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Alpha One Kickstarter
busturdust
Member, Founder, Kickstarter
Hi All,
I have been a supporter since kickstarter, May 16, 2017. I had read that some kickstarter supporters are being given access to Alpha One, but I am not sure if my level was sufficient. I have been really eager to play this game for quite some time (obviously, since about, 2017 : ) I have the Pioneer - Early Bird Limited!, and Upgrade to Founder package. Will I be considered for the rolling admissions to Alpha - 1
Looking forward to playing
I have been a supporter since kickstarter, May 16, 2017. I had read that some kickstarter supporters are being given access to Alpha One, but I am not sure if my level was sufficient. I have been really eager to play this game for quite some time (obviously, since about, 2017 : ) I have the Pioneer - Early Bird Limited!, and Upgrade to Founder package. Will I be considered for the rolling admissions to Alpha - 1
Looking forward to playing
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Edit to add description directly from Kickstarter. My pledge states "Invite to Closed Alpha - Phase 1 (Earliest Access to Ashes!)" I'm not sure what they mean by earliest access to Ashes when I don't have access but others do....
Anyway, I wouldn't count on getting in anytime soon or pretty much anything your told.
Flesh DP - The lady in the next room.
LOL.
*EYES WIDEN* What he said. *Winks*
The name's Abraaxis Stygian. \/
Those with A1 access from Kickstarter/Summer are being allowed access to testing of a ramp up to A1 in waves based on tier. The latest announced will be LoM from August, then the BoW will get access during the ramp up. Then once A1 is ready the remaining Intrepid Pack holders will get access. (There was an Intrepid Pack that had A1 access sold until Aug 2018)
While I was typing this post, a PI backer that has more firsthand knowledge than I do answered the question. I will leave my post here anyway though.
Currently only Phoenix Initiative and Leader of Men backers have access to alpha testing. Braver of Worlds is on the next group to gain access. They're trying to have alpha fully running by fall. Further info below.
We were informed about alpha access by email a couple of months ago. The same message was posted in creative directors letter located news at the ashesofcreation.com. Link: http:/https://ashesofcreation.com/news/2020-04-01-creative-directors-letter/
About halfway down, there is this quote,
"...limited Alpha One testing will begin in May of 2020 starting with our highest level Alpha One backers from Kickstarter. This testing will include our Phoenix Initiative backers and above at first. As the game client becomes more stable during this limited testing, we will begin to introduce our Braver-of-World and above backers.....goal is to have the Alpha One game client ready for full testing in Fall of 2020"
In one of their recent Twitch streams (I think it was from May), they said that were not ready for Alpha yet and sounded like they were back peddling on the release time. Also, it sounded like they only did a couple tests or so far. I think we may not be missing much at this point.
I'm due to get an alpha invite sometime in the next wave - I assume. Yet I don't want to see that next wave of invites go out at all if there are people that are looking at it as a chance to "play" Ashes, rather than as an actual test of systems.
I can already see the complaints - people saying the game will be shit because they waited three years to get in to the game, and then when they finally got there, a bug prevented them getting past level 8!
For those who have not developed the production of Ashes of Creation, originally the plan was to give everyone access at one time.
However, in late 2018 when they launched Apoclyapse, which among other testing goals (mainly action combat) they were also testing their back end. What they found was that their back end was unable to handle the stressors of the combat in the fashion they desired. So they did a 9 month rework from square 0 back to completion.
Learning from that they discovered you can't just let 10,000 testers into the servers at one time.
So they decided to do ramp up testing leading into Alpha 1
Phoneix Initiviate got in in May
Leaders of Men package holders are due to get in August
Then Braver of Worlds will get in
Then Intrepid Pack holders.
Yes, I know some people want to hold onto things that were said during the kickstarter having to be absolutes, however, a lot of things happen during the development of an MMORPG, and hiring on different producers (ones with a lot more experience) and a rookie company growing and having 3 years more seasoning, led them to deciding to change their schedule and do it right instead of continuing to make mistakes.
To those getting caught up on the "earliest access possible" statement think of it this way. These tests aren't the continuous alpha, they're 1 day tests. These tests will help ensure that when Alpha 1 truly starts there will be less issues. If they let 10,000 player on the server all at once this early into development they'd get nothing out of it since the game would undoubtedly be unplayable at best and most likely completely crash.
If you have a alpha 1 package pray these tests go well and we get alpha 1 on schedule......and be glad we're actually getting a legit alpha , imagine how the COE pledges feel.
Personally I look forward to breaking stuff so they can figure it out and fix it so when launch comes we have as few concerns as possible.
It will be mid to late beta before we have persistent servers, I would imagine.
Same, lol.
I, too, am looking forward to Alpha-1. Hopefully within six months or less.
And this is even better as a lot of games call testing Alpha when they should have been calling it Beta.
A true Alpha is not one that you 'enjoy' (there are enjoyable moments, but not overall). It is something that you must completely understand is a work in progress and that there will be game breaking things you will hit. And times when your whole contribution is just trying to log in over and over while reporting error codes.
Hehehe, can't wait myself to.
And yeah.. it's a real alpha so I hope no one is expecting fully smooth sailing
Missing features, entire mechanics fully missing, interactions fully screwing up and probably stuff breaking from weird hitboxes and animations to glitching through half the environment probably XD
But that's the fun for some of course... being able to find all the stuff that other people don't enjoy, just so they can fix it before those people get in.
A being can not judge light if he has never seen it, neither can he judge darkness if he never has been it
And yet, how do we test to find things that are broken to identify for fixing? You do quests, fight monsters, buy and sell, etc etc. You do so by playing the game.
No, “playing the game” is not at all necessary for testing at early stages. You only test things like quests and combat when those features are ready to test. They might have them right away, or they may not. Recent streams suggest that they will, and this alpha is closer to a later stage beta in old school MMOs, but I guess we’ll see.
(The suggestions that “this is a real alpha test” are nonsense, you young whippersnappers clearly never beta tested back in the old days... Grumble...)
Yes I plan to play. The KS package I got was only for the lifetime sub.
As Atama said it could very a lot on what they have ready and what they want tested. In the past I only got into beta tests and some of my friends got into the alphas. I expect we will be falling through the world or maybe stuff will spawn but not display so you get attacked and can't fight back.
In software development leaving something as small as a ; out or in the wrong spot can cause weird things to happen and they don't realize someone made a small mistake in updating server code. There can be so many things they are looking for.
Like in APOC when they tried to get as many people as close together as they could to test the server and found it wasn't up to snuff. Could be big might just be little stuff like in the last stream when the housing sigh was spamming everyone.
Can you tell me why random streamers who haven't even purchased a pack get access in August but Kickstarter backers have to wait?