MOUNTS: Limitations on Flying mounts and mechanics.

ArchivedUser

So i would like to bring up a key topic in most mmo's which is something i believe to be a community killer; flying mounts. However, despite this flaw, this is something i find to be really neat at the same time so finding the balance is the object of this discussion. Now, in the past I've witness wow introduce flying mounts In BC and seeing how much it hit the social side of things and that is something i hope AOC can learn from and prevent but at the same time give us this piece content. A few ideas comes to mind when trying to tackle this issue. If this game wants to have a realistic value then the physics and mechanics should be true(within a fantasy environment). Before jumping into individual ideas I believe flying mounts would be wise if it was a rare attire, so the whole community wont bugger off. Idea 1) Different tiers of flying. Maybe some mounts can only fly is normal conditions due to their versatility to the environment so in order to fly more, you need obtain a rarer mount that can handle better flying condtions and periods. Another view to this is having gliding mounts, so mounts that can glide down from high places. Idea 2) Unlimited/constant flying is a nono and therefore an energy bar or cool-down depending on what sort of flying mount it is and how strong/capable it is preforming flight. This would mean, you would prevent the abuse of everyone flying from point a to b all the time. Idea 3) Introduce unique flying/ground(aimed at ground more than flying) travelling styles depending on the specifics of the mount. To elaborate make mounts mechanics different  instead of different speeds to keep ground mounts more spicy especially ground mounts and for it to be as fun to use as flying mounts. for example, A jaguar mount would be speedy and agile, being able to leap, strafe, and manoeuvre through more complicated terrain having its own play style compared to a horse which is faster, but stronger and be able to accommodated another passenger. However it cannot match the agility of the jaguar which could scale rocks or more complicated areas. You get the idea anyway of the approach im going with this. Any thoughts on this or of your own? Like any of the ideas? drop a comment!

ArchivedUser

I like the idea of different mountable creatures being better in certain terrain and weather. It adds uniqueness to each mount. For flying though, Steven has already said that flying is reserved only for rulers of cities and castles, so only a handful of people will be able to fly at any one time. But, if Steven ever decided to allow for everyone to obtain a flying mount, I think making mechanics that limit flying, such as the ones you suggested, would be brilliant. Having an energy bar that limits the amount of time your mount can fly is a great idea because it makes people think on when the best time to fly is and keeps traveling an important thing to think about and plan.

ArchivedUser

I too like the idea of certain mounts being better equipped to deal with certain regions. It would justify having multiple mounts but flying will be restricted for a select few and for a select time.

ArchivedUser

Riders of Icarus has a nice system where you have to tame your mounts, fight on them and also restrictions based on altitude and terrain.

ArchivedUser

Loooooove the idea of mounts having different reactions to different regions. True interactive environment xD
Flying won't be a thing in Ashes though and I think they are still discussing how "transport" from node to node will work.

Keeping in mind that Intrepid are keen to keep players exploring and being interactive in the wider world - so we may not see any kind of auto transport.
We know that auto walk is likely not to be a thing in Ashes.

I personally think you'll need to get a node to a certain tier to unlock a "taxi" service like ffxiv that will allow you to hop on your mount and auto run you to another node of that tier level.

This keeps the world busy and players exploring and an insentive to contribute to a node if you want it to unlock it's transport feature xD

ArchivedUser

Flying is a thing in Ashes - it's just very rare.
No clue how far those handful of mounts will be able to travel.

Hopefully, mounts will have stats and attributes that fit their appearance.
We'll have to see.

ArchivedUser

Easy solution. Flying mounts have to deal with real world weather. Lightning, wind speed/direction and even tornadoes. If they include flying mounts in combat, disable a bunch of combat skills you realistically couldn't use without being on the ground.

ArchivedUser

I love flying, but over time I have come to the conclusion that any way of avoiding content like you can if you fly over it is not good for the game. Taxi services excempt.