Open Beta: Thoughts - Page 3

SmokingTarpan · 05-05-2008, 11:10 AM

Another question: Are all quests done in voice-overs, or just a few? I'm assuming they all have text sheets that accompany them, but I'm curious as to how much voice there is in the game. Could be another thing that sets Conan apart from the rest.

Added question: Can you remap your keyboard?

**TheFatKidDeath** · 05-05-2008, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokingTarpan

Another question: Are all quests done in voice-overs, or just a few? I'm assuming they all have text sheets that accompany them, but I'm curious as to how much voice there is in the game. Could be another thing that sets Conan apart from the rest.

Added question: Can you remap your keyboard?

Almost all the quests I've gotten have been voice over. I think there are a few that are bugged as there was no sound but the characters lips were moving.

Have not figured out how to remap - that has to be in the final version.

**Grieg** · 05-06-2008, 01:43 AM

Run defrag about 6 times. 1 pass never gets the job done.

fldash · 05-07-2008, 10:41 AM

I use Contig.exe to defrag the directory. Seems to work quite well... Couple of other thoughts:

* CB had much better performance until they patched some code from OB to CB to try to find the issue. As of today, CB still has this code. Even so, I still have fairly decent performance, so I'm not really complaining...

* AoC is not going to be perfect, or anywhere close. However the developers have experience (with AO) and I know that they will make it right. It's really a matter of whether you want to 'support' them (with your money) thru this.

* I pre-ordered after playing. I hadn't pre-ordered but the OB/CB convinced me to do so. There is something I like.

--
In addition, and I'm not sure if I can post this here, but I will, here's some information from a developer on the closed beta forums discussing why the OB client can be both newer and older than the CB client.

Quote:

Internally we have, rather than one "magical build", between 12 and 15 various branches. I won't go into specific details about any of them, but I'll try to give a quick example of why they haven't reached the beta yet.

Take for example BranchA, where we've fixed major issues with shaders and rendering.

In BranchB we've tweaked lots of the code that basically makes up the core of our animation system, so it now runs smoother and faster than ever before, and consumes less memory.

However, when we integrate these branches together to make a complete build of the client, they end up conflicting with each-other and resulting in a build error.

So, the various coders working on the different branches sort out the conflicts, and once that is done, we manage to build a new version of the client.

Once that is done, the build goes to QA, who run through extensive testing procedures to catch as many bugs as possible in the new version.

Enter the coders again, to fix all the new-found bugs, and repeat the entire process until the build is deemed stable. At this point, and no sooner, will we push it to the beta.

Now, keep in mind, that in the example above I've only spoken about code (and 2 branches rather than 10+). With that being said, code often relies upon data just as data relies upon code to function properly, and you further complicate the process.

So, it's not like we hold back on a new beta-build just for the fun of it; we actually do it because we need to follow certain routines before deploying something externally.

With all of that being said, calling the current beta-build (which is what, 2-3 weeks old by now) for the release build, and at the same time knowing that we're still working hard on polishing, improving, optimizing and stabilizing the client is more than slightly off-target.

Followed up with this:

Quote:

Just jumping in to clarify a few things, as I've already seen signs of people misinterpreting my post.

What I posted was an example, not a "ruling set in stone". There are many many builds that go through without conflicts, and there are many many builds that, while originally getting a build error, are up and running 5 minutes later (well, up and building at least, that process takes a little while as well).

There's also several integrations to and from branches and trunk that don't cause any errors at all, and these also take place several times per day.

Now, I'm not a coder myself (professionally at least), so I can't give you any exact details on how many commits we have per day etc etc, but based on my experience (and I work extremely closely with several of the coders in my position) I know for a fact that seeing 4-5 new builds from that one branch alone per day is not unheard of.

**Gambit7** · 05-07-2008, 09:05 PM

Honestly, we have to remember what we're actually playing here. It's the most graphically advanced MMO ever made and also the largest in filesize. In reality, I think Funcom is doing pretty well considering what the end product probably will be. Hell, we havent even gotten to play with the DX10 client yet. Can the graphics possibly get any more beautiful?

So, I'm not complaining much... because in a way this game will set the bar for all that succeed it. If it was the 3rd or 4th release using this type of game engine and mechanics then I'd be complaining.

