1.1 What is an MMORPG?
MMORPG (usually shortened to MMO) is an acronym for Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game.
These are games played via the Internet and involving hundreds or thousands of players all playing on the
same server or gameworld. Players can meet each other in-game, play together, and adventure with thousands
of people from around the world.
1.2. What is Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures?
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures is an MMO based on the world of Hyboria, originally created by the
famous Robert E. Howard. Age of Conan will allow players to immerse themselves in the world of Hyboria, a
harsh and brutal land where they embark in amazing and action-filled journey, following the footsteps of
the world's greatest fantasy hero: Robert E. Howard's Conan. Meet Conan’s friends and foes, battle monsters
and demons drawn from 70 years of backstory and lore, and even befriend the mighty King Conan himself. You
can also engage in warfare with other guilds for control of valuable resources, craft powerful and rare items,
and adventure with thousands of other players simultaneously.
1.3 What platforms will the game be released on and when will it come out?
Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures will be released for Windows PCs the week of May 20, 2008. An Xbox 360
version will be released sometime in the future.
1.4 Who will publish and distribute the game?
Age of Conan is co-published by Funcom and Eidos. Eidos is known for publishing titles like the Tomb Raider
and Hitman series, while Funcom has extensive experience in the MMO industry, including their major title,
Anarchy Online.
1.5 Who is this "Conan" guy?
American author Robert E. Howard created the character of Conan and the world of Hyboria during the 1930s.
The Conan stories take the mighty barbarian through a dark and gritty fantasy world, from his early days as
a thief and pirate to a mighty king at the head of vast armies. Over the 70 year lifetime of Conan and his
world, there have been books, comics, and movies chronicling the doings of the mighty barbarian and his friends
and foes. Even today, more than 45 companies are now working on the universe, and writers including L. Sprague
De Camp, Harry Turtledove, and Robert Jordan have written in Howard's world. See section 15.0 on the lore for
more information.
1.6 Will there be a subscription fee to play?
Yes, there will be a monthly subscription fee. While the final subscription fee has not been announced,
it will likely follow industry standards. The first 30 days of gameplay will come free when you purchase
the retail box.
1.7 What will make Age of Conan stand out among the other MMOs out there?
Besides aiming to create a great representation of the sexy, savage and brutal Conan universe, one of the
main goals with Age of Conan was to improve the MMO formula and take the genre in an innovative new direction.
Funcom has focused on taking the best from past and current MMO games while creating innovative and fun new
systems. Playing Age of Conan should feel new, fresh, and exciting.
One of the key features of Age of Conan is the unique combat system, which is a huge leap forward from both
a technological and gameplay standpoint. Fighting in most MMOs involves targeting by clicking something,
clicking auto attack, then occasionally clicking a special attack, but fighting in Age of Conan centers
around something we call the Real Combat System.
In this innovative approach to MMO combat, you don't pick a "target" and focus your attacks on that target.
Instead, you actually move up to your foe and start swinging your weapon in different directions in real-time,
using direction keys or even a gamepad. In this combat system, you can unleash devastating combos and even
brutal finishing moves. Fighting feels dynamic, exciting, and most importantly, hands-on and real.
In ranged combat, you can actually string your bow and aim manually from a first person or over-the-shoulder
viewpoint to strike your enemies, a first for
any MMO. Spellcasters can combine a series of spells in what we
call speallweaves, like combos for melee fighters, which unleash devastating results and fatalities.
In addition, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures features mounted combat, where players can battle from the
backs of everything from horses to mighty mammoths. Age of Conan is also one of the first MMOs to feature a
Mature rating, giving us the freedom to create truly brutal battles, providing both a visceral and satisfying
gaming experience while staying completely true to the Conan lore and story.
Age of Conan will not only showcase all the features you would expect from a triple-A MMORPG, it will also
feature a limited single-player portion at the beginning of the game. Here, you will advance through a deep
and involving story, where the focus is on you, your character, and your place in the world. After a few levels
to learn your way around the game, you will start meeting other players and adventuring with them, but you
will be able to switch between single-player and multiplayer content during the first twenty levels of your
character's life. This is a brand new approach to leading MMO players into a deep and engaging world, and it
means we can focus on telling an exciting and meaningful story with widely interactive quests, while making sure
both solo and group-focused players always have something to do. Finally, Age of Conan also features deep and
engaging guild systems. Guilds can build and maintain entire cities and fight with other players for control
of cities and resources, engaging in massive PvP battles to defend their homes (or destroy their enemies'
homes!).
