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Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest news on Alpha Two.
Check out general Announcements here to see the latest news on Ashes of Creation & Intrepid Studios.
To get the quickest updates regarding Alpha Two, connect your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
The DNA of Intrepid Studios.
MybroViajero
Member, Alpha Two
I would really like Intrepid Studios and AoC to have the success that their developers and workers deserve for the effort, dedication, passion and many of the things they put day by day for the development of AoC.
Everything that I am going to expose are only ideas, thoughts that I have had, seen or inspired from other people with the only reason of wanting to help in one way or another to the thought of Intrepid and AoC.
With this I don't pretend to demand, ask, claim, offend or much less I want to change the way people think, I just want to give my ideas inspired by the successes, failures and things that made other projects have "that special things" for which they were considered unique and incredible projects.
90% of the videos are 20 to 35 second clips, please watch them as it is necessary to understand the context of the topic.
Index
1.- The DNA of Intrepid Studios.
2.- The potential of Intrepid Studios.
3.- Stay in the theory or bet on trying to try ?
4.- Belief in oneself.
5.- EGO is the "double-edged sword" of the professional.
6 .- Unpolished diamonds.
7.- Positive vibes are a great weapon.
8.- Emotions in AoC.
9.- Let the crazy ideas flow.
10.- Search for the right things to do the right things.
11.- ARTISANAL AND ORGANIC.
12.- "That special thing".
13.- Those subtle details that give so much meaning to things.
14.- Is Bear Mccreary really necessary for the future of Intrepid?
15.- The bad example of NW.
16.- The secrecy of AoC.
17.- A MMORPG that doesn't treat you as if you were an idiot in many ways.
18.- The great potential of Freeholds.
19.- MMORPGS should not be reflected through its cinematic but through its quality as MMORPG.
20.- The Liniker Idea.
21.- It is not only a game, it is not and never will be.
1.- The DNA of Intrepid Studios.
What makes a team be or try to be the best version of themselves in the work they are doing?
Why are there work teams, whatever the profession, that find it easier to be successful in the work they do?
Why are there work teams, whatever the profession, that seem more united and predisposed to improve than others?
I will give these 2 examples that are totally different but have in common the answers to these questions:
-Real Madrid, the best football team, at club level, in history.
-T1 , the best League of Legends team in history.
Two professions that are so opposite but have something in common, both have a BASE of thought and development where the members of their clubs are strengthened and grow with them.
from generation to generation to feed and strengthen the potential of these two clubs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9dkOtojghc
Real Madrid is the best club in the history of football not only because it has 14 Champions League (the most coveted club level soccer competition) but because it is a very consistent team that has always been among the best in the world for more than 70 years.
What is the reason for that?
The last and one of the most prestigious Presidents of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, once said it, "Competition is in our DNA, The DNA of Real Madrid".
Real Madrid has been teaching its team members for decades how to be competitive, how to be winners, how to give the best version of themselves to football and how to empower themselves as players because Real Madrid has a development base that has been growing and improving from generation to generation and that has made Real Madrid the best team in history at the club level.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5ecdd5e5eU
Team T1 is the best club in the history of LoL not only for being the only one with 3 world championships or being the only two-time world champion team or being the only team with more presence in the Finals / Semifinals of world championships in the history of LoL, but because it is a very consistent team that despite having changed its Roster of players almost every year has always been fighting at the top of the competition for years.
What is the reason for this?
T1 in spite of having changed its Roster of players many times has maintained or improved the level as a team because it has a development base that has been growing and improving over the years and has managed to make the players that enter T1 highly competitive players and some of them the best in their role.
It is no coincidence that FAKER, the best mid laner and player in the history of LoL, maintains that level of competitiveness at his age (26 years old), being an age where the vast majority of players are already retired.
These two clubs have in common that, they are clubs that are always at the top of competitiveness despite changing players from time to time.
And although there are players that make the difference as for example Di Stefano or Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid, Marin or Benji for T1, the clubs understood that they should not depend on one or several players but that those players should be the ones that make the difference on one or several players but that those clubs have to strengthen a development base where every player that enters Real Madrid and T1 can be enhanced and improved.
That is what I hope for the future of Intrepid.
While there will be special, exceptional workers who are unique and possibly bring spectacular things to the table, I hope that Intrepid will never depend on them to be a highly competitive development studio, but rather have a foundation of development and thinking that makes every worker empowered and improved so that Intrepid Studios will always be at the top of the competitive ladder.
Intrepid's DNA, that's what I would like to see in the future.
2.-The potential of Intrepid Studios.
What should be considered the potential of Intrepid Studios?
What thing(s) make Intrepid Studios something special that would differentiate it from other studios?
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxjbFu7g4zCgZ0yU_ym2_GdQGEWeDRV6gT
ARCANE
is the most successful and watched animated series of the last times because RIOT knew how to find, bet, trust and create strengths that made ARCANE have "that special thing". One of them is the animation and production studio FORTICHE
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxYSzEztjCNHW-YYSziFYeiCGUvUyzUGdL
, which has "that special thing" that made RIOT interested in them because they saw a differential and unique potential that would help to stand out among the other anime.
The trust that RIOT gave to FORTICHE is something that is a milestone because RIOT gave the opportunity to a small studio that only made short minute musicals to improve with them in the development path of ARCANE because FORTICHE had "that special thing" that RIOT needed.
"that special thing" that unique peculiarity, that organic differentiation that FORTICHE is characterized by is something that catches the attention and RIOT realized it, so they decided to bet and enhance that as one of their main weapons to make ARCANE UNIQUE.
So, what things could be considered as a potential "that special thing", to bet on it, to promote it as one of the main weapons to make ARCANE UNIQUE. to bet on it, enhance it and turn it into a weapon that would make Ashes of Creation unique and special?.
That's what I would like Intrepid to take into consideration for the distant future.
I must emphasize that I am NOT AT ALL suggesting to hire an alternate studio, I am just using it as an example to give a general idea of how important it is to have "that something special" that makes you special and unique.
Possibly many will say that these examples are not for MMORPGS but didn't RIOT have those doubts too? RIOT dared to trust in "that something special" that FORTICHE had and not in normal animations that possibly would not have given that impact of animation that ARCANE has thanks to "that special thing" that FORTICHE has.
