Gamasutra announces that several Age of Conan EU and US servers are going to be merged to maintain healthy server populations. From the official forum thread:

Another aspect which has popped up in the forums recently is whether we are going to do a server merge or not, and I can today confirm that we are actively working on an approach to merge servers, both in Europe and North America. It’s important for us to ensure the best gameplay experience for you all, and more healthy populations on each and every server will make sure we maintain healthy communities for the game in the future. Still, there are many complexities involved in this, and we want to ensure that everything happens as fair and streamlined as possible. That work has now started, and we are naturally making sure that guilds and players can get to new servers in the best possible way. We will come back with more info on this, but I hope that this will serve as a positive injection to the social scene in the game.

Lastly for today (I think I have taken a good deal of your time already, hopefully constructively so!) I also wanted to mention that we‘ve come very far with the DirectX 10 version, which we unfortunately had to keep on internal test-servers for launch. It’s now almost ready for the full test server. Once the next game-play update is out expect to start to see the DX10 functionality coming to the test environment. How long it will take to transition to live will depend on the testing of course, but it’s starting to shape up nicely. Having done some reviews of it internally over the last few weeks I can admit that a few of the features really do give some added visual punch. I know it’s a feature that is long awaited and I can assure you the technical folk here are working flat out to try and get the version in a state where it can be considered for live release.

So that’s about it for this update, I think there is a fair amount to take in and comment on there, so I’ll leave you all to digest it and I look forward to your input

Looks like game director Craig "Silirrion" Morrison is already getting cracking on working to improve the Conan user experience.

This is less of a typical Friday post from me, and more of an open question to the community. Tonight, literally as I post this, Senators Obama and McCain are speaking in the Presidential Debates at Ole' Miss. My open question to the community is, how many of you in the US are playing Age of Conan right now, and not watching the debates?

Lets assume a few things, arguendo. Lets assume that the average Age of Conan player is over 18 years old (we all know there are some vocal players that are not), since the intended audience for the game are "mature" players over 18. That means that the majority of the american population playing this game is able to vote in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election.

The Age of Conan US servers ought to be dead empty right now, but I'm still seeing plenty of traffic going on there. So what does that mean? Does it mean that gamers just don't care about the election? I don't think so, I saw plenty of political t-shirts and discussion going on at PAX 2008, and the number of panels that were politics related certainly don't lend credence to that theory. Does it mean that there are fewer US players playing on the US servers?

I don't know. So I'm asking you, the community. What were you doing tonight, watching the debate, or playing Conan? Sound off on the forums.

According to MTV Multiplayer Blog, the appointment of Craig Morrison as Age of Conan game director will mean a more player oriented direction for the game.

"Besides losing a good workmate and friend here at the Oslo studio of Funcom, I think that the fact that Gaute leaves means that we get a direction which is more player-centric, since [new game director Craig Morrison] is so good at being hands-on with the communities at all times. As we are now in a live phase with "Conan" that is really the only goal, you know, making sure our players are happy and have fun."

The interview goes on to discuss the various achievements of both directors, from [Gaute] Godager's invention of modern "instanced" content, to Morrison's directorship of Anarchy Online. Short, but worth reading, and it reconfirms my belief that Morrison's selection is a good one.

Today's Weekly Wrapup concerns what obviously is the biggest news right now in the Conan universe: the departure of Gaute Godager from Funcom.

Now, saying "Told ya so" is really tacky, but in this case it really needs to be done. Funcom, you should have seen this coming a mile away. Instead of listening to the people who have been trying to give you constructive criticism, you instead ignore them, refuse to acknowledge problems, and refuse to substantively change your product to meet the needs and wants of your consumers. Remember the invisibility bug that you said didn't exist? Remember the DPS gender bug that you said didn't exist, and then said was working as intended? Oh yeah.

