Age of Conan at Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMOG Gamers to the Next Level!

PvP in Age of Conan: The acronym that pumps some, and makes others shiver. We’re talking about Player versus Player combat.

So what’s the deal? How big of a role is PvP going to play in the game? Are PvP players going to have a blast, while the PvE (Player versus Environment) persuasion only gets half a game? Will the PvE-only type players have to participate in PvP just to have fun?

All that remains to be seen.

Gather your army to combat another guild.

What we do know, is that AoC boasts some pretty cool sounding PvP functions. Players will be able to build their own keeps and destroy other guilds’ keeps. There will be arena matches and games, and drunken bar brawls. All of these lend themselves to making a fairly large focus on PvP game-play.

Let’s face it. No one likes to be ganked. It’s just not much fun logging on for an hour, planning on getting a quick quest finished, only to find out that another player is blocking your path and will continually beat you down every time you try to progress. But while that may be what enters some people’s minds when they hear the term “PvP,” it’s not necessarily an accurate description on what Player versus Player gamers are looking forward to. AoC is going to offer a lot of variations on PvP play, and will offer something for everyone – maybe even for those who formerly were none too keen on the PvP scene.

So why PvP? To start, when it comes to player versus player combat; you never know what to expect. Oppositely, with a computer-controlled encounter, you pretty much know what you’re getting into. The NPCs you fight will either be easy for you to defeat, or they’ll be more powerful than you are, and you’ll have to team up with other players and use your combined forces to beat them down. Player versus player combat is not so black and white. While someone may be lower or higher level than you, there are no guarantees. You never know what the other player has up their sleeve, whether they have powerful gear, a bunch of friends coming to back them up, or a sneaky special attack you never would have expected.

Siege warfare, for example, promises to offer a challenge toall players. One can take time away from their adventuring, and build their own battlekeep with their guild. Once complete, they’ll be able to use a trebuchet or other siege engines to launch objects at, or crush their enemies. Just imagine dozens of players from

Defend your keep against other players.

around the world, gathered on a virtual playfield, using strategy and brute force to overcome another group of players. Both groups have a strategy and a plan, but they don’t know what the other group will be doing. Soon, the battlehorns cry, and the teams set their strategy in motion. Some stand back and launch projectiles, while others rush the opposing force, sword in hand. Soon, the fields run red with the blood of the slain. Each group yells commands at their team; for support, and for aid. A small group breaks from the foray, and takes down a trebuchet, or a keep wall. The combatants flood through the opening, and the massive battle continues within the remaining walls of the keep. Victory is always up in the air, as there’s no such thing as a “sure thing” in the battlefields.

Siege play isn’t the only thing that Funcom has planned. There will also be Arena Events and Bar Brawls. The Arena Events will include PvP games such as “Capture the Flag” while Bar Brawls will pit players against each other in matches that ignore levels and equipment and are just a primal rock-em, sock-em, beat-em-up. Players will get drunk in game, and start throwing their fists. Who they hit won’t really matter as it will be all about the violence.

All this is a far-cry from the pitiless “ganking” some players have begun to associate with the term “PvP.” There is no denying that there are players out there that thrive off making others miserable. However, there is also no denying that the above game components sound like a heck of a lot of fun. Again, these aspects of the game will not be required play. You won’t have to join them if you don’t want to. But why wouldn’t you?

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