Age of Conan Beta Leak: Video of Level 12 Ranger!

Well, it was only a matter of time!  Personally, I’m glad I finally get a glimpse at the class I plan to play.  There hasn’t been much information released by Funcom about the Ranger class with the exception of a really old video from early last year.

If you don’t mind the VOIP background chatter, the video has some pretty nice things to look at.  First and foremost is the ranged attack action with bows.  It looks like we will be seeing a softlock, but it also appears that the manual targeting is also available and it seemingly does more damage.  The video also shows some of the sword combat that the ranger class can do, as well as some armor variations.

Here is what precious32879, the poster of the video, had to say about Age of Conan:

AoC has most certainly rendered some of the most fun I’ve had in an MMORPG. This is mostly due to the fluid animations and the ability to truly be unique due to the character creation system. It’s nearly impossible to make two humans that look alike. I’ve yet to see two players that resemble one another. Moreover, the game-play itself feels great. The only thing that really needs to be done before launch are some of the combos and player “feats”. This should be no problem at all, as they still have roughly 2.5 months to burn this to dvd. Other than that, I’m predicting a superb launch. Heck! I’m still playing the beta 1! I still have yet to see their high res textures and new “cheetah 2″ upgrade. From some of the dev screenshots and benchmarking, it greatly improves the overall smoothness of the game.

I wish I could’ve captured some more combat action. My ranger is only level 12; my combos etc are limited because of this. Regardless, the fun factor is incredible. Everything plays very well on my budget pc.

This game will have a great launch. Also, since the devs will never stop working on the game even after release, I can totally envision this game becoming one of the greatest MMOs of this generation. It has mass amounts of blood, cussing, and tits; it’s precedent.

The real question here is whether we can trust such a “review” on the AoC beta.  Interestingly, it is a very optimistic view of the AoC beta.  While I find his words to be extremely encouraging, I can’t help but feel a little hesitant because of all the subpar previews being written by the mainstream reviewing sites.  According to this beta tester, character creation is so unique that he has yet to see two characters that resemble each other.  If what he is saying is true, which it probably is based on the information Funcom has released, I will be one enthusiastic gamer.

The most impressive aspect of the video, however, is the frame rates he appears to be getting.  One of the largest complaints by gamers that have viewed the official AoC videos has been the frame lag.  People have been wondering whether AoC will be able to deliver the large-scale battles if the game can’t even run smoothly.  Well, you saw the video and I didn’t see any frame lag at all.  Granted, the user probably had the settings cranked down a little bit, but that is to be expected. 

Here are the computer specs of the video poster:

CPU: Core 2 Duo e6550 - I purchased this 6 months ago as an “Open Box” deal from newegg for $150.00.

Motherboard: I have the best bang for the buck motherboard possible. It’s a ConRoe-1333-D667 v1. I also got this from newegg for $49.99.

Ram: I’m mixing two different species of ram. One gig is just some Corsair Value Stick that I got from newegg for 18.99. The other stick is a gig of K-Byte that was given to me for Christmas. Before I got the second stick of ram, AoC still ran amazing.

Graphics Card: 8800GT - I missed out when they were selling for $220.00 at Fry’s and Dell. I had to pay $249.00 for it at newegg.

I have a Core Quad 6600, which is basically the Quad version of the Duo e6550.  I also have an 8800GT and a decent Nvidia 650 SLI motherboard.  Now, the greatest kicker was the amount of RAM.  Based on the video, I was expecting at least 4GB, but he says he only has 2GB!  I consider my PC to be in the mid-high range, and I’ve been worried about AoC’s performance on it anyway… that is, until now.

What is strange about all this is that this beta user managed to make a smooth and simple gameplay video that has been really turning heads, while Funcom has only been able to produce choppy videos that make people wonder whether this game is ready for launch.  Perhaps Funcom should remove the NDA and let the beta testers speak, they seem to be providing a better look at the game than the developers can.

RELATED UPDATE:

Funcom has released this Friday’s update!  They’ve launched a new official website!  They also have some new videos and preview articles to check out.  Seems like a good day for Conan!

On a funnier and less relevant note, watch Arnold (Conan) get pwned by this dog: