How do you want mounts to be handled?

ArchivedUser

As much as people say spell which is cool it does not fit with the narrative of the game such as something like a bard or an archer using a spell to bring  out a mount not realistic tbh. however item is the best fit as long it becomes a tool bar ability 

ArchivedUser

I like the EQ2 system where mounts are stored in a mount section of your character window and summoned to be used or can be selected, changed, and placed in your home area as a "house" item.

ArchivedUser

Similar to BDO would be ideal for me, but would not mind item mounts as long as they have their own health bars/mp bars, can be attacked, can attack, can be suited with armor, can grow, like ArcheAge style is fine.

ArchivedUser

Not too worried about immersion, just for quality of life really. As the game goes on and you gather more mounts and pets, its just easier to have them in a spell book.

ArchivedUser

I think a bit of a both. Have magical mounts be able to be summoned with magical/enchanted times or spells that mages or summoners learned. Then for the rest have Companion mounts with stables and stuff. Adds another reason to go to Nodes!

ArchivedUser

As its been mentioned that the only mounts that age and die are boss drops, it seems that most tamed mounts will be sticking with us, that'll mean land mounts, and water mounts and gliding mounts.

Whilst I prefer the immersion of companion mounts, I think that for game play / enjoyment, Spells or items will work best.
I for one don't want to dc on a boat and lose a beloved mount, or have to find a stable every time I wanted to swap to a gliding or swimming one.

Also just wanted to remind folks that animal husbandry is an artisan profession, you'd have to choose breeding above other professions (such as blacksmith)  to get that skill.

ArchivedUser

Megs said:

Also just wanted to remind folks that animal husbandry is an artisan profession, you'd have to choose breeding above other professions (such as blacksmith)  to get that skill.

Great point. 

I think the breeding is going to be one of the most chosen professions, mostly just because it sounds fun to be able to make your own animals. 

There is a trailer for a new video called Ascent Infinite Realm that has something in it that looks like breeding or at least a creature editor. The small snippet is at 2:40. The link is to the trailer on @DeathsProxy youtube channel.

I am really looking forward to all the weird and wonderful mounts we might have access to. Bugger the cash shop, lets just have player-made mounts.

ArchivedUser

I really don't want to see mounts popping out of nowhere and without the option to dismount. Making them as companions you can "park" or make them follow you adds to the world and to the roleplay this game is obviously looking to achieve.

There could be some items to call them if you got too far from them, which could be crafted from another profession, better ones having more range... Idk them being there with you just adds more possibilities for situations and new things.

Armor for mounts would be more important if they are vulnerable when you are not mounting them imo.

ArchivedUser

I'm completely undecided on this, I understand why people want the stable type system like in BDO.. however I'm not a fan of my mounts dying, don't mind paying for them to stay somewhere.. though as someone who likes to collect mounts I might find limited space or extortionate costs unfair.

As for the dying part, it just got really tedious after a while and I despise having to micro manage it.

ArchivedUser

OnyxTN said:

I'm completely undecided on this, I understand why people want the stable type system like in BDO.. however I'm not a fan of my mounts dying, don't mind paying for them to stay somewhere.. though as someone who likes to collect mounts I might find limited space or extortionate costs unfair.

As for the dying part, it just got really tedious after a while and I despise having to micro manage it.

@OnyxTN Having a freehold next to a dungeon might be a profitable business. Just think about opening a temporary stable there ;D

ArchivedUser

Another important question is how to keep mounts balanced. Most MMOs these days offer a variety of different skins but keep them all at the same speed in order to prevent one mount from becoming the only "must have" mount, rendering all others worthless. 

While I admire this sentiment, I think it's misguided and inconsistent with the whole idea of variable loot. Let's face it, there is a wide variability in the quality of gear, some is crap, some is BiS, why shouldn't there be the same level of variability with mounts? The same arguments about the "must-have" mounts could be made about BiS gear. You just have to adjust the acquisition cost to reflect the variable value. I hope the devs allow variable speed and quality mounts that offer distinction via skins, abilities, speed, and/or acquisition cost.

