Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Previews
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As players travel through the single-player portion of the game, they acquire one of four "general" classes at level 5 -- the RPG staples of Mage, Rogue, Priest, or Warrior, and get to choose three or four specialized "sub-classes" once they hit level 20. Level 20 is also the place where the single-player game ends. From there, players can choose to enter the wider world of Hyboria online. The people at Funcom believe that giving players such a rich single-player can only enhance the online portion of the game. The idea is that everyone who enters the larger Hyborian world will do so at level 20 having already mastered the game system, built up a character and a class they feel comfortable with, and already wielding powerful weapons and abilities. The radical idea is to eliminate "newbies" from the game -- everyone who enters the broader Hyborian universe should be a formidable opponent only looking for greater adventures and tougher enemies to increase their power.
And the second is at Yahoo! Games Domain:
This also works with their grouping system, in which characters can band together into formations for travel and combat bonuses. You might set a line of pikes to counter charging horsemen. Or maybe set up a wall of shields similar to a Roman phalanx. You might have your own horsemen on your flanks. You can do this with a band of player characters or even with NPCs controlled by the AI. The idea is that a party leader sets the formation, which determines how much freedom individual members have. It's a completely different party dynamic from what you're used to in MMOs.