Also remember... they built this game engine from SCRATCH (including the GUI). That's right. It's not Unreal 3, Half Life, Hero, or even Visual Studio... it's straight up Funcom. So, it's a monumental task to say the least... especially given the time they did it in. Once all the bugs are worked out and the game is a success, you can be sure big game companies will be knocking at their door to get their hands on the engine.

You gotta give them their props for this.

SmokingTarpan · 05-08-2008, 10:03 AM

Alright, I've poked around in Open Beta for two or so days now. Haven't really been able to play all that much, but I just hit level 11 with my assassin to be this morning.

Pros
----------

- The game world is very pretty, and feels the most "real" of any MMO I've played yet. Even when I run around through the jungles in WoW, they feel less jungle-y than this game does. They did a good job with making it seem like you are actually in a wild place, or a frontier town. I feel a lot more immersed.

- Cinematic quests are fairly cool, brings a new slant to the whole, "go here, kill 5 things and then come back," stuff.

- Decent story and quest line so far. It all ends up being the same general thing that I've seen in other games, but it's presented in a fairly interesting manner

- Quest tracking with arrows and markers on the map is pretty cool; might eliminate the need for 3rd party info sites in that respect.

Cons
------

- The game performs poorly and seems to have little done in the way of optimization. I built my current computer back in Jan/Feb, and the components I installed were picked with this game in mind; it's a good system that rarely dropped below 70-80fps in the most cluttered raids in WoW. The first time I stepped into the tavern in AoC, I couldn't move for about 1.5-2min because my fps dropped so low. This morning I went into Mithrelle's dungeon and froze as soon as I appeared inside. By the time I could actually move (or even mouselook around), the first 2 NPC's had killed me. Pretty inexcusable.

- The combat/combo system is awkward and a little buggy. In WoW I had every important action/ability mapped to the 1-5 keys and mouse buttons 4-5, with extra actions mapped to either shift or alt + one of those keys/buttons. Basically I never had to click on anything with the mouse, or contort my hand in odd shapes. In AoC, well, it's just the opposite. I basically click on everything that isn't one of my primary attacks simply because combat is too fast for my fingers to leave those keys. Also, combos/abilities don't always seem to work. Multiple times I've pressed a button to launch a combo, and nothing happens; I have to hit it 2-3 times before I can start hitting the appropriate directions. I've also had multiple times where I'm hitting a mob on a side with zero shielding, but I'm doing less damage than when I hit a shielded side.

- Still a fair amount of bugginess. I went on the quest to kill those man-eating plants up near the volcano, and the first 3-4 I encountered were bugged. Other mobs in both the world or dungeons also evaded bugged. Mobs also seem to just show up out of nowhere for no particular reason. I attacked two snakes on the path, and within a few seconds I was being attacked by 10+ that simply appeared and killed me. Stealth appears to be pretty random as well. I can stand two inches away from a lit torch or be within kissing distance of a humanoid mob and not be detected, but a gorilla sees me in stealth from 20+ yards away?

Overall Impression
-------------------

The game is very pretty and feels far more immersive than any other game that I've played so far. However, there are still a lot of problems with the game. I run a great system that should have no problems whatsoever running this game, yet I still get bogged down in some places that I can't even look around, let alone fight. I don't like hearing people say that system defrags are needed to keep things running either. What makes it worse is that this beta is barely scratching the surface of the game; we're only seeing the newbie area, we haven't seen anything of the crafting system or siege warfare.

Don't get me wrong, with a brand new game and a brand new engine I certainly don't expect anything in the realm of a perfect- or even good- release. But there seems to be a ton of problems yet with just the front area of the game that has seen the most amount of testing. With the pre-order release a week and two days away, I can't see this game being qualified as "ready". I honestly think it needs at least another 6 months of work to reach that point, if not a year.

**TheFatKidDeath** · 05-08-2008, 10:47 AM

Here's an interesting read on what one of the Devs about the beta and the state of launch:

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm?F...AME=191&bhcp=1

Smoking, to your points, I have had a few bugs with the Beta on some of what you have described. For the most part the game has run pretty smoothly for me and I'm just above the minimum requirements (side note, just bought a new computer so can't wait to see how it runs

) Per the article, final version is different than the current beta so the problems will (might?) be resolved at launch. I suppose we will know in two weeks if that happens.

