Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
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.
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 Animations and Combat
With this new PAX footage I feel a sense of panic. I know people are going to say well it's only Alpha but if you've played other MMOs over the last decade like I have, you know how a game looks in Alpha is more or less how it is going to look for launch with slight, subtle adjustments to visuals, optimization and game systems/interface. Games don't typically make vast, significant changes to their animations/combat/movement this late into development.
Which gets me to my main point: The game's animations looked a lot more clunky than I'd hoped.
Don't get me wrong, it looks beautiful - the environments, idle character renderings are very clean and detailed, the NPCs all look nice as well. However once things start to move, especially in combat, that's where beads of sweat begin to roll down my forehead.
I get flashbacks of Warhammer Online, Rift, Elder Scrolls Online and other NA developed MMOs where the game looked the same from Alpha to launch. But compared to Ashes all of them seemed to have a more refined look to them (with the exception of maybe Warhammer).
I really, really hope that Intrepid ignores all the starry eyed AoC fans who seem to praise every little thing that the company does or says, and start focusing in on the worries, concerns and potential suggestions the more veteran players are making in regards to how the game runs. Because trust me, the vast majority of gamers are not AoC fanboys, kickstarter supporters or even non-cynics. People who have no knowledge of this game look at the videos and write it off entirely within the first minute due to how difficult it is to spectate. I know this because I've been avidly trying to promote and convince people that this game will succeed, that it HAS to succeed.
I hope there are more like minded people like me who desperately want this game to succeed even if they are amidst the unpopular opinion crowd.
Which gets me to my main point: The game's animations looked a lot more clunky than I'd hoped.
Don't get me wrong, it looks beautiful - the environments, idle character renderings are very clean and detailed, the NPCs all look nice as well. However once things start to move, especially in combat, that's where beads of sweat begin to roll down my forehead.
I get flashbacks of Warhammer Online, Rift, Elder Scrolls Online and other NA developed MMOs where the game looked the same from Alpha to launch. But compared to Ashes all of them seemed to have a more refined look to them (with the exception of maybe Warhammer).
I really, really hope that Intrepid ignores all the starry eyed AoC fans who seem to praise every little thing that the company does or says, and start focusing in on the worries, concerns and potential suggestions the more veteran players are making in regards to how the game runs. Because trust me, the vast majority of gamers are not AoC fanboys, kickstarter supporters or even non-cynics. People who have no knowledge of this game look at the videos and write it off entirely within the first minute due to how difficult it is to spectate. I know this because I've been avidly trying to promote and convince people that this game will succeed, that it HAS to succeed.
I hope there are more like minded people like me who desperately want this game to succeed even if they are amidst the unpopular opinion crowd.
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Comments
As Steven, and others have repeatedly stated, games that most gamers have seen in the past, that companies have touted as being alpha footage, are not truly alpha footage. The game has been they advertise is already in a mostly finished/polished state, except for possibly localization. Gaming companies usually don't let gamers in on the ugly/clunky part of early production, because of exactly what you stated. They don't want to scare off potential buyers. First impressions, and all that....
Steven has said that, despite common industry practice, he would allow the world to view Ashes, from beginning to end, in all it's ugly glory. If Ashes' graphics, and animations, look clunky and unfinished, it's because they ARE clunky, and unfinished. This is true alpha. And, the game will most likely launch in the fourth quarter of 2019, unless there's some sort of setback/delay. Intrepid has said that they have a firm official launch date, of before 2020.
I've been told that the beta phase is when game mechanics, graphics, etc, are mostly locked in. Like @Xombie said, give it some time.
cough..LMAO...cough
PRE-ALPHA!
-Sry for terrible Eng-
and have a nice day! ))
Yes there is a long way to go but constructive feedback should be taken on board from all perspectives.