3.-Stay in the theory or bet on trying to try ?
https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkxopb90xPg5zeO5MKIBR8pQ20KEqh2bG3v
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx8iljFVveZjwSRGTT-nZzYfb6KgBNkiaY
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxeeUdim-oW813Q_fIRCXLISeJWezBQ_Q3
Many times in our life we are told "hey you can't do this even if you try" and many automatically don't even try.
If Christian Linke had not believed in trying, if RIOT's top management had not understood that "at least" one should try, RIOT would have possibly deprived ARCANE of one of his main weapons to have "that special thing" that helped him to be so unique and special.
There is also this example : Kevin Feige realizing that it should not be afraid to adapt, evolve and change things for the sake of proper and well-analyzed growth and improvement.
There is no need to be afraid to adapt, evolve and change things, that is part of the way to improvement.
Obviously there are things to take into account , if you have enough time , funding , desire , and other things but if at least there is the intention to make that bet , to try then it is a big step to possibly start something great.
That's what I would like for Intrepid in the future, I would like it to be tried because something spectacular could be born or in the worst case there will be ideas for the future but I would never like things to remain in theory.
How many MMORPGS throughout the last 10 years stopped trying to be themselves and decided to live in the theory of the copy-paste MMORPG?
4.-Belief in oneself
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxsP3HKyICi7ykiL4oFsU0Z1iUC1Nr7czv
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxQ-kKGgYR1R8IVCD2_WAaAd83ktKNqYM9
10 years ago in the video game industry it was thought that it was not possible to have FULL TIME music composers, it was better to hire external people because video game companies did not make music videos, Christian Linke believed in himself and the RIOT music team to create one of the best music teams in the video game industry and RIOT's personal brand, another "that special thing".
Christian Linke believed in himself, he dared to go beyond the thinking of that time.
That's what I would like to see for Intrepid in the distant future, be it music, animation, effects, sounds, whatever, if they believe they can go a little bit beyond what is considered "normal", if they can believe a little bit more in themselves to dare to create something else then I would really like to see that in Intrepid.
I must emphasize that the issue of RIOT's own music and what Christian linke says I take it as an example, as I understand that Intrepid does not currently have the capacity to invest in composing their own music there are other things to focus on for now, that is totally understandable.
5.-EGO is the "double-edged sword" of the professional.
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxVfOcPKqytdWRt8zXzzdZyK4X_dn2ZSCw
https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkxru7wuleg7LobXIIkucO8czt7bG7466m_
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxY3gmpAQTAsdZISopNe3y7OvR49XyoHO3
EGO is very necessary when you are a great professional it gives you the security to do things that others probably do not dare but at the same time if you are not careful it can close opportunities to realize that you can continue to improve.
What better than a confident person who dares to do something that others do not dare to do but even better than a confident person who accepts that there are people who have other/better skills and that by working together with them you could improve as a professional.
6.- "Unpolished diamonds".
Christian Linke " The unpolished diamond " of RIOT
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx7apSs2mL_j9lA_5dDOrQc-kStac3Dalh
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxJWuw5SSJd-MsAq2TF0rwXX_Q5KSVmjXu
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxBBMzGEO4uJtOLM7bTipl2j6yI2GpywRF
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxLeVFtnYbdHh9jok2pjk9QHBs-3dZdqIe
Christian Linke was one of the "unpolished diamonds" of RIOT in its early days. He as a professional in the video game industry is now the result of the passion, dedication, effort, mistakes and successes that RIOT and he have been developing over the years since the top management of RIOT realized the potential that Christian had and empowered him to the point where their confidence as a professional was so high that they gave Christian the responsibility to lead a multi-million dollar project such as ARCANE.
I wish with all my being that Intrepid finds those "Unpolished diamonds" because, those "Unpolished diamonds" are future people that if they are empowered in the right way, given the opportunity to grow and given the confidence will result in spectacular things that will possibly influence a lot in the growth of Intrepid, in the improvement of the work environment, they become a positive symbol and that in a very distant future they themselves could be part of the teaching pillars for the next generations of Intrepid.
I want to emphasize that ALL workers are important, they all have roles, they all have an importance and their work influences the growth of Intrepid, but it cannot be denied that there are also those potential "unpolished diamonds", as in the case of Christian linke for RIOT, who have different and unique skills or ideas that just need to be leveraged in the right way to exploit all their skills and ideas that will take Intrepid to new levels.
7.-Positive vibes are a great weapon.
MELINDA DIGER THE SECRET WEAPON OF ARCANE PRODUCTION
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxA7A57JpJaAZGw61wbSnH9uKeDI7lkH30
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxdrMMw4gNZOLJQU7n5JtinEgK3eHyvVHT
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxQtAGJJbYvr04K2qZ7J6IaOrui45qc6RZ
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxJEmaBU3mAQRyZm_7nEs8wpDyUmdTK6ZD
As in the "DNA of Intrepid" topic, there are people who have already established by experience a way of doing their work that empowers others, MELINDA DIGER has her own DNA of work that helped incredibly Riot and Christian Linke to be able to improve the production work of ARCANE.
Melinda Diger could be considered was a "raw diamond" that reached a certain level where she became a pillar of teaching and improvement for the new generation of RIOT workers that were having problems with the development of ARCANE.
I would very much like Intrepid to never stop having those positive vibes that they have been teaching over the last 2 years.
8.-Emotions in AoC.
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxYtKKcSSu6qSEdCe-otDxwAOShei9TH4D
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxGyA0sXp5HGrZpnuaaXYJHqfkPlgXXE8C
Currently what divides a video game from being classified as "acceptable" of one "very good and spectacular" are not the graphics, nor the technology, nor the combat, much less if it has the best possible marketing, what really makes a video game to be classified as "spectacular and very good" are the emotions that it generates to its players.
The living example of this is Elden Ring , GOTY 2022 , the most acclaimed game of recent times that is nothing more and nothing less than another Soul formula but knows how to generate in the player those emotions that make the game so enjoyable.