ArchivedUser

I voted companion, because I really liked how BDO had it, you had to physically go to the stable you left your horse to take it out. I liked it because it felt, you know... realistic. 17/11 stream confirmed that you will have to buy/acquire the horse (or whatever mount) from a physical stable (the breeder who owns it), but once you own the mount, it will be in your inventory as an item and you can summon it wherever. I don't really mind their decision tbh, not a big deal to me.

ArchivedUser

I'm ok with it being an item, but I'm confused since they said you can use mounts (like the moonstrider mule from kickstarter) to transport a small amount of goods.  What is keeping me from having a bag full of mules, filling one up, and summoning the next?   I guess that maybe you can either only have one mount in inventory at a time or perhaps make it impossible to dismiss once there are items in the inventory? They have said multiple times your mount can be killed (and retrieved again), so there must be a scenario where you cannot outrun, or quickly dismiss the mount.

ArchivedUser

So will be an item in our bags, guess this will apply for pack animals as well. I would imagine you can not unsummon so to speak a pack animal while it is carrying something but then how would this work if you wanted to go off and do something else before you had a chance to empty the mules packs. Will you be stuck with a mule wandering along with you, will be interesting to see how this is handled. 

ArchivedUser

I could have sworn they mentioned it's an item during the last stream. "Pocket mount" I think was mentioned. And that you wouldn't need to go somewhere to get your mount like a stable after you have already acquired it.

ArchivedUser

Lol, I love that the head scratching problem seems to be for people is "Where does the inventory go?" and not, "Why doesn't the horse die when I shrink it down to fit it in my magical backpack?" I just don't get the quibbling over one unbelievable thing vs another. Just think about the poor guy who runs a metropolis or castle, he has to visually wrap his head around pulling a massive dragon out of his pants.

ArchivedUser

UnknownSystemError said:

Lol, I love that the head scratching problem seems to be for people is "Where does the inventory go?" and not, "Why doesn't the horse die when I shrink it down to fit it in my magical backpack?" I just don't get the quibbling over one unbelievable thing vs another. Just think about the poor guy who runs a metropolis or castle, he has to visually wrap his head around pulling a massive dragon out of his pants.

Even during the livestream they laughed at themselves calling it a pocket horse. These are design questions though, not a suspension of disbelief.  I plan on focusing on breeding, so I am curious how the mechanics will work.

I wonder because it can exploit their inventory system. If each mule had say, 10 slots, and my backpack has 20 (that means 200 inventory slots), that would give me an advantage over others.  Also, if I put all my gathering materials on a mount, and am killed by a PKer, are my resources safe? What if my mount is killed by a player, can they loot resources off the mount?

I know we will have to wait for these answers, its just food for thought.

ArchivedUser

Its not the normal mount I was questioning that's fine it is the mule I was questioning. You pop the mule out load him up with stuff then what you just put him back in your pocket?

That is what I was questioning mules once loaded may need to remain out until unloaded.

ArchivedUser

I've played games with various types of doing mounts and it doesn't really matter to me as long as it's done well

ArchivedUser

I do not like the Idea of mounts being bought in the game store for real money. Mounts bought in stores should not have a speed or weight carry advantage.

I am ok with skins for mounts to change the appearance of a mount you have or appearance gear that adds to how a mount looks.

Mounts, Mount Skins and Mount Appearance Gear bought with real money should have no stat advantage like Speed, Defense, ATK. Items for mounts/ Mounts bought through the cash store should be appearance based only. We are paying a subscription, Items bought through cash store should be for appearance only.

The whole point I was excited about this game was it is subscription and that items bought through the store were cosmetic only. Then I saw a comment on reddit saying that mounts would be purchasable by cash in the store.



Please tell me that these mounts to be purchased in cash shop, are appearance based only. Cause if these mounts have stats involved such as speed that gives an edge and is construed as PTW.

ArchivedUser

The mounts purchased, obtained through KS/Summer backing, and every other way you can think of are skins only. Once you obtain your first mount you will be able to apply a matching skin to it. For example..horse skin goes on horses or turtle horse, or just about anything else combined with horses. Stats for mounts are determined through level in the wild, the taming process, and the animal husbandry profession. Once you have a skin you will be able to apply to to any single mount you own, over and over. So you can always have one Obsidian Stallion if you choose, not 50. Mount skins are not tradeable. I am sure I missed something, but there are all your reasons how mounts are not p2win.

