that ensue.

ActionTrip: Castles play a huge role in the game. Could you offer us a more in-depth look at castles and the way they are incorporated in the game?

Gaute Godager: On the whole, there are two portions of the game where you build things, including castles, or battlekeeps, as we call them in Age of Conan. In the harsh Border Kingdoms, where guilds fight for power, you can build a battlekeep. Your guild will collect resources like stone, wood and metals to construct these battlekeeps which will hold different structures like blacksmiths, stables and community buildings within its walls. The constructions of these buildings within the walled battlekeep are important because it gives your guild and all its members valuable bonuses. If you build stables for instance, all your mounted guild members will perhaps be able to ride faster or inflict more damage when attacking on horseback (or camelback, for that matter). The other portion of the game involves making different structures during city building. Guilds may purchase a land area outside the Border Kingdoms where they can construct their own city in peace and quiet, not having to worry about being attacked by other places.

ActionTrip: Give us an example of a few quests players will be able to take part in.

Gaute Godager: What we're trying to do when designing quests in Age of Conan, is make them a lot more intriguing and complex than they usually are in MMOs. We want to bring that unique feeling of storytelling into our quests and we want players to get that sense of achievement that they do in single-player games. I'll give you a couple of examples. In Conall's Valley, one of the many regions in the game, there is a tribe of Cimmerians in conflict with the savage Vanirs. The Cimmerians are proud people and in the Conan lore it is mentioned that they would rather kill their own family than see them captured by the enemy. At one point you can stumble over a spear stuck in the wall of a burned-down cabin, and you will discover the story of the family who lived there. The father may call for anyone who discovers their tragic story to go out and avenge them. You will then have to follow up on this quest, talk to people and eventually find the culprits within the Vanir encampments.

In another quest, you find yourself in an ice cave far up in the snow-capped mountains. Your task is to go through the cave in order to reach your destination. The problem is that there is a gigantic beast blocking the passage and charging it would be suicide. You may then go and find the food that this beast usually eats and place it in the cave somewhere, successfully distracting it so you and your party of adventures can quickly scurry pas it unharmed (Nice one. - Vader).

ActionTrip: Everyone knows that AoC: Hyborian Adventures has already been branded as a Vista-ready game. According to your experience, what are the benefits?

Gaute Godager: Yes, Age of Conan is actually a showcase title for Windows Vista. One of the benefits of this is that we're able to develop a DirectX 10 version of the game that will look incredible on the Vista OS. This allows us to use greater viewing distances, better water and particle effects and it gives us better framerates. These are just some of the benefits that DirectX 10 brings through Vista. Of course, the game will also be playable on Windows XP and DirectX 9.

ActionTrip: In your opinion, what makes a good MMO game stand out?

Gaute Godager: I would say quality. It may sound like a strange answer, but time and time again it is proven that the quality of the game is what makes it successful and stand out. You can put as much money into marketing as you'd like, but it's still quality that will make the game stand out and make people flock to it. The "word of mouth" factor is still very, very important in the gaming industry. I would also say innovation makes an MMO stand out, but the MMO genre, however, has a tradition of sticking to standards. Developers often make the game bigger and better-looking, but they are also scared to make any radical changes to the tried and true MMO formula that we've seen in so many games. Hopefully, what will make Age of Conan stand out are the new features such as real-time combat that we are trying to introduce to the genre. A good MMO shouldn't only be big and beautiful, it should also challenge you as a player. In the future, I think MMOs will stand out judging by being innovative. These days, single-player games are often rewarded for being innovative - just look at The Sims, Spore, Buzz, Viva Piñata, EyeToy, Guitar Hero and so on. Hopefully, in the future MMOs will be judged the same way and developers will be driven to stretch the limits of the genre and set new genre standards.

ActionTrip: How's the beta testing going?

Gaute Godager: It is going very good, thank you! We're currently in internal closed beta, and we're inviting more and more friends, relatives and partners into it. The game is shaping up real good now and all the pieces of the puzzle are coming together. Next year we will be showing even more of the game and revealing the mechanics of features that we've so far only mentioned briefly. Age of Conan will hopefully make a giant impact next year and we're working hard towards being able to live up to the high expectations that we've set for it!