These things today are what make a video game to be "spectacular and very good". It is what made in the golden age of MMORPGS that players "wanted to waste their time on it" and that is why the last MMORPGS of the last decade have failed, because MMORGPS got used to give everything easy, to take emotions away from MMORPGS, to take away social interactions, drama, cooperativity, dependence, search and exploration, orientation, they got used to make a MMORPG a "singler player" with all the possible facilities, taking away from the players most of the emotions that made MMORPGS a different and unique genre.
You know the emotions you will experience when you play a FPS, BR, RTS, MOBA, or others but in the case of MMORPGS many of the emotions that this genre produced in the players were lost and those emotions were replaced little by little with things that instead of enhancing and improving the emotions in the MMORPGS were deteriorating the emotional experiences of the players.
Please Intrepid do not let the emotions that make a MMORPG a MMORPG be lost, it is enough that the other game development studios take us as idiots indicating us where things are or giving us many facilities to deteriorate the experiences of emotions.
9.-Let crazy ideas flow.
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxLyEgcuYvcOXis39sM9Va6Y_NQZXilSQS
https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkx2Rzyn5QT0HTUyQ2n5IopycK6-BiyTtps
If Christian Linken and Riot's top management had not decided to trust those crazy ideas to create a multimillion dollar animated series with the help of a fledgling animation and production studio that had a lot of potential then ARCANE would probably never have been born.
The craziest ideas are not always the best because they are not allowed to grow and mature into potentially innovative, different and potentially great ideas.
Many times crazy and different ideas are stigmatized as "bad" for the simple fact of being different but if they are not given the opportunity to emerge and mature then those who are wrong are not those who came up with that crazy idea but those who prevent a potential idea to show its potential, in the worst case nothing will happen because if the idea is really too crazy it will not emerge but, what happens if that idea really had a great future? How is it possible that something that has potential should not be given the opportunity to emerge?
There are many examples in history, not only in the video game industry, the same history of mankind with extraordinary people who trusted in themselves and in their crazy ideas are those people who today are remembered for their achievements.
10.- Look for the right things to do the right things .
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx6kIu5Qhcv8eAcP-Gr2TLQKpdh5A5WQa3
Conformism in such important things is not an option, "one must strive to do the right things to do the right things".
If something is really important, whatever it is, you should strive to find that thing that satisfies that important thing, as in the case of Jinx in ARCANE, that character emitted such a unique aura in the video game and was a character that was so unique emitted such a unique aura in LoL and was a character that the company had so well represented that it needed a unique voice that is right and not settle for a voice that may possibly be fine but is not the right one.
Peter Jackson did not settle for an actor like Stuart Townsend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB5bq-HOwBE&t=1s
Peter Jackson did not settle when MIRAMAX wanted to force him to reduce the Lord of the Rings trilogy to one movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suFavvm7bdA&t=143s
He looked for the right things to do the right things and he did it and thanks to that LOTR is one of the best trilogies in the history of cinema.
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx8_t-VhUDXaj4pyrBAWyViZnC5z2dAPdq
If something doesn't fulfill the expectations of creation, you HAVE TO BREAK IT, TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT TO CREATE SOMETHING BETTER, as for example:
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx1uptFnOGSuAcp8d1qyLan5tcWpTiMOTY
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx-5p8eCwUlWyCcKlFC4-gHKUmCjHMBaMY
11.-ARTISANAL AND ORGANIC .
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxtxHxE5JMyQRkeR0ZnJ8YrA6JVVBlbhMN
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxTAkbWNL6NLDWSKmsckbIYg5xA6IzNIuZ
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxEZ53zc2Mh2lWk37aZ8G9ukBxZ9ZDM2KK
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxukUMz2hUnLDljvv765ik8HfR0wY6N5qG
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxDa2SmAmCHUybaDj6XbHDYdWSlYP5Kryb
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx6OaEEGSMEXQ24auW5oM1frH_Dc9dImPn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63TQKWokqeU
Animation and music very technological but at the same time, organic and artisanal, that is one of those "special things" that make ARCANE so spectacular that is characteristic and DNA of FORTICHE (animation) and what RIOT (music) and Christian Linke (music) bet on to enhance as a differentiating and unique weapons.
That "special things" the ARTISANAL AND ORGANIC that you feel in FORTICHE's animation and music is how FORTICHE interpret their way of amimating between realistic and animated , that's why ARCANE's animation looks so unique and different because it is not only something technological but involves many more details that make FORTICHE's animation and music feel more ORGANIC , ARTISANAL , which produce many scenes full of emotions .
As for example :
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxlSIKR3_NqhnkMPmhtJGKFCQvhYZEa9yA ( animation)
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxtQ-Ps2MNtba0D7qAg1jc0awyoYX9_hu9 ( music)
Because having "those special things" does not ensure success if it is not linked to a passion that drives those things, for example:
https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkxs4VNogCz0AyRgEsKIGdUxzp1EEHqEeBx
It is a technological work but at the same time it is a great artistic work by the developers/designers/animators/artists/etc, something that lasts in time because of the passion they put in those "special things".
And we must keep in mind that not everything should be perfect, it is good that things are not perfect, in the imperfection is born the beauty of things to improve, such as
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxQs8map3GnwpD5doM1ovkkRvuFajEbXAE
Not everything must be perfectly circular or squared to be "beautiful", the imperfection of the imperfection of the things is born the beauty of the things to be improved. The imperfection of things generates something different and remarkable that makes things look more natural because that is the nature of things, imperfect, in the imperfection is beauty.
These ideas I would like Intrepid to consider in the distant future to find more "special things" that make Intrepid Studios unique.
It should be noted that the animation of FORTICHE I used it as an example to give the general idea about how in a way it is composed "its special things" and I would not want Intrepid to copy or use things from others, FORTICHE IS FORTICHE and Intrepid will be Intrepid.
Intrepid will find its "special things" that will make it unique in its own way, be it using photorealistic animation, combining photorealism with things that make it look more organic and handcrafted or maybe learning the more organic and handcrafted way of FORTICHE and enhancing it with UE5.
Whichever way Intrepid goes it should always be Intrepid and improve as they trust and desire.
12.-"That special thing".