ArchivedUser

TLDR: no P2W of any kind in Ashes CS.

Only cosmetic items (outfits, chat emoji packs, extra character appearance customization, pet and mount skins,...), and monster coins (that also get you cosmetic rewards in the end).

ArchivedUser

Preferably account wide

ArchivedUser

I really liked BDOs system with mounts. It made it feel a little bit more immersive than summoning it like a spell. Its also not a complicated system.

ArchivedUser

With reins.

ArchivedUser

I like a simple spell, If I want to fly over something then I can summon a flying mount, if I want to run faster a speedier mount. If I am in rugged or treacherous area a tanky mount. All at my finger tips.
Although If you can fly that kind of removes the need for any of the other mounts.

ArchivedUser

Rollin said:

I like a simple spell, If I want to fly over something then I can summon a flying mount, if I want to run faster a speedier mount. If I am in rugged or treacherous area a tanky mount. All at my finger tips.
Although If you can fly that kind of removes the need for any of the other mounts.

0.001% of the playerbase on a server will have access to flying at full development of that server. That is all 5 metros in place, and all 5 castles occupied. Not counting extremely rare timed egg drops that may or may not be in game. So flying will never be an issue for the unwashed masses. Once you lose your castle or leadership role, you lose the mount, so the numbers of people with those mounts will never increase.

ArchivedUser

Like a companion, I picture some kind of call mount item like a bell, whistle or similar that makes youe mount come to you after a short time. This way you would need to change mount at stable which is nice

ArchivedUser

Ohoho boy. Riders of Icarus. I remember that, played it to death for months on end before I got frustrated at the addition of level 45+ and the ranger class. Anyways. From my experience, from every game I've ever played, there's nothing that I hate more than boring mounts. Just summoning it and using it as a movement speed booster, no matter how you bring it forth into existence, gets extremely tiresome. Now, with a game like Breath of the Wild, which can afford to have more advanced AI mechanics, horses(mounts, for this example) actually feel alive, have a realistic gait, and are far more than just movement speed boosters. They are very viable for destroying large, fast moving enemies in the field and all in all, just fun to care for and feed lots of carrots.


Specifically though, since this is an MMO and again, can't handle nearly as advanced AI, it wouldn't really need to feel THAT lifelike. I mean, nintendo spent 4 years on the horses alone. AoC won't be having that kind of time. So, maybe something that just kinda lets me care for the horse, see some small animations showing that it either likes or utterly despises me, and above all, give us a cap to how many mounts we can have. Let's say, 3. So you actually feel some kind of attachment(and use strategy in deciding which mounts you should have) to your different mounts. Also when it comes to fetching mounts and putting them "away", you should have to dismount and remount those mounts.


To get mounts in the first place, you should have to have access to some kind of stable, whether node-based or freehold-based. If you lose access to these, they should only be accessible if you find another stable. That way, if you leave your horse/mount out for too long, it will move to the nearest designated stable. If it dies, then it will also simply go back to whichever stable is nearest, and there should be a cooldown before you can use it again, since it would need to recover. Feeding it carrots or hay would dramatically speed up the cooldown so it wouldn't be like, 3 hours. You could make it 5 minutes if you care for your horse/mount enough.


I honestly have absolutely no idea if mounted combat is going to exist in Ashes but if it is, mounts should be used for things that really, really need speed or horse-like strength. Look up some footage of someone fighting a guardian with a horse in BotW if you want an example of what I view as fast. Things that cannot be taken down, no matter what, without some kind of horse, otherwise, incredible amounts of frustration and timing. All mounts, in some regard, should also be very different. Some mounts would have more speed than others, but they would lack in either vitality or strength. Others, would be the other way around. Having all mounts the same speed, such as in FF14, takes away from it a little bit. It makes all of the mounts feel like reskins.


Also, I am aware this is a tab-target hybrid action based game and you likely won't see THAT level of combat AI but, again, just an example for when I say something fast moving.


Sorry for the long post but, my thoughts are those. And I probably missed something. cx

ArchivedUser

@RisingDemise I really like the idea of having the number of mounts you can own limited. That creates a deeper bond with your mounts, not only having them as booster, as you said, but as "friend". Sadly, the current item-like approach won't give us this feeling