Age of War - Chapter 4 Q&A

[AndyB]

Hey there Exiles,

Recently, we announced the Age of War: Chapter 4. After our developer stream, we kept on listening to you on our social channels and noted down some of the most asked questions and things you are curious about the new chapter. Enjoy reading and let us know if you have anything else you are curious about!

Is the Siege of Al-Merayah going to stay in the game?

Yes, it’s not going anywhere! The fortress, its inhabitants, and treasures within will remain. The area relating to The Sacred Hunt is a new addition and does not replace any existing parts of the current al-Merayah.

Four Chapters? Wasn’t there supposed to only be three?

The number of Chapters in an Age has always been intended to be malleable. We are working with a standard of four right now because it gives us a good cadence for large feature development, but it’s always subject to change. The rule is: there is no rule.

What’s behind the decision to move Dye functionality to the Dyer’s Workstation?

First and foremost, to unify the Inventory GUI. This lets us create a small set of consistent buttons corresponding to actions you will have when selecting an item, instead of varying options that can sometimes be confusing.

The second reason is that it helps justify the physical space taken up by the workstation, which previously was only used to store crafting recipes. With this new functionality, you now have another reason to return home after picking some new items.

Could you provide insight on the changes made to the Sword of Crom?

The Sword of Crom has historically been a bit of a problem child, and over time we’ve been experimenting and trying different things to see what works best. Ultimately, the goal was to still make it one of the top-tier 2H weapons you can find, but just like every other Legendary it has its own quirk which, in its case, is its low durability.

What else are you looking at in terms of Combat?

We’re still looking for enemies with unfair rotation rates, monitoring Stamina consumption, and how the Rolling Thrust update affects combat. Other than these, we’re not trying to rock the boat in combat anywhere else.

Setting custom stack size was replaced by the new functionality. What was the reason for this change?

Similar to the decision with Dyes, it’s a matter of UX (User Experience). We tweaked it in what we expect the most common and streamlined usage it would have upon release, but as always please let us know you feel about it!

Are there any new contacts available via the Barkeep at the Tavern?

No, there are no new permanent contacts in this chapter.

Are there any changes to Sorcery this chapter?

There are no changes to Sorcery in this chapter.

Will Trebuchets be a part of Purges?

Not in this chapter, but possibly in the future as we’ve put a lot of work into it already.

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And that’s all, folks! Just like we said in the beginning, if you have anything else you are curious about, you can always reach out through our social channels and here.

Thank you for reading, and see you in Chapter 4, Exiles.

[Kikigirl]

When are we going to see meaningful action on hackers in a consistent way for PVP Officials?

When are we going to see it addressed for this wave of hacking, which is the worst it has ever been?

[erjoh]

Will the controller functionality current issue affect console play? Will this delay console release?

[MarcosC]

It’s good to know you are listening, even if there are changes I don’t agree with.
@AndyB old fellah, you gotta drop by more often. We need to have a chat about you trying to slay giant panters bare naked with your fists…

[Khaletohep]

Thanks for the FAQ.

Will crafters be added to the purge rewards?
Where did Razma find the Witch Queen’s mask, and why was it there?
Will Telith’s ghost be restored?

[stelagel]

@AndyB

Thank you for reading

Thank you for writing! Reading from you is only pleasure! Please consider to do it more often, we need your presence in here.

@AndyB

if you have anything else you are curious about

Yes please 4 things.

1. Does this naked buff tattoo be applied and used out of the encounters that it supposed to be used? (i really hope not)
2. will we have on PlayStation the ability to turn off the fatality system? Don’t get me wrong, of course i like the idea and i will try it, but if it becomes pain in the butt like beta testers said, I would like to have the option to turn it off.
3. Will you consider revamp some legendary weapons like pristine weapons for example and the durability of Crom sword?
4. not so relative but important for me! Will you announce your next stream in here. Even if it is… Hey guys @BARDEN will showcase his building tricks to me and Nicole, for anyone interested the stream will be done in 2 days…
   “Followers” need to follow leaders m8 and want it or not, you are our leaders .

Love all of you .

@AndyB

see you in Chapter 4,

Count on it!

[LostBrythunian]

Will not shoot the messenger.
Will not shoot the messenger.
Will not shoot the messenger.

This one does not blame the person who does their honourable duty of relaying information for the information they relay.
@AndyB , thank you for sharing this, even if it’s contents stokes this one’s anger. That anger is not for you.

