All is well in the MMORPG world...Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures has finally gone live, and things are looking pretty sweet.

Pre-Orders went fine...don't let the ones who experienced issues make it sound bad; they represent a MINIMAL percentage of orders (less than 1% by the count). I received my AoC:CE from Amazon without issue, as did everyone I know who ordered it. My only point of concern occurred while creating my account/subscription, as FunCom's site stated that Collectors Edition users would get 30 days of free play from the launch date of 5/20/08 (which meant I was already short on my 30 days since I didn't sign in until Friday 5/23; I was within 5 heartbeats of calling Customer Service!!!!). However, upon completing the registration process, I was given 30 full days (to the second) from the time I created my account, thereby nullify any point of contention.

Game play is like a lot of MMORPGs...auctions, merchants, guilds, grinding. It is really nice to actually be able to control the combat with combos, but at the early levels it doesn't seem to make much difference in beating enemy NPCs or PVP players (I am getting owned as of this writing, but then I am the suck at PVP). One of the bright points early-on in the game occurs during character creation. Unlike WoW, you are able to completely customize the look of your character, including scars, tattoos, height and build features, and even a black eye or the sleepless look if you so desire. It was a refreshing break from the constrained selections I have grown accustomed to in WoW, and I came up with a character who looks a lot like me...including the sleepless look (scary; I clearly need more sleep!!)

Most players will totally appreciate the steps that FunCom has taken to eliminate gold sellers/gold spams, as one must fight for about 30 mins before they can see another person online. With this considerable time investment in getting to see other players, and this should cut down on the www.GOLD4LESS spammers messages...BLIZZARD should take note of this, and move to it for WotLK. You cannot simply create a character and run to town for a spamming session; if you don't do the quests and fight the critters, you just won't be able to see other peeps.

Graphics are great, but the game is a resource hog in DirectX10...I feel that it is as demanding as Crysis, but I have not run any benches against it, so I can only base that on my perception (remember that 90% of the time perception is reality). That said, if you have an older PC, don't expect to put down WoW and find yourself playing Conan at a great framerate...As of this writing, I am thinking no matter what level popularity AoC achieves, WoW will still have a substantial market foothold with MMO players who own mid/lower-end systems for a long time.

Now for the COOLEST part!!! The quests are actually interesting, and drive the story. In my experience, all quests have full voice acting, and a dialog similar to that of games from BioWare (makers of Star Wars: Knights or the Old Republic and Jade Empire to name only a couple). This means you get a bit more out of the quests than simply clicking on the giver, and heading to fight. You need to listen to them, and to read them...They are pretty sweet so far.

Another REALLY BIG DEAL is that I have not noticed any lag in AoC...we'll see if this holds up when the business world logs in on Tuesday, but for now the kbps flow freely.

So far I'd give Age of Conan an 8.8. Despite my CONSTRAINED G-Spot rating, I don't think it is an 8.5, nor do I feel the game is worthy of a 9.0 rating. You be the judge, and please post your ratings in your reply to this blog post!

Cheers from Cimmaria,

RQ

Tested on - Intel Xeon 3050 @ 3.2GHz on EVGA 680i Mobo, 4GB Corsair Dominator 1066MHz Ram, and EVGA 8800GT Akimbo 1024MB Graphics. Connecting via Verizon FiOS. Avg FPS = 26 (this was observed over time, not benched), and Avg Latency was ~60ms.

As a 'hardcore' gamer I also have a strong understanding market forces, technological innovation, and deployment methodologies. As of this writing, I am hooked to World of Warcraft. I love the game for it's simplicity, community, and overall environmental feel. But there is something missing, and while I do not think that the current look/feel of WoW is incapable of delivering an outstanding gaming experience (the people really make the game), I do feel like I should be getting more out of Blizzard.

Understanding that WoW is the benchmark in the current MMORPG market, I also propose that ALLOWING customers to utilize the technologies at their disposal serves everyone well, as it will drive innovation in this gaming/market space. Sadly, Blizzard has not been driving innovation as of late. Blizzard certainly provides TOP notch customer service, and runs WoW within fairly acceptable limits for availability and capacity, there is always an opportunity for a developer to improve a product. If Blizz steps-up the current environment and make use of currently AVAILABLE graphics, sound, and interface technologies, they are enhancing the customer experience and moving the overall MMORPG standard higher.

