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
This game needs to make tens of millions to break even. If it doesn't do that, Steven would be doing himself a disservice if he doesn't sell it to the highest bidder.
I'm not saying they need to increase the subscription fee in order for this to not happen, but I am saying that you aren't in a position to say it won't happen.
If you like Ashes as a concept, and still like it as a game once released, you should want Intrepid to make as much money off it as possible in order to insure the company remains independent.
While that little extra may indeed be a deciding factor to a few people, even if it is one in 20, Intrepid are still better off with the increase.
You may not be, but Intrepid would be.
Time isn't the only factor. the game flopped, so the price dropped. You can go to GameStop and find a 6-year-old Mario game that was $60 new and it will still be $50 used because it was a good game and people love it.
$180 is the noticeable amount of money. That's the cost of three video games just to 'play' one video game. Raising the price from 15 to $20 increases that annual cost of four video games a year.
Could I afford raising it to $20? Sure. But I know there are people that couldn't and this would increase the barrier of entry to the game.
Other MMOs have given discounts on Yearly Subscription Payments. I would hope Ashes does the same.
Better than it being a p2w and the game being ruined for everyone (those who play/would play and those who don't).
I agree but that's a different argument.
True
And I hope so too
But people still say wow is $14.99 not $12.99
This ^
We also wouldn't want the barrier to entry to be too high. So for those who believe it should be higher, or are willing for it to be higher, I would ask what would that accomplish? If as a player you feel like the game deserves more money, give it more money in the cosmetic store. If you believe it deserves less money... don't play? At the end of the day, this is a business, and they need to make money to pay its developers and to continue making more content for us to enjoy.
MMO's in particular are not cheap projects and Stephen is taking a massive risk trying to make this as his first game. Luckily, he has the money to do it and so far it seems he has the support from some high-quality devs as well.
FFXIV did a very smart thing with its free starter trial.
FFXIV also didn't charge consumers to test the game.
Yes, but that heavily depends on whether the assumption that it only will be a deciding factor for a few people will turn out to be correct. Difficult to predict, but I hope Intrepid will be able to hit the sweet spot by asking for just the right amount of money.
Square Enix has buckets of money. If Intrepid had SE's budget I am sure Steven would love giving out the game for free on launch. IS should have such a thing down the road once profitability has been established.
Asking an indie dev to release their game for free to be 'pro consumer' like a giant corporation that's been around for decades and has comparative globs of money is the same bs logic that leads to companies demanding free labor during internships. 'You are untrustable and we are doing you the favor giving you the 'opportunity' to earn money down the road while having extremely high standards and demands of you because Karen does things super well with her decades of experience and is willing to work for less due to her super successful savings fund.'
These kinds of unreasonable demands and expectations set by big companies are exactly why it is so risky for smaller creative studios to actually take chances.
New World changing their direction wasn't the problem. The original idea they had for the game would be dead by now. The problem was they changed things in a way that made the game make no sense.
There are some things that have needed to change in Ashes from what we have been told (sieges not deleveling a node, as an example that has changed, family summons as an example of something still to change). This is what Intrepid need to do.
Them sticking to something they know is not the best way to do it just because they said they would do it is not good for anyone.
If all we do is adjust for inflation, $15 in 2017 is already worth $16.80.
By the time the game is released, that $15 from 2017 will likely be damn close to $20.
FFXIV also flopped on version 1...... just saying.
Yeah, testers who pay to test are often more diligent and the end products are often better. I'm a tester who paid much like most of us on the forum lol.
I have no hard facts except my own experience. I've probably played some of those games you've implicated.
M8 this aint personal , I dont care if he put 100 million quid of his own money in, if the game is good they will make a profit it's a plus to him . Isn't it better to take a bit longer to be in the red and have more people than take a year and put prospective players off ? Plus surly he isn't naïve and knows this is for the long haul not just a 2 year plan .
Edit ,, I don't care about Intrepid making money ( thats up to them) I care about the sub price same as many many people, your better off with a lower sub and more players than a higher sub and less players mmo's need community not just a niche crowd.
If you have ever played on a dyeing server you will understand this.
Saying that I understand they need to make a profit just don't price yourself out of the market.
God I sound harsh, guess we all want a good affordable game with lots of people to fill the world...
I wonder if these people would be ok being paid at their work with salaries from 20 years ago.
I bet none of these people became good enough at their field to name their price.
Sucks to suck I guess.
lll be ok IF the sub goes a tiny bit higher than $15.
Currently I am paying ff14 a sub and there is fucko to do in the game.
I did the same with ESO from time to time despite that they charged extra for chApteRS and the only content was singleplayer questlines.
Hell, most ** * ** *s posting here have active subscriptions on more than one mmo plus more than one streaming service, yet IF AoC was to charge $60 more A YEAR, for a game that aims to have:
10k server population
Active GMs
MORE servers than ZOS (na/eu and they both perform like crap)
Open world PvP
Open world PvE progress
Guild gameplay (none of the top mmos right now have guild gameplay. It's all Raid party gameplay)
Meaningful economy designs (crafting, gathering, transporting)
Meaningful housing (as opposed to ESO and FF14)
Naval content
Ambitious class/weapon design (with which personally I disagree)
... I can keep going but I finished pooping so Ima have to get going now...
ye.. these people believe that the world would not pay. Pathetic and laughable principles they have.
If that non-target audience is given the options to stay then the sub-fee would depend much less on their target audience.
When young people in the early 2000s paid for MMOs (especially WOW) it was not so easy to pay monthly, but now those same people have the possibility of paying for Netflix, HBO, Amazon, etc. Therefore if the cost of the sub-fee were raised they could pay it.
What I would rather like is that the public, who would have a hard time paying it (like us in our days of students with WOW), have that option to be able to enter AoC to learn and to know more about an MMO.
I think that generation Z has not been able to live a good MMO as in the golden ages and I'm not sure if this generation could adapt to the standards of the MMOs of that time but I consider that AoC carried out properly can instruct and teach what it could generate a good MMO.
Who will be the vast majority of players in AoC, Gen X , Millennials or Gen Z?