@AndyB

The second reason is that it helps justify the physical space taken up by the workstation, which previously was only used to store crafting recipes.

Gorramit!
If no one wants to use a grotesquely oversized (and level locked) station the solution isn’t to strip away functionality elsewhere force people to engage with something that they don’t want.
That’s like justifying high heels by banning flats.
The high heels aren’t better now, it’s just that the discomfort is now forced on everyone.

@AndyB

With this new functionality, you now have another reason to return home after picking some new items.

Tell us you have no respect for the players’ time without telling us you have no respect for the players’ time.
Running back home repeatedly is not fun. It’s annoying and burdensome.

@AndyB

Similar to the decision with Dyes, it’s a matter of UX (User Experience). We tweaked it in what we expect the most common and streamlined usage it would have upon release, but as always please let us know you feel about it!

UX…
User Experience…
In what cosmos is a user’s experience enhanced by stripping freedom and forcing persistent repetition of an inelegant process when we previously could handle it all with a single act?

How this one feels is that UX, “User Experience” is something this update is looking to savage. Any thing good must be balanced with two things bad. Users have provided significant feedback on what would enhance their experience. The forum is littered with suggestions.
These are left cold while even more unsolicited changes that deliberately bake more jank into the game are rammed in.

The toggle for auto facing attack is still much beloved addition.
The new event is a bit grindy, but given how long it runs that’s not a problem. The rewards are very nice, especially the cloak and throne.
The ballista is a step in the right direction that needs some adjusting to be utile. Likewise with the spike traps.
The updates for the purge are delightfully catastrophic.
The rewards still aren’t worth the effort, but with the mages, thieves, and golems, it would be fun.

If we weren’t fighting thru the baked in jank (the execution system needs more attention, it destroyed the flow of combat in mass battles, amongst other noted challenges)

@AndyB

Sword of Crom has historically been a bit of a problem child, and over time we’ve been experimenting and trying different things to see what works best. Ultimately, the goal was to still make it one of the top-tier 2H weapons you can find, but just like every other Legendary it has its own quirk which, in its case, is its low durability.

So, it’s deliberately sorta trash.
It has high (but not top) stats and abysmal durability.
Why would anyone want to use this weapon?
It’s fragile. What a tribute to Crom.
@Croms_Faithful , have you seen this?

@AndyB

Thank you for reading, and see you in Chapter 4, Exiles.

Thank you for relaying the responses.

But no, this one doesn’t think you will see them in Chapter 4. Every update seems to be two steps backwards for every step forward. This game is obviously being developed for someone else. Age of War has been unpleasant, but from Chapter 3’s update it has been so frustrating that it has been reduced to blocks and dolls for this one.
Now you come to make clothing the dolls even more burdensome.
This one has little interest in forcing themselves to deal with a game that continues to become less enjoyable with every update.

[MarcosC]

@LostBrythunian

@Croms_Faithful , have you seen this?

He must be cooling his head before posting.

[Jimbo]

When will you confirm the next age will be Age of Gods and jimbo was right all along

[GodlyVoice]

When are server transfers returning?
Any new maps moving forward?
When are we going to be able to dress our crafters?
Player vendors?

[DanQuixote]

Quite honestly, this feels less like a Q&A and more like an F&U. To so systematically ignore the actual feedback about these changes and proclaim them to be for the benefit of ‘User Experience’ is nonsensical. What’s next - removal of all weapons from the game ‘for the benefit of the combat experience’?

Removal of dye functionality - removal of player agency and replacement with more unnecessary make work. Almost universally negative feedback so far.

Removal of Sword of Crom functionality - every piece of feedback that you have received on this has been negative, yet you push ahead anyway and claim that being less durable than an iron weapon (which can be repaired, unlike legendary weapons) is somehow meant to be an interesting ‘quirk’ to distinguish the weapon from others. It was already distinct from others, now it is a more useless version of others - so might as well not exist.

Removal of custom stack size functionality - you ask us to ‘please let us know how you feel about it’ - we already have - yet again every comment on it has been negative. Many of us use this function, replacing it with only being able to split stacks in half will mean having to split stacks many times over until we finally obtain small enough stacks that we can recombine to the number we actually wanted. Massive QoL fail and removal of a basic system that has no reason to disappear. (Additionally, claiming this as a matter of User Experience (assuredly negative), after admitting on stream that the actual reason for its removal was none of you viewed it as important seems disingenuous at best.)