The reason I have focused on the words 'available' and 'allow' is that I find it rather lazy for a developer to not allow a user to experience a game in the BEST POSSIBLE way on available hardware; not conserning themselves with expensive development for future technologies. A few years ago, running WoW at 60FPS meant that you needed to make a decent investment in hardware (~$1000-1500) to get the utilize the BEST AVAILABLE graphics and sound capabilities. Now those graphics and sounds, although they are very functional for the game, are at least two years behind. IF Blizz decided to upgrade their graphics capabilities, it would not mean that they have to make everyone buy new hardware…people content with the game as it is could continue to experience the wolrd of Azeroth in all of it's glory, but those who had the latest hardware would also get an additional bonus of seeing better fonts, textures, and effects; in sound, allowing 'dts' or Dolby capabilities could mean better localization of in-game sounds. The changes do not need to make the game more 'realistic' to a real-world standard, they would only need to enhance the fantasy world that is Azeroth. So, with no less than $130 million dollars of revenue per month (based on the lowest WoW subscription rate), Blizzard can certainly take the time to make improvements to the user experience that step outside the current WoW model.

One thing we can all be pretty certain of, is that Blizzard WILL always ensure a quality WoW experience on the lowest common denominator system, as users of these systems are the major contributor for WoW's success. But if you think the lowest common denominator system existing provides the same graphics, frame rate, sound, and load times as a newer system (less than 3 years old), then you are sorrily mistaken. Better systems provide more enhancements to the EXISTING WoW environment. However, Blizzard has not engaged emerging technologies in the past two years. Blizz is remaining stagnant in their technological advances and implementations for WoW, and stagnation leads to lost revenue in the business world.…Case-in-point, even toilet paper has to has to make advances to gain market share, or if the manufacturer is on top of the market, to keep it's customers from being drawn to another product; i.e. - product marketing lines like "Charmin is now even MORE squeezably soft!!!"

Should Age of Conan or Warhammer Online offer technological advances, they should gain market share in WoW's space…the best of the newest-generation MMO games will combine the successful elements of WoW, AND utilize ALL AVAILABLE technologies to enhance the user experience.

I love WoW, but I hope Age of Conan rocks our gaming socks off! A successful launch of AoC means capturing of a slice of WoW's, and if they do that, Blizz WILL make WoW even better than it is today.

Cheers,
RaQin

I stumbled on an old thread in the forums today in PC Games titled 'longest delay/s from a game?'

The thread ended (pretty much) in July of '07 with most of the posters agreeing that Duke Nukem Forever (or DNF) is the King-Daddy of lateness, and Spore should be in their somewhere at a close second.

Mind you, the thread is almost a year old, and even so, I am happy to dispell the notion on Spore being really late; it is only behind a couple years now. Spore has a couple to go before it is half-as-late as DNF (let us all hope it never gets close). Additionally, I wanted to take time to note that Duke is not the champ (EVEN ONE YEAR AGO vs TODAY!!!). But, the sad reality is that 3D-Realms, the creators of DNF, is the record holding developer (very very sadly).

It is true that Duke Nukem Forever is on track for the longest delay, but it was not the champ last year, and is not the current title holder. If you are old-ish, then you might remeber this, because even I was a twenty-something when this should have come out....

The longest-ever delay for a video game to go from announcment to release

...on any platform is...

11.5 YEARS!!!

(see Prey - Feb 1995 to July 2006)

Prey was supposed to come out right around the time of Unreal; I am talking about UNREAL, the first version, not UT or any other version. Both Prey and Unreal were in dev at the time, and though Epic took 3 years to unleash Unreal, Prey continued to remain in dev. Prey was 'in development' for 11 years from it's first announcement in Feb '95, until it's gold cd was minted June 28th, 2006; release followed on July 11, 2006.

Duke Nuk'em will most likely break the records, as it has been in dev since it's announcement on April 28th, 1997. So, we are mere months from breaking the record!!! Wired magazine readers have predicted Duke would do this since 2000 when they 'honored' DNF with the first of many Vaporware acheivement awards. Wired on order to make things interesting, went so far as creating a Vaporware Lifetime Achievement Award exclusively for DNF, awarding it in 2003 to the get the title off the list. However (and this is the best part), when they found it missing from the 2004 awards listings, readers overwhelmingly voted it back in and Forever won first place in 2005, 2006 and 2007. If Duke is not out by the end of Dec 2008, I am almost certain it will win again.

For the record (pun)...DNF will break the record on/about October 27th, 2008. GO FOR IT 3D-Realms, your reputation is riding on it !!!

Cheers from your local game historian,
RaQin

Sarah (surname unknown) is the sole staff writer at ideleo.co.uk, and she posted a little article that popped up on my news filters...World of Warcraft - Too Strong for the Market? Mind you, Sarah is clearly not an expert on MMO marketing, market share, technology, Blizzard's competition, or the English language…and I hope she is not getting paid a lot for asking questions, putting the answers (half-arsed) out there, and coming up with great lines like "Nobody nowadays would try to compete against it."…School kids in Alabama can write with better flare and professionalism. I on the other hand, am not a REAL MMO expert, but I play one on TV...and I know a thing or two about this topic.