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx6GTnKOyCt5YJFZ_Rfbv-4U_X7aT9EMZl
There is something beyond just being a sales success and having a resounding success, it is doing things for something that will stay in the minds of the players and developers, it is doing the right things so that the people who play and develop AoC will be proud that they play and develop AoC and it is not just simple entertainment but rather something beyond entertainment, something that will stay in the minds of the players and developers as "that special thing" that made the players and their developers proud.
13.-Those subtle details that give so much sense to things.
As for example this :
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxVGYYcxPsbjT8R2sx_k6kqV9nRx7QCXGF
Now compare it with this last Dialbo IV cinematic
https://youtu.be/2uzUWsq3qkc?t=3
Notice the difference?. How a small subtle detail in the voice totally changes a scene. Both Lilith and Jayce are placed in echo-producing locations but only RIOT realized that Jayce's voice sounded like he was in a closed room.
That great detail in that scene that changed the meaning of the whole interpretation in that scene by just improving a simple detail.
It is really worth investing time to realize that those small details can improve and enhance many things.
Also keep in mind that it is not necessary to have a super technology to improve things, with a little ingenuity, with a little attitude and daring you can improve many things with very simple ideas.
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxqE7A-9a4S2tldhBlazJ2qgOmW5SoGxWr
I would like Intrepid to always keep this in mind, the details that improve and enhance things.
14.- Is Bear Mccreary really necessary for the future of Intrepid?
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxtYmVerfvMsKzQ-rTw3BpNP2sS7Cn13zO
What Christian Linke has shown with his music and composing team for RIOT makes me have doubts if Bear Mccreary is really necessary for the future of AoC.
No one doubts the ability, professionalism and skill of Bear and his team, he is today the best music reference in the video game industry, but considering that he will eventually move away from AoC for other projects and therefore the follow up of AoC's music will not be continued by the main referent of that music, wouldn't it be logical to think that AoC would have to create apart from Bear an exclusive music team for the future development and growth of them with AoC and that they can make them compatible in a unique way that could not be with external composers?
Of course Intrepid doesn't have the capacity of RIOT and also doesn't have so much time to bet on a music/composition team of their own so hiring the best of the best for music in the video game industry is something very logical and understandable.
However, I think that in the future it should consider creating its own music/composition/collaboration team, because what Christian Linke has shown is really huge and it's nice to know the level of detail that a videogame company can have when creating its own music.
A crazy idea, Bear Mccreary could be hired to compose and be responsible for the music of AoC in its early years but Intrepid could also think about creating a music/composition/associate team to follow up Bear and learn from him so that they can replace him and improve the music of AoC in the distant future.
15.-The bad example of NW.
As a lover of MMORPGS and video games I would like to say that AGS/NW started badly because it had mistakes that everyone could have at the beginning, but the reality is different, you can not cover the sun with a finger and not say that AGS/NW wanted to do things well, because definitely the results speak for themselves.
AGS/NW had the opportunity to do things right, to wait for its moment in which it is in optimal conditions, to have things in order to present a good product, things that make players feel like "hey this MMORPG is not a 10/10 but at least it is playable, has soul, is entertaining and does not have many flaws", but the reality is different, AGS/NW decided not to do things right and have all those problems for which practically 95% of its audience disappeared in the first 6 months.
AGS/NW didn't know how to listen to their players, and I don't mean the players that come to test the game for 1 or 2 months, but their real players that were there testing NW since the Alphas.
I have as an example some friends who were NW testers , they told me that they gave many feedbacks about the lack or failures in several things before the realization , AGS/NW decided not to listen to them and instead decided to listen to the desperate players who preferred NW to rush without knowing how NW development was really going.
It is already known what happened to NW.
How important it is to listen to those players who really are fans and fanatics of the MMORPG they are playing, how important it is to give importance and weight to the opinion of those players who really are there to try to help and support.
I hope with all my heart that Intrepid will always continue with this spirit of listening, giving importance and weight to the feedback and opinions of those players who are there always trying to help AoC to improve as it has been doing since its beginnings.
16.-The secrecy of AoC.
This level of secrecy seems to me very interesting and fun for AoC, so much potential to play in AoC with secrecy, exploration, discovery.
Make exploration a world apart and something very fun that gives great rewards but at the same time has risks and challenges to be completed.
Individual explorations or group explorations, explorations where players are needed at certain points in the AoC world far away to discover something unique.
Exploration has always been one of those "special things" in good MMORPGS.
Journeys are not only physical, there are also mental and spiritual journeys.
17.-A MMORPG that doesn't treat you as if you were an idiot in many ways.
Taking Elden Ring as an example, thanks to those details where it really respects the intelligence is remarkable how you can enjoy more of a video game at the time and discover things that can be enjoyed by having challenges, difficulties of a certain level or simple things but make the player feel attracted but above all feel that their intelligence is really rewarded.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GxzPymc8u4&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fforums.ashesofcreation.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&feature=emb_title
18.-The great potential of the Freeholds.
This twitt has so much potential for generating ideas for the freeholds. ( the video is in English)
Imagine having a freeholds editor as if we were a designer or developer to be able to create very detailed things, to give more dynamism and life to the construction of our freeholds.
Having the opportunity to be so detailed would be eternally grateful for all RP players and construction lovers but of course to get to that level you should risk a lot, there should be a lot of effort, there should be many requirements of levels of profession to reach that level of detail and construction.
19.- MMORPGS should not be reflected through their cinematic but through their quality as MMORPG.
BAD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4gBChg6AII
GOOD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKXiKBnzpBQ
VERY GOOD
https://youtu.be/M_XwzBMTJaM?si=yCShCIrFGoPka6AG&t=1
A large majority of players have gotten so used to the cinematic-dependency that it seems like a joke. Shadow lands was one of the best selling expansions of recent times in its first weeks, the hype created by its cinematics was incredible but how did it end? How was the expansion? One of the worst, if not the worst expansion that A&B has had to date, the cinematics were the game? The cinematics really represented Shadow Lands?
Let's be clear, MMORPGS should not be reflected in cinematics, otherwise players will get used to relying on cinematics to say "oh, that MMORPG has potential", when in reality the cinematics that are made don't really reflect what the MMORPG is like.
