Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place 5+ days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place 5+ days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Comments
While I appreciate that alpha1 had at least some bosses, that shit wouldn't match the "<10% clearable" description even by my shitty standards, let alone someone's like Noaani or Azherae.
Now it could be a much simple situation of just a misspeak on Steven's part and he meant that line as more of a "owpvp will make it real difficult to clear some of these bosses, so we think that only the top <10% of player will manage to do that", but if that's the case now would be the best time to make that clear.
Alpha2 will potentially pull in hundreds if not thousands of new people (especially when Asmon starts streaming it). And with promises of hardcore pve some part of those newcomers might want to buy alpha access because they appreciate said hardcore pve. But if you then go back on that promise - you'll be in quite the hot water for doing so.
This is the vagueness of direction that Noaani was talking about. We know that the game's supposed to be PvX, but we've only seen big changes on the pvp side of things and barely anything about the pve side.
It was always trust the developers to make a fun game, there has never been a mmo with a more transparent development than AoC. None of those mmorpgs showed you anything at all except saying there would be content.
So the argument that AoC needs to be held to a higher standard is pretty silly because they are talking about pvp content from actual words on their plans and instead not showing more pve content (which is a lie since you see more enemy types shown every month, and even some pve combat in the streams).
Exactly why that argument presented by Noaani is a bad take and feels pretty entitled. If it was said after A2 where they said they were going to have a hard boss and it didn't live up to that it would be a more fair point. When they are ready to show things and not spoil things they will. I can't see them showing anything raid related and it will be something players play in game and experience for the first time....granted that is suppose to be end game meaning a lot of things need to be done before they are even there development wise...
TL is coming out early next year, was suppose to be this year. AoC needs to come out before riot mmorpg imo to capture casuals and convert them so they will stay.
Riot mmorpg should be very very far off like that isn't coming out for like 3-7 years.
In the same vein, they could invite an AI dev or whoever's responsible for pve difficulty and talk about their job for 10-15 minutes. What are they working on? Have they made progress towards any kind of goal? ARE they even working on it right now? It'd be even fine to just say "we're not working on it right now because we gotta build other basic shit before that". Though I'd assume pve difficulty is a separate enough part of development that there wouldn't be so much overlap with other stuff that the dev responsible for the pve couldn't work on it rn.
Showing off a new mob is cool and all, but that's just the sellable visual thing, I'd like to hear more about the same type of mechanical detail as we did about the node changes, the caravan changes, the pvp zones changes, the weather changes (though a ton of that was visual) and all the other recent deep tech that they've described that I'm forgetting rn.
Sounds like a good idea, it might be worth making a thread on it tbh, i feel them talking about it even if they can't show a ton of things would be good in how they are thinking about approaching the difficulty and fun elements and such.
And making sure the thread stays popular to get a comment on it
Are you leaving this to Noaani or to me, or neither? I'm not aware of who's left that is vocal at the moment.
You know my usual 'way of engaging with community/Intrepid'. Whoever has the biggest articulate concern/most relevant experience leads the thread. And in a way that's our problem. Number of active people who 'can' make points about the PvE messaging: 3.
My opinion is that the way PvE works, the way game design in general works, is that it all sprouts outward from an interconnected base mesh. I can't see Intrepid's base mesh.
I can see Throne and Liberty's better. I can watch TL footage and reverse-engineer out 'what that game's content will be like'. I've PLAYED Ashes and I can't do it for Ashes. My perception on that (biased by my recent reduction in faith) is that it isn't even there. Part of that is the ridiculously high standards PvE players have for these experiences. You saw the Lost Ark raid so you know what I mean. Intrepid basically CAN'T show that unless they explicitly put together a showcase. Whether or not they should is the real question.
tl;dr they'd have to do at least Poison Dragon fight Tier content again, and bosses are buggy, it might take days of man-hours to get a good enough run.
There will not be any PVE servers because the ENITIRE trading mechanic is themed off of the possibility of caravans being attacked in transit.
I was afraid we would get here.
I hate being right about these things.
ggs.
You assume they read them?
if the node is upgraded by pve activities and that turns your node into a slave node and you can't freely gank your masters... then it's still a game which the carebears will oppress people who can't play 12 hours a day farming pve over and over
.. what?
One of the best videos he's done. As far as the thumbnail, "not for carebears," that may or may not be entirely accurate. Either way, carebears are extremists. So are murderhobos. These are two groups on the extreme ends of the spectrum, and neither will be fully happy with Ashes' design.
btw Mag7spy, I was just kidding with the rabid buffalo comment. Full Metal Jacket reference heh
Yeah I really hate that about their system.
