It’s no small thing to build a MMOG, and improving and sustaining the fallout is what Funcom is striving to do with Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. The launch was successful, 415,000 players registered and over 800,000 boxes shipped to retailers but subscriptions plummeted after the first initial month.

Retaining your players is crucial, and Funcom announced a role change at the top several weeks ago having Craig Morrison takeover as Producer and Game Director roles. So is Age of Conan fixed yet? Not even close.

The biggest noticeable change that Morrison has brought to the table is more coherent and open communication. That's not always easy, some MMOG companies eschew forums but not Funcom. The official Age of Conan forums are often filled with irate players expressing their displeasure but that hasn’t stopped Morrison from stepping into the foray. Morrison dropped several huge bombshells today, laying out critical plans on what the team will be working to improve Age of Conan in the near future.

What the future holds: - Server merges for both North America and Europe servers. - DirectX 10 functionality will enter the test server environment in the next gameplay update. - Ymir’s Pass (new content) will stay on the test server through several live updates. - Consequence system will introduce ramifications to players who choose to gank players outside a certain level range but the system will be implemented in a immersive fashion. Such as a new network of camps and settlements that feature characters with less moral ambiguity. - Statistics on items and characters will undergo a change and have more importance and meaningful impact. This is easier said than done but it is a high priority. - The "Power Points" concept will appear in some form of a loyalty program. This system is back to the drawing board so don’t expect it anytime soon. - The "Kingship" concept is built around building guilds and conflict elements. It will also feature an alternative advancement system for max level characters. The main goal for this system is that it has lasting appeal. This system is also in the planning stages.

The proposed changes on the surface look fantastic but it almost impossible that all the changes will be live anytime soon. Still, it's amazing what new leadership can accomplish and it's refreshing to know what direction is being taken. The journey won't be easy, but let's hope under new leadership it can happen.