Removal of custom inventory sorting functionality - since you seem to have somehow omitted this one yet again - I’ll raise the question of why are you removing the ability to maintain a custom sorted inventory? Many players like to be able to sort our inventory in specific ways, so that we can quickly find the items that we expect to find in certain slots. Yet it is also necessary to sometimes switch to a different sorting method - eg to offload multiple stacks of gathered materials - and then switch back to our custom layout. Why remove this function so that we have to manually rearrange our inventory every time? And why strip away such a core QoL feature while claiming to be working on QoL features?

I’m trying very hard to be patient and accept that changes are sometimes made for reasons that don’t become immediately apparant - but it is quite apparent that several upcoming changes are entirely detrimental, and trying to talk them up as if they were improvements is frankly insulting.

You say you’ll ‘see us in chapter 4’ - but honestly I’m wondering how many of us will be left. I’m certainly reconsidering what I could do with an extra 100GB of drive space…

[DeaconElie]

@LostBrythunian

This game is obviously being developed for someone else.

Yes, and every time I give a physical description of the perpetrator I get in trouble.

@Jimbo

and jimbo was right all along

After having been on the beta server for the bit of time funcom allowed me, I liked most of ch4. But it really does feel like clean up. Not a chapter, a prolog. Bet the pass is full price.

Top of the list is the easy pack to chest sort. Save me a lot of time sorting out the loads of crap loot I get. The rest I can adjust to. I’d say I’m ambivalent. Can’t say much more because funcom’s beta servers are even less stable then the public ones.

But I can’t quit, funcom is paying me in croms to play, think I’m up to 2650 now.

[Mustangblue2001]

Are there plans to add thralls to any benches that do not currently have a thrall slot?

[LostBrythunian]

@DeaconElie

Yes, and every time I give a physical description of the perpetrator I get in trouble

Gratitude, this one appreciates the gift of laughter.

[AndersonKain]

Why the New claws (feral claws) have Just 40 damage no buff or status change and all others claws have much more damage and status like black claws 58 damage and acid status damage?

Why the New pets from event have 0 in all status and almost no damage?

Why the purges get New enemys and no New loots?

Why we cant hire EVERY Thrall visit OUR tavern?

Why we cant dismantle golems parts?

And for last why you ARE nerfing Thralls If they dont have good AI?

[mynotaure]

Good morning @AndyB .
Since the update of chapter 3 of AoW, I have noticed some changes, particularly among the NPCs .
It is increasingly rare to find naked or bare-chested NPCs, particularly among low-level tribes (exile, dafari and blackhands).
It is increasingly rare to find naked or bare-chested NPCs, particularly among low-level tribes (exile, dafari and blackhands).
100% of female NPCs have their torsos covered where it is not long yet a large part women were shirtless, among the advanced tribes (northern man, follower of skeltos) the rate of appearance of shirtless female NPCs has not changed but among the tribes encountered in the zones at the beginning there is no longer this type of encounter .
This remarks during the purges, the prisoners enrolled by force are all lived.
Of course I speak for game modes (Solo-Coop) and servers on which nudity is total. Is it a bug or deliberate on your part?
You will say to me, they are only pixels and I am to accort with that, but in a wild universe like Conan exiles it gaches immersion.
To put an end to this subject, we note that the NPCs femminens all in the majority of the cases of disproportionate breasts, in addition to ridiculous and ugly its gache immersion.
I fully understand that you had other cats to go and that this question does not keep chapter 4 but since we have you in hand as much to take advantage of the ocase, rather than addressing the saint on us we God .
Thank you for your efforts and if you like more often to us.

[Yasma]

While it is answering some questions, I don’t feel this has answered concerns being raised in these forums at all. Once again unneeded changes have been made to the game and the concerns players have raised is ignored.

Thank the gods that the community has such talents as Xevyr, Multigun and Testerle (among many others) who can and do sort these messes out.

[MarcosC]

Not for console players. We don’t have mods, @Yasma .

[Yasma]

Indeed

[DeaconElie]

@mynotaure

Since the update of chapter 3 of AoW, I have noticed some changes, particularly among the NPCs .

I can’t see boobs all the time, why do you think I play this?