Lend me your... well, eyes actually. So much for Shakespeare.
Before I begin, let me talk about the two modes of play
Age of Conan. Our Game Director has specifically stated that the game caters to those who find combos and their management to be too much trouble to have fun with by giving them Spellcaster classes.
That's cool - we can all see the reasoning.
However, I am here to ask for the support of Rangers and their Advocates in a different form of customer satisfaction. It's been brought to my attention that easy-mode, hard-mode and any other mode are truly matters for the Marketing department and not Development. The devs aren't in Marketing but the CSRs are. So help me to get this message across to Famine, to Senek and to Tarib because they can do things even the Devs can't do - they can get this information to the right people.
First, as you may know,
a very popular and long-running thread was recently closed by Haven on Testlive. But since it's a marketing issue, Testlive was never the right place for it. This is the right place.
My friends, we all accept the need for a mode of play without micromanagement. But what is missing from AoC is a server where
everyone faces exactly the same handicaps.
A fresh-start server. No transfers. And... no spellcasters. No Mages, no Tempests of Set, no Priests of Mitra. Just Rogues, Soldiers and Bear Shamen. A server for those who love the mechanics of the combo-system to revel in that combo system.
Imagine a siege on a an All-Combo server! Imagine the tactical blocks of soldiers, imagine Assassins scouting, imagine Barbarians exploding into formations like a hand grenade, imagine Rangers forming up into defensive lines to slow and hold back the enemy. Imagine the Conquerors holding formations, the lines of Tempest Guardians protecting the trebuchets, the Dark Templars healing and fighting alongside the Shamans, the lines crashing together...
Not just a ball of AoE and enough lag to stun a herd of elephants, but genuine tactical PvP!
Imagine the sheer challenge involved in getting Raid gear. Imagine how rare and sought-after that gear would be; it would finally deserve its spot as "the best" with those Physical mitigations. Imagine a lack of Mage Shields and insta-CCs; think for one second about how dramatic, engaging and immersive such a server would be.
And while we're on the subject, we all know too many players who don't subscribe anymore. In many cases, we know why. And I think a lot of the ex-players that I know would be very, very tempted to come back and try this environment; a fully immersive AoC.
It's not about "balance", especially class balance. I play rogues - when most of my opponents are Soldiers, I know it's going to be harder for me than for them. And that's okay. Balance is not a factor in this suggestion. Hell, if every single caster died in one shot from a white hit, I'd still be here asking you to show your support.
If I haven't swayed you, consider this:
AoC has many mothballed server-clusters; servers which were merged due to lack of population. All it would take is to wipe just one of them, to change one XML file which controls which classes can be selected at Character Creation and it's done. It's ready. It could be done in less than one man-day.
It is right that there is a simpler mode available for players who don't want it. It is just and it is good business sense. But it's essential to emphasize the more challenging mode for those who do want it, and to showcase it as the true Unique Selling Point of
Age of Conan. The all-Combo server is the right way.
Please show your support.
Please join me in asking VHeffner and Lukoi to make that support known to Famine, to Senek and to Tarib. Please spread the word to other classes.
Thank you.
Age of Conan Europe Forums
Friends, Rangers, Hyborians....
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Friends, Rangers, Hyborians....
Crom PvE
Mitra PvE
