Friday Updates

[Quazimodo]

Four new screens

- Mar 23, 2007
This week we bring you four new screenshots giving you a small glimpse at the Cimmerian settlement of Broken Leg Glen, and a trade caravan that runs through Stygia.

One of the things that we are really proud of in Age of Conan is the visual diversity that the development team has managed to deliver. This is particularly evident when looking at the different landscapes of Hyboria that is realized in this game, from the snow-capped mountains of Cimmeria to the burning deserts of Stygia. And everything in between!

This week we want to show you just how diverse landscapes in Age of Conan can be. Check out the screenshots section for four new screenshots from the game.

For Cimmeria we paid a visit to the settlement of Broken Leg Glen, a community that rests at the feet of the mighty mountains that surrounds it. These inhospitable walls of craggy stone are home to many threats. If the savages that have found refuge among their sharp peaks don’t kill you, a misplaced step in the dark of night might just as well.

In the Khopshef Province of Stygia, a trade caravan wanders across the burning sand, guided only by fading landmarks and the setting sun. Scattered around them are the remains of creatures long dead of thirst, or maybe they were cut down by the claws of the hungry lions that inhabit the province. But the scorpions are just as big a threat.

But these are more than just breathtaking environments. In Broken Leg Glen, players can choose to follow the twisting paths that run out of the settlement and up into the mountain peaks that loom above. In the Khopshef Province, players may choose to protect the caravan – or observe, from a safe distance, as they are attacked by ruthless bandits.

[Quazimodo]

New video developer diary!

- Apr 13, 2007
This week we take an exclusive look behind the scenes to find out how the sound and music is made for Age of Conan, in this brand new edition of the video developer diary!

It’s not just stunning and detailed graphics that is needed to bring the exotic and brutal feel of Hyboria to life. What is a brutal picture without the sound of steel against steel? What is a battlefield without the sound of war-cries and lamentations? These are all questions that the sound designers and composers on Age of Conan have to ask themselves every day when going to work.

In this exclusive second edition of the video developer diary, we take a look at how the sounds and music in Age of Conan is made. Perhaps most importantly, we also get to meet the people who do this for a living – such as Audio Director Morten Sørlie, Composer Knut A. Haugen and Sound Designer Tord D. Nikolaisen.

From the roar of ferocious foes to the screams of your beaten enemies, countless hours have been put into creating thousands of sounds that will complement the fantastic sights you will witness in Hyboria. As you charge into yet a bloody battle, epic scores of heroism will shout from your speakers and grandeur melodies will fill the room as you explore the vast landscapes of Conan’s world.

As you will witness in this video developer diary, there is a huge amount of work required to achieve these ambitious goals. Not only must the sounds be produced, they must also be tied into the technology of the game. And making music is more than just playing the keyboard, as you’ll see when we bring a whole choir into the studio!

The video developer diary can be found at numerous different websites, such as:

GameSpot.com
JeuxVideo.fr
Spillmagasinet.no
GameTribes.TV

So plug in your headphones and turn the volume to max!

[Gedan]

Thanks for keeping us updated Quazi, looks to be a great game, hope they can match the hard work they do with sound to the actual game engine to make the pvp feel authentic.

[Uzbeki]

Those siege engines look like a lot of fun

[Quazimodo]

Originally Posted by Gedan

Thanks for keeping us updated Quazi, looks to be a great game, hope they can match the hard work they do with sound to the actual game engine to make the pvp feel authentic.

The choir music they used in that diary sure made chills down my back tho.. so I'm sure they know what they're doing... seems a bit weird to not have a professional sound table with sounds tho.. but I guess they know how to make microphone recording sounds sound real in game...

And no problem.. hope to see alot of the people here in game and preferably in my guild.