Sarah's root question is valid, but her answer is too simple at best...In the article she asked, "How can a new title challenge WOW?", and she immediatelty gave the answer disguised as a question when she stated "The question now is to look for a new niche in the market and to work on smaller projects. Further growth cannot not ruled out if these games manage to build up a fanbase." To her point, popularity is nice...until it faulters. If a developers product becomes popular that's really cool, but how do they get it there in the first place? Where should they look to find the chink in WoW's real-world Purple Armor Set?

I thought about this for a little while, and I think that I have a better answer (disguised as a question). How a competitor can acquire some of Blizzard's market share if a developer wants to take on the titan that WoW has become? (yes it is written wierd, it is an intentional homage to Sarah). From my point of view the over-simplified (yet meaningful)method of beating Blizzard is to make an easy to learn MMO, and become top-dog in two of the following three market/technology spaces:

1) Take unclaimed MMO market territory. - WoW owns the MMO Fantasy RPG, period. So, a competitor should consider creating a functional environment that does not compete in WoW's space. Second Life, holds a large portion of the market in 'Life Simulations' for lack of a better word, and anything sports related with a easy to learn interface should do well…a Heineken Cup Rugby, FIFA Soccer, NFL, MLB, or PGA sim should gain market share in the sports space right? You can bet it would! And, Blizzard proabably wouldn't give them a second thought as a competitor for WoW dollars.

2) Develop an MMO utilizing cutting edge graphics and systems interfaces. - Blizzard makes great use of technologies that are 3 years old, and the experience is the same for users across the board…this is phenomenal!!! Though the Blizz development team is working on something "next gen" (see the blizzard jobs listings), nobody has a clue what the project effort is for, the exception being Blizzard. That said, Age of Conan and Stargate Worlds are positioned to take this 'next gen' space, but only time will tell if they can be successful in their implementation of high quality graphics without compromising their audience numbers. And should that successfuly take opportunities to use a Wii-mote-like device to interface with the game their success will definitely go up!...Imagine swinging your saber at the enemy in PVP via a motion sensing wand; now THAT would get your blood pumping! Additionally, the successor to Blizzard's throne (yes of course it is a Frozen Thone) will need to tackle item number three in my list…it is the key to all things MMO.

3) Back-bone the MMO experience on a rock-solid, and lag-free infrastructure. - This is the only REAL complaint that I have seen in the chats, forums, and web-sphere that honestly makes Blizzard's product less than perfect….There is nothing worse than being in a fight against a tough boss, or trying to win a down-to-the-wire bidding war, than getting dumped on a 'lag-out'. Lag sucks, there is no other way to put it, and though it may be customer bound, the developer of the MMO takes the heat. If any company conquers this issue, they will have a decent edge over Blizzard in technology, and may even find themselves gaining market share while competing head-to-head with the Wizards of Blizz.

So, to prop-up Sarah's article, popularity is important, and getting there is the key. We can probably all agree that World of Warcraft is going be around for a long time. Even if the popularity of WoW begins to fade, Blizzard's creation will be the benchmark for success in the MMO market for many years to come. And in doing so, WoW will be an an envyable target for an upstart devloper looking to raise the bar.

Finally consider this, having people take a swing at WoW's marketshare is always a good thing...by beating the market benchmarks and thereby beating WoW, competition will drive increased quality, satisfaction, and innovation in the MMO market, as that activity does in other markets. This shift would also drive Blizz to make WoW even better than it is today. I love playing WoW (which is why I almost never blog anymore), but I know I would be more than happy to switch to something new if it felt right, ran well, and gave me that "WOW!" factor that felt on the first day I stepped into the world of Azeroth.

Cheers,
RaQin

This is gonna be incredible...so-long to other console adventure franchises, and HELLO WoW!!!!:D

™

Irvine, Calif. -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.

Blizzard is proud to officially announce that World of Warcraft is entering the console gaming arena with The Molten Core! Offering engaging single- and multi-player content, The Molten Core will allow players to experience the excitement of the hit raid dungeon in a completely new format, with new challenges and new rewards.

For more information, make sure to check out our Molten Core site for screenshots, concept art, the new game's announcement trailer, and much, much more!

Down With the Sickness!
This user spreads the GameSpot virus among the masses, infecting the Internet with gaming goodness wherever he travels.

I think this tag campaign looks like a lot of fun, so I am giving it a spin...all for the love of a few simple .JPG files next to my name!

Cheers,

RaQin

Visit my GameSpot profile »

...No,no,no. Not John Wayne, the REAL "Duke", we're talking about none-other-than Duke Nukem! THE Duke of vaporware has returned!!!

Wow what a relief...they are finally going to make Duke Nukem Forever!!! YAY!!!...oh ok, the skeptic in me is winning-over my oh-so-happiness.

