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That Community Feeling
Hi all and sorry for the bad grammar! I have to get this off my chest .....remember that community Feeling?
Remember the days when you knew lots of people on your<em> server </em>and knew who the good PVP and PVE people/guilds where.
When you had to go out into the world to farm herbs ect and knew people because you would run into them because of no flying mounts.
Remember when you had to find a group for a quest in a main city chat and then had to travel 30 mins to 1 hour to get there!( Not just press a button.)
Meanwhile encountering people along the way, making friends/rivals with other players on the <em>server</em> .
I feel that this is a good move. Very limited fast travel and No flying mounts for "everyone" with local markets and that feeling of community is the main reason I'm interested in this game on top of everything else. Thanks -Milotl11
Remember the days when you knew lots of people on your<em> server </em>and knew who the good PVP and PVE people/guilds where.
When you had to go out into the world to farm herbs ect and knew people because you would run into them because of no flying mounts.
Remember when you had to find a group for a quest in a main city chat and then had to travel 30 mins to 1 hour to get there!( Not just press a button.)
Meanwhile encountering people along the way, making friends/rivals with other players on the <em>server</em> .
I feel that this is a good move. Very limited fast travel and No flying mounts for "everyone" with local markets and that feeling of community is the main reason I'm interested in this game on top of everything else. Thanks -Milotl11
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Comments
In modern times, it's easy to form communities via social media - rather than via the tedious, monotonous time sinks rampant in OG MMORPGs. Kudos for the power of twitch, twitter, youtube, discord and FB.
But, the beauty of Ashes is that in-game communites will form naturally from the players uniting to build a Metropolis from a village over the course of months. And then maintaining those bonds as we defend the Metropolis from destruction.
We will know the Queens/Kings/Mayors of our cities.
We will know who lives in the mansions.
We will know at least some the leaders of the guildhouses.
We will know the owners of the taverns.
We will know our favorite artisans.
And those will all be other players!
We will know who we like to group with and who we don't like to group with.
We will hopefully know who we like to party with.
And since many of their homes will be in the open world - we'll have a pretty decent idea of where we can find them.
Flying mounts and fast travel are not the real issues causing folks to QQ.
The real issue is that people no longer have fun camping for hours for uber mobs to pop.
And lots of people no longer have the time or interest to camp for hours while a raid forms and then raid for another 3 or 4 hours.
Those of us who were kids and/or young enough to have time for that 20 years ago, now have kids of our own or careers that prevent us from playing 2-8 hours - even on the weekend.
"Oh, remember when it took us two hours to run to a dungeon!?"
Most people don't have time to spend two hours just running to a dungeon.
That's an entire play session for parents with kids...if they even have 2 hours!
If you're not going to have fast travel, you've got to keep the action relatively local so that people can complete their objectives in 30 - 120 minutes. Rather than spending the whole play session just running to the objective and then logging off.
Thankfully, Ashes has solutions for that. (Though, a lot of that is really coming from the legacy of EQNext design)
Exactly!
Remember the good old days went you went to play a game but the only thing you could do is sit and wait for 30 minutes?!?
Boy - where did that fun go??!! Now people want to actually do stuff rather than waste 30 minutes waiting for a shuttle!
They are so entitled!!!
Remember the good old days went you went to play a game but the only thing you could do is sit and wait for 30 minutes?!?
Boy - where did that fun go??!! Now people want to actually do stuff rather than waste 30 minutes waiting for a shuttle!
They are so entitled!!!
In modern times, it’s easy to form communities via social media – rather than via the tedious, monotonous time sinks rampant in OG MMORPGs. Kudos for the power of twitch, twitter, youtube, discord and FB.
But, the beauty of Ashes is that in-game communites will form naturally from the players uniting to build a Metropolis from a village over the course of months. And then maintaining those bonds as we defend the Metropolis from destruction.
We will know the Queens/Kings/Mayors of our cities.
</blockquote>
Ashes is providing the goal. I think it's naïve to think that the planning and coordination of the goal isn't accomplished outside of the game. These other social media and chat tools just make it too easy. But that's ok. Because accomplishing the goal as a group is what drives the community. Hence my comment, voice chat...
