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.
Evergreen Content that Ashes can do!
Vlhadus
Member, Alpha Two
I wanted to bring some of my ideas for "evergreen" content that Ashes can implement for the game maybe at launch or its first Major Content patch. In no order of importance, let's start with a feature I've wanted to see in an MMO:
1) Coliseum PVP Content : A PvP Coliseum that people can watch from the stands and participants who want to battle can choose either battle a 1v1, 2v2 or 3v3 fight. Participants who want to battle set a time and date on the Coliseum Board and choose either a random pvp group or challenge a group they choose to battle. Winners earn Coliseum Points for Vanity Gear (Armor and Weapons) and people who cheer and watch from the stands earn Honor Points for watching. A gambling feature attached for viewers in the stands to participate in would also feel quite fun and rewarding. Also, when a match is scheduled and confirmed by both parties, participants have to show up at least 10 mins before the scheduled time otherwise its a forfeit from that team. The point in this feature is to actually see smaller but very engaging content for both hardcore PvPers but also viewers to witness and see IN-GAME! Twitch is only getting bigger and if a streamer decided to take part of a arena battle, the community on that server can witness his victory or his defeat. You can even announce the upcoming Arena Match 15 mins prior to starting in the world chat in-game.
2) Jumping Puzzles : Guild Wars 2 and Final Fantasy 14 do this fairly well. With achievements attached to the game or even titles depending on how crazy the puzzle is. Even having an NPC with different options before you start the puzzle would be awesome. Such as a speed run option, 1v1 run, group speed run or even group vs group runs. A leader board to show the best times on that server for the puzzles. Vanity rewards, titles and even a special currency would be fine rewards.
3) Mount Races : Similar to FFXIV Chocobo racing, Ashes can do something similar but different cause you can have it in the open world. You can have mounts in these races have certain abilities like Mario Kart or even race from main town to main town. You can have a "Horse" race or a "Wolf race" or insert "type of mount" race to keep it interesting depending on the different species and their abilities. You can have a race track or just use the natural terrane.
4) Cards/Checkers/Chess : I haven't seen this in any MMO I've played and maybe its not possible due to copyright but you get my point. I've always been in a position where we have a group of 4 and waiting for a 5th to join and were just alt-tabbed out of the game. What if there was a feature to play a quick game of poker or 21 or slapjack? Or bust out a chess board from your inventory and game a match with a friend? That to me would be so huge and fun! You can make up a game to play with someone else if you wanted to go that far, personally I don't care what game it is but just wanted to give you guys the idea.
All of these suggestions are for the community to take part in and see while they are doing there normal MMO stuff. See that the world is active and have many things to do in Vera. I see that many MMOs fail at launch cause the only thing to do at the lower levels is quest, kill mobs, professions, maybe a dungeon. Adding small evergreen features like these can provide things to players to get lost doing.
Would people want a features like these in Ashes?? Let me know in the comments below...
1) Coliseum PVP Content : A PvP Coliseum that people can watch from the stands and participants who want to battle can choose either battle a 1v1, 2v2 or 3v3 fight. Participants who want to battle set a time and date on the Coliseum Board and choose either a random pvp group or challenge a group they choose to battle. Winners earn Coliseum Points for Vanity Gear (Armor and Weapons) and people who cheer and watch from the stands earn Honor Points for watching. A gambling feature attached for viewers in the stands to participate in would also feel quite fun and rewarding. Also, when a match is scheduled and confirmed by both parties, participants have to show up at least 10 mins before the scheduled time otherwise its a forfeit from that team. The point in this feature is to actually see smaller but very engaging content for both hardcore PvPers but also viewers to witness and see IN-GAME! Twitch is only getting bigger and if a streamer decided to take part of a arena battle, the community on that server can witness his victory or his defeat. You can even announce the upcoming Arena Match 15 mins prior to starting in the world chat in-game.
2) Jumping Puzzles : Guild Wars 2 and Final Fantasy 14 do this fairly well. With achievements attached to the game or even titles depending on how crazy the puzzle is. Even having an NPC with different options before you start the puzzle would be awesome. Such as a speed run option, 1v1 run, group speed run or even group vs group runs. A leader board to show the best times on that server for the puzzles. Vanity rewards, titles and even a special currency would be fine rewards.
3) Mount Races : Similar to FFXIV Chocobo racing, Ashes can do something similar but different cause you can have it in the open world. You can have mounts in these races have certain abilities like Mario Kart or even race from main town to main town. You can have a "Horse" race or a "Wolf race" or insert "type of mount" race to keep it interesting depending on the different species and their abilities. You can have a race track or just use the natural terrane.
4) Cards/Checkers/Chess : I haven't seen this in any MMO I've played and maybe its not possible due to copyright but you get my point. I've always been in a position where we have a group of 4 and waiting for a 5th to join and were just alt-tabbed out of the game. What if there was a feature to play a quick game of poker or 21 or slapjack? Or bust out a chess board from your inventory and game a match with a friend? That to me would be so huge and fun! You can make up a game to play with someone else if you wanted to go that far, personally I don't care what game it is but just wanted to give you guys the idea.
All of these suggestions are for the community to take part in and see while they are doing there normal MMO stuff. See that the world is active and have many things to do in Vera. I see that many MMOs fail at launch cause the only thing to do at the lower levels is quest, kill mobs, professions, maybe a dungeon. Adding small evergreen features like these can provide things to players to get lost doing.
Would people want a features like these in Ashes?? Let me know in the comments below...
www.youtube.com/vlhadusgaming
0
Comments
For me the only arena system that was good was from L2 Grand Olympiad.
The winners of those competitions gained huge recognition. Few winners. Massive accomplishments. True glory.
I dont like coins, points, gear, cosmetics, as rewards that EVERYBODY GETS as long as their "farm" the matches.
I would like arenas to be small areas that people gather to watch or fight one another, try things without death penatly, corruption or gear dmg. Nothing more.
I agree.
To me, if there is an arena, there should be some form of recognition as the reward.
I think this should take the form of being put in charge of the node for a period of time, and so all arena competitions in Ashes should be based around that.
Could even have game boards set up in town squares or parks where people can sit and play.
Sorta sounds like the Military Node "election", which is already there in-game.
Exactly.
Seems like what your asking for is a basement Fight Club which can be cool too. I was thinking more like the movie "Gladiator". Huge Arena, spectacle, cheering from the stands, gambling on who would win, like back in the day of Rome. Also, normally in games arenas don't have a death penalty, gear damage or corruption. I don't know, I wouldn't mind both a fight club in the bottom of a bar basement and a huge Arena. The more player agency the better in my opinion.
An endurance race would be really fun, like over a huge stretch of the map with several checkpoints.
I also really like the coliseum PvP concept, it's been brought up a few times. Not the jumping puzzle.. I'd rather something different these days.
An MMo is a good foundation for community mini games but standard board games .. I don't know. It's a good environment for a collectible/customizable mechanic, maybe somewhat like WoW's battle pets but less ridiculous and more grounded, like Gwent or something. Cards have been done to death but maybe a little strategy miniatures thing, like HeroClix. Different figures you could find /trade to make a team. It could render like a simplified Gloomhaven on a little random 3d hex map, some basic kinds of animations. The core mechanics would need a solid chunk of RNG (deck draw/dice etc) otherwise it would be another MMO feature where the no lifers are supreme. Collecting would give people something to do and another thing to progress. You could make some really neat high quality miniatures/maps easily enough if you don't animate them (just the secondary stuff, spells, damage splashes, effects etc).