Two new zones for Age of Conan

Sorry for the lack of posts, but I've been busy over at the Conan Movie Blog.  Only one more post to go, though.  Still, I feel I should comment on this, at least:

As the film's heating up, it's obvious Age of Conan's going to be kicking things up a notch.  Thus, Age of Conan has announced two new provinces for the game:

Game director Craig Morrison hinted on the AoC forums last month that new content will be made available.

"This is where we get to the stuff we can't quite talk about just yet..." he said, "Yes, a little teasing I know, but trust us, it is far more frustrating not being able to talk about what is coming just yet. These will be important updates, with two new and important elements incoming."
Massively has already confirmed that the in-game player search tab now includes additional regions to filter searches. This has led users to believe new zones will be added in to the game: Turan and Ardashir, alongside the Hyborian provinces currently in-game.

Other speculations about further in-game content have been led by Funcom's annual report which states the game will see story tie-ins relating to the upcoming Conan the Barbarian film being released this year.

The inclusion of Turan is kickass, I won't lie even though I wonder how the hell they're going to include a country that's three times the size of Aquilonia at the time of the game's story.  But Ardashir?  The hell is an Ardashir?

Oh, Hyboria!, The Wrath of Zym's prequel, and a new game?

A sign of things to come?

Remember a while back me and Miguel Martins teamed up to discuss the many Howardian projects on Paradox's lineup? Remember one of them being Age of Conan: Hyboria!, from the makers of Robot Chicken?

Well, it still seems to be a go.

Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer Launch Trailer

Behold!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I despise the Aquiromans. It's such a slap in the face to REH, considering his intense dislike of the Empire: even pseudo-Greeks would be preferable, if they had to go with a classical source. Here, the trailer has some scenes from the Dark Horse comics (I presume), where they have a freaking Aquila at the head of an army marching out of Tarantia. Also, the Khitai bells ring with "lamentations." If I never hear that damned word uttered or written in regards to Conan ever again, I'd die a happy man.

Then there's the whole "Khitai hates Conan for murdering Yogah" story. This is, naturally, something I have a major problem with, and while Joel Bylos did an admirable job explaining to me his choices and rationalizations, I can't help but think it's yet another in the long line of problems in the game's handling of Howard's world. Then there's the "godslayer" of the title: originally I thought this was a reference to Conan himself, but the trailer seems to indicate that someone - or something - else is the deicidal culprit. I wonder if that dragon thingy at the end is the Godslayer: wouldn't surprise me.

That said, there's stuff to like. Khitai looks great, the architecture & environments atmospheric and beautiful. I always appreciate when the trailers use genuine REH, and here they use some choice phrases from "The Phoenix on the Sword" that work very well in context.

I still hate rideable tigers & wolves, though. If this was Master of the Universe Online I'd be all over it, but keep it out of Conan, guys.

Another reason I need to get on Age of Conan...

... So I can get onto the official forums and let people know what's what. Then again, I guess I'd spend practically zero time in the game, and most of my time prowling the forums seeking to enlighten and dispel misrepresentation.

I wish people would read the books they review.

I mean, he might have read Heroes in the Wind, but there are one or two things that suggest otherwise.

Conan the Barbarian can't be ALL bad...

Google Alerts has pointed me to this delightful little blog.

Sure, it's all Conan the Barbarian stuff, but I still find something vaguely attractive about the film's art direction, even if it's basically a soup of Biblical, Roman and Viking epics. I particularly like the Valerias.

It put me in mind of that webcomic I'd been working on. I have, literally, dozens of ideas for strips & panels. Most of them aren't so much funny, so much as meant to be illustrative. I suppose the word would be satirical, but... well, that isn't quite right either.

An example would be Literary Conan vs Cinematic Conan, where'd I show the differences between the two, as the old theatre/film maxim goes. One strip would be about Conan's childhood: Literary Conan would be hunting wild beasts, felling hawks on the wing, fighting Vanir and such, while Cinematic Conan would be picking wild blueberries, ice-fishing, and listening to his daddy talking about Crom. Then another might have one focusing on lovers (LitCo surrounded by the likes of Belit, Valeria, the Queens and whatnot, CinCo with the whore, witch and Valeria's party impersonator), feats of strength/endurance/swordplay, that sort of thing.

Suffice to say, Cinematic Conan never really comes off well.

Adaptations of REH's Work on Wikipedia

About bloody time.

It isn't half bad: neutral, accurate enough. Good job.

So far, the only actual REH adaptations I see on the page are the HPLHS's "Casonetto's Last Song," and Thriller's "Pigeons from Hell." Obviously I'm not counting the theatrical films, because I walk the line between angry young man and ornery old coot. I would happily include "The Return of Sir Richard Grenville" and "Cimmeria" on that list, even if they aren't quite on the same production scale as "The Hunt for Gollum" or "Born of Hope." Better adaptations, though.

Comics is fine, though it clearly needs further expansion. There is one glaring omission: Richard Corben's Bloodstar, an adaptation of "The Valley of the Worm" in all but name. I think a mention of the first graphic novel to refer to itself as such is worth a mention. There should also be mention of Kull, and the the various non-Conan/Kane Savage Sword adaptations.

Music seems to be the most comprehensive, with plenty of Manilla Road's discography, as well as Domine, Bal-Sagoth, Cauldron Born, Mad Minstrel and Rosae Crucis. The Sword's "Black River" should get a mention, as it's had quite a lot of popularity since appearing in Guitar Hero: Metallica. Man, what I wouldn't give for Manilla Road to do a whole Howard concept album...

Triangulation: Moore, Looming Doom & Gloom, and Trash of the Nitwits

I'm still reeling from Cash-in of the Turkeys. A film has to try to be this bad, and given the amount of money and special effects pumped into the thing, it made me more than a bit angry.

Elves in the Hyborian Age

Inspired by this... astonishing thread.

I was wondering today, wouldn't it be great if there were elves in Age of Conan? I mean.. elves & boobs is a good combo!

Wow and all the other big MMOs like WAR and Darkfall have them so its obvious if you want conan to be the best you gotta have elves. It would make perfect sense in the lore cause we can just have them in next expansion, have them been in very deep slumber for a long time, and only just awakened in the forest of Cimmeria. Elves Vs Cimmerians! I mean isnt Vanir boring?

I mean we cud make them like really darker by giving them blood, and ofc having them show boobs more for the adults! But also they dont have to have pointy ears, why not just make them like bear shamans on acid?

So yeah I think elves should be in AoC! Cud even make a storyline with conan in killing the elves i mean how awesome would it be to see conan chopping elven heads screaming "For Aqulona! Elves must die!" and u fight beside him and stuff.