AoC: Single Player Aspect

[Lestat2150]

I remember reading something about the single player aspect late last year. Something about how you have to level to 20 first in single player mode then you can enter MMO mode? Is this right?

[Pedro]

yep
supposed to be the easiest lvls in the game, and it's only to get you to learn your class...there will be an option to skip it on your alts after you've done it once I believe..could be wrong on that one..

[Lestat2150]

Well if they're quick levels then I suppose thats not too bad. At least other players wont kill steal your quests in the early game, I always hated that about WoW.

[Haych]

6.0 Single-player

6.1 Is there a single-player game in Age of Conan?

Yes, a part of the gameworld in Age of Conan will be single-player, but you always need to play online on our servers. Even though you are playing alone in an instance in the gameworld you still get the chance to communicate with your friends on the same server, as well as potentially thousands of other players.

Age of Conan is still a fully-fledged MMO, but we have taken some key lessons from the other games out there and decided to feature a single-player experience that in some ways plays out like a traditional RPG. This is how you start the game, and it means you get a more focused and exciting introduction to the gameworld. There will be four branching story-arcs in the single-player experience depending on which archetype you choose. You will have to complete it the first time you enter the game, but we may make it possible to skip it should go you back to create a second character.

6.2 Can I go into the bigger MMO gameworld right away?

One of the thoughts behind the single-player experience is to give you a unique and highly interactive story to get you going, a story that captivates you and intrigues you from the start. A story that is tailored to you and told in a fashion that really lets you be an important person in the game. Many other massive online games throw you into the world right away, and because of the nature of MMO games it can be quite difficult to get started and getting to grips with how it all hangs together. By letting you start out in single-player we're able to show you how the game is played in a more fun and structured fashion, without having to resort to often rather boring tutorial phases. Still, you can communicate with your friends, and it won’t take that long before you are able to meet other players.

6.3 Does the single-player experience have any other benefits?

Yes, absolutely. During the time it takes to complete the single-player experience your character will grow in strength and talent. He or she will evolve from nothing but a commoner, into someone who has mastered a class! As you then get ready to enter the even greater massive online world you will already be accustomed to the environments and have a much greater knowledge of how to play your character.

6.4 Why have you chosen to have a single-player part at the start?

We believe this is a new and better way of introducing MMO players into the gameworld. We felt that many online games out there are too difficult to get into, so we tried to find a new approach. The mix of a single-player experience inside a MMO gameworld is our attempt to do something about that. They form one unique whole though, so you will feel that you are playing one complete game.

6.5 How long will the single-player experience last?

This will depend on how good you are and how much you like to explore. The aim is to give you between 5 to 10 hours of play, with the potential of spending even more time should you wish. During this time you always have the chance of communicating with other players, and you will also get limited multiplayer opportunities as you move through the levels.

6.6 Will I have to complete the single-player experience every time I make a new character?

This is something we are still tweaking. We realize that doing the single-player experience the second or third time may not be as rewarding as the first time, so you may be able to skip it one way or another. That being said, playing different archetypes during the single-player experience will offer different quests, experiences and opportunities, so there is definitely a high replay value.

6.7 Will I be able to meet and chat with other players in the single-player experience?

Yes, as you move forward you will gradually be able to meet other players but you won’t have access to all the features and amount of people you find in the bigger MMO world. However, you are still playing on our servers, and you are also playing in an instanced part of the bigger gameworld. When you first start out, you will be completely alone and the characters around you will only be computer-controlled. They will talk with you, interact with you and fight you but you won't find any other players around. You will, however, be able to send messages and communicate with friends and other players on the server.

6.8 What will the single-player experience actually contain?

There will be a complete story that we're able to tell in a cinematic and interactive manner. Because you're closed off in your own instance of the gameworld, we have the power to create world-changing events and really let parts of it play out like in a single-player game. When you first start you will enter the game as a galley slave. Here you will create your character, and shortly after this process is completed a sudden change of events will lead to your character being washed ashore on the Barachan Isles off the coast of Zingara. You will have to fight your way through the jungle to reach the multi-cultural melting pot that is the city of Tortage, where you will discover great adventure and many challenges. From there on we are keeping things under wraps to avoid story spoilers.

6.9 How will my character evolve in the single-player experience?

You start off as a commoner with nothing else but a few old rags to cover your body and a broken ore to fight with. Over the course of the single-player experience, you will become better equipped, discover great treasures, complete challenging quests, and choose a class. You will have a massive amount of experience and knowledge as you step into the bigger massive online world. Still, you will just have scratched the surface of Age of Conan.

6.10 Will I have to be online to play the single-player portion

Yes, you will still be playing towards our servers, in a personalized instance of the gameworld. So you must log on to the internet in order to play. You will also have to purchase a retail box to play the single-player experience. The retail box includes 30 days of gametime.


---> Single Player

[DunWolf]

I was actually somewhat disappointed to learn that the singleplayer part has been shortened...or maybe those that play/test aren't very good at judging time. Before, the singleplayer game was going to be billed as a stand alone part taking 20 hours, so if you wanted to play in the Hyborian world but you didn't want to play multiplayer, you could replay the singleplayer portion over and over again without owning FC anything. Now I think it's around 5-10 hours.

But that's just from what I've read and I'm not a very good judge of time either.

[Ridean]

Sounds kind of cool, but I dont think they need to FORCE you to do the singleplayer if you dont want to. They claim it is to get you used to your class, but maybe some people like learning different ways? I for one would do the single player option one way or the other, but for others, they shouldnt force them to do it.

[skullmyst]

i like this idea. I've always felt that world-changing events are lacking in MMO's... such as where one day, your home city gets overrun by goblins or the other faction(s), and then u have to get it back or take over one of theirs... that would be cool. Anyways, sounds like this intro will make u feel like u have importance, which is nice.

[DunWolf]

Yeah. I've always wondered why game Devs are always so reluctant to advance the storyline in games *cough* SWG *cough*. Why not cater to your current playerbase rather than the people that might play 6 years from now...

Guess I need to become a game dev and make up a really cool world with history and a storyline and advance it at least every 1.5 to 2 or so years.

Same thing with world changing events. The only thing they are probably scared of is rearranging the content for that area that they already have and if it's like some of the past mmos, it'll alreayd be lacking in content so there's no loss really.

[Avyon]

While having the events at the beginning of the game.. Ive always felt that having them change stuff IG later on would be kind of cool to.. and not just let a few people know about it.. maybe have a quest that if you beat it, you get an invite to the event in some sort of realistic fashion. (AKA not just through mail "HEY EVENT!") but.. like someone running up to you being all "oh no! johny fell in the well! and now the devil came out and is eating mommy! oh nooos!"

[Dartaris]

I think they should introduce in-game Cinematics. whenever they want a change in story, or an event to unfold, give people who are in the city for example, a cinematic option pops on the screen, saying hey watch this cinematic if you choose, and they could see something unfold, like people running from something, a fight breaking out, ect.

But as far as the singleplayer thing goes, i think its a great idea.