Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Comments
and maybe a sign next to the guild info so you can see what kind of guild they are, like PvP, PvE, etc.
Making it complex just takes time away from playing in the world of Verra
I'd like to emphasize the importance of letting guilds & players find each other both ways in game. I really couldn't believe GUILD wars 2 doesn't have an in-game guild-finder -- you had to either try finding guild recruiters in major cities who happen to be online & spamming chats, or go onto the forum and dig through the pile of recruiting threads. The process's too tedious and I simply went solo after the 3 guilds I was in died out.
Anyway. I hope Ashes will have:
- A guild finder-ish tool which let guilds post their ads & statistics (system generated) if they wish.
-- Could use the in-node message boards.
-- Or if the guild has a guild hall, let them have a publicly-accessible reception section, place an NPC there that introduces the guild, let officers edit the introduction and configure what system-generated stats they want to reveal, and interested players can leave an application & contact info at the NPC.
- A job hunting-ish tool that let players post their own profile, and guild recruiters can view them and send invites if they wish.
-- Could also use the in-node message boards.
Retention:
I think the most important thing is giving players the feeling that they're part of an active community (the guild), but ppl all have life and can't always login at the same time, so as others have said already, a companion mobile/desktop app linked to the in-game guild chat will be really helpful. It allows guild members to stay in touch without using 3rd party apps that either require their RL contact info (whatsapp line signal FB etc.) or incur an RL monetary cost (slack / discord).
Managing leadership when the leader leaves. Many a' guild has been in the bad place where their leader quit or is unable to play for a long time, but leadership features are essential to gameplay, so the guild has to choose to hold out for hope of return, or cut their losses and reform under a new leader. I'm of the mindset that a leader who lets their subscription lapse may be subject for replacement, and a leader who hasn't taken any meaningful leadership actions within 30 days is similarly subject to replacement features.
For actual recruitment... I dunno, the whole "50 player guilds are the target, so you'll wanna make formal alliances" is super weird to me. This already hurts recruitment and retention, and will cause constant drama as power guilds shift members out and take members in because schedules change and the guild wants to stay on top and retain only highly-active members. That's kinda why I like the idea of letting people carry their progress and achievement with guilds as part of the character, so if players have to leave then come back after a delay (finals week, month vacation, moving to a new job, etc.) their progress is retained.
TBH I'm not a fan of a "one guild at a time" system, and feel like there should be divisions between a labor/work company, an adventuring organization, and a faith group, such that you can be a member of each separately. I wrote this back in 2013, and is more of what I hope to see in future games: Multiple Organizations
Despite everything, however, the raison d'être as a guild must also be essential. I understand this to mean privileges: guild-specific missions, dungeons, gear, awards or emblems (titles) and certain goals in which you can make progress collectively.
What I personally would find interesting, and have never heard of it, would be an integration system in which everyone is assigned a certain role or activity and can also carry it out through the system. Like a guild blacksmith, for example, who then has further ranks in his own hierarchy. Guild master smith, journeyman, apprentice or similar.
Furthermore, another nice idea comes to mind while writing: Guild leaders could be supported by the system to organise events.
Of course, one should not forget a simple but efficient recruitment tool. The guild can advertise what it needs or what requirements are welcome and so can the counterpart. The player can present himself and his preferences and then certain guilds are offered that synergise with the respective search criteria.
All for tiered benefits but also must be some kind of benefit immediately when joining a clan
Ranked benefits
And perhaps some unique individual titles within those ranks with a unique benefit
Other things
Clan rentable items to clan members, bound to clan
Clan bound items, cannot be sold or inter-traded, only returned to clan and re-issued by someone authorised.
(but this may be in conflict to pvp drops)
Pvp Kill / Killed number
Pve gathering stats
Raid number
Wealth graph
Here are my comments about guilds tools and stuff to help keep the players in.