And now, the person who knows more about Age of Conan than anyone else, feels that his only response to being dissatisfied with the product is to leave. Can that be in any way a good thing? Those of us with higher-order thinking skills can read between the lines in the press release. The producer is dissatisfied with the product. He believes that he has tried his best, and is still dissatisfied. He concludes that there is no other choice but to leave. This creates two very strong implications here: One, that Funcom is so unyieldingly rigid and resistant to change, that despite his best efforts the leader of the game decided to say "peace out, I'm over it." Somehow that doesn't really fit, especially given the relatively positive history with Anarchy Online's long tenure. The more likely implication is that he was forced out. Out of respect to Mr. Godager, and due to the relative lack of information on the topic, I'll refrain from speculating as to why that may have been, but suffice to say, it seems far more likely that is the case.

Now, the real question is, can Craig Morrison, the new producer make any substantial changes? I hope so. He certainly seems excited from his statements in the press release. Mr. Morrison is also a long time game journalist, so certainly he can see the value of interacting with sites like this one; something that under Godager's tenure has fallen by the wayside (Yes, that's directed at you Famine.)

So, the result is an "I told you so" for Funcom. Except in this case, the "I" is not just me; it's the entire gaming public. We told you so. You have an amazing opportunity with Mr. Morrison to succeed with this game, which, despite the aura of negativity surrounding it still retains the potential to be one of the premier MMORPGs in the market for years to come. There is so much that is good about Age of Conan. I implore you Mr. Morrison: please bring the remainder in line with that which is good.

Age of Conan Producer and Game Director Gaute Godager has resigned from Funcom, stating his dissatisfaction with the game as the key reason for his departure. Anarchy Online Producer and Game Director Craig Morrison will be taking over the vacated position. Gaute was with the company for 16 years, and will be sorely missed by the Funcom and fans of their games alike.

"I have done my very best making this fabulous game, but I have concluded there are elements which I am dissatisfied with. I have decided to act on this, and as a result I have chosen to leave Funcom. It is time to get new, fresh eyes on Age of Conan, and I wholeheartedly support the appointment of Craig. I have had a fantastic time these last 16 years, and I am very proud of the many things Funcom has achieved. Funcom and Conan will always be a big part of me, but as I now look to new ventures outside the gaming industry I am certain Age of Conan’s future is in the best of hands."

So how long will Age of Conan go on now that the man responsible for its development has given up?

Funcom Appoints New Producer and Game Director for Age of Conan

DURHAM, N.C.-(BUSINESS WIRE)-Funcom announces that Craig Morrison has been appointed as the new Producer and Game Director for Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. Craig Morrison has served as the Producer and Game Director on Anarchy Online for several years, as well as worked as the Funcom Community Manager prior to that. Funcom believes he is the perfect candidate to take Age of Conan to the next level. Mr. Morrison will replace former Producer and Game Director Gaute Godager.

Prior to starting at Funcom in 2004, Craig Morrison worked as an Operations Executive at the Telegraph group, the respected UK newspaper, taking care of operational aspects related to IT and Customer Service. Due to his passion for MMO games he simultaneously worked as an Associate Editor at IGN’s Vault Network, managing dedicated websites for several MMO games. He has extensive experience in managing various sized teams and complex projects across large media based environments. He has also played, written about, managed, produced and directed MMO games for over a decade by now. With his passion and unique skill-set he brings proven MMO experience to his new position, and during his years as Producer on Anarchy Online he has shown a unique ability to tailor development according to the needs and requirements of the players.

"Taking on the position as Producer and Game Director on Age of Conan is a great challenge but also one I welcome. I have a clear conviction I can lead the further development in a good way, evolving Age of Conan into something even better. My main priority now is therefore to listen to, and act on, player concerns, while ensuring we add additional great content to the game," said Craig Morrison. "At heart I will always be a gamer, and the coming changes and additions to Conan will always be done with the gamers in mind. Together I am certain we will shape an amazing future for Age of Conan."