Folks, it seems quite possible that this game has been "in development" longer than many GameSpot users have been old enough to play games. That said, we have to use the words 'in development' in the loosest of terms, as one person working on a snippet of code, or a couple pixels of texture per-week are technicality enough to allow 3D Realms to say it is still 'in development'. I can nearly envision the project task list being forgotten from time-to time; about as many times as I have forgotten this might actually be a game I can play someday.

BestBuy.com was showing a release date in mid-Feb '08 (as of 11:30am 12/19 it was changed to "Coming Soon")...The early date would have meant that 3D Realms has never really stopped DNF development, as they wouldn't be able to go to launch that soon. Given the 3D Realms track record for meeting deadlines, I am not holding my breath on this one. Remember that Prey was supposed to come out right around the time of Unreal (the first version), and was 'in development' for 11 years until it's gold cd was minted (see Prey - 1995 to 2006). Given that they have ALREADY changed the date on the Best Buy site, I expect the date will be sometime beyond June '08 (I know what you're thinking..."My god!!! What a prognosticator she is!!!")

Here is to hoping Duke makes a brilliant, and politically incorrect return to the pixel-screen! We can all beleive it will actually come out when we see "Duke Nukem Forever goes GOLD!" on the title of a G-spot news release.

Cheers,

RaQin

PS - Immediately following the release of this blog post, 3D Realms posted the sites were you can download the teaser/trailer. Go to the 3D Realms site for the official locations to get the files.

Maybe it's just me, but playing RE4 on the Wii was an awful experience. I don't usually dislike something so much I have to say it, but it seems the whole G-Spot community loves it, and I can't figure out why?

I thought the aiming systems was nice, but I felt like I was a rat in a maze with no peripheral vision while I was playing it. About a half hour into the game I had to quit...I couldn't see myself suffering through the experience for goodness-knows how many hours.

My Rating on it was 4.5...Time for more Mario Galaxy

Sorry y'all,

RQ

Long time, no see from me...and speaking of 'long time' when was the last PS3 title launched on time?

A game lover of ANY platform has to wonder why there are a slew of delayed releases for the PS3. While it is certainly true that developers want the games to be better looking or sounding, is it possible they may simply be struggling to make them work?! The architecture and design tools of the PS3 seem to be a barrier to success.

Gabe Newell of Valve (the makers of Half Life, the Source engine, and all sorts of other goodness) was recently quoted in Edge magazine with an unforgiving quip on his feelings about Sony needing to have a 'Do-Over" on the PS3. The statement gave a fairly clear indication as to why Valve has less interest in the PS3, and possible insight to the pains the entire PS3 development community is enduring. When the rework question came up, Newell replied, "Absolutely [the system needs to be reworked]. I think [PS3 is] a waste of everybody's time. Investing in the Cell, investing in the SPE gives you no long-term benefits. There's nothing there that you're going to apply to anything else. You're not going to gain anything except a hatred of the architecture they've created. I don't think they're going to make money off their box. I don't think it's a good solution." Despite their feelings on the subject, Valve is developing the Orange Box for PS3, but it is coming in VERY late behind the XB360 and PC releases (the PS3 release is target for 12/11 as of this writing).

This leads one to think that Newell is saying what everyone in the development community really wants to say. Or, it could be that he merely speaking from a point of strength in having a product that is hot enough (Orange Box) that he does not have to worry about a PS3 release date. My gut is telling me it is a little bit of both...If a developer is in a position where they do not have to invest heavily in the PS3, they can afford to let their execs/developers speak their mind freely, and bag on the platform, or ignore it entirely. However, I also believe that Valve is not just in the business to make great games, but also to make great gobs of money, and if the PS3 were worth the effort, Valve would gladly make all of their titles in a down-loadable format for PS3, and do it with a smile as they cart wheelbarrows of cash to the bank.

The bottom line is this: If the PS3 architecture is too difficult to work with, development the platform will eventually be abandoned in favor of releasing titles on other systems...no games equals no customers. Hopefully we will hear from other developers and gain real perspective on the delays, but for SCE's sake they should hope that other developers do not feel as Newell does.

Yet another potential strike for the PS3...but hey, at least Sony seems have it right with their Blu-Ray implementation.

Cheers,

RQ

I have been playing rugby and working my butt off. Sorry about the inactivity on my blog, but I promise to return as soon as the DC Furies return as Plate Champions for the USA Womens Division 1 National Championship on 11/10 & 12!



Yes that was a big fat brag, but how many people get to say they are in the National Championship for anything...Rugby is a pretty big international sport (#1 growing sport in the US), not something obscure like paddle ball, or jai-lai. Besides, who can complain about 15 really fit women running around tackling the other team; I'm allowed to gloat a little aren't I? ;-)

Luv ya all, see ya soon...I'm going to Disneyland (literally)!

Rucks and Kisses,
Ra-Qin

PS- I forgot to update this when we finished the tournament. My team came in 7th...not great, but it was at least an improvement since we started the event in eighth place.