Today was patch-day for Age of Conan, and on the menu for change were some relatively small fixes to the massive PvP (ie, keep seiges), raids and PvP minigames.  As I’m not delving into the content yet, I won’t notice any real changes with this patch, other than the downtime the updates caused.  However, it did make me consider all of the recent patches that FunCom is putting into AoC with the goal of improving the game.

The last major update was the big February 18 patch that introduced new content, massive fixes and class tweaks.  However, since then, there have been three “little” patches to make further fixes in both gameplay and stability.

I consider these frequent updates and patches a positive sign for the game, although I do believe it is reflective of the fact that FunCom released a game that wasn’t ready.  Although I’d much rather FunCom have released a stable, content-packed game from Day One (if they had, I doubt I, like many others, would ever have left AoC), I’d much rather see many fixes going in on a fairly frequent basis than irregular, gigantic updates spaced months apart.  I think that this is a sign that FunCom is dedicated to the long-term future of Age of Conan.  It’s a “good” game as it stands, but it has the potential to be a “great” game down the road.

It’s possible to look at the frequent fixes and say “See how broken this game is?!”  And there is no doubt that there are things that must be improved if AoC is going to continue to enjoy its small resurgance.  For example, there are some very basic bugs that still crop up, crafting still leaves a great deal to be desired, and then there is still some lacking in the “fluff,” such as  player housing or more options for social clothes.

However, overall, I think the patches and updates are big steps (or small, as the case may be) in the right direction.  I’m eager to see what comes next.