1.8 Who is Funcom?
Funcom is a Norwegian game developer that was established in 1993. We have created more than twenty games for
PC and consoles. The most known products from Funcom are the sci-fi MMO Anarchy Online and the award-winning
adventure games The Longest Journey and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey. Funcom's headquarters is situated in
Oslo, Norway's capital. In addition Funcom has offices in the USA, Switzerland and China. Over 300 people from
30 nations are employed in Funcom. The company is listed in the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker FUNCOM.
1.9 What sort of PC is required to play Age of Conan?
Required
OS: Windows Vista/XP
Processor: 3GHz Pentium IV
RAM: 1GB RAM
Video Card: Shader Model 2.0 and 128MB ram, nVidia GeForce 6800
Recommended
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz (E6600) or better
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 7900 GTX or better
RAM: 2GB or more
Enhanced for: DirectX 10, 64-bit processors, multi-core
Supports Parental Controls on Windows Vista
1.10 Do you have to be running Windows Vista to play Age of Conan?
No. The game can also be played on DirectX 9 under Windows XP.
1.11 Where can I find the latest information on the game?
You will find all the latest information on the official website at
http://www.ageofconan.com. This is
the marketing site for the game, where new visitors may get a quick overview and check out the game.
If you're interested on a deeper level, our community website at
http://community.ageofconan.com is
where we go much more in-depth and post news articles, press information, and other updates about the game that
would be of interest to hardcore fans. You can also check out the many discussions on the official forums
or sign up for the Clan of Conan newsletter. In addition, you will find numerous fansites in different
languages. We keep a list of these fansites here.
1.12 Will Age of Conan be localized in any countries?
Yes, we will localize in French, German and Spanish, and all the languages will launch simultaneously.
This includes localized language and localized customer service. Additional languages may be added after
launch.
The Aquilonians are a people divided behind a front of unity, and threatened behind a show of dominance.
Their kingdom, the so-called Flower of the West, is the unrivalled jewel of Hyboria.
A shroud hangs over the people of Cimmeria. While one might assume it is the pall of the dark weather
overhead, eternally threatening grim days and violent storms, the truth is that the Cimmerians live under
a shroud of impending doom.
The Stygians are an ancient, decadent people, born of a culture more than fifteen hundred years
older than any of their neighboring kingdoms to the north.
Assassins are the most lethal killers in Hyboria. Those aspiring to the top of this profession
face the most deadly regime of training, discipline, and study, but the ones that survive are
executioners supreme.
The barbarian is one of the most dangerous and feared sights on the battlefield. Their combat
style focuses on strength, aggression, and relentless assault.
The spirit of nature is strong in Cimmeria and has begun to manifest itself amongst the
barbarians of the north.
Conquerors are a sword-wielding fusion of heavy armor and battlefield command, rare individuals
rising from the ranks of Aquilonian generals and barbarous Cimmerian war-leaders.
Dark Templars combine heavy armor, martial prowess and blood-thirsty magic with an all
consuming desire for triumph.
The demonologist is the mightiest of sorcerers, wielding the power of hell and earth and capable
of conjuring pillars of flame or titanic storms of electricity.
Guardians are the most heavily armored and well drilled soldiers in Hyboria. Capable of
withstanding punishment like no other, they also have an array of deadly attacks that deal
devastating damage.
Heralds of Xotli are hybrids of the mage and soldier archetypes who wield alien spells and two
handed weapons, making them a formidable enemy on the battlefield.
Necromancers summon and command the undead, and they are legion. Their ghoulish minions are
capable of tearing men apart or casting their own death magic.
Priests of Mitra wield divine power that can aid, heal, and even bring the dead to life.
Rangers are the finest marksmen in Hyboria, capable of stalking an enemy and delivering
devastating shots with pinpoint accuracy.
These priests wield the awesome destructive might of Set, the snake god of Stygia.
She is a close ally of Conan. When he saved her from a camp of raiding Vanir invaders in years past,
she formed an unbreakable bond of loyalty to the powerful barbarian.
Earth's most powerful sorcerer, Lord of the Black Ring and the speaker of Set, this imposing
dusky-skinned man leads the snake god’s cult in Stygia.
The master of the Pride of Luxor is a broad-chested, imposing figure, with a loud, commanding
voice and the swagger of one accustomed to giving orders and having them instantly obeyed.
Deep within the Black Ring Citadel in a facility buried far from the light of day works Excorant,
a sorcerer capable of molding stone to create mockeries of human life.
Practically all Darfari are followers of Yog and take part in vile ceremonies involving human
sacrifice and cannibalism in his name.