Though my years of leading in different mmos (UO, Darkeden, Lineage 2, BDO, Lol-Atlas, Lol-BlessOnline...),
I've never seen a perfect system yet. But, here's the main thing I've seen through those years:
-> Guild ranks: To offer more flexibility in management and give more permission to some members. It also provide a goal to some members to raise in ranking. And I mean, not only for permission, but just member ranking as well.
-> Guild cash out: A form of salary like BDO was nice for the "contribution" of the member to the guild. But also a cashout system to sent a "bonus" to all the member in the guild. That system in BDO was amazing.
-> Guild member last seen: We need to track who's active and who's not ! That is utterly important, and I've seen MMO without that tool. It turns out to be a pain to manage otherwise.
-> Guild member game activity: Mainly used for more hardcore guilds. It can be truly useful to see how much someone plays (per day, week, month). Some players will, obviously, just log in and log out, to avoid the "last seen" thing. It must have a normal clock, and an AFK clock.
-> Guild member note: A small note that we can add in the guild management (not seen by the member), but by guild managers. "Vacation travelling", "Army deployment". That can be useful to not kick someone out if he has a good reason not to be online.
-> Guild pop up message: Sent a message in the screen of everyone in the guild for emergencies. Not in the chat, but in the screen.
-> Easy recruit system: If we ever need to get on a website to add someone like destiny 2, that's a pain. It must be easy to invite someone, but it could be interesting to have an "apply to a guild" with a short form and description that the player could do.
-> Guild leadership change: Must have, after a while of inactivity, a guild should be able to move out the leader and elect a new one. I've been truly pissed off when I was a member in my early days of mmo, and the leader stopped playing without giving it to somebody else. Otherwise the members, will need to build a new one from scratch. This can be as bad as just stop playing the game.
-> Guild quest: Guild quest are amazing, but not only kill a shittons of mobs like BDO. It must vary way more. Small quests, or PVP quest... variety is something we are looking for.
-> Guild objective: Make it easy to see, what's the goal this week or this month?
-> Ping on map: Should be able to do that for guild movement, even for parties or alliances.
-> Guild shop: Protectionism! haha Helps player working with each other and exchanges.
I could probably find other things, but that's a start!
Best regards,
[RTQC]Llama
Edit: so having an informal but UI supported place to check for what the guild's goals and purpose is would be great. If I am scrolling through a list of guilds or am looking at one in particular (wether at its guild hall or via some GUI), let them be able to clearly state if they focus on castle sieges and controlling one part of the world, if they are more PvE focused etc. With a game that doesn't have fast travel the location of their concentration of resources would also be useful to now (could be a lie they write but have some place that it can be declared if they wish).
Ultimately it comes down to a few things.
First, voice coms. People really do not get to know each other unless they spend time together just hanging out and talking. No matter how many raids you go on, or how good of a player you are, true friendships and loyalty come from those late nights when just a few of you are hanging out on voice comms.
Secondly, like minded individuals. It is important that a guild builds around a mindset. This is what we are and what we are going to be, and then lives up to it. Guilds that contradict themselves or show favoritism quickly crumble.
Lastly, a strong leadership presence is required. Many times it is one person that is a driving force, and many times that person delegates to others that can share the burden. And once in a while a like minded group can also make that work, but usually that one person, the guild leader, that is a charismatic, knowledgeable, driving force is what holds things together. Either they keep content going at a good enough clip where players want to stick around for the progression, or they instill a belief in them and their pursuit of doing things a different way, and regardless of the pain, those who are believers will stick around and show loyalty.
These are the things that make guilds successful, it does not matter what tools they use. Other than Voice comms and clearly documented policy that they live up to there is not much more required. You can do this on Discord alone or you can get fancy with other tools. All you really need to do to build a guild is be what you say you are going to be. It is more about the people, the actions they take, and the ideals they live and play by than by any sort of tools or game mechanics.
Social guilds, casual guilds, medium core, hard core, progression, all kinds of guilds work. Some better than others.