While the cinematics have their purpose, "promotion and marketing" they should not be the MAIN FACTOR that makes players want to play a MMORPG.
If players should be influenced to play a MMORPG it should be because of what the MMORPG offers and generates to the players, not with simple cinematics that have nothing to do with the real game.
Before the video games and MMORPGS did not need abundant expensive cinematic to attract the attention of the players, before the players were attracted by what those games and MMORPGS offered, real things, things that the player could experience and that generated in the player a respect and admiration for those games.
That is why the golden age is so remembered and loved, it is not because of the rose colored glasses as many say but because really what the games generated at that time to the players were emotions and feelings that made the player hooked, that was really the marketing of that time, a real marketing where the player really wanted to play a video game for what it had and not for some cinematic in 4k.
Nowadays the best games of the last times like Elden Ring , God of War Ragnarok , The Witcher , GTA V, Zelda Breath Of The Wild focus more on showing what they really have , with more realistic cinematics in relation to what that game offers but above all demonstrating that their best marketing is the quality of their video game.
That's what I would like for Intrepid in the future, that they have more realistic cinematics and that they don't depend on their cinematics to be considered "a good MMORPG" but rather that those cinematics are just hype tools because the real marketing and promotion of AoC would be how well done AoC is.
20.-The Liniker Idea.
This idea seems to me incredible and with a gigantic potential.
It could be applied in many things for AoC, with the premise that players who really have a very high level of experience in different "things", their feedback and opinions on those "things" should be their feedback and opinions on those "things" should be taken with more importance than the feedback of other people who don't have much experience in those "things".
For example:
If I need a feeedback of the archmage at level 50 using "X" skills in a "Y" situation then a player specialized in ARCHIMAGES who has reached level 50 and who has gone through "X" and "Y" would be what is needed to have a guarantee of a proper feedback.
In the same way this applies to an infinity of contents and things in AoC, the point of the matter and the importance of this is that it EMPOWERS PEOPLE WHO REALLY WANT AND WANT TO HELP AoC to improve and you take power away from people who only want to give non-constructive opinions and with no guarantee of experience about anything in AoC.
Of course there will always be opinions of all kinds but obviously there are opinions that have more relevance, it is not the same the opinion about crafting of a player with level 15 in crafting than another with level 50.
21.-It is not only a game, it is not and never will be.
https://youtu.be/E6zyrc8F-dA
For many people "it is just a game" but for the people who work to develop those games it is not, they invest one of the most precious things in life in the development of those games, their time, and that is why that "it is just a game" becomes "it is my life time that I use to create something spectacular for you to be entertained" , That's why it's so important to try to do the right things, because you don't do the right things for others but for yourself to prove to yourself that your time that you use is valuable because you make sure that what you do is really worthwhile.
That's your "special thing" that makes you a great professional and that those games are never "just a game".
Everything that I am going to expose are only ideas, thoughts that I have had, seen or inspired from other people with the only reason of wanting to help in one way or another to the thought of Intrepid and AoC.
With this I don't pretend to demand, ask, claim, offend or much less I want to change the way people think, I just want to give my ideas inspired by the successes, failures and things that made other projects have "that special things" for which they were considered unique and incredible projects.
90% of the videos are 20 to 35 second clips, please watch them as it is necessary to understand the context of the topic.
Index
1.- The DNA of Intrepid Studios.
2.- The potential of Intrepid Studios.
3.- Stay in the theory or bet on trying to try ?
4.- Belief in oneself.
5.- EGO is the "double-edged sword" of the professional.
6 .- Unpolished diamonds.
7.- Positive vibes are a great weapon.
8.- Emotions in AoC.
9.- Let the crazy ideas flow.
10.- Search for the right things to do the right things.
11.- ARTISANAL AND ORGANIC.
12.- "That special thing".
13.- Those subtle details that give so much meaning to things.
14.- Is Bear Mccreary really necessary for the future of Intrepid?
15.- The bad example of NW.
16.- The secrecy of AoC.
17.- A MMORPG that doesn't treat you as if you were an idiot in many ways.
18.- The great potential of Freeholds.
19.- MMORPGS should not be reflected through its cinematic but through its quality as MMORPG.
20.- The Liniker Idea.
21.- It is not only a game, it is not and never will be.
1.- The DNA of Intrepid Studios.
What makes a team be or try to be the best version of themselves in the work they are doing?
Why are there work teams, whatever the profession, that find it easier to be successful in the work they do?
Why are there work teams, whatever the profession, that seem more united and predisposed to improve than others?
I will give these 2 examples that are totally different but have in common the answers to these questions:
-Real Madrid, the best football team, at club level, in history.
-T1 , the best League of Legends team in history.
Two professions that are so opposite but have something in common, both have a BASE of thought and development where the members of their clubs are strengthened and grow with them.
from generation to generation to feed and strengthen the potential of these two clubs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9dkOtojghcReal Madrid is the best club in the history of football not only because it has 14 Champions League (the most coveted club level soccer competition) but because it is a very consistent team that has always been among the best in the world for more than 70 years.
What is the reason for that?
The last and one of the most prestigious Presidents of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, once said it, "Competition is in our DNA, The DNA of Real Madrid".
Real Madrid has been teaching its team members for decades how to be competitive, how to be winners, how to give the best version of themselves to football and how to empower themselves as players because Real Madrid has a development base that has been growing and improving from generation to generation and that has made Real Madrid the best team in history at the club level.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5ecdd5e5eUTeam T1 is the best club in the history of LoL not only for being the only one with 3 world championships or being the only two-time world champion team or being the only team with more presence in the Finals / Semifinals of world championships in the history of LoL, but because it is a very consistent team that despite having changed its Roster of players almost every year has always been fighting at the top of the competition for years.
What is the reason for this?
T1 in spite of having changed its Roster of players many times has maintained or improved the level as a team because it has a development base that has been growing and improving over the years and has managed to make the players that enter T1 highly competitive players and some of them the best in their role.
It is no coincidence that FAKER, the best mid laner and player in the history of LoL, maintains that level of competitiveness at his age (26 years old), being an age where the vast majority of players are already retired.
These two clubs have in common that, they are clubs that are always at the top of competitiveness despite changing players from time to time.