Among the beleaguered and exhausted Cimmerian warriors of Conall’s Valley, the name of the
war-leader Kern Wolfeye is spoken with a clashing mix of hatred and respect.
The newest threat in the hordes of malicious Vanir raiders is the presence of white-haired,
yellow eyed warriors known to their Nordheimer brothers as the Ymirish. These warriors serve
as commanders in the ravening host, blessed with the blood of Ymir in their veins, making them
taller, stronger and more savage than mere mortal Vanir.
Giant-kin! Frost giant. One of the legendary true sons of Ymir. Easily half-again as large as a regular man, with a thick hide the color of old, rotten snow and heavily-muscled arms that could tear a warrior in two.
Moths to a flame: that is how the common folk of Khopshef Province describe the mysterious allure
of this holy figure, who presides from an ancient temple that sits in the shadow of the great pyramid
south of the village of Bubshur.
Born of hardy northern stock in the land known as Vanaheim, the Vanir share similarities with the
Cimmerians: both peoples are considered barbaric by most other nations and live tribal existences where
the males train almost exclusively to make war and hunt for food.
Always a powerful enemy to the worshippers of Set, Kalanthes has a long history that spans Hyboria.
An old man now, he commands a powerful will and magic that arguably rivals any other soul on the continent.
Having dethroned the late King Numedides III and claimed his crown to rest on a troubled brow, Conan
of Cimmeria now sits upon the throne of Aquilonia. His tales are known as legend and fable all over Hyboria.
Except in the darkest reaches of the Black Kingdoms or the savage tribes of the Pictish Wilderness, there
is not a soul who has not at least heard of the life of Conan, and there is not an adventurer whose life
does not mirror his own in some way.
It would be ill-advised to mistake Atzel's Bandits for another band of ill-equipped outlaws hiding in
the hills and menacing remote regions.
These great cats are legendary across Stygia and the Black Kingdoms to the south. They have a fearsome
reputation for strength and savagery unmatched by any other wild animal.
These twisted mockeries of human life are all that remains of the ill-fated victims of the Black Ring's
quest for power. Slaves, criminals and those too weak to protect themselves from the dark sorcerers of
the foreboding citadel that lurks behind Kheshatta disappear into its black halls and emerge as inhuman
monsters.
Their sub-human intelligence is driven by the worship of primitive gods; vile fusions of reptile,
insect and slime or tentacled horrors of living madness.
Cloaked in the rags of Acheron, the Shadows are zealous protectors of the relics of that ancient empire.
Five-hundred pounds of tooth and claw, driven insane by the disease coursing through their veins,
these predators crash across the landscape destroying all in their path.
These noisome demons are made solely from blood. They are not flesh like men, instead they are beings
of the warm clotted blood used in their foul summoning ritual.
Blackblade cursed and shook a mailed fist at his men, his voice like the crack of a whip. A soldier
paused to wipe his sweat drenched brow and, in the process, threw off the rhythm of the others.
What madness would possess anyone to deal with such a creature is beyond comprehension and an even
greater madness lies in opposing the archfiend.
Thunder can be heard on the fields of the Border Kingdom, it is the thunderous steps of the mighty
War Mammoths.
With ferocious speed the Killer Rhino charges the fields of the Border Kingdom, plowing through
hordes of enemy soldiers, sending them flying through the air.
Tarantulas are very large, hairy spiders that prefer to seek out and kill their prey rather than
trapping them in the strands of a web.
Colossal elephant-like beasts, mammoths are creatures clad in shaggy brown fur, with curved tusks
as long as a man is tall. These beasts roam the lands of Nordheim in herds, hunted by the Vanir and
the Aesir for food, fur and precious ivory.
Atzel's Approach offers a variety of torments to ensnare unwary travelers, and not all of them—not
even most—are human. While the bandit groups under Atzel’s banner are a grave threat throughout the region, darker dangers exist.
These behemoths tread through the cold pools of bog water like manifestations of the defiled swamp,
all muscle and slime and hatred.
No natural beast, a Frostcrawler is somewhere between a serpent and an eel, yet with aspects
resembling neither creature.
Harbingers of a greater evil to come, the Grol are lesser echoes of more powerful demon lord that has
languished in magical bindings for centuries.
The Wild Lands and the frontier villages are bedeviled by the presence of creatures earning the name
'Dark Beasts' from the lips of terrified peasants.
To those who know of these primitives, they are considered beast-men, savage cannibals capable of
little in the way of reason and lacking all higher intelligence.
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