Game Longevity

ArchivedUser

Warkov said:

lexmax said:

Ashes of Creation is a unique take on the MMO experience. Our world structure is dynamic and built to react to the actions of our players. Cities will rise and fall, their populations based on the history of the world as the players create it. Quests will unlock as these populations gather, their needs grow, and secrets are unlocked.

As the world’s NPC structure is established in real time, players will have the ability to destroy what they’ve created, paving the way for new development, new populations, and real change. Political strife and intrigue will play a very real role in the structure of your world. 

Gone are the days of static worlds, change is here to stay.

Once all of the nodes/metropolises have been set and running for years, I honestly see very little movement in their destruction.  I suspect it will be a race in the beginning to establish with competing interest, but once the initial turmoil is over, I think things will calm down and remain static for the most part.

Metropolises night be set and running for years - but I doubt they will remain static.
Old players will become bored with the status quo and/or disgruntled - and decided to instigate a siege against a metropolis.
New players will try their hand to topple a metropolis.

But, it's not just metropolises that we siege.
There will be be a fairly steady flow of sieges against villages and towns and cities...
Especially as new players try to make their marks on the world.

ArchivedUser

Warkov said:

So with pvp and nodes, what would wind happening a lot of times is that the powerful pvp/pve guilds will end up completely controlling the city/node.  From that point forward the fighting to destroy a node is generally left to the smaller groups of guild/pvpers.  And if they can't successfully rally enough other players together then they wont succeed in taking a node to change things, especially if general players like the effects of that node. So I fear we will see a lot of non movement after things get well established.  This of course will change as Intrepid introduces expansions or new dynamics like you mentioned, but it is my hope that they are not solely relying on that mechanic for the end game.

1: We have to see if the game actually releases and meets the goals of the game design.

2: We need more details about the perks that small guilds gain that are gated for larger guilds. And we'll also have to see what the impact will be on large guilds that have to split into sub-guilds due to the membership cap.
IE - will they be able to maintain common goals and overall cohesion.

ArchivedUser

I feel as though this was touched on, but not expanded on. There will be "Scripted Events" that occur when nodes hit certain levels of progression. Worse case scenario if you live in a level 3 node and really want that coveted level 5 metropolis wait for said event. When resources are low kick them in their bellies!

^Not my usual play style. But if an actual Guild takes over a metropolis when there are castles for them to own, I will play dirty to take the node down. I don't think Guilds should own nodes.

ArchivedUser

Dygz said:

Warkov said:

So with pvp and nodes, what would wind happening a lot of times is that the powerful pvp/pve guilds will end up completely controlling the city/node.  From that point forward the fighting to destroy a node is generally left to the smaller groups of guild/pvpers.  And if they can't successfully rally enough other players together then they wont succeed in taking a node to change things, especially if general players like the effects of that node. So I fear we will see a lot of non movement after things get well established.  This of course will change as Intrepid introduces expansions or new dynamics like you mentioned, but it is my hope that they are not solely relying on that mechanic for the end game.

1: We have to see if the game actually releases and meets the goals of the game design.

2: We need more details about the perks that small guilds gain that are gated for larger guilds. And we'll also have to see what the impact will be on large guilds that have to split into sub-guilds due to the membership cap.
IE - will they be able to maintain common goals and overall cohesion.

Well if a single guild is using the same vc client and guild website they could probably pretty easily keep things together, and still act as single cohesive unit.

ArchivedUser

What would greatly help is that a metropolis/city/village etc. Isn't just set in stone. What I mean is that, the city, if it is razed, and later on, build again. That it might look totally different. "Hey, isn't this where the blacksmith was before?" That there's some degree of creative freedom for whomever is the leader of a city, or even a city council, to decide which buildings go where. Then you might not even be too upset if your metropolis gets downgraded after a siege. You might identify weaknesses and use this knowledge to rebuild it differently the next time.

ArchivedUser

That will most likely be the case. Nodes develop into their types based on the actions taken early on in development. So say you had a scientific node the first go round because people were doing all the actions that lead to that outcome, but next time around they end op fighting more or actions that lead to a military node. I think in the beginning the models for different levels will be fairly static, but they will add more over the life of the game via updates.

ArchivedUser

@UnknownSystemError If that was in reply to me, I meant if you kept the specialisation the same. 

If not, disregard this

ArchivedUser

@Ariatras Yeah, guess it was kind of rambling. I think there will be some minor changes. They mentioned for example that instanced apartments are a node leadership choice. So if you made exactly the same choices again, most likely it would look the same. I think that as the game ages and they have fewer things coming at them in a constant stream to get done that they will increase the number of models say for a scientific metropolis from one cookie cutter look, to possibly a couple different layout options. Also the plan is for each style to have architecture based on the races so there are 4-5 options right there.

ArchivedUser

UnknownSystemError said:

@Ariatras Yeah, guess it was kind of rambling. I think there will be some minor changes. They mentioned for example that instanced apartments are a node leadership choice. So if you made exactly the same choices again, most likely it would look the same. I think that as the game ages and they have fewer things coming at them in a constant stream to get done that they will increase the number of models say for a scientific metropolis from one cookie cutter look, to possibly a couple different layout options. Also the plan is for each style to have architecture based on the races so there are 4-5 options right there.

They could also go the WoW Garrison route. Have a somewhat standard layout, but give city council the option to place buildings on certain places.

But you're right, they might make it more...customisable in future content patches/expansions

ArchivedUser

Wraeven said:

Certainly the whole idea is risky, but that is what will make it so rewarding if it all comes together!