I'm really liking the combat system and putting together the combos for fatalities. I'm having to think about my position in relation to my enemy, where on the target I'm swinging and using the combos correctly. I could not see myself playing an auto attack mode of combat in another MMO especially after playing Age Of Conan.

I would agree that the combat system requires a bit of finger gymnastics but that happens with alot of games I play initially. The more I play the easier it becomes it seems.

SmokingTarpan · 05-08-2008, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheFatKidDeath

I would agree that the combat system requires a bit of finger gymnastics but that happens with alot of games I play initially. The more I play the easier it becomes it seems.

Yea, I realize that this is all new and will take some getting used to. One of the things that throws me off though is that it feels like I'm being given too much too soon. I'm level eleven, but already have half a dozen different combos, and at least that many extra abilities as well. It seems an excessive amount of things to give new players that are having to learn an entirely new combat system.

The feat trees (at least on the assassin) look interesting, and I can see some cool possibilities. Might be a good chance for there finally to be a game with multiple specs that excel instead of having a cookie-cutter "this is it" one. Concerning fatalities though, what triggers them? I've done them a few times, but can't seem to consciously repeat them. And, while they are cool to see, I could do without the blood splatters on the screen. They're just so... fake and silly.

**TheFatKidDeath** · 05-08-2008, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokingTarpan

Yea, I realize that this is all new and will take some getting used to. One of the things that throws me off though is that it feels like I'm being given too much too soon. I'm level eleven, but already have half a dozen different combos, and at least that many extra abilities as well. It seems an excessive amount of things to give new players that are having to learn an entirely new combat system.

The feat trees (at least on the assassin) look interesting, and I can see some cool possibilities. Might be a good chance for there finally to be a game with multiple specs that excel instead of having a cookie-cutter "this is it" one. Concerning fatalities though, what triggers them? I've done them a few times, but can't seem to consciously repeat them. And, while they are cool to see, I could do without the blood splatters on the screen. They're just so... fake and silly.

As you level you get even more and you go from three to five combat movements. Hopefully by then everyone will have gotten the swing of things

Fatalities are trigged by your combos. Depending on how you put your combos together will increase the chance of getting a fatality.

I believe there is a gore/blood toggle or at least in the final version of the game (I think i read that somewhere).

SmokingTarpan · 05-08-2008, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheFatKidDeath

I believe there is a gore/blood toggle or at least in the final version of the game (I think i read that somewhere).

Any idea on if that's an all-encompassing toggle, or just for the "spray" that hits your screen? I like the blood and gore down in the action, I just don't need the strawberry jam on my screen. Come to think of it, that's exactly what it looks like.

**TheFatKidDeath** · 05-08-2008, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmokingTarpan

Any idea on if that's an all-encompassing toggle, or just for the "spray" that hits your screen? I like the blood and gore down in the action, I just don't need the strawberry jam on my screen. Come to think of it, that's exactly what it looks like.

Good question. I actually don't see the blood as my computer doesn't have enough gas to show it! However, with my new PC it will be a gore splattered fest.

I would think they would have a toggle to eliminate all the blood, gore and decapitations. Though it is an M rated game so who knows. Given the amount of toggles I've seen in the beta there is no reason to believe they won't have a blood splatter toggle. Hopefully it will be specific for everyones tastes.

**Reaperassault** · 05-08-2008, 12:09 PM

I believe the fatalities are done when a combo hits an unshielded side of a target and you get that 10% chance thrown in.

teamjawbox · 05-10-2008, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grieg

I completely disagree with the last statement. Priests in WoW have very little PVP/Arena survivablilty. Look at the top Arena teams and you'll find druids and paladin as the main healing classes, then there is a large void seperating 1st and 2nd from the 3rd place healers: Shaman. Priests come up in last place by such a wide margin, its not funny. For a class designed around healing, they just can't.

Anyway... in AOC I noticed the same thing you have. The heals were lackluster, at best. And in PVP (at level 20) all but one lacked any damage potential. The Tempest of Set seemed to be the only real PVP capable healer of the 3, which was quite disappointing. The Bear Shaman was going to be my first pick for my healing class, but with minimal combo ability and the puny heals all the priest classes get, I don't forsee them being very survivable.

