Mitra's Method: Stephen "weezer" Spiteri's Age of Conan Column

Age of Conan Editorial: The Year That Was…

The game's delay was received with mixed reactions, as many felt Funcom were not being totally honest with their plans for the game and the reasons behind the delay itself. The question was asked time and time over, "How much polishing can you possibly do in 10 months?" Personally, I'm of the opinion that if you polish something too much, you run the risk of scratching the once pristine and chromed surface, but since we're talking about people that know what they're doing and have willingly and knowingly taken a risk in delaying the game, making such a move consolidated with many an ingrained sense of belief and trust in Funcom and their ability to deliver a quality product. So, and perhaps with a bit of apprehension and an ember of what is bittersweet, we nodded our heads and said to Funcom, "Take all the time you need; we look forward to October 30, 2007".

It was at this time just as I was immersing myself into the 'Age of Conan' online community, that I felt I want to do more than just read up on a game that's coming out in 10 months. To help pass the time, I got stuck in to Robert E. Howard's Conan stories on the internet, purchasing books, reading fan sites, and so on. It was in February I expressed my interest in helping with 'Age of Conan' on the WarCry Network, and so I was recruited by Mike "Svengali" Bitton to write ever-insightful pieces and commentary about the game's progress, news, and development (link to the very first edition I wrote and published). The rest is history, as they say, but I kicked things off here at the WarCry Network giving my own advice on how to pass the time and get to know Howard's Conan and Hyboria much better. With your support, Mitra's Method has become a joy to write and publish each fortnight and dare I say has even become much loved by those over at Funcom as well (although they mightn't admit it).

Where was I? Oh yes, February/March 2007.

In the time between the game's delay announcement and March of this year, that many inquisitive and eager minds were dropping the "b-bomb" on Funcom, "When is beta?" Infamous leaked beta footage had been seen on Youtube by many at this stage and so you couldn't help but understand why so many wanted to get in on the action themselves. After all, a 10 month delay in the game's release meant plenty of more time to beta test. And so the week leading up to Easter saw Funcom's 'Age of Conan' beta program launched where fans from all over the world could apply to test the highly-anticipated MMORPG set for release on October 30, 2007.

"'We have been waiting for this day since we started development on 'Age of Conan', and it will be an epic moment as we see large waves of players charging into Hyboria,'" said Gaute Godager, founder of Funcom and Game Director on 'Age of Conan'. "As we get ready to unleash the most brutal MMO ever created we will let an increasing amount of players test our creation. With extended Beta testing for months to come we can hone and polish based on large-scale feedback, allowing us to fulfil the potential of the game.'" - Funcom and Eidos launch 'Age of Conan' Beta program

It was a week later that we found out that the 'Age of Conan' beta program had received an overwhelming response, with 50 000 applicants signing up in the first 24 hours (I can boast signing up within the first 10 minutes of the applications opening - yes, I'm a nerd!), and a total of 100 000 signing up over the Easter holiday.