And although there are players that make the difference as for example Di Stefano or Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid, Marin or Benji for T1, the clubs understood that they should not depend on one or several players but that those players should be the ones that make the difference on one or several players but that those clubs have to strengthen a development base where every player that enters Real Madrid and T1 can be enhanced and improved.
That is what I hope for the future of Intrepid.
While there will be special, exceptional workers who are unique and possibly bring spectacular things to the table, I hope that Intrepid will never depend on them to be a highly competitive development studio, but rather have a foundation of development and thinking that makes every worker empowered and improved so that Intrepid Studios will always be at the top of the competitive ladder.
Intrepid's DNA, that's what I would like to see in the future.
2.-The potential of Intrepid Studios.
What should be considered the potential of Intrepid Studios?
What thing(s) make Intrepid Studios something special that would differentiate it from other studios?
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxjbFu7g4zCgZ0yU_ym2_GdQGEWeDRV6gT
ARCANE
is the most successful and watched animated series of the last times because RIOT knew how to find, bet, trust and create strengths that made ARCANE have "that special thing". One of them is the animation and production studio FORTICHE
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxYSzEztjCNHW-YYSziFYeiCGUvUyzUGdL
, which has "that special thing" that made RIOT interested in them because they saw a differential and unique potential that would help to stand out among the other anime.
The trust that RIOT gave to FORTICHE is something that is a milestone because RIOT gave the opportunity to a small studio that only made short minute musicals to improve with them in the development path of ARCANE because FORTICHE had "that special thing" that RIOT needed.
"that special thing" that unique peculiarity, that organic differentiation that FORTICHE is characterized by is something that catches the attention and RIOT realized it, so they decided to bet and enhance that as one of their main weapons to make ARCANE UNIQUE.
So, what things could be considered as a potential "that special thing", to bet on it, to promote it as one of the main weapons to make ARCANE UNIQUE. to bet on it, enhance it and turn it into a weapon that would make Ashes of Creation unique and special?.
That's what I would like Intrepid to take into consideration for the distant future.
I must emphasize that I am NOT AT ALL suggesting to hire an alternate studio, I am just using it as an example to give a general idea of how important it is to have "that something special" that makes you special and unique.
Possibly many will say that these examples are not for MMORPGS but didn't RIOT have those doubts too? RIOT dared to trust in "that something special" that FORTICHE had and not in normal animations that possibly would not have given that impact of animation that ARCANE has thanks to "that special thing" that FORTICHE has.
3.-Stay in the theory or bet on trying to try ?
https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkxopb90xPg5zeO5MKIBR8pQ20KEqh2bG3v
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx8iljFVveZjwSRGTT-nZzYfb6KgBNkiaY
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxeeUdim-oW813Q_fIRCXLISeJWezBQ_Q3
Many times in our life we are told "hey you can't do this even if you try" and many automatically don't even try.
If Christian Linke had not believed in trying, if RIOT's top management had not understood that "at least" one should try, RIOT would have possibly deprived ARCANE of one of his main weapons to have "that special thing" that helped him to be so unique and special.
There is also this example : Kevin Feige realizing that it should not be afraid to adapt, evolve and change things for the sake of proper and well-analyzed growth and improvement.
There is no need to be afraid to adapt, evolve and change things, that is part of the way to improvement.
Obviously there are things to take into account , if you have enough time , funding , desire , and other things but if at least there is the intention to make that bet , to try then it is a big step to possibly start something great.
That's what I would like for Intrepid in the future, I would like it to be tried because something spectacular could be born or in the worst case there will be ideas for the future but I would never like things to remain in theory.
How many MMORPGS throughout the last 10 years stopped trying to be themselves and decided to live in the theory of the copy-paste MMORPG?
4.-Belief in oneself
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxsP3HKyICi7ykiL4oFsU0Z1iUC1Nr7czv
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxQ-kKGgYR1R8IVCD2_WAaAd83ktKNqYM9
10 years ago in the video game industry it was thought that it was not possible to have FULL TIME music composers, it was better to hire external people because video game companies did not make music videos, Christian Linke believed in himself and the RIOT music team to create one of the best music teams in the video game industry and RIOT's personal brand, another "that special thing".
Christian Linke believed in himself, he dared to go beyond the thinking of that time.
That's what I would like to see for Intrepid in the distant future, be it music, animation, effects, sounds, whatever, if they believe they can go a little bit beyond what is considered "normal", if they can believe a little bit more in themselves to dare to create something else then I would really like to see that in Intrepid.
I must emphasize that the issue of RIOT's own music and what Christian linke says I take it as an example, as I understand that Intrepid does not currently have the capacity to invest in composing their own music there are other things to focus on for now, that is totally understandable.
5.-EGO is the "double-edged sword" of the professional.
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxVfOcPKqytdWRt8zXzzdZyK4X_dn2ZSCw
https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkxru7wuleg7LobXIIkucO8czt7bG7466m_
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxY3gmpAQTAsdZISopNe3y7OvR49XyoHO3
EGO is very necessary when you are a great professional it gives you the security to do things that others probably do not dare but at the same time if you are not careful it can close opportunities to realize that you can continue to improve.
What better than a confident person who dares to do something that others do not dare to do but even better than a confident person who accepts that there are people who have other/better skills and that by working together with them you could improve as a professional.
6.- "Unpolished diamonds".
Christian Linke " The unpolished diamond " of RIOT
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx7apSs2mL_j9lA_5dDOrQc-kStac3Dalh
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxJWuw5SSJd-MsAq2TF0rwXX_Q5KSVmjXu
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxBBMzGEO4uJtOLM7bTipl2j6yI2GpywRF
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxLeVFtnYbdHh9jok2pjk9QHBs-3dZdqIe
Christian Linke was one of the "unpolished diamonds" of RIOT in its early days. He as a professional in the video game industry is now the result of the passion, dedication, effort, mistakes and successes that RIOT and he have been developing over the years since the top management of RIOT realized the potential that Christian had and empowered him to the point where their confidence as a professional was so high that they gave Christian the responsibility to lead a multi-million dollar project such as ARCANE.