Ashes is providing the goal. I think it's naïve to think that the planning and coordination of the goal isn't accomplished outside of the game. These other social media and chat tools just make it too easy. But that's ok. Because accomplishing the goal as a group is what drives the community. Hence my comment, voice chat...
Ashes is providing the goal. I think it's naïve to think that the planning and coordination of the goal isn't accomplished outside of the game. These other social media and chat tools just make it too easy. But that's ok. Because accomplishing the goal as a group is what drives the community. Hence my comment, voice chat...
but I think the main problem with Society is the fact everyone Wants something Now then later I want this like instant so patience level through Generations will become more impatient
And I believe that's what really kills Community's because nobody want to rely on someone else to get something done....
It generally takes quite some time before a character can acquire flying mounts - they usually aren't available til late in the vanilla game if not after in some expansion.
Also, typically, you have to explore by foot to make it to unlock each fast travel node.
I usually play a druid, so I'm using some form of Spirit of the Wolf or Cat Form.
I will spend hours swimming around a continent to uncover the fog of war.
But, if I spend two ahours swiing around a continent, I'm not going to spend another two hours running home when I can get there in ten minute via fast travel.
More importantly, though...
If I'm exploring hours away from my home city and I hear that Jeffrey and Yaivey are going to be hanging out after the livestream at a tavern in my home city for 30 minutes...I'm going to want to fast travel to hang out with them.
There are all kinds of other ways that people socialize in MMORPGs these days than just than simply running for two hours in a group to reach a dungeon. That actually is not as much fun as attending parties and swap meets and tutoring sessions with devs and podcasters and youtubers, etc. at least for those of us who are ESAKs rather than KSEAs or whatever.
I disagree that it's only ashes that provides the goals. Perhaps that's true for Killers and Achievers.
Socializers often create their own goals in MMORPGs. Especially in MMORPGs with pets and house decorations and enough costumes for fashion parties.
I guess hardcore people focus on planning and coordination.
I'm a casual challenge person, so the community endeavors I partake in don't take much planning or coordination.
And if we're adventuring - we figure strategies out on the fly in-game rather than planning and coordinating outside the game.
Having fun with other players is what drives the community - I don't know that that has to be in a "group" if group is defined as a formal adventuring party.
I'm typically still in twitch and/or on skype/discord and receiving twitter notifications even while solo.
You don't have to literally be playing near other people to drive community.
Also, in Ashes, everything we do near a node will be contributing to the progress of the node - regardless if we're near other players or not.
I'm not sure whether we agree or disagree. Probably depends on how we define group. And what is meant by goals.
I guess I'm not negating what you're saying... just for me what you wrote seems like only half of the picture.
And I believe that’s what really kills Community’s because nobody want to rely on someone else to get something done.</blockquote>
All kinds of things kill community.
To me, the biggest thing that kills community is the alienation of the various playstyles. Especially thinking that everyone plays the way we like to - or that everyone should play the way we like to.
Especially when devs don't provide tools or mechanics that help like-minded players find each other.
I am a casual player. I hate grouping with players group simply because they think a group is needed to accomplish something.
I prefer to group with people because we like hanging out with each other and we happen to have similar goals. We group because we want to hang out; not because we can't accomplish anything if we don't hang out.
The problem isn't really about instant gratification. That's just a simplistic complaint.
The problem is that people want to be actively doing something productive rather than sitting in a game waiting for something.
Preferably something that is not tediously repetitive and preferably something that is going to dynamically change the world, rather than everything remaining static for weeks and months at a time.
When everyone is doing the exact same quests, there isn't much of a need for conversation.
"How was your day?"
"I just finished the Spider Queen Dungeon."
"Oh. Yep. That was kinda fun. I juts finished my Druid quest."
"Oh, yeah! I did that last year on my alt."
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Again, the beauty of having a dynamic world, where we have to build a city over the course of months - where there will be players entering the world who never experienced the world without the cities - where the nodes level the zones around us and spawn different narratives in response to our actions...
We will constanty have unique stories to share with friends and strangers. Especially strangers.
And if the sotries ever do seem to stagnate - we can just destroy a city and rebuild at a different node...and that will generate a different set of narratives.
