Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two testing is currently taking place five days each week. More information about Phase II and Phase III testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two testing is currently taking place five days each week. More information about Phase II and Phase III testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Best Of
Re: So Disappointed
i can promise you one thing i do not watch streamers or content creators or fan boy over any one i may watch the occasional video from no one in particular but i never take anything any of these people do or say as gospel till ive seen or experienced it for myself then i make my own judgment and opinion. This is my own opinion as it clearly states at the end if you disagree then that's fine.
But please don't think im a fan boy of any steamer or content creator i make my own mind up and express my own opinion and im happy to read your responses and opinions without bias and without reacting by labelling you.
Also i agree steven did need to respond to alot of what was said but my problem is he responded in MY OPINION like a 12 year old who did not like what he was hearing. you feel different that's fine but don't think because you disagree with me it makes me a minion of some kind to some content creator your miles away from the truth there i cant stand them . their fickle and only loyal when things go how they want them to go . their opinions change on a weekly basis they think because they open their mouths everyone should listen so yeh your miles off it there with the "sounds like another streamer minion" comment.
you know there are some of us out there who can actually engage our brains and make our own opinions and decisions without influence.
But please don't think im a fan boy of any steamer or content creator i make my own mind up and express my own opinion and im happy to read your responses and opinions without bias and without reacting by labelling you.
Also i agree steven did need to respond to alot of what was said but my problem is he responded in MY OPINION like a 12 year old who did not like what he was hearing. you feel different that's fine but don't think because you disagree with me it makes me a minion of some kind to some content creator your miles away from the truth there i cant stand them . their fickle and only loyal when things go how they want them to go . their opinions change on a weekly basis they think because they open their mouths everyone should listen so yeh your miles off it there with the "sounds like another streamer minion" comment.
you know there are some of us out there who can actually engage our brains and make our own opinions and decisions without influence.
Xzanobia
3
Re: Eliminate these reason to quit
Solo leveling.
Ashes is in desperate need of mobs that can be grinded by solo players. Currently the only way to level efficiently is by getting a party and attacking 1-3 star mobs. As a solo player there is no option. Maybe killing thousands of bears but even then its mind numbing.
Death penalty.
Please chose either losing the materials or the xp penalty. The combination is enough to make anyone quit. Especially if it happens more than once and that can be common as dying is easy. To make things worse when you can only level with a group, that means at any moment you are without a healer you can be killed by 1-3 star mobs in seconds. And killed again trying to get back to your body.
The current players have payed $100+ to be here and its been enough for some to quit. Imagine a person with no cost to join.. they dont have to justify staying when something like that happens. They just say adios.
Death penalty makes every moment the edge of the seat feeling. It's not for everyone. My only problem is sanctioned PvP should have no death penalties.
Solo play is in the game. Find some nice one star light blue mobs and kill 1-3 at a time. Or take a field of non star mobs and grind away. More content is coming and more ways to play solo but that is also not this games focus.
They have also paid $100 to test a game not play a game. People who can't hack it can come back later in Phase 2 or some time I phase 3 when it becomes closer to a real game.
IMO if you want this game to be the best it can be. Keep testing and keep giving feedback. Just know there is a vision here that is solid. If death penalties are something you never want to deal with, you maybe in the wrong game.
Re: Replace "Slumber"
novercalis wrote: »dont look at slumber as a form of CC, look at it as a form of interrupt.
NPC casting a bad spell, say corrupt sacrifice, mino whirlwind, black lung, then slumber it to interrupt the spell cast.
You see a enemy cleric rezzing, slumber. You see a Ranger charging up? slumber. you see a bard, barding, slumber.
It's a 2 second cast, most big spells you want to interrupt are also 2 seconds casts like the Firestarter's Flame Throw ability. It's rarely a good interrupt unless it's on a channeled effect like the Flayer's whirlwind.
riecheck
1
Re: Antisocial mechanic for partying
-It encourages meeting and working with new people. This is, after all, a social game.
I do want to be social, with the friends I've made waiting for testing to begin.