I wish with all my being that Intrepid finds those "Unpolished diamonds" because, those "Unpolished diamonds" are future people that if they are empowered in the right way, given the opportunity to grow and given the confidence will result in spectacular things that will possibly influence a lot in the growth of Intrepid, in the improvement of the work environment, they become a positive symbol and that in a very distant future they themselves could be part of the teaching pillars for the next generations of Intrepid.
I want to emphasize that ALL workers are important, they all have roles, they all have an importance and their work influences the growth of Intrepid, but it cannot be denied that there are also those potential "unpolished diamonds", as in the case of Christian linke for RIOT, who have different and unique skills or ideas that just need to be leveraged in the right way to exploit all their skills and ideas that will take Intrepid to new levels.
7.-Positive vibes are a great weapon.
MELINDA DIGER THE SECRET WEAPON OF ARCANE PRODUCTION
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxA7A57JpJaAZGw61wbSnH9uKeDI7lkH30
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxdrMMw4gNZOLJQU7n5JtinEgK3eHyvVHT
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxQtAGJJbYvr04K2qZ7J6IaOrui45qc6RZ
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxJEmaBU3mAQRyZm_7nEs8wpDyUmdTK6ZD
As in the "DNA of Intrepid" topic, there are people who have already established by experience a way of doing their work that empowers others, MELINDA DIGER has her own DNA of work that helped incredibly Riot and Christian Linke to be able to improve the production work of ARCANE.
Melinda Diger could be considered was a "raw diamond" that reached a certain level where she became a pillar of teaching and improvement for the new generation of RIOT workers that were having problems with the development of ARCANE.
I would very much like Intrepid to never stop having those positive vibes that they have been teaching over the last 2 years.
8.-Emotions in AoC.
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxYtKKcSSu6qSEdCe-otDxwAOShei9TH4D
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxGyA0sXp5HGrZpnuaaXYJHqfkPlgXXE8C
Currently what divides a video game from being classified as "acceptable" of one "very good and spectacular" are not the graphics, nor the technology, nor the combat, much less if it has the best possible marketing, what really makes a video game to be classified as "spectacular and very good" are the emotions that it generates to its players.
The living example of this is Elden Ring , GOTY 2022 , the most acclaimed game of recent times that is nothing more and nothing less than another Soul formula but knows how to generate in the player those emotions that make the game so enjoyable.
These things today are what make a video game to be "spectacular and very good". It is what made in the golden age of MMORPGS that players "wanted to waste their time on it" and that is why the last MMORPGS of the last decade have failed, because MMORGPS got used to give everything easy, to take emotions away from MMORPGS, to take away social interactions, drama, cooperativity, dependence, search and exploration, orientation, they got used to make a MMORPG a "singler player" with all the possible facilities, taking away from the players most of the emotions that made MMORPGS a different and unique genre.
You know the emotions you will experience when you play a FPS, BR, RTS, MOBA, or others but in the case of MMORPGS many of the emotions that this genre produced in the players were lost and those emotions were replaced little by little with things that instead of enhancing and improving the emotions in the MMORPGS were deteriorating the emotional experiences of the players.
Please Intrepid do not let the emotions that make a MMORPG a MMORPG be lost, it is enough that the other game development studios take us as idiots indicating us where things are or giving us many facilities to deteriorate the experiences of emotions.
9.-Let crazy ideas flow.
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxLyEgcuYvcOXis39sM9Va6Y_NQZXilSQS
https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkx2Rzyn5QT0HTUyQ2n5IopycK6-BiyTtps
If Christian Linken and Riot's top management had not decided to trust those crazy ideas to create a multimillion dollar animated series with the help of a fledgling animation and production studio that had a lot of potential then ARCANE would probably never have been born.
The craziest ideas are not always the best because they are not allowed to grow and mature into potentially innovative, different and potentially great ideas.
Many times crazy and different ideas are stigmatized as "bad" for the simple fact of being different but if they are not given the opportunity to emerge and mature then those who are wrong are not those who came up with that crazy idea but those who prevent a potential idea to show its potential, in the worst case nothing will happen because if the idea is really too crazy it will not emerge but, what happens if that idea really had a great future? How is it possible that something that has potential should not be given the opportunity to emerge?
There are many examples in history, not only in the video game industry, the same history of mankind with extraordinary people who trusted in themselves and in their crazy ideas are those people who today are remembered for their achievements.
10.- Look for the right things to do the right things .
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx6kIu5Qhcv8eAcP-Gr2TLQKpdh5A5WQa3
Conformism in such important things is not an option, "one must strive to do the right things to do the right things".
If something is really important, whatever it is, you should strive to find that thing that satisfies that important thing, as in the case of Jinx in ARCANE, that character emitted such a unique aura in the video game and was a character that was so unique emitted such a unique aura in LoL and was a character that the company had so well represented that it needed a unique voice that is right and not settle for a voice that may possibly be fine but is not the right one.
Peter Jackson did not settle for an actor like Stuart Townsend
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB5bq-HOwBE&t=1sPeter Jackson did not settle when MIRAMAX wanted to force him to reduce the Lord of the Rings trilogy to one movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suFavvm7bdA&t=143sHe looked for the right things to do the right things and he did it and thanks to that LOTR is one of the best trilogies in the history of cinema.
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx8_t-VhUDXaj4pyrBAWyViZnC5z2dAPdq
If something doesn't fulfill the expectations of creation, you HAVE TO BREAK IT, TAKE IT TO THE LIMIT TO CREATE SOMETHING BETTER, as for example:
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx1uptFnOGSuAcp8d1qyLan5tcWpTiMOTY
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx-5p8eCwUlWyCcKlFC4-gHKUmCjHMBaMY
11.-ARTISANAL AND ORGANIC .
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxtxHxE5JMyQRkeR0ZnJ8YrA6JVVBlbhMN
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxTAkbWNL6NLDWSKmsckbIYg5xA6IzNIuZ
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxEZ53zc2Mh2lWk37aZ8G9ukBxZ9ZDM2KK
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxukUMz2hUnLDljvv765ik8HfR0wY6N5qG
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxDa2SmAmCHUybaDj6XbHDYdWSlYP5Kryb
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx6OaEEGSMEXQ24auW5oM1frH_Dc9dImPn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63TQKWokqeUAnimation and music very technological but at the same time, organic and artisanal, that is one of those "special things" that make ARCANE so spectacular that is characteristic and DNA of FORTICHE (animation) and what RIOT (music) and Christian Linke (music) bet on to enhance as a differentiating and unique weapons.