Former Producer and Game Director Gaute Godager has chosen to resign from Funcom after working on Age of Conan since the initial conception, and he leaves the company after 16 years. Godager was one of the original founders of Funcom, and leaves a large legacy, having contributed to making Funcom the largest MMO company in Europe. "I have done my very best making this fabulous game, but I have concluded there are elements which I am dissatisfied with. I have decided to act on this, and as a result I have chosen to leave Funcom. It is time to get new, fresh eyes on Age of Conan, and I wholeheartedly support the appointment of Craig. I have had a fantastic time these last 16 years, and I am very proud of the many things Funcom has achieved. Funcom and Conan will always be a big part of me, but as I now look to new ventures outside the gaming industry I am certain Age of Conan’s future is in the best of hands."

For more information about Age of Conan, or to sign up for the community, please visit www.ageofconan.com.

Last week, I posed the question of "Why did Funcom miss PAX 2008"? After considering the issue, I came up with two possible conclusions -- Either they were scared of a negative response to AoC from a community based event like PAX, or they simply didn't care/don't understand what the community of gamers think.

We recevied a response to our post from Funcom that tends to support the second conclusion and disprove the first. Funcom points out that they were actually at DragonCon that weekend, which unfortunately conflicted with PAX. Funcom noted that they've been a presence at DragonCon for several years now.

If you were in Atlanta over the Labor Day weekend, then you probably were witness to the invasion of Dragon*Con! Typically touted as the main event of the year for Funcom and their players, Age of Conan was there attending panels and talking to players. Miss the event? Catch up with podcast coverage from Hyborian Herald.

Dragon Con Coverage - Episode 9
Dragon Con Coverage - Episode 10

It's a simple question really. Where was Funcom, and Age of Conan, at PAX 2008? PAX, a.k.a. Penny Arcade Expo, has been known for several years now as the convention "by gamers, for gamers". It's the true players expo, not for developers and publishers to show off the latest and greatest, but for the players to interact with the designers and producers, look at the latest games coming out, get cool swag, meet other gamers like them, etc.

Funcom's taken a lot of heat and criticism, much of it deserved, for their handling of Age of Conan's release. So why weren't they at PAX to speak with gamers, to reassure them that their money was well spent, and to show them a glimpse of what's coming in the future? There were 58,000 gamers at PAX. That's not a number that Funcom has any right to ignore. And yet they did.

Contest winners Destiny and The Guardians we need you to send us a mail with your contact info so we can get your prizes on your way.

Mail to either Nokturn or Seridove.

Nope, no weekly wrap up today (Seridove's interview covers it better than I could).

What you get is even hotter, steamier and..........expansion-ier? Yes that's right, we're talking about an expansion pack for Age of Conan. Funcom teased audiences at Leipzig Games Convention today and announced the development status of the upcoming expansion. But, the actual release was a bit light on information, and long on speculation. Funcom only released a few pictures of concept art for the new expansion, which will feature an all new playable region, (By that, as we understand it, a region the size of Aquilonia, Cimmeria, Stygia, etc.) which potentially means a new playable race and new capital hub city. This could have huge implications in that it would raise the number of PVP battlekeeps significantly.

At the same time, Funcom also outlined their future changes for the last months of the year. Tarantia Commons will be a lvl 40+ faction based area where you can do missions for various gangs. The Dolmen is a lvl 50+ region where you can do quests involving Frost Giants (looks like both killing and helping them), and do some cool puzzle based quests. The Black Castle is getting traps, puzzles, and bosses, in supposedly a Raiders of the Lost Ark style. Should be quite interesting. House of Crom will be a lvl 80 group dungeon, and apparently not instanced (or designed for raids to go through but split up into groups, we're not sure), because it is described as being gigantic and allowing multiple groups at once. Finally, we're getting new epic armor sets for each class, including ones from PVP achievements. Oh and Direct X 10 content is still on its way.

So that's the wrapup. It looks like we're going to have a pretty sweet year. Stay tuned for more info as we get it.