I'm not saying that scaling is the answer, just that it's shit to have a design that prevents you from playing with your friends, or from inviting in new people once the game is already established.
Re: Solutions for Steven - Identify Problem, then give solution
Saabynator wrote: »I don't disagree with most of your points here.
The game has too many systems - and has many more to come. These systems are taking what should be a near sandbox game and essentially trying to shape player behavior to the same degree that a full themepark MMO would see.
I also agree that a group based PvP focused MMO is a tough sell to most people.
The problem is, these things are literally what the game has always been. They can't really reduce the number of systems the game has, because it has been sold to players as having all of those systems, and players have made purchasing decisions based on them.
Same with the notion of solo play and PvE - the game has always been based on group play, and PvP has always been at the forefront of them games design.
The game should not be a a near sandbox game. That game should be what they planned for it, not what you want for it.
They planned for the game to be a near sandbox game. Not quite a sandbox game, but nearly.
That is why I said this game should be a near sandbox game. That wasn't me saying what I wanted this game to be, it is me essentially parroting Steven.
Noaani
1
Re: Solutions for Steven - Identify Problem, then give solution
I am sorry OP, but I can't really agree with anything you have said here.
It honestly comes off as if you have a false impression of what Ashes is trying to be:
https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Inspiration
The spawn rate may be what it is to make mobs competitive. I am have had the time of my life fighting over everything in the game since the 20th. To me this is what PvX is all about.
I don't want any changes here.
Player friction is what makes Ashes great!
See the road map:
https://www.ashesofcreation.wiki/Alpha-2_phase-2
I don't agree with this at all.
The number one thing that ruins MMORPGs is people wanting games to have more solo or single player content.
It is like saying make the game less like a MMORPG to make a MMORPG...
The game should be constantly incentivizing you to meet new people and work with others to get things done.
There is something magical about taking the time to figure these systems out and socializing with others to learn the game. The new player experience should be to find a guild and socialize to learn the game. Watch community content about the game. Be a apart of the community.
Games that babysit you with quests and dialog are griefing your intelligence.
You do not need to hold peoples hands to make a good video game.
Sorry for going point by point here.
I just don't get the feeing we have the same expectations for Ashes. My expectations are what I am playing and yours seems to be a different game. Cheers.
It honestly comes off as if you have a false impression of what Ashes is trying to be:
https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Inspiration
1970merlin wrote: »Problem: Boredom. Too boring to test.
Solution: Turn the respawn rate up in general. Quest specific: Currently you can't even do the quests because the respawn rate for named mobs is so long. We understand the game is designed to take work to have a sense of accomplishment. But, until the game has enough content to maintain interest you are going to have to make it a little more rewarding to have enough people interested to test. Also, I and many other players are very worried about the long term effect of a bad experience now (and the experience now is very bad.)
The spawn rate may be what it is to make mobs competitive. I am have had the time of my life fighting over everything in the game since the 20th. To me this is what PvX is all about.
I don't want any changes here.
Player friction is what makes Ashes great!
1970merlin wrote: »Problem: Communication and expectations.
Solution: Tell us what we are testing. If you just don't have anything done just say it. This would be better.
See the road map:
https://www.ashesofcreation.wiki/Alpha-2_phase-2
1970merlin wrote: »Problem: Game built around PvP & Group play alone will not get the player base to pay for PvP and group game.
Solution: There are simply not enough players to support a PvP/group only mmorpg. Development must be a two-track approach. PvE and single player path have to be an option as much as most of the current testers are not looking for this. I personally am much more interested in PVP and group play, but I also want enough players to support the game when it releases.
I don't agree with this at all.
The number one thing that ruins MMORPGs is people wanting games to have more solo or single player content.
It is like saying make the game less like a MMORPG to make a MMORPG...
The game should be constantly incentivizing you to meet new people and work with others to get things done.
1970merlin wrote: »Problem: So many systems.
