Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
AOC: Hype or Something Far Greater?
MMORPG it's one of the oldest genres when it comes to games, Let me ask you what comes to mind when I say those words? Well, when you say these words three things come to mind for me... World of Warcraft, lackluster, and overall dying... That was Until something popped up on my feed one day...
A short little trailer for a game called Ashes of Creation suddenly changed my outlook on the genre, But what makes this game so different? What gives this game that luster that most games in this slowly dying genre don't seem to have? Could it be the seemingly never seen before nodes system? The diverse classes? Or even the idea of defending something you created? No that can't be it... Many of the games in this genre have done at least one of these before in various ways so, why does this one seem so different? Why was this game so well funded in a matter of days when other new rereleases in this genre from only just a year or so ago can bearly stay above ground?
Well, let's think back to the first game that you truly enjoyed that you fell in love with after playing the first quest, mission, or match the thrill, the excitement, the hy- No the hope that game gave you. Every time I hear Intrepid talk about their game, the game they are trying to create... They have this sense of passion and conviction in their voice. When these developers talk I can't help but get the same feeling that I felt when I killed Alduin for the first time, hell The thrill I use to get when winning a tough match in the summoner's rift, The overall joy I'd feel when ranking up in overwatch... and even the hope I'd get when hearing about a sequel to a good game... I haven't even played this game yet a simple trailer made me feel this...
Inventively That's why I think ashes of creation seem to shine to myself and it's fans. It gives them hope for a dying genre. A genre that has been driven by seemingly by a single game for years through developers creating copycat games and publisher saying "Do What works..."
But ashes of creation has a chance to resurrect, revive, and regenerate this dying genre. They have the funding, created the concepts, seized the hearts of fans from around the world, and are on the verge of their first official alpha... All that's left is for intrepid to blow us away with what seems to be one of the most anticipated games of this genre in a long time...
I look forward to playing this game and exploring the seemingly endless possibilities it has to offer!
~ Rider
Comments
So warm and fuzzy!
I have been playing D&D since the mid 80's and would argue that it might not be the oldest RPG, it would be the best
I wouldn't say the MMORPG genre is dying. It's always been a bit of a niche field. WoW was a bit of a phenomenon. EverQuest mainstreamed the genre a bit but WoW did explode it (even if I dislike the game I have to give credit where it is due). That was great from an expansion of player standpoint but not really much else. It led to a train of rushed games trying to cash in on the crowd but few bringing anything really unique in the game itself or its identity. And thus the over-saturation of the market and the slow death of many games march began.
Luckily, there's still some life in this genre of ours. Games like Ashes of Creation , Pantheon, Crowfall, and Camelot Unchained are all marching in and each trying to do something a little different from the other. That's a great thing and can provide something to each of those niche markets. I think with that the future of the genre is probably better off than it has been in a long time.
I'm not saying it's not an RPG, just not what I would consider a traditional one. I loved Dungeon Siege, it had a story, you could build your own PC, it is considered an RPG. Halfway through play (I finished it) I realized that it was a different type of RPG than I was use to.
I'm saying because I think that RPG-lite element of WoW allowed it to reach a much broader basis. It allowed for an introduction to RPG without jumping straight into a D&D game where, in a good campaign, bad decisions come back to haunt you. Hopefully this worked as a gateway drug to a lot of players that would normally not try P&P-RPG's or deeper RPG video games.
Not trying to bash WoW, but for me it's more like Dungeon Siege than Fable.
And you're right, there could be another phenom to pop up. Maybe AoC will be that. And if they rake in 10 million players we'll see the same rush to cash in on that popularity with rushed carbon copies we always see. And then a few years down the road, we'll be right back here again.
It's a funky cycle game development. But if crowdfunding has shown us anything, it's that there is still plenty of demand for MMORPGs, the developers just need to budget and design around that niche as it's very likely the big budget MMO is dead until another random game spikes the population again.
(Not sure why but I posted this before and it up and vanished.)
KS, then Summer Backing, were used to hire on more staff and add features sooner (at release) then later. Also, the hype thing.