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There's a two-pronged assault of Age of Conan raid content information at Ten Ton Hammer -- a 20 minute raid presentation video, and an interview with raid boss scripter Eirik Munthe. Both the presentation and the interview occurred at the AoC launch event in Oslo last week, and both were rich with information. It looks like the endgame content has some incremental innovations just like the lower-level stuff; that should make the hardcore crowd happy.

In the presentation, bits and pieces of one of AoC's level 80, 24-person raids were shown to an audience with live commentary by Game Director Gaute Godager. Multiple bosses were shown, such as a poison-leaking monstrosity and two demons -- one ice, one fire -- who gain power when standing near one another. Godager explained the philosophy behind raiding and epic gear, and using collision detection in battle strategies. He revealed that raid groups will be able to call it a night halfway through a raid and finish any time they want (so long as it's before the raid expiration date -- one week after its start date). There was also a brief series of clips of a massive PvP siege.

In the interview with Eirik Munthe we learned that Funcom put together strike teams consisting of designers, scripters, and writers. Each strike team focused its attentions completely on a 20-level span; for example, Munthe's team worked on content for player levels 60 - 80. Munthe described the challenges he faced when scripting encounters with some of AoC's unique features such as collision detection and CoE (cone of effect) healing in mind.

MMORPG met up with Age of Conan composer Knut Avenstroup at the Oslo launch event and spoke with him about the beautiful score he created for the game. During the four minute video interview, Avenstroup talked about adapting his creative process to the video game medium and staying motivated when faced with the intimidating task of creating three and a half hours of music.

He explained that he wanted to learn about ancient forms of music, since the game is set just before the dawn of recorded history. Unfortunately, he had a bit of trouble because "there is very little material to look into because the only thing they know about ancient music or music from two thousand years ago is based on the instruments that have survived. They are basically trying to find out what kind of music would be possible to play on these instruments, so there's not a lot to go on."

Despite that problem, he was able to draw on inspiration from several cultures -- including Arabic, Celtic, and Nordic -- and the scores of films set in the distant past.

Earlier this week Funcom threw a giant bash in Oslo, Norway to celebrate the upcoming launch of their long in-development MMO Age of Conan. Ten Ton Hammer was on-hand to check out the festivities, and came away with a number of goodies showing off both the game and Funcom's ability as a party host. The event offered fire-eaters, rock music, and plenty of opportunities for game journalists to get a look at some long-hidden parts of the game.

Most fascinating for caster fans, Funcom finally uncovered the concept of spellweaving. TTH describes it as 'going into a trance', unlocking greater potential within the class. The Priest of Mitra, the Necromancer, the Demonologist and the Tempest of Set will all receive this ability, a restriction that we find kind of interesting; we were under the assumption that this was supposed to be something of an answer to the melee class' real-time combat; if not all caster classes are getting this, what's the point?

The site also walked away with a series of videos showcasing storyline basics and combat, followed by an interlude in the Thunder River zone to show off the real-time hack and slashery, as well as spellweaving. The final video is a whole piece touching on the lore of the game - with an appearance by Conan himself.

The official Age of Conan website is carrying the news that a huge launch party is planned for the soon-to-be-released MMO. May 13th is the date, and the location is beautiful Oslo, Norway. It's slated to be held at the Nobel Peace center, Latter Aker Brygge. Most of the seats are reserved for game journalists as part of a several day launch event, but some lucky Oslo AoC fans will be able to make it in too.

We got a look at the press invite, and it sounds like a swinging time. The journalists who are there for the long haul get the full monty, including:

• Huge in-game events, including large-scale raiding, social aspects, the dancing game, Spellweaving and Conan's role in the game. All of these features will be demonstrated in a full-scale movie theater.
• Fjord Boat Ride – A "scenic tour of one of Norway's most beautiful geographical phenomenon".
• Live Soundtrack Concert – The orchestra that recorded the game soundtrack will be on-hand for a live performance.
• In the evening a festival is planned in the area of Holemkollen. It sounds like plans have changed a bit from the original, which had this fest taking place in an ancient fortress. From the original invite we looked at: "Norwegian death punk band, Turbonegro, will be on hand for a private concert in the fortress courtyard. Conan himself will be on-hand, offering his army of slave girls to meet the needs of every guest."
  

Somehow the Nobel Peace Center and an "attack on a wizard's tower" sounds a bit tamer.

A little more than five years ago, Flying Lab Software began nudging their pirate ship into the treacherous shoals of software development. As they navigated through the vagaries of deadlines and beta tests, constantly circled by the ever-present threat of player ennui, they made their way into the Bay of Beta Testing, and users got their first glimpses of a new, immersive world. As of yesterday, Pirates of the Burning Sea is live, and now everyone has the opportunity to participate in a battle royale between the naval forces of France, Britain, Spain, and the hordes of pirates that roamed the Caribbean in this version of 1720.

Massively had the opportunity to attend the Flying Lab PotBS launch party in Seattle, and also had the opportunity to sit down with some of the movers and shakers who brought you this phenomenal title. What does all of this mean? It means we managed to get some more information about future patches and expansion plans. Now that we're back home, we can tell you what the developers, the producers, and the CEO of the company told us. So get a firm grip on your tricorns and batten down your hatches, you swabs, the seas are fierce ahead.