Solution: Sadly, You need to hold people's hands. Intrepid is going to have to develop a level 1-10 quest line that takes players thru literally everything if you want group participation. This means quests for registering as a citizen, for helping build the first building in a node, for freeholds, literally for every game mechanic. I'm assuming there are already plans for this, but writing this just in case. People, who have just followed the game a little have little idea how to participate and it is only going to get worse as more systems are introduced. I have seen new streamers lost and unable to figure out what to do next. I understand the desire not to hold people's hands, but it just has to be done. So just accept it and move on. You cant expect people in their teens and 20s to figure things out when every other game they have ever played led them thru like children. You can't fight this as much as this appalls Gen X. It is already important, but as more Alpha 2 keys are sold, (these are people not steeped in years of development videos) having these quests is a must or these new people will be lost and angry. I would get them in the game now to avoid a bad first impression.
There is something magical about taking the time to figure these systems out and socializing with others to learn the game. The new player experience should be to find a guild and socialize to learn the game. Watch community content about the game. Be a apart of the community.
Games that babysit you with quests and dialog are griefing your intelligence.
You do not need to hold peoples hands to make a good video game.
Sorry for going point by point here.
I just don't get the feeing we have the same expectations for Ashes. My expectations are what I am playing and yours seems to be a different game. Cheers.
Vhaeyne
1
Re: Linux Tips, Tweaks and Troubleshooting Thread
Even though you're keeping your system up-to-date with the Kali and Debian repositories, it’s important to note that Kali, for example, is still using Kernel 6.8.0, whereas Fedora is running Kernel 6.11.8. This means Kali is at least 3 major versions and over 15 kernel versions behind Fedora. This can have a significant impact on performance and compatibility, especially with newer games or specific graphics drivers.
The appreciable difference between 6.8.0 and 6.11.8 will be negligible when it comes to playing Windows games via Wine/Proton/dxvk/etc. Kali of course is an absurd distro to run games on... doesn't mean it can't do it, but will require a lot more work, compared to a general purpose distro like Ubuntu/Fedora/Arch/etc. Debian is also usually hopelessly out of date and also will requite more work.
At any rate, the most important pieces will be graphics drivers and Wine/Proton stack. I have no idea about AMD GPUs, but my Ubuntu distro, despite utilizing kernel 6.8.0, has packages available for the latest binary GPU blobs, and the most up to date Wine/Proton packages. In my case, I would expect very little difference in games performance.
I really doubt it’s a Wine issue and think it’s more likely related to the distro itself. If you look through forum posts, it’s often users with Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or other niche distros that report these kinds of problems. Fedora, on the other hand, provides a more stable "out-of-the-box" experience with the latest software versions and a newer kernel, which can make a difference, especially for gaming and using Wine or Proton.
Fedora does, in general, include more up to date upstream packages, but again, most distros will have facilities for installing the latest GPU drivers and Wine/proton packages... Lutris itself provides for the latter. If running 6.8.0 means the newest AMD drivers cannot be installed, that may be an issue.
ProtonDB is probably the largest centralized repository of Linux users self-reporting success or failure in getting a given Steam game to run on their system... I see way more "failures" on Fedora than Arch and Ubuntu. This isn't a real metric of any kind, as many times this is a "skill issue", and not due to the distribution. Just because a bunch of newbies run distro XYZ and collectively have a hard time getting things to work, doesn't mean that distro is "bad for gaming." Conversely, just because some distro happens, by dumb luck, to make getting a certain thing work easy, does not mean other distros can't work, or are "bad for gaming."
Another factor to consider is the desktop environment. Fedora uses GNOME, which is one of the most polished and stable desktop environments out there. KDE is also a great choice, but for a productive and gaming-oriented setup, environments like XFCE (which Kali uses) are less optimized for modern software and games. So, if you're looking for a stable, easy-to-use, and well-supported environment for gaming and apps, I’d recommend trying Fedora before Arch. Arch is fantastic for experienced users, but it can require more manual setup.
This is nonsense. Desktop environments do not need to be "optimized" for modern software or games. The only possible feature that would have an impact is compositing, which is actually a negative. XFCE is much lighter weight than GNOME or KDE, which would provide more resources (CPU/Ram) for the game and its associated processes.
