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Do A.I. controlled Kingdoms exist?

Comprising of a team that came from great titles that many of us loved to play or were hopeful for a release, there's no doubt that Ashes of Creation bares a striking similarity to what was proposed for EQNext.

I recall participating in a great deal of EQNext Round Table discussions where forum goers would put forth their own ideas, in hopes that their idea would be something that would be implemented in game.  I see quite a few of those ideas coming to life in AoC.  Caravans, Nodal Governance to name a few.

For some reason, EQNext had no intention of creating a game designed for PvP, yet their character design spawned from MOBAs.  They had planned to include a tremendous amount of factions.  Factions that would battle for control of regions, which would spread their influence similar to the node system in Ashes of Creation and players would choose sides and help those sides BUT players couldn't touch one another.  It made no sense!  This kind of system screams PVP.

From the kickstarter vid, there's a reference to digging too deep, a volcano exploding, and a dragon emerging to lay waste to the regions node.  I am curious. To what extent, in AoC, will A.I. be capable of spreading it's own influence?  Will there be an A.I. controlled Kingdom or will there only be Human controlled nodes that can develop and spread out?

As far as Lore goes, it seems as though we will be returning to this World thousands of years after dark forces destroyed all civilization, which had forced those that survived to flee to another World.

I think it would be helpful, at times, to have a common enemy - similar to Game of Thrones, where everyone hates one another but we still gotta kill those damn Undead.  This could be rehashed time and time again, with new aggressors, or familiar old foes that come back with a vengeance!

Comments

  • DarkTides said:
    I think it would be helpful, at times, to have a common enemy - similar to Game of Thrones, where everyone hates one another but we still gotta kill those damn Undead.  This could be rehashed time and time again, with new aggressors, or familiar old foes that come back with a vengeance!
    While not a single common enemy faction, pretty much all of the AI dungeon raid and world bosses (apart from monster tokens) will be corrupted beasts who've woken from their slumber to fight the newcomers.

    These enemies will be "discovered" due to world events, node development and the like, so they will probably feel like an ever present and ever changing enemy force, hell bent on wiping the interlopers off their world.
  • Yeah, I can definitely see that.  I'm curious to what degree the AI that is discovered in a particular location will be able to spread from that location.  To another node adjacent to it, while remaining the same enemy but it gets "stronger" or progresses much in the same manner that our nodes progress.
  • There have been a couple tidbits dropped about elite elemental bosses locking a region in endless winter for example. If left unchecked I believe they will be able to delevel a node at least one tier. Plus the amount of tax/resource trickle to maintain a metropolis will be no small number. Not being able to harvest something because of boss actions would lead to more penalties also. And while the monster coin events will be occurring regularly, it will be the A.I. that has certain goals it is trying to achieve. Maybe a lich that wants to set fire to the scientific nodes library so players can't research how to kill it and so on. I imagine the coin event goals will match those to be able to get the unique drops from participation. Since the lore hints seem to point towards a mechanic of order vs chaos(corruption), monsters would be most likely looking to wipe out traces of civilization rather than rule over it.
  • I doubt that AI will control towns or cities.
    Seems possible that NPCs could form ever increasing hordes bent on destroying all life.
    If we fail to stop them.
  • Dygz said:
    I doubt that AI will control towns or cities.
    Seems possible that NPCs could form ever increasing hordes bent on destroying all life.
    If we fail to stop them.
    Yep, zombie horde with specific goals was mentioned. Then you had the studio tour where they got around to Bacon and what he was working on. Spawn and patrol patterns for what looked like either skeletons or zombies as a node progressed and changed terrain.
  • ....Since the lore hints seem to point towards a mechanic of order vs chaos(corruption), monsters would be most likely looking to wipe out traces of civilization rather than rule over it.
    Ah, so it seems like Order v Chaos?  Hmmm.  I'm sure something could be arranged.  A necromancer hell bent of wiping everyone out, raising an army and sallying forth?
  • Id love to see enemy development through lack of resistance of players in unpopular node areas. So ghost towns will never be a thing, because ppl would want to kill the bosses.
    The map has to be big enough however.. otherwise enemys will never get enough time to develop before player farm them down lol
  • Or he's wickedly OP and nobody can defeat him while he's around his source of chaotic power, allowing him to expand freely.  A quest chain could start, asking to retrieve the artifacts that summon another entity known for defeating the necromancer thousands of years prior.  A massive battle could later take place between order and chaos, where players would summon the entity to aid them.  If the entity survives, one thing happens, if she is defeated, another.  While she was summoned she could have made mention of specific weapons that can defeat the necromancer, so even if she bites the bullet, there's still a way to win.  I have no clue about the Lore they have planned, but, for me, it would be pretty cool to sit back and watch OP NPCs duke it out with devastating magic that would otherwise be way too strong in the hands of players when fighting other players.
  • Necromancy isn't necessarily reflective of Corruption, though.
    Chaotic power isn't necessarily synonymous with Corruption.

    Something closer to Nature v Corruption...

  • I like the idea of an enemy wandering around too strong to be ever beaten and leaving a path of corruption and insane monsters behind him. Maybe even pass through nodes which are in metropolis state for more than 6 months or so, destroying them completely if hes not taken down by a ultimatively hard kind of quest u described.
    Wouldnt have to be a necromancer and timetravel.. U could also build a ancient machine through a questchain thats abel to debuff the enemy which makes him easier to kill or whatever.. Thats up to the game designers and intended lore i guess.
  • Yep.
    Individual Necromancers might do something similar.
    And, the same is probably true of any class.
  • Uao said:
    ..... Thats up to the game designers and intended lore i guess.
    For sure.  The only Lore info I have is from their Lore page, so I'm not well informed. Pulled from LoTR, GoT, Warhammer (Undead - Nagash in particular) for this wannasee scenario.  And threw in some lack-luster creativity. Bam!

    Dygz said:
    Necromancy isn't necessarily reflective of Corruption, though.
    Chaotic power isn't necessarily synonymous with Corruption.

    Something closer to Nature v Corruption...

    Dygz, let's ask a real life necromancer to clear this one up!
  • We only have corruption in real life - instead of Corruption.   :(

  • I hope there's an evil turtle race hell bent on waging war from their beach settlements

  • Karthos said:
    I hope there's an evil turtle race hell bent on waging war from their beach settlements

    Looks like Evil turtles have one additional power.....


    Killing topics!
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