But... as its been pointed out, this is just Beta. Once the game actually kicks off, we'll see how it goes.

i know : P i play a druid in a high rated arena team ; p but wasnt talking about arena's, just the regular pvp/bg's. arenas is a totally different thing in wow. especially 2v2 where its the most unbalanced pvp element in wow. but i wasnt only speaking of the pvp in AoC or WoW. am talking about pve or pvp. blizz tries to keep it very balanced class wise. especially since 2.0. it didnt used to be like that but with the introduction of BG's into the game brought lots of watering down. anyway, i agree with ya on aoc totally. it's got a great foundation for a great series. im really looking forward to seeing what plays out as it's a brand new way to do things. relieved it's not just more of the same. and like another poster said, ive only seen a fraction of early game, i wonder how the end game will be. i do like it that healers have to still play an effective role with the combat rather than just spamming heals. actually, the more i think about it, the more i really want to give it a try lol. good thread.

**daithi1** · 05-11-2008, 02:36 PM

Beta is over it seems.

05-05-2008, 11:10 AM	#31 (permalink)
SmokingTarpan Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,445	Re: Open Beta: Thoughts Another question: Are all quests done in voice-overs, or just a few? I'm assuming they all have text sheets that accompany them, but I'm curious as to how much voice there is in the game. Could be another thing that sets Conan apart from the rest. Added question: Can you remap your keyboard? __________________ [squadl] "I am the prettiest african-american, vietnamese..cong..person." -SugarNCamo

05-06-2008, 01:43 AM	#33 (permalink)
Grieg Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Colorado Posts: 580	Re: Open Beta: Thoughts Run defrag about 6 times. 1 pass never gets the job done. __________________ Govern well thy appetite, lest Sin surprise thee, and her black attendant: Death. ~ John Milton - Paradise Lost \| TG FAQ \| TG Primer \| Rules of Conduct \| \| Wearing the \|TG\| tag \| TG CoD4 Server Rules \|

05-07-2008, 09:05 PM	#35 (permalink)
Gambit7 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Hollywood, FL Age: 31 Posts: 1,929	Re: Open Beta: Thoughts Honestly, we have to remember what we're actually playing here. It's the most graphically advanced MMO ever made and also the largest in filesize. In reality, I think Funcom is doing pretty well considering what the end product probably will be. Hell, we havent even gotten to play with the DX10 client yet. Can the graphics possibly get any more beautiful? So, I'm not complaining much... because in a way this game will set the bar for all that succeed it. If it was the 3rd or 4th release using this type of game engine and mechanics then I'd be complaining. Also remember... they built this game engine from SCRATCH (including the GUI). That's right. It's not Unreal 3, Half Life, Hero, or even Visual Studio... it's straight up Funcom. So, it's a monumental task to say the least... especially given the time they did it in. Once all the bugs are worked out and the game is a success, you can be sure big game companies will be knocking at their door to get their hands on the engine. You gotta give them their props for this. __________________