They're really useful and make browsing the different types of guilds much easier. Probably worth carrying over into the game.
A *requirement* that a guild advertising has an actual Mission Statement. A guild must present clear defined goals and a direction. What they want to accomplish. Maybe a very small little quiz about play style that the guild leader applying takes. A player looking for a guild must be able to know *exactly* what kind of guild they are applying for and what to expect. For a guild to be able to post on a guild search system in game, there should be an application process. Only a guild that has been reviewed should be advertised as a "verified" guild. The guild leader submitting the application must be able to be contacted by Intrepid Customer Service. Things like confirming their public discord is correct and any guild website actually exists. Once verified, then the guild will show on the in game guild recruitment UI system. Guilds must meet activity requirements, if activity falls below a threshold they are removed from the recruitment system until their guild leader applies for reactivation.
Too many MMO are flooded with dozens if not hundreds of random, empty guilds PER SERVER. Over time this builds up to such an expansive list, that the guild recruitment system becomes a joke. With a new player overwhelmed with hundreds of guilds. How are they to find the right guild for them? There should be a good filter system, where a guild-less player can select their preferences, ie: guild size, play style, region, primary activities. This is where having a clear and sincere Mission Statement comes into play.
Mission Statements must be clear and concise. Not just something like "hang out, have fun, we do a bit of everything". That is almost useless for a player seeking a guild.
One of the most difficult things in an MMO, whether it's brand new or established for years, is a new player dropping into the game, and being alone and unsure who to play with, even worse, what server to pick and randomly hope a compatible guild is on that server.
A new player must have access to the guild selection system before and during character creation. And new players need to be steered into this system before they make a character and choose a server. When registering an account on the official Ashes of Creation website, prior to playing the game, steps should be taken to steer a player towards the guild selection system. With information and encouragement on why it would be beneficial to join a guild before starting their adventure.
Guild selection system should be integrated into the official web page, forums and companion app.
In-game, when a player hovers over another players character with their mouse, there should be a UI option, to open that guilds, in game guild page, to see recruitment options and just general information, as part of community building. If that UI option gives the player an ability to follow or "subscribe to that guild, it could be useful, like tagging the guild to track with the companion phone app. Automatic opening of that guilds verified, linked public discord channel. While being able to instant join another players public discord is handy for anyone, at any stage of the game, think how incredibly helpful it could be for a new player, level 2, to run into a friendly helpful higher level player, who they can immediately start talking together and potentially be helped out, through that linked discord, and instantly see that guilds recruitment page. Or even just "star" or tag that guild they had a random encounter with, as a favorite. To refer back to them as being helpful. Guild tracking, very useful feature.
In terms of retention, I feel it's not up to Intrepid to incentivize players to stay with a guild they join, Intrepid can do many things to help bring a player into a guild, but it's the guilds responsibility to put the effort into keeping their members. One thing I see often is that a player in a guild will login and gets ignored or has nothing to do with players higher level or in other zones of the map from within their guild. That's a guild issue mostly, I feel, not an Intrepid issue, as I know that all zones are mutli character level and many social in game things such as taverns.
Intrepid can help facilitate that, through companion app features, in game UI features, social media (discord) integration, but much of that falls into a further discussion of guilds, in terms of things like in game UI and guild management options. I feel that player retention for a guild, is a guild issue, not something that is an Intrepid issue. I mainly feel that it's the recruitment side of things, where Intrepid can do much to enrich the community.
GROSS, disgusting. I will not play this game if this exists.
I want the ability to assign a mission to my guild and communicate that mission to the node's leadership. If the node is military in nature, maybe I could assign my guild as a militia for the area. If it is a trading focused guild maybe I could identify my guild as a mercenary company that will hire out as protection...or more sinister goals. I want to be able to interact with the node to identify a purpose for my guild and then assign smaller quests, goals, and missions within my guild based on my mission with rewards. If I assign my guild as a local protection element. I want to be able to advertise to the node that I will protect your convoy or trade etc for a certain amount of gold. I want the structure for this to be available in game and not just become dependent on players imaginations.
