Some Feedback from todays AMA
LockedOut
Member
Just finished watching todays AMA. Agreed with almost everything that Steven said save for two concerns.
1st, Multiboxing: I disagree that multiboxing should be allowed, and there're many reasons why. With a game like this the economy is going to be extremely important, multiboxers destroy economies. I am currently playing Classic WoW, there's a resource similar to what Steven was explaining in todays AMA called Black Lotus. These resources that are extremely rare, and spawn at random nodes are completely controlled by these multiboxers. They pick them all, and only put a few up on the AH to force the market on these items to be artificially heightened. In open world PvP, they have a huge advantage, they have a huge advantage in farming resources from mobs as well. The question I would ask would be what's the benefit for the game to have multiboxers in the game? I only see negatives. Yes I understand that it may be difficult to tell the difference between multiple players from the same household, but isn't that what having a dedicated GM force is for?
2nd, cosmetic cash shop: Personally I believe a key part of MMOs is the fashion game. Seeing someone with a super rare item, that you may have no idea how to even get, but you know they did something awesome to achieve adds a really important drive to lower level players to reach endgame, and for endgame players to chase for. Personally I'd prefer that there were absolutely no cosmetic items that could be bought from the store. But, I highly doubt this is something that will change, so what I would really like to be done is to not have the cash shop cosmetics on the same level as legendaries. The legendaries should be the coolest items in the game, and the grind to achieve them should be difficult. It diminishes a lot of the cool factor for legendaries if I can just go to the cash shop and buy something that looks just as good. Steven said he wanted to be respectful, and provide for all players that may not have the time to get these legendaries, and he wanted to make sure they can still finish their collection. I would argue this is counter to almost every other system you have placed in the game. Not everyone is going to be a king, not everyone is going to get flying mounts, not everyone is going to have land. These achievements are important BECAUSE not everyone can invest the time, or are good enough to achieve them.
Overall, I'm very excited about the game, and can't wait to hear more. Hopefully this is the right spot for me to put feedback, if not I'd appreciate if someone could direct to me to the correct location.
Thanks!
1st, Multiboxing: I disagree that multiboxing should be allowed, and there're many reasons why. With a game like this the economy is going to be extremely important, multiboxers destroy economies. I am currently playing Classic WoW, there's a resource similar to what Steven was explaining in todays AMA called Black Lotus. These resources that are extremely rare, and spawn at random nodes are completely controlled by these multiboxers. They pick them all, and only put a few up on the AH to force the market on these items to be artificially heightened. In open world PvP, they have a huge advantage, they have a huge advantage in farming resources from mobs as well. The question I would ask would be what's the benefit for the game to have multiboxers in the game? I only see negatives. Yes I understand that it may be difficult to tell the difference between multiple players from the same household, but isn't that what having a dedicated GM force is for?
2nd, cosmetic cash shop: Personally I believe a key part of MMOs is the fashion game. Seeing someone with a super rare item, that you may have no idea how to even get, but you know they did something awesome to achieve adds a really important drive to lower level players to reach endgame, and for endgame players to chase for. Personally I'd prefer that there were absolutely no cosmetic items that could be bought from the store. But, I highly doubt this is something that will change, so what I would really like to be done is to not have the cash shop cosmetics on the same level as legendaries. The legendaries should be the coolest items in the game, and the grind to achieve them should be difficult. It diminishes a lot of the cool factor for legendaries if I can just go to the cash shop and buy something that looks just as good. Steven said he wanted to be respectful, and provide for all players that may not have the time to get these legendaries, and he wanted to make sure they can still finish their collection. I would argue this is counter to almost every other system you have placed in the game. Not everyone is going to be a king, not everyone is going to get flying mounts, not everyone is going to have land. These achievements are important BECAUSE not everyone can invest the time, or are good enough to achieve them.
Overall, I'm very excited about the game, and can't wait to hear more. Hopefully this is the right spot for me to put feedback, if not I'd appreciate if someone could direct to me to the correct location.
Thanks!
2
Comments
That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die.
As for the cash shop, according to Steven is isn't financially viable to just have a subscription fee, hence why the cash shop exists in the first place. Out of all the monetisation options available, what is planned for Ashes is the healthiest for the game.
Steven has said that his rational for not having a box cost is because of his faith in the product he's produced. Why is not having a cosmetic shop any different? If the game is successful the sub fee alone should make a profit. If this isn't the case as I said in the original post the main issue I would have would be cosmetics being on equal footing visually as legendaries.
This MMO has caught my attention, and I would assume everyone else because they are NOT following the standard of todays MMOs. It's the whole reason why Steven said he wanted to make his own game; he was just fed up with the current way MMOs were being handled. Just because other MMOs have cash shops as standard practice does not mean it's good for the game.
Virtue is the only good.
I agree let's just hope ashes does not waste the good faith
A box cost creates an additional barrier for entry, whereas a cosmetic-only cash shop doesn't.
I'm new to this community, but you've given me a great first impression! Many times in other communities people have a hard time saying they agree. It's refreshing to have a conversation that ends this way, thank you!
Virtue is the only good.
Oh you sweet naive soul, thinking that these forums are an echo chamber that will agree with you on everything. You'll learn soon enough. Anyway, going back to the issue of the cosmetics (if it even IS an issue, which I really don't think it is but I digress), beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As long as the paid cosmetics are noticeably more textured or have better particle effects on them, etc I would just wait and see what the in-game achievable cosmetics look like before jumping on the "omg paid cosmetics are bad!!!!!" bandwagon.
I don't see anyone claiming multiboxing is good for the game, but how do you stop it without harming so many innocent people in the process? It's all very well saying that there's a problem, but if you don't have a solution to the problem then it's rather pointless.
What solution? To have GMs magically find the multiboxers? That's not a solution. And no, it's not good feedback when the devs have outright said that they are aware of the problem.
Virtue is the only good.
Having GMs look into cases of multiple accounts logging in from the same IP is not as you say "magically find the multiboxers". Way to twist my statement to fix your agenda. From what Tugowar linked I thought I made it clear that if Steven follows through with that precedent multiboxing hopefully won't be a big issue. Regardless my main point was that feedback does not require a solution. constructive feedback itself is fine. But, of course you don't mention this, you only go back to the same thing I've corrected 3 times in previous posts.
Do you really expect a GM to investigate any case where multiple characters log in via the same IP address? Do you realise how much time that would take given how popular VPNs are? And yes you're right that constructive feedback doesn't require you to provide a solution, but when the dev has literally admitted and acknowledged the problem mere hours before, you coming on here stating the problem is, in my opinion, rather pointless unless you have a solution to said problem.
I heard a bird ♫