05-08-2008, 10:03 AM	#36 (permalink)
SmokingTarpan Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 2,445	Re: Open Beta: Thoughts Alright, I've poked around in Open Beta for two or so days now. Haven't really been able to play all that much, but I just hit level 11 with my assassin to be this morning. Pros ---------- - The game world is very pretty, and feels the most "real" of any MMO I've played yet. Even when I run around through the jungles in WoW, they feel less jungle-y than this game does. They did a good job with making it seem like you are actually in a wild place, or a frontier town. I feel a lot more immersed. - Cinematic quests are fairly cool, brings a new slant to the whole, "go here, kill 5 things and then come back," stuff. - Decent story and quest line so far. It all ends up being the same general thing that I've seen in other games, but it's presented in a fairly interesting manner - Quest tracking with arrows and markers on the map is pretty cool; might eliminate the need for 3rd party info sites in that respect. Cons ------ - The game performs poorly and seems to have little done in the way of optimization. I built my current computer back in Jan/Feb, and the components I installed were picked with this game in mind; it's a good system that rarely dropped below 70-80fps in the most cluttered raids in WoW. The first time I stepped into the tavern in AoC, I couldn't move for about 1.5-2min because my fps dropped so low. This morning I went into Mithrelle's dungeon and froze as soon as I appeared inside. By the time I could actually move (or even mouselook around), the first 2 NPC's had killed me. Pretty inexcusable. - The combat/combo system is awkward and a little buggy. In WoW I had every important action/ability mapped to the 1-5 keys and mouse buttons 4-5, with extra actions mapped to either shift or alt + one of those keys/buttons. Basically I never had to click on anything with the mouse, or contort my hand in odd shapes. In AoC, well, it's just the opposite. I basically click on everything that isn't one of my primary attacks simply because combat is too fast for my fingers to leave those keys. Also, combos/abilities don't always seem to work. Multiple times I've pressed a button to launch a combo, and nothing happens; I have to hit it 2-3 times before I can start hitting the appropriate directions. I've also had multiple times where I'm hitting a mob on a side with zero shielding, but I'm doing less damage than when I hit a shielded side. - Still a fair amount of bugginess. I went on the quest to kill those man-eating plants up near the volcano, and the first 3-4 I encountered were bugged. Other mobs in both the world or dungeons also evaded bugged. Mobs also seem to just show up out of nowhere for no particular reason. I attacked two snakes on the path, and within a few seconds I was being attacked by 10+ that simply appeared and killed me. Stealth appears to be pretty random as well. I can stand two inches away from a lit torch or be within kissing distance of a humanoid mob and not be detected, but a gorilla sees me in stealth from 20+ yards away? Overall Impression ------------------- The game is very pretty and feels far more immersive than any other game that I've played so far. However, there are still a lot of problems with the game. I run a great system that should have no problems whatsoever running this game, yet I still get bogged down in some places that I can't even look around, let alone fight. I don't like hearing people say that system defrags are needed to keep things running either. What makes it worse is that this beta is barely scratching the surface of the game; we're only seeing the newbie area, we haven't seen anything of the crafting system or siege warfare. Don't get me wrong, with a brand new game and a brand new engine I certainly don't expect anything in the realm of a perfect- or even good- release. But there seems to be a ton of problems yet with just the front area of the game that has seen the most amount of testing. With the pre-order release a week and two days away, I can't see this game being qualified as "ready". I honestly think it needs at least another 6 months of work to reach that point, if not a year. __________________ [squadl] "I am the prettiest african-american, vietnamese..cong..person." -SugarNCamo

05-08-2008, 10:47 AM	#37 (permalink)
TheFatKidDeath Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Santa Monica, CA Age: 39 Posts: 2,645	Re: Open Beta: Thoughts Here's an interesting read on what one of the Devs about the beta and the state of launch: http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm?F...AME=191&bhcp=1 Smoking, to your points, I have had a few bugs with the Beta on some of what you have described. For the most part the game has run pretty smoothly for me and I'm just above the minimum requirements (side note, just bought a new computer so can't wait to see how it runs ) Per the article, final version is different than the current beta so the problems will (might?) be resolved at launch. I suppose we will know in two weeks if that happens. I'm really liking the combat system and putting together the combos for fatalities. I'm having to think about my position in relation to my enemy, where on the target I'm swinging and using the combos correctly. I could not see myself playing an auto attack mode of combat in another MMO especially after playing Age Of Conan. I would agree that the combat system requires a bit of finger gymnastics but that happens with alot of games I play initially. The more I play the easier it becomes it seems. __________________ \|TG-9th\| TheFatKidDeath "Born to Party, Forced to Work." http://www.theonion.com/content/node/55640 - Check me out on The Onion http://www.theonion.com/content/vide...ssfully_avoids - I'm on the local news!

05-08-2008, 12:09 PM	#42 (permalink)
Reaperassault Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Not here Posts: 1,845	Re: Open Beta: Thoughts I believe the fatalities are done when a combo hits an unshielded side of a target and you get that 10% chance thrown in. __________________

05-11-2008, 02:36 PM	#44 (permalink)
daithi1 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Ireland Posts: 1,055	Re: Open Beta: Thoughts Beta is over it seems. __________________ \|TG-AIR\|Daithi1 * 11th Air Tactical WikiMake Somebody Warm and Fuzzy, Ribbon NominationLost? Try TG Mentoring*

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