I don't like making characters stronger based on their guild rank. It would end up being in the guild's best interest to promote everyone to the highest possible level for guild wars, raids, and such. Better performance should be inherently rewarding in the form of becoming more skilled at the game, not because you sucked the guild leader off for a better rank.
Maybe they can implement an optional system where guild members can be taxed based on rank, but I bet this would result in a lot of drama within the guild. Guilds could always implement this themselves without Intrepid's help too. Just have everyone agree to pay a guild tax weekly, and redistribute it, if you want.
Guild rewards, hall, trophys, rare cosmetic stuff you can get from achievements for the guild, customizeable ranks, maybe a reputation that guilds can earn for rewards on the server, guild vaults(with permissions), ability to invite & have applications, a way to earn money and reward your members for completing tasks
Most of the games we have played together really only catered to the World Chat Advertisement recruiting method, leaving us to direct people to a website questionnaire and placing new recruits on a "trial membership" which was monitored manually to help weed out any Bad Apples.
I'm not really going to add much different from what others have been stating, but it's positive reinforcement, right?
Do you like Adventures and Shenanigans? - For Recruitment I would love to see a system in place that would:
1) Have a designated Sign Post/Bulletin in the Town Center and/or Taverns for Guild Recruitment Advertisements/Homepage "About Us" to appear. People looking for a guild could search by basic classifications - PvP, Node War, PvE, Crafting, Naval, Adventure, etc... as well as a Search by Name function just in case someone saw your group in the world and was interested in finding out more without needing to strike up a conversation in the middle of a pack of mobs.
a. These Bulletin Posts would be created via the Guild UI with an easy Check Box for options as to what the guild's main focus is, if there is a level or age restriction, along with a text box for elaboration. It should also be capable of supporting images so that we may display our guild banner and symbols. I feel BDO did a good job with this.
b. A customizable Guild Application should be available via Apply To Guild button at the bottom of the Guild Ad/Homepage. Saving people from needing to use a third party program for this would be a godsend! A notification would appear to Officers/Leadership that a new app is ready for review. An Accept Button should automatically add the new member to the guild so long as they are online. The Reject Button could PM a polite, "We're sorry, your request to join X Guild has been denied" or make it customizable as well so leaders can elaborate if they so choose.
Hate to see 'em go, can't always make 'em stay - For Retention I would like to see:
1) Guild Ranks. Custom would be amazing, but if they are to be predetermined at least cover Leader [1], Advisor [1], High Counselors [2 - 4], Officers [4 - 12] - the number of people allowed to hold the second and third rank should vary by Guild Size. New members should have a "New Recruit" rank for those that utilize a Trial Period, customizable to give full membership after a set amount of days.
2) Guild Titles to further give members something to show off/strive for. Perhaps reflecting their roles or playstyle, such as Trade Ambassador, Crafting, Bounty Hunting, Caravan Guard, Dungeon Diver, Loremaster, etc... Customizable would be fantastic.
a. When a title is given, a small guild wide announcement should be shown either in Guild Chat or on screen to allow people to see their fellow members earning rewards.
3) Guild Contribution that can be earned via Guild Related Quests/Missions, again similar to BDO, but also rewardable and removable by the Leadership for various jobs well done and reprimands. +15 points to Ravenclaw! -10 points from Sytherin! You get a car, and you get a car and you get a car!!
a. Same as above, guild wide notification for both gained and removed points.
4) As mentioned briefly above, Guild Quests/Missions to give people more reasons to come together as a Guild to complete a common goal.
5) Guild Shops/Auction Houses to allow members to post goods they want to let Guildmates have first dibs on before going regional.
6) A smaller instanced Guild Hall for guilds that do not own a Castle or are Patrons of a Node with basic creature comforts. This could also be the location of 5)'s NPCs.
