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I say it's time to get the alpha started......................
granthor
Member
I understand they want to get it right, but come on guys lets get the alpha going. Even Star Citizen has a long-running Alpha, Hook up a small map area, and start in-game testing the MMO parts. I for one isn't a fan of PvP and would love to test the MMO areas of the game. So what is the hold-up?
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If that's your benchmark, I dunno if I can respect this opinion.
Well the fact you think you an just hook up a small map area and start testing the MMO parts means you don't understand game development.
The entire BR map exists to test primarily action combat, server architecture/stability/deployment, assets, quests, etc.
As Ashes of Creation is going to be centered around player driven decisions, and those decisions will be made via combat (Node Sieges, Castle Sieges, Node Wars, Caravan running, Dungeons, Raids, etc), the combat has to be better than alright.
The "mmo parts" of the game, those are easy for the guys on the team. Quests, drops, loot, etc that all worked 2 years ago in Alpha 0. Their hold up now is getting the servers stable and getting the combat good.
2012 - initial Kickstarter
2013 - Hangar module
2014 - Arena Commander + Racing
2015 - PTU (a VERY messy ptu i might add, which was near unplayable) + ArcCorp instance
Late 2015 - Crusader, not only the few missions we had before, but also its moons
2016 - Grim Hex + Star Marine
THE GREAT DRAUGHT FROM 2017 TO 2018
2018 Star Citizen 3.0 and other updates
It took them 1 year to make a hangar with a handfull of ships, with two more on top of that to make the PTU.
Other development timelines:
EverQuest - 3 years
WORLD OF WARCRAFT - 4-5 years
Star Wars:ToR - 5 years
Guild Wars 2 - 5 years
Elder Scrolls Online - 7 years
Just saying. I know it's not the best example, but at least they are testing in-game and not just talking about it.
Mainly I am going back to the map they showed off a couple of years ago. The one used before all this arena PvP. I figure why can't we use that one now or has things go so far south, they can't use it anymore?
And your just making my point as to why we should be seeing the alpha for AoC right now. I do recall saying alpha and not Beta.
Modern games require around 5 years u til they are done. A Alpha isnormally reached in year 4 or early 5... AoC is currently 3 years in development.
From what I have been able to see, actual development didn't start until after the kickstarter.
There was an element of pre-production (forming ideas, world building, planning etc) that went on back then, but that happens with every project prior to actual development.
Translation: "hurry up so that I can play this game, as I have nothing else better to do with my time."
The funny thing is you are probably one of these people who goes into alpha testing expecting a finished product and then complains when the game is still a broken mess.
Nodes aren't ready yet.
Most likely, both the Divine Nodes and Military Nodes articles will be released before Alpha 1... not before.
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/332437/Ashes_of_Creation_Apocalypse_Launches_December_18_nbsp.php
That was the announcement for “open beta” a year ago for APOC. That’s their terminology. Please don’t confuse people by mixing up the two.
Nooo, I am the Beta man, that points out last-minute bugs. thank you very much.
I know, but my point was, why not still use that map to test the MMO parts.
Doesn't matter what label is attached.
When you talk about separating MMORPG and BR schedules, you are really talking about external access to gameplay. Which is different than the actual content.
The content is MMORPG Alpha content, systems and mechanics that we are testing.
The setting for APOC is different than the setting for the MMORPG - thousands of years before the MMORPG setting.
The stage of access for Apoc is Beta... in terms of how many players have access to that gameplay. The stage of access for the MMORPG is pre-Alpha. But, the content stage, as opposed to the access stage, is the same for both the BR and the MMORPG - they are both Alpha 0 content.
A Beta, in terms of content, is feature complete and we know, regardless of the marketing label, that Apoc is not feature complete.
Pretty sure Steven said the above in one of the recent dev livestreams.
The devs aren't being careful to avoid "misinformation", they are attempting to avoid misconceptions - but, it's going to be muddied and confusing in any case.
APOC is a testing ground for MMORPG content. It is standalone in the sense that the setting is different and the monetization is for a separate pool of funds- most importantly, to pay for maintenance of the APOC servers, which are separate from the MMORPG servers. Player access to gameplay is also separate. But we are currently testing MMORPG Alpha content in APOC.
Playing the exact same map for 2+ years would be boring.
I hope we get a new map every 3-6 months. Why would anyone want to keep playing on the same limited map for years at a time? Especially when they have new environmental assets and new biomes they can show off?
anyone happy for horde mode?
Although it'd ONLY test server stability, I'd be really happy if they would let players in the two current APOC maps without the PVP. Remove the timer and BR aspects. Just let it be a map where players can socialize instead of the Discord channel. (if they have 1 or 2 emotes, great!)
Play find the sandal....I might actually download the game if I didn't have to deal with the BR.
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They can't continue to do anything until they find a way to keep a concurrent player base above 8 people in the BR testing. If they can't, then the MMO won't be out for quite a while.
I think we'd need some more stuff to make that interesting, though.
Like being able to make campfires and being able to sit and lie down.
We would need to have some way of displaying our cosmetics/gear.
I'd want to be able to display food and drink - hopefully with at least a drink emote.
We've seen some dance emotes in the last livestream, I'm not sure those are in Apoc yet.
I'm an Explorer/Socializer/Achiever/Killer. So, I would love to just socialize in APOC, but if we didn't have at least that much - it would probably feel easier for me to just chat in Discord.
And, yes, they have to at least get Solos and Duos and Squads all working at the same time.
Small map should be great for queue times, but only if more than 8 people are playing. Might be helpful to have at least a handful of map options.
So then what? "Screw the MMORPG" right? It's Doo Doo. I'd rather they get alpha 1 good and ready to go. Prepped with all the content and a backend pretty baked to make sure people have the best possible first impression of the MMORPG.
I think Alpha 1 is just Kickstarter/Summer Backer packages - which are no longer offered.