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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.
Regarding Transparency In and Out of Game.
Rhaelah
Member
I hold very strict ideas about transparency regarding entertainment. Having recently watched the AMA, I was very pleased to hear Steven talk about keeping out-of-game information to a minimum as it ultimately reduces the level of fun a player has when they go to play the game. In today's day and age I understand the importance of releasing some information. I'm satisfied with the amount that has been given out, but if it were my decision I would put out less.
However, what I am here to discuss is the transparency of in-game information. Some of the most fun I have ever had in an MMO or really any game is a lack of in-game information. I have a few examples that I think explain what I mean thoroughly.
Example 1: Dark Souls
Besides the obvious difficulty of the game, Dark Souls has no map and hardly tells you where anything is or what anything does except the controls I think through a messaging system that you can skip. Some players, like myself, accidentally skipped this tutorial making the game harder, but also more fun to figure out. Dark Souls also had the advantage that Ashes doesn't have of releasing basically NO information about the game whatsoever besides a trailer I think, that I didn't even knew existed until after I played the game. You could argue that the difficulty in the game comes from the lack of in and out of game information. All of these combined are why I think Dark Souls was more than a complete success.
Example 2: EverQuest
I played the private server(Project 1999) of EQ for the first time back in 2015 and having played WoW for ~10 years, it immediately became my favorite MMO. Why? There was no tutorial, no map, spells didn't have any explanation besides a name, character creation didn't tell you anything about your race/class besides flavor text and maybe a little of its role(warriors are good at taking hits) but in a more flavorful way, items were a mystery as well. Quests weren't flaunted, you had to randomly decide to talk to NPCs to see what they had to say. The game was also very difficult and required groups as you leveled for most classes meaning community was huge. I got to stumble my way through everything. This combined with the most helpful and generous community I have EVER seen in my life has made this MMO my all time favorite. Mid-top level players would literally give you their old weapons/tons of money. People would help you learn. It was truly an amazing experience.
So, with these things stated, what do you think about in-game transparency? When you get a spell, should you know everything about it right away or do you want to figure it out yourself? When you get an item, should you know exactly who to give it to right away or do you want to figure out who to talk to? Should there be maps or maybe a map that is a little more vague than most MMO maps nowadays?
However, what I am here to discuss is the transparency of in-game information. Some of the most fun I have ever had in an MMO or really any game is a lack of in-game information. I have a few examples that I think explain what I mean thoroughly.
Example 1: Dark Souls
Besides the obvious difficulty of the game, Dark Souls has no map and hardly tells you where anything is or what anything does except the controls I think through a messaging system that you can skip. Some players, like myself, accidentally skipped this tutorial making the game harder, but also more fun to figure out. Dark Souls also had the advantage that Ashes doesn't have of releasing basically NO information about the game whatsoever besides a trailer I think, that I didn't even knew existed until after I played the game. You could argue that the difficulty in the game comes from the lack of in and out of game information. All of these combined are why I think Dark Souls was more than a complete success.
Example 2: EverQuest
I played the private server(Project 1999) of EQ for the first time back in 2015 and having played WoW for ~10 years, it immediately became my favorite MMO. Why? There was no tutorial, no map, spells didn't have any explanation besides a name, character creation didn't tell you anything about your race/class besides flavor text and maybe a little of its role(warriors are good at taking hits) but in a more flavorful way, items were a mystery as well. Quests weren't flaunted, you had to randomly decide to talk to NPCs to see what they had to say. The game was also very difficult and required groups as you leveled for most classes meaning community was huge. I got to stumble my way through everything. This combined with the most helpful and generous community I have EVER seen in my life has made this MMO my all time favorite. Mid-top level players would literally give you their old weapons/tons of money. People would help you learn. It was truly an amazing experience.
So, with these things stated, what do you think about in-game transparency? When you get a spell, should you know everything about it right away or do you want to figure it out yourself? When you get an item, should you know exactly who to give it to right away or do you want to figure out who to talk to? Should there be maps or maybe a map that is a little more vague than most MMO maps nowadays?
1
Comments
Oh I need to head west to get there. Let's see how it goes.
I want to earn everything I have.
No participation trophies here please.
-Pravchenski, yelling this at some twigs in sand, in a desert.
It's like everyone has a little tinkerbell hovering by them and once they level they wave their wand and you know this brand new spell/ability to the utmost degree.
I would like to know how you feel about in-game transparency as well though. Not just out-of-game. Like the example of spells in original EQ where all you got was the name of the spell and you had to learn what it did by using it.
-Pravchenski, yelling this at some twigs in sand, in a desert.
-Pravchenski, yelling this at some twigs in sand, in a desert.
-Pravchenski, yelling this at some twigs in sand, in a desert.