For Officer Use Only:
1) Sticky Notes on Members to share with fellow Leadership, like Out of Town or Gave Warning, etc...
2) Different permissions for each Rank, or even by Member. You might have an Officer that is a total people person, but you don't really want them taking things from the Guild Bank.
Misc...
1) An in game wiki for items or basic FAQ about the world, crafting, creatures, drops, etc... that we can direct our members to for information.
Good -
Customizable permissions and ranks (people like a sense of progression in a guild, even if it’s minor permissions over time)
Chat notifications that a guild member has logged in or logged off.
Message boards, with more than just “message of the day” I need to be able to post several things that stay on the guild front page.
A log of chest/guild bank deposits/withdrawals.
function to copy/paste to and from the in-game text chat and also the guild message board. So the Discord link and any other media can be used easily.
Guild member activity last time they were online, counted in hours up to one day and then showing a total number of days offline.
Guild banks with GOOD permissions, linked to the rankings assigned in the guild.
Guild/Alliance Board as a part of the guild system, the board shows events, can be used to request assistance, put up notices to request materials between guild/alliance members.
Guild/Alliance Events System does not have to be as complicated as a calendar, can be as simple as a note system giving an example format: -
Event Date, Time, Location, Description, Number of Players required.
Bounty Hunting System Linked into the Guild/Alliance System related to PVP so that you can see active bounties.
Ability to create Bounties through the Guild/Alliance System.
Players note system added to the guild tab.
Ability to see the number of players by each role and profession in a tab within the Guild which would help keep track of what your guild is lacking and help focus your recruitment.
Guild/Alliance Achievement System could be tied to some in-game cosmetics that promote working together as an Alliance and a Guild separate from the Guild specific gear for emblems etc.
Bad: -
Recruitment questionnaire: Currently if someone applies to the guild, we send them an external form to fill out before we accept them. - No one wants to be applying for a job in a game
Nice to have but probably won't happen: -
Some form of Discord bot that links into an in-game guild/alliance event system in the game or from the game to the discord bot which updates a specific text channel with events.
There are a ton of other good suggestions above. I just put one I just thought of. The biggest thing is to keep things as customizable as possible. Every guild is unique and different. I have been in guilds run like a business where everything is done behind closed doors and there is actually a legit HR department within the officers and I have been in others where everything is done by word of mouth. If there is an issue the GM addresses it out in the open in front of everybody. What works for one group won't work for another keeping things open, ensuring the UI is easy to follow and ensuring the tutorial properly shows new players how to find and join a guild.
That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die.
I feel an automated system where you could request an invite from any guild in the server might take away from the distance elements of the game. Restricting it to the node the guild is in would maintain that factor.
That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die.
For awhile I ran a guild back in BC WoW with the single job of teaching and leveling new players. Once they were max level they would join larger raiding guilds. However, some of my officers and I had to give up positions in raid groups because we weren't "in the guild." That was sort of a pain. So I think allowing players to multi guild might encourage more mentorship (recruitment), and allow players to stay connected as they branch out in AoC (retention).
2. Guild growth. I personally enjoy the thought of Guild XP. as a guilds members do various things in the world they'll accumulate Guild XP or Reputation that can level up the guilding, allowing more slots and access to more features like guild houses n shit.
3. Ability to join several guilds at once is kind of needed in a game like this as certain guilds will be specified to certain aspects of play. Maybe have the ability to set 1 guild as your main guild (This one will be the one shown) and associate with others, also filling up guilds faster allowing for more guilds to populate the world.
4. I like the option to send invitation, but i also like the idea of limiting how many invitations you can send, to stop spammers from inviting everyone who walks into town, also maybe limited to people of a certain rank in the guild?
5.
2/Allow the creation of simple guild quest gathering/event participation/quest completion,...
3/Make guild shop where members can exchange their contribution points for stuff/benefit
Just make a guild billboard somewhere ingame where we can advertise. Also some form of general chat in city where you can recruite