Its much better to imagine the flaws now, and think of ways to fix them, then to wait till launch and realize the flaws then, with no solution on the horizon. 

ArchivedUser

UnknownSystemError said:

That will most likely be the case. Nodes develop into their types based on the actions taken early on in development. So say you had a scientific node the first go round because people were doing all the actions that lead to that outcome, but next time around they end op fighting more or actions that lead to a military node. I think in the beginning the models for different levels will be fairly static, but they will add more over the life of the game via updates.

I'm not saying you are wrong, but I remember hearing that the type of node is predetermined and not affected by the player and that players will  know what type of node it is during the first stage when the first NPCs arrive. Will you link me where the devs said the type of node is influenced by the player? I don't want to end up giving someone the wrong information later on because of my ignorance.

ArchivedUser

@Zastro K..at this time we may both be right. I remember listening to a Q&A where Jeff was saying that player actions when they first get into the world would determine the type of node. I went to Discord, but didn't get any love from a purple or gold name, but other regulars I know said that node type is pre-determined, another said that you don't know what their type is till level one, and another vaguely remembered the same thing I did. So until we get some clarification lets call it a tie. I hope that it is determined randomly, since I can already see myself in alpha one making a map of the different node types to choose the best starting spot. Then again it depends on how many node zones there actually are. If it is something like 25, then it will be important to know early, if it is like a 100, not as much.

ArchivedUser

@UnknownSystemError Hmmm. Well, I'm mostly fine with it either way I just wanted to make sure I had the right information lol. I look forward to finding out. 
I do know that players influence the primary race and racial architecture of a node though...

ArchivedUser

UnknownSystemError said:

@Zastro K..at this time we may both be right. I remember listening to a Q&A where Jeff was saying that player actions when they first get into the world would determine the type of node. I went to Discord, but didn't get any love from a purple or gold name, but other regulars I know said that node type is pre-determined, another said that you don't know what their type is till level one, and another vaguely remembered the same thing I did. So until we get some clarification lets call it a tie. I hope that it is determined randomly, since I can already see myself in alpha one making a map of the different node types to choose the best starting spot. Then again it depends on how many node zones there actually are. If it is something like 25, then it will be important to know early, if it is like a 100, not as much.

What types of nodes are there?

-          There are 4 different types of nodes: Military, Economic, Divine, and Scientific

 

Do players get to choose the type of node it will develop into?

-          No, the type of node is predetermined.

 

How can players tell what type of node it is they are developing, in case they don’t want to contribute to the growth of a particular node?

-          The NPCs will reflect the type of node to expect, even at stage 1. Divine nodes will have preist NPCs, military will have soldiers, Economic will have traders & merchants, and science will have scholars. 

Hope this helps.

ArchivedUser

@CylverRayne It does. Thank you

ArchivedUser

Zastro  Welcome.    

ArchivedUser

Wraeven said:

Certainly the whole idea is risky, but that is what will make it so rewarding if it all comes together!

Its much better to imagine the flaws now, and think of ways to fix them, then to wait till launch and realize the flaws then, with no solution on the horizon. 

Exactly, it's the primary reason why many of us, if not most of us backed the game. If Intrepid fail to deliver this effectively then there's plenty of other MMOs out there that will over what Ashes will be left with. As @Lexmax stated, it's up to us to hold IS accountable for their development and delivery. 

ArchivedUser

While node progression is a part of the game, and it is the part that allows communities to build themselves, it is by no means the entirety of the game. Thinking that nodes, and node warfare, are the only viable means of entertainment in Ashes is, perhaps, limiting the view. It is saying "Ok, node's built up, I'm level capped. Now what?"

There will be, besides node progression, which is a monumental task, also:

• Community-building
• Politics
• Economy Manipulation
• Gathering/Processing/Crafting
• Selling
• Caravaning
• Bounty Hunting
• Exploration
• RP

When you add in these elements -- some of which will also be monumental tasks -- it changes the dynamic of the game.

In short, for the people who focus solely on level capping and then node development/sieges, you're missing out on a great deal else in the game. This means that, yes, you may well get bored and tired of the game more quickly than those of us who entertain ourselves with all the rest of the offerings.

ArchivedUser

Isende said:

While node progression is a part of the game, and it is the part that allows communities to build themselves, it is by no means the entirety of the game. Thinking that nodes, and node warfare, are the only viable means of entertainment in Ashes is, perhaps, limiting the view. It is saying "Ok, node's built up, I'm level capped. Now what?"

There will be, besides node progression, which is a monumental task, also:

• Community-building
• Politics
• Economy Manipulation
• Gathering/Processing/Crafting
• Selling
• Caravaning
• Bounty Hunting
• Exploration
• RP

When you add in these elements -- some of which will also be monumental tasks -- it changes the dynamic of the game.

In short, for the people who focus solely on level capping and then node development/sieges, you're missing out on a great deal else in the game. This means that, yes, you may well get bored and tired of the game more quickly than those of us who entertain ourselves with all the rest of the offerings.

Isende,    Well said!
And when you consider every sub category under each above mentioned activity the list goes on indefinitely.    
Exploration leads to new dungeons and treasures.   Danger lurks in the world offering excitement and thrills. Hidden objects and caves.  
RP can lead to new friends and new ongoing story lines.
Community building builds friendships and loyalty, group adventures and information centers. 
MInes deplete and reappear elsewhere.  Changes in the land are effected by the environment and the players actions.  It goes on and on. That's the magic of an ever changing world.