Best Of

As someone who hasn't paid into testing and was very actively following at some point - i've definitely toned down massively my interactions with the game and the community.

I used to watch every stream, write in the monthly feedback thread, chat in discord a bit and comment on some forum threads. I also used to stalk the LinkedIn to try and piece together new employments - it was pretty obsessive in hindsight lol.

Now though I probably just check in on a stream every few months if the topic sounds interesting, although the long format mostly discussion style streams of recent months has been less interesting for me and previous streams didn't catch me much either.

It's probably been a long ol' time since I posted here though I do lurk occasionally - and I don't provide feedback anymore.

It kind of feels like most of the things that need feedback can only really be provided by the testers now since we're not getting videos of new features where an -only viewer- can really provide as much, like in the earlier "new feature" streams.

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Excitement - i'd say it's definitely dulled down a lot. I'm definitely not dooming over the game, but I definitely couldn't even predict when this game will hit Beta/release with the current release cadence. There's definitely a lot of content that is wanted for the testers to feel sated with gameplay experience as it is.

I believe p3 of Alpha 2 ought to have more content - but I believe the idea was that once the baseline tools etc. development are in place, we should see development ramp up. I don't know how that'll actually look in practice - but I wish Intrepid all the best and hope they do make a good game - but they are missing out on some easy wins and definitely make some bad testing/design choices. Such as:

1. The testing environment dying while the crafting issues existed.
2. Paid for costumes being locked to one of your active characters. If you can just unequip it and re-equip it between logon (is this only done in cities/accommodation you own) - if people have paid for a skin, do you really need to restrict it in that way? They'll never be logged on at the same time. I'm not sure this was always communicated or if I personally missed it.
3. Not allowing some testing cases where you could i.e. level up characters to facilitate testing certain elements quicker.

Again, wish them all the best but I hope they can minimise the L's and maximise the W's.

Players in freeform MMOs are generally allowed to attempt nearly any boss regardless of progression. They don't have to prove that they're good at the game in any meaningful way, in order to try something difficult.

Since you can never know, this doesn't work, no matter how cool it is.

I'm still holding off judgment until we see how everything fits together, especially when it comes to player-driven content. What really has me wondering, though, is how the average player is supposed to carve out space in a world without safe zones. With Ashes of Creation removing the usual safety nets, it feels like there might be less room for casual players to get involved without constantly being on edge.

When I talk about the lack of safe zones, I’m referring to things like destructible nodes, freeholds, and the risk of material loss. In most MMOs, the average player finds comfort in hoarding and building something permanent, but Ashes of Creation doesn’t allow for that kind of security.

So it makes me wonder: if everything feels temporary, like a sandcastle that can be wiped away at any moment, how will players find a sense of belonging or attachment in the world?

It’s hard for me to feel confident about AoC’s success when I start thinking about this.

I've always been a fan of monster codex type things, they help get you immersed and are a great way to revisit snippets of lore that you might've missed while questing. For sure would love to see something like this!

I was hoping to hear more about how A3 isn't going to be another round of endless mob grinding. For me it comes across as the phases are hurdling by from A1 to A3 without there being a significant change in testing experience. As we approach closer and closer to game launch I'm becoming more and more concerned that endless damage sponge mob grinding is the core experience Intrepid is shooting for with the game. This was not what I thought the game was pitched as, nor how I envisioned it by interpreting the old pitch for the game.

How did we land on endless damage sponge mob grinding as the core concept for the game? And when, if ever will AoC move beyond this redundant game play (if you want to call it that).

Okeydoke wrote: »

Imo they need to be done in a way that allows the most people possible to have fun in them

Yep, that is exactly why I keep pushing for all the other systems. All because they can be controlled and balanced in a much easier way than somehow trying to limit a literal genocidal circle.

And I'll be reallll curious to see how all the "pvpers" react to the crate system where you have to..... PK?!?!?!.. other people? Like, literally yesterday Zybak released a video about all these changes and his first thought about crates is "well, I don't like it cause people will PK-bait"

That's all you need to know about the "pvper" reaction to that system.

My only hope is that the crate system will push Steven to balance corruption better, but I somehow doubt that'll happen.

MargaretKrohn wrote: »

At times, it’s important to communicate expectations clearly—even when the message may be difficult for some to hear.

So let’s keep this conversation going:
What’s one feature or system you think could help bridge the gap between hardcore and casual players without compromising the game’s vision?

What does "risk" mean?
Make the "risk" be associated with danger from NPCs and environment too and not only when players want reward. Separate risk from reward.
Verra should be a dangerous place, even for the largest well organized guilds and for solo beggars collecting sticks.

Ludullu wrote: »

Yeah, sounds almost abusable, where if some strong guild doesn't have the time for the boss, they can just send a party to attempt it over and over, just to boost its power, so that others can't farm it. And then the strong guild comes in and not only gets the boss, but gets it with bigger rewards.

Good and sharp thought into the future. Because if we are honest we know exactly that this is true. There will be the either One-alone or up to let's say "Three" Maximum-Elite Guilds at most on every Server - one some Servers maybe up to Five Guilds or more,

who are simply said so strong and abundant in reliable and powerful Members, that they can use Tactics like this. Or even "defend" World Bosses from other Players by staying Guard nearby and attacking everyone who tries to get the Boss