This week we have been continuing with the preparations for the expansion, both building builds for the beta server and working on what we will be showing at GDC. Content wise things are moving forward, we had a good play session with players on the beta servers last weekend, working through some of the expansion instances. Getting that kind of feedback is vital and joining player groups allows our team to see exactly how players approach certain things, and allows them to test the mechanics. The major other focus this week has been preparing the alternate advancement for more widespread testing. So much links into a new system like that - animations, GUI work, art and icons, the actual code, the new perk bars, and then the systems work itself - that it is possibly the most complex thing we are doing for the expansion. It is always a slightly nerve wracking time when all the elements move from internal tested versions towards the actual 'real' system that you can play with in game without needing a development build. It becomes a real part of the game at this stage, and aside from a few nervous moments and headaches when our internal servers decided they didn't like the new version, we are ending the week with being able to capture the footage we need for the GDC presentations in the game client without any cheating. It is always a good part of the process when we start to see new features in exactly the way players will...then comes the important testing phases, so we can move forward to actually putting the system through its paces. So it's been a week of good progress that will let us start working through kinks, errors and bugs that come once that stage of the testing starts in earnest! In some ways it is the culmination of a lot of work already put in, in others it is just the start!

We are looking forward to showing more of the game at GDC (which starts on the 9th of March) so keep your eyes peeled afterwards for the press previews of the expansion.


New articles


CVG caught up with Game Director Craig Morrison to discuss the upcoming expansion, "Rise of the Godslayer". You can read that interview here.

Check out AOCVault's latest guide in the ongoing series of Renown strategy walk-throughs: the Renown Guide: Valor 101.

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures: Alternate Advancement System Explained on MMORPG.com.