And you suggesting Fedora is especially confusing, as Fedora 41 ships with Wayland, and requires the user to install X by hand and do some systems twiddling to switch to it. Nvidia on Wayland and gaming do not really mix yet. The latest stable Ubuntu still uses Xorg, so would be more appropriate.
Since I’m using the same processor (i9900k) and Nvidia GPU as you, I haven’t had any issues with Wine, so I’d rule out a Wine-specific bug and point to distro configuration being the main cause.
Arch and Ubuntu have easy ways of installing the latest Nvidia drivers, as stated above.
Re: Linux Tips, Tweaks and Troubleshooting Thread
ashesofbutt wrote: »mercfredis wrote: »ashesofbutt wrote: »mercfredis, see my Ubuntu instructions a few posts up. I'd imagine they also work for Debian.
OK so I am on ubuntu 24.04 as well... I didn't have to do the flatpak stuff. I just got the UMU-Proton package and made sure Lutris was using it for the Ashes installer. Worked pretty well. Thanks for the write-up!
You're using apt's version of Lutris? How exactly did you get UMU-proton to show up in there? I couldn't get it to show up there, and that's why I resorted to flatpak
I use the up to date Lutris 0.5.18 .deb file on github. Extracting the UMU-proton into steam's compatibility directory, it shows up.
Re: AoC isn’t Punishing its Frustrating
Let’s start with this:
Ash’s is a game with XP debt
At least 25% material loss on death
And some of the most insane travel time in any game.
First one is objectively bad game design
Second one, in my opinion, should be tweaked so that you either don’t lose materials on PVE death or make it so you can recover 100% of dropped materials.
Question: Why is xp debt "objectively bad game design"?
Mage is fun
Humanity is absolutely impossible to make happy, everyone seems to want their input like its the best idea ever. Certainly some tweaks may need to be made but after reading some of these Mage ideas, The mage currently is pretty decent. 30 years of online gaming & thousands of games, of course you're bound to run into similarities but comparing to wow or other popular games, not even close.
As some *streamers* (won't name names) pointed out nicely, the playability with other mages is not common in other games. Their skills are really enjoyable even solo. The mechanic for finishers where each spell type changes base damage type & gives Frozen, Burning, Volatile is not a common theme, resetting the main skill of each time feels very situational & its fun. If i need to AOE burn a group, I'll using Lightning strike, main attack until it resets (which it'll arc to 5 enemies) then strike again. BUT, if i need to slow that 3 star to help the group kite, frost bolt, attack (FROZEN) frost bolt & so on. Then all my effects play off of other mages in the group or out of group. It is definitely not a common play style in games today. Just because 1 game uses frost magic doesn't mean, oh there all the same.
It's still too early for me to offer changes. currently it is fun but still need a lot of testing. Also my mage is only lvl 10, between the gathering, crafting, lack of gear drops early on & trying to figure out how to make decent $$, leveling is going at a moderately slow pace, which is great for longevity & i am enjoying it.
As some *streamers* (won't name names) pointed out nicely, the playability with other mages is not common in other games. Their skills are really enjoyable even solo. The mechanic for finishers where each spell type changes base damage type & gives Frozen, Burning, Volatile is not a common theme, resetting the main skill of each time feels very situational & its fun. If i need to AOE burn a group, I'll using Lightning strike, main attack until it resets (which it'll arc to 5 enemies) then strike again. BUT, if i need to slow that 3 star to help the group kite, frost bolt, attack (FROZEN) frost bolt & so on. Then all my effects play off of other mages in the group or out of group. It is definitely not a common play style in games today. Just because 1 game uses frost magic doesn't mean, oh there all the same.
It's still too early for me to offer changes. currently it is fun but still need a lot of testing. Also my mage is only lvl 10, between the gathering, crafting, lack of gear drops early on & trying to figure out how to make decent $$, leveling is going at a moderately slow pace, which is great for longevity & i am enjoying it.
praemus9
1