Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Comments
I applaud your enthusiastic dislike against them, but I'm happy that I'll be able to exercise my free will and not buy irrelevant pixels if that's what I choose.
No one gets to 'molest my tits' unless I give permission, and unless you're my man Thor in disguise that's not going to happen. (If you are, could you stick the kettle on hon?)
If I want to show financial support for ashes, I'll buy things. It is after all, up to myself how I choose to spend my money.
You Might persuade Intrepid and Steven to change their minds... but if I'd risked the 'investment' of as much personal cash as they've done, I'd feel like to have the best chances of seeing a return aswell.
Ok, so cash shops parasitically feed off the bloated wallets of gamers, but they also make sound business and economic sense.
As to moral sense, I'd also be happier living in a less consumer driven, capitalistic society.... but unlike yourself @Meudestroy I'm lacking the commitment and energy to significantly change modern society in any effective way. I'll just keep campaining for better treatment of food producers by supermarkets instead rather than taking on THAt giant.
75% of a cashshop's revenue comes from whales, and the rest from dolphins and the average gamer. Once a cash shop runs off the majority of the player base, the only people still playing are the few whales and the game dies. Enjoy that $40 cosmetic when there is no one to play with you. Gonna be fun? It is a very short sighted and negative business model. No rational business wants to burn repeat customers. How many people refuse to buy future products from a company that has burned them in the past?
Thor takes you out to that fancy restaurant you have been wanting to go to and the experience sucks. Seriously doubt you are going back there.
The channel is referencing deltaDNA https://deltadna.com/
All four videos you posted were discussing specifically micro transaction cash shops that provide pay to win content.
Apples and oranges are both fruit, but they're very different beasts.
If ashes cash shop content is as they have been saying, only cosmetic only, then actually I am unaware of any previous or present scenario running the same structure, so where statistics can be realistic compared.
For my part I only have a couple of concerns.
1) P2W in the cash shop. Not an issue if Steven maintains the vision.
2) Over priced cosmetics. Really need more info on this but it is still a concern. Are these going to be one time / permanent / reusable skins? Account or character bound? Dyes- individually / packs / random? Trade-able? What kind of pricing are we looking at?
We can only speculate until more info comes out down the road. But in general I personally despise micro transactions. Cash shops are not typically in the best interest of the consumer and everything about them is designed to manipulate players. I would rather play a game without a cash shop over one that does have one.
- last I heard no cs items tradeable, but permanent and account bound with only one toon able to use at once, although transferable between account chars and with no char bind on equip
I think I may be a little more blasie about the cash shop concept manipulating gamers is because of my retail background.
For twenty years every decision I had to make had to be justifiable and show finanial return...
"So eight out of ten new visitors to the shop will look and turn right first, so I want my most popular \ highest margin \ most eye catching \ least nickable items there - mid height at comfortable reach..."etc etc
The fact is that we are being manipulated by almost every shop we've ever gone into, but we don't complain about the fact that the colour they've chosen to paint their walls is subconciously influencing the way we feel about ourselves and hence our shopping habits....
Or a small picture on the way in, that we glanced at out of the corner of our eye and we weren't even aware of registering, meant that we left with a large loaf of bread rather than a small one.
Manipulation is everywhere.
If you however are sure of what you want our don't want you don't have to spend money. (there's reasons folks will tell you to take a list if you're going out shopping)
As to not being in the interest of the gamer....as an rper, cosmetics are in my interest, I'd prefer them to ALL be available in the game too, but can understand why 'special' or 'designer' cosmetics might not be.
I believe I do get your viewpoint though, there is just something instinctually wrong about the possibility that we're being manipulated and our choices aren't at all our own. So why have a cs at all.
As Long as there is a constant stream of cosmetics I'll be happy, cs or no. But as long as the concerns are addressed and we can be reassured that there will be regular 'reality checks' to ensure that the game remains true to its original ideals..I just personally see the cs as harmless.
those were the days.
Now it just rent and gamble DLC microtransaction garbage everywhere, AAA = 3x Asshole money grubbers. Publishers have lost their credibility and are just leaching middlemen and blind consumers have adopted this model as normal and are conditioned to tolerate and even expect this crap.
I hardly even use Steam and primarily support GoG and independent game developers.
Ashes struck nostalgic nerve with me, however the CASH SHOP* is a warning sign.
And the way the Summer campaign* was handled only concerns me more.
Fundamentally the addition of a cash shop detracts value from a subscription.
Any additional Microtransactions are just a death sentence.
if they want the Subscription to work, then any alternative sources of income must be kept to a bare minimum or preferably non existent.
I understand developers need to be profitable, but the question is how.
In nature we have the parasitic, symbiotic and epiphytic. Ideally Intrepid* needs to pursue the symbiotic path where all involved benefit mutually.
If you want to know what the game has to offer, if want to look good, if want to be the best st something ... then you put in the effort to get there - the old-f&¿king fashion-way.
.. and not buying your way to victory - because the your first impression of the game will be laughable.
It's understandable if you don't have the time for it anymore ... But that'll never suffice of letting-go of the True Experience of an MMO - that's *NOT* good enough of a reason when you compare the two ...
Also, if Ninja Theory can make a game that's better than most so called "AAA games" out there, sell it for $30 and still make a profit then Ashes sure as hell shouldn't have a problem making a profit if they make a great game without having to rob us in the process.
(In context of Kickstarter mounts being skins and not actual mounts)
Don't know about other types of skins but I don't see why they would use another system for other types of gear.
Cash Shop items have been confirmed to be untradeable.
2. Gives a way for casual players to look good, those who don't have that much time to play and put in effort as others.
**edit**
Not trying to detract from anyone's play experience. I hope everyone that plays is having a good time and enjoys the game. However if two players on a completely equal playing field with the exception that one plays hardcore and the other plays casual. It cheapens the effort and time of the hardcore player if the casual can just whip out a debit card and look just as bad a$$ as the hardcore player.
But I really do wonder how they are thinking of splitting up the gained vs bought vs 'both ways' of getting skins.
I also feel that if you can buy something that is hard to gain, it will cheapen the effort. So I hope, and thnk, that Steven, as a fellow MMO player, is aware of this and has a good plan for how to divide it.
Excellent point btw.
I would wager that even the RP crowd would rather ravage farmer Bill's farm, snatch his overalls from his still warm corpse, and use them to RP a dirty farmer. As opposed to breaking immersion, opening up the cash shop, digging out their card, and buying those overalls.
I just personally don't have a problem with the CS even so. To each their own imo, if people want to buy let them. It's also a nice way for those who want to support the company to do so.
(Not saying that everyone who buys do it with that intent, but some do)
Tbh, having no clue what will be in the CS
(Except: Monster Coins, Dyes, Mount Skins)
but, I hope it will mostly just be mount/freehold etc skins instead of armor or weapon ones, tho I doubt that I will get that wish fulfilled :P
I also feel like a few of you, any cash shop cosmetics should be second class to the epic cosmetics, ie armor etc, found for in game achievements.
Surely Steven did not say no bunny costumes
They did mention seasonal cosmetics, so bunny costumes could be a thing if Easter is celebrated in-game.