We will constantly have new stuff to do.
In the real world, there's all kinds of instant gratification stuff - that's true.
But, when a game takes 3-4 months to reach max level and then you have to spend 12-24 months where the only thing to do is raid for BiS gear while waiting for an expansion.... yeah, people will eventually consider the 12-24 months to be the real game and the leveling part to be an unnecessary grind.
The Ashes design puts an end to that. We should be good to go, if the game actually releases with all the features functioning as designed.
I think the main problem with Society is the fact everyone Wants something Now then later I want this like instant so patience level through Generations will become more impatient
And I believe that’s what really kills Community’s because nobody want to rely on someone else to get something done.</blockquote>
All kinds of things kill community.
To me, the biggest thing that kills community is the alienation of the various playstyles. Especially thinking that everyone plays the way we like to - or that everyone should play the way we like to.
Especially when devs don't provide tools or mechanics that help like-minded players find each other.
I am a casual player. I hate grouping with players group simply because they think a group is needed to accomplish something.
I prefer to group with people because we like hanging out with each other and we happen to have similar goals. We group because we want to hang out; not because we can't accomplish anything if we don't hang out.
The problem isn't really about instant gratification. That's just a simplistic complaint.
The problem is that people want to be actively doing something productive rather than sitting in a game waiting for something.
Preferably something that is not tediously repetitive and preferably something that is going to dynamically change the world, rather than everything remaining static for weeks and months at a time.
When everyone is doing the exact same quests, there isn't much of a need for conversation.
"How was your day?"
"I just finished the Spider Queen Dungeon."
"Oh. Yep. That was kinda fun. I juts finished my Druid quest."
"Oh, yeah! I did that last year on my alt."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Again, the beauty of having a dynamic world, where we have to build a city over the course of months - where there will be players entering the world who never experienced the world without the cities - where the nodes level the zones around us and spawn different narratives in response to our actions...
We will constanty have unique stories to share with friends and strangers. Especially strangers.
And if the sotries ever do seem to stagnate - we can just destroy a city and rebuild at a different node...and that will generate a different set of narratives.
We will constantly have new stuff to do.
In the real world, there's all kinds of instant gratification stuff - that's true.
But, when a game takes 3-4 months to reach max level and then you have to spend 12-24 months where the only thing to do is raid for BiS gear while waiting for an expansion.... yeah, people will eventually consider the 12-24 months to be the real game and the leveling part to be an unnecessary grind.
The Ashes design puts an end to that. We should be good to go, if the game actually releases with all the features functioning as designed.
When the dev team or a streamer is dropping into the game for an impromptu hangout - yes, convenience becomes more important than immersion.
I too miss and crave this community!
I will do my absolute best with my guild to make sure we all become the best of friends and will do my best to not restrict myself to guild socialising, but to meet my fellow AoC community and make sure everyone has a fun game experience. I might visit your tavern, randomly follow you around and heal/buff you (I already do this in games can be great fun xzD poor grinders getting hurt D: I'll fix you!), aid your caravan and lots more!
I will also do my best to be as active on the forums as possible to get to know the wider community.
I really have high hopes for community play in AoC and I want to make it happen
Community hype is off da chart!
</blockquote>
That sounds its more to do with the type of player you are. There has always been communities in MMORPGs, especially early ones like Ultima and EQ1 etc. However they have always been something you had to go and get involved in. They would never be directly presented too you so to speak. If you have been playing this long, and never met such communities/sub-groups then its most likley because of the way you choose to play your games. Community aspect of older games can be easily missed if you
dont try to get involved with it. With Ashes they are trying to make the whole community thing more obvious, easily joinable and accessable to all players. Can they pull it off? Hmmm they got the right ideas. Gotta wait and see what the execution is like.
Functionally people are 10 a penny.
That makes people irrelevant and redundant.
I am hoping with ashes that people can turn around and say,
'Hey I cant help you with that, but I do know someone who can.'
'You can try so and so here, or maybe so and so in that town.
Relevance. Are you relevant to the game ?
Perhaps thats why people want the hero status in game.
They simply want to be relevant again.