Funcom and Eidos announce massive evolution plans for Age of Conan
Massive PvP update in June – New areas and dungeons – Powerpoints and Guild Alliance warfare to come
Durham, USA – June 13, 2008 – After the incredible
initial success for Age of Conan, a whole world of MMO
players are eagerly anticipating the future plans for one
of the most popular online games ever released. While Age
of Conan has already evolved massively since launch,
numerous expansive additions are yet to come. Funcom and
Eidos are therefore proud to lift the veil on Age of
Conan’s promising future, and today the two companies
reveal selected features which are now in production.
"While we have enjoyed the initial success for Age of
Conan, we know that a solid launch is but the start when it
comes to the MMO genre,” said Gaute Godager, Game Director
on Age of Conan. ”As we look ahead we are preparing a huge
amount of new content, and what we are presenting today
will evolve Age of Conan even further. It’s naturally an
incredibly ambitious update plan for a live MMO game, but
we are certain our players would want nothing less.”
Without further ado, here are some of the cool things to
expect in the months to come:
Guild Alliance Warfare
Preproduction has started on a MASSIVE free update which
will come later this year. Currently titled "Kingship!”,
large clusters of guilds will be able to form alliances,
and rule and conquer on a massive scale. Everyone in a
guild alliance will play a part in this system, and
together they can even erect unique looking alliance
Battlekeeps. The alliances can also fight over, and build,
culture-specific "wonders of the world”, with a direct link
to higher powers! As part of the system Funcom will also
facilitate larger amounts of players in massive
battles.
Powerpoints
This fall, a unique reward and character evolution system
called Powerpoints will be introduced. This rewards active
in-game behavior, and allows for gathering points through
numerous methods, including owning a Battlekeep, playing
the end-game at level 80, winning PvP matches, or simply
being an active guild member or subscribing to the game.
There will be many ways to obtain Powerpoints, and numerous
rewards, ranging from exclusive Powerfeats to weapons,
armor and potions. Powerpoints may even allow you to level
faster!
New areas and dungeons
You won’t need to wait for an expansion pack to explore
exciting new areas. In the next period, Funcom will include
several new areas, as well as evolving already existing
areas. This includes a brand new dungeon in Aquilonia,
reshaping three dungeons in Stygia, and an entire mountain
range in Cimmeria!
Improved player-made villages and Battlekeep
systems
While the guild alliance system brings a whole new level to
the game, Funcom will continue to expand the existing
player-made areas and the systems running them. A focus on
evolving the massive elements of the game even further
continues, ranging from placing NPC’s in the cities to more
choices and benefits.
Social updates
An MMO is nothing without a good social scene. While Conan
is all about crushing your enemies, social enhancements are
also getting some love. A fun example is the combo-based
dancing system which is now coming to the game, and it’s
entirely motion captured by professional dance artists.
More adventures
Age of Conan has received tremendous praise for immersion
and the great voice-over quests. This is but the start of
the adventure, and numerous new quests are coming into the
game, spread across the entire world and across the level
ranges. Soon 60 additional quests will also get full voice
acting, further improving immersion.
Embracing community feedback Since launch several
enhancements and fixes have been implemented to Age of
Conan, and Funcom has continuously staffed up the service
departments to improve customer satisfaction. This has
already resulted in a better game experience, but the work
will continue. At the heart of all of this stands the Age
of Conan community. A lot of the upcoming improvements to
the game will be based directly on community feedback, and
the wishes and concerns players have when it comes to the
future of the game will always be taken into account.
By reading the community websites, official forums and the
monthly Clan of Conan newsletter you can expect additional
information about upcoming features and released updates,
as well as an arena to give your feedback. A new Clan of
Conan newsletter is also going live today, with more detail
on the upcoming features.
http://funcom.cachefly.net/WebFiles/Newsletter/Issue17/
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About Funcom - Funcom is an independent developer and
publisher of online games for PC, consoles and mobile
platforms. Funcom has provided outstanding entertainment
since 1993 and continues to expand its track-record of more
than twenty released games. Recent titles include 'The
Longest Journey', 'Anarchy Online' and 'Dreamfall: The
Longest Journey'. For corporate information please visit
www.funcom.com. For information about Funcom games visit
www.anarchy-online.com, www.dreamfall.com,
www.darkdaysarecoming.com or www.ageofconan.com. Funcom is
listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker
FUNCOM.
About Conan Properties International LLC - Conan Properties
International LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Paradox
Entertainment Inc., controls rights to Conan, many
associated characters and the Hyborian world, as created by
Robert E. Howard and various rights expanded upon by many
acclaimed authors and artists. Many consider Conan
the world's best-known fantasy character. For more
information about Conan Properties International LLC, visit
www.conan.com. For information about Paradox
Entertainment Inc., visit
www.paradox-entertainment.com.
About Eidos Interactive Ltd - Eidos Interactive Ltd is part
of SCi Entertainment Group Plc (SEG) creators of some of
the world's leading videogame properties. Eidos consists of
offices across Europe and the US and several development
studios including Crystal Dynamics, IO Interactive,
Beautiful Game Studios and Eidos Montreal. The Group has a
valuable combined portfolio of intellectual property
including: Tomb Raider, Hitman, Deus Ex, Championship
Manager and Just Cause.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein
may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