This is a statement that would appeal to 95% of the MMO community, yet what we know of Ashes suggests it will appeal to perhaps 25% of that community.
Again, a community for a game that counts people like Dygz and people like George Black as members simply can not be getting their messaging right. Those two players simply will not enjoy the same game.
This is WHY Ashes will have all of those voices. People look at statements like the above and think "oh hey, that sounds like they are making a game just for me, I had better become a part of that community and make sure those people that want something else dont convince the developers to change the game".
When you have many people in a games community, all of whom have their own opinion on what the game is, you end up with all of those different voices telling the developer different things.
Yeah, but for years Dygz thought this game was for him.
That is a sure sign of poor messaging.
Anyone that doesnt see this has simply looked at the messaging from Intrepid, decided it sounds like what they want and assume the game is what they think it is- because Intrepid have been overly vague.
I mean, I am not blaming anyone for disagreeing with me here. Everyone here has seen vague messages from Intrepid on what the game is, and decided it is a game they want to play.
The diversity of the community here is a sure sign of poor messaging. It isnt a good thing.
@Noaani This is simply not true.There are plenty of PvP players that are playing games like FF14 or WoW, you are under the wrong assumption that the only people that will play a game is the exact target audience for that game.
Let me tell you that I played Mortal Online 2 recently, and there Are still PLENTY of roleplaying and PvE guilds - on a hardcore full loot PvP game - because of the immersion of the game.
I even know a guy there that plays as a photographer! all he does is take screenshots of other players and events and gets gold as payment.
and a lot of PvE and Replaying guilds quit MO2 because the Game had a lot of other issues at launch - Not because of the pvp.
So saying a guy like Dygz following Ashes is proof for the company not having a clear messaging is simply wrong. It's his fault assuming PvX meant 50% PvP and 50% safe PvE.
No he wanted to test the corruption system to decide if it was too much or not...It was clear as day that this is a PvX game with PvP. Please don't use people to try to push your new agenda spamming every forum saying IS has poor message. I don't get how you can just say disrespectful things so much to the actual studio without any kind of impact.
Anyone that has played PvP in mmorpgs will understand there is going to be clear pvp in the game that is unavoidable...
At limit, according to Dygz.
I see from IS side a certain advertising attitude too, where they try to attract multiple kind of players. For example solo players. How will a solo player thrieve in a game where playing together brings benefits?
In the first few years, we would often say on The Ashen Forge that Steven seems to be trying to support every playstyle. Steven would say stuff kinda like, "Ashes needs PvEers and casuals and even solo players...and RPers."
Shortly after Jeffrey left, Steven began to stress that the game is not for everyone.
And...now that they missed the "Release before 2020" hype... and even "before 2021"...
They have time to make some significant changes to design.
But, we'll see how things play out during Alpha 2... whenever that is....
I think this is incredibly, objectively incorrect. They talk about PVE ALL the time (all the cosmetics are developing PVE, they just revealed the outside of giant vertical dungeon in the last live stream, etc.)... you just don't get worked up or worried about the PVE stuff.
The PvX part means that both PVE and PVP are ESSENTIAL core elements woven together... that is how the AoC world works... not that they are both distinctly separate independent content elements which can be enjoyed ala cart.
I follow Ashes pretty aggressively and have never thought anything but this... the changes they have made, and yes, I agree there have been changes (buckle up because there will be more changes to be sure), seem in line to me with the game Stephen sold...perhaps not in specifics, but in spirit.
I can certainly understand being skeptical, but anyone that claims to have been following the game and is up in arms about these 'changes' is not being honest (at least with themselves) about their initial intent to back the game. (They were hoping they could find a way to support their play style in a game not really for them)
Let's test the game and see if it is fun. If not, lets fix it, rather than just saying, "If you don't build the game exactly as I want it, it will certainly fail."
9001% this, feel like I've said this before as well lmao.
No, for years Dygz was hoping this game was for him. He openly says he "does not play games with open world non-consensual" pvp... something this game clearly had from the beginning.
He was HOPING the corruption system would be enough to make the pvp 'endurable' despite him not liking it. Just because he has the most forum posts does not mean he is the poster child for the game.
As someone that (according to yourself) isn't intending to play the game when it launches because it's not for you, I find it extremely interesting what do you think your feedback and input is worth testing the alpha....
If I were the devs I'd mark your profile with a note saying "this guy is giving feedback but he says we won't play the game because it's not for him"
I imagine if I went to Star Citizens forum to give feedback on a game i have No interest in playing.... I'd be hurting the game more than helping because I'd hate it but yea.... you do you.