That "special things" the ARTISANAL AND ORGANIC that you feel in FORTICHE's animation and music is how FORTICHE interpret their way of amimating between realistic and animated , that's why ARCANE's animation looks so unique and different because it is not only something technological but involves many more details that make FORTICHE's animation and music feel more ORGANIC , ARTISANAL , which produce many scenes full of emotions .
As for example :
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxlSIKR3_NqhnkMPmhtJGKFCQvhYZEa9yA ( animation)
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxtQ-Ps2MNtba0D7qAg1jc0awyoYX9_hu9 ( music)
Because having "those special things" does not ensure success if it is not linked to a passion that drives those things, for example:
https://www.youtube.com/clip/Ugkxs4VNogCz0AyRgEsKIGdUxzp1EEHqEeBx
It is a technological work but at the same time it is a great artistic work by the developers/designers/animators/artists/etc, something that lasts in time because of the passion they put in those "special things".
And we must keep in mind that not everything should be perfect, it is good that things are not perfect, in the imperfection is born the beauty of things to improve, such as
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxQs8map3GnwpD5doM1ovkkRvuFajEbXAE
Not everything must be perfectly circular or squared to be "beautiful", the imperfection of the imperfection of the things is born the beauty of the things to be improved. The imperfection of things generates something different and remarkable that makes things look more natural because that is the nature of things, imperfect, in the imperfection is beauty.
These ideas I would like Intrepid to consider in the distant future to find more "special things" that make Intrepid Studios unique.
It should be noted that the animation of FORTICHE I used it as an example to give the general idea about how in a way it is composed "its special things" and I would not want Intrepid to copy or use things from others, FORTICHE IS FORTICHE and Intrepid will be Intrepid.
Intrepid will find its "special things" that will make it unique in its own way, be it using photorealistic animation, combining photorealism with things that make it look more organic and handcrafted or maybe learning the more organic and handcrafted way of FORTICHE and enhancing it with UE5.
Whichever way Intrepid goes it should always be Intrepid and improve as they trust and desire.
12.-"That special thing".
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx6GTnKOyCt5YJFZ_Rfbv-4U_X7aT9EMZl
There is something beyond just being a sales success and having a resounding success, it is doing things for something that will stay in the minds of the players and developers, it is doing the right things so that the people who play and develop AoC will be proud that they play and develop AoC and it is not just simple entertainment but rather something beyond entertainment, something that will stay in the minds of the players and developers as "that special thing" that made the players and their developers proud.
13.-Those subtle details that give so much sense to things.
As for example this :
https://www.youtube.com/clip/UgkxVGYYcxPsbjT8R2sx_k6kqV9nRx7QCXGF
Now compare it with this last Dialbo IV cinematic
https://youtu.be/2uzUWsq3qkc?t=3Notice the difference?. How a small subtle detail in the voice totally changes a scene. Both Lilith and Jayce are placed in echo-producing locations but only RIOT realized that Jayce's voice sounded like he was in a closed room.
That great detail in that scene that changed the meaning of the whole interpretation in that scene by just improving a simple detail.
It is really worth investing time to realize that those small details can improve and enhance many things.
Also keep in mind that it is not necessary to have a super technology to improve things, with a little ingenuity, with a little attitude and daring you can improve many things with very simple ideas.
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxqE7A-9a4S2tldhBlazJ2qgOmW5SoGxWr
I would like Intrepid to always keep this in mind, the details that improve and enhance things.
14.- Is Bear Mccreary really necessary for the future of Intrepid?
https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxtYmVerfvMsKzQ-rTw3BpNP2sS7Cn13zO
What Christian Linke has shown with his music and composing team for RIOT makes me have doubts if Bear Mccreary is really necessary for the future of AoC.
No one doubts the ability, professionalism and skill of Bear and his team, he is today the best music reference in the video game industry, but considering that he will eventually move away from AoC for other projects and therefore the follow up of AoC's music will not be continued by the main referent of that music, wouldn't it be logical to think that AoC would have to create apart from Bear an exclusive music team for the future development and growth of them with AoC and that they can make them compatible in a unique way that could not be with external composers?
Of course Intrepid doesn't have the capacity of RIOT and also doesn't have so much time to bet on a music/composition team of their own so hiring the best of the best for music in the video game industry is something very logical and understandable.
However, I think that in the future it should consider creating its own music/composition/collaboration team, because what Christian Linke has shown is really huge and it's nice to know the level of detail that a videogame company can have when creating its own music.
A crazy idea, Bear Mccreary could be hired to compose and be responsible for the music of AoC in its early years but Intrepid could also think about creating a music/composition/associate team to follow up Bear and learn from him so that they can replace him and improve the music of AoC in the distant future.
15.-The bad example of NW.
As a lover of MMORPGS and video games I would like to say that AGS/NW started badly because it had mistakes that everyone could have at the beginning, but the reality is different, you can not cover the sun with a finger and not say that AGS/NW wanted to do things well, because definitely the results speak for themselves.
AGS/NW had the opportunity to do things right, to wait for its moment in which it is in optimal conditions, to have things in order to present a good product, things that make players feel like "hey this MMORPG is not a 10/10 but at least it is playable, has soul, is entertaining and does not have many flaws", but the reality is different, AGS/NW decided not to do things right and have all those problems for which practically 95% of its audience disappeared in the first 6 months.
AGS/NW didn't know how to listen to their players, and I don't mean the players that come to test the game for 1 or 2 months, but their real players that were there testing NW since the Alphas.
I have as an example some friends who were NW testers , they told me that they gave many feedbacks about the lack or failures in several things before the realization , AGS/NW decided not to listen to them and instead decided to listen to the desperate players who preferred NW to rush without knowing how NW development was really going.
It is already known what happened to NW.
How important it is to listen to those players who really are fans and fanatics of the MMORPG they are playing, how important it is to give importance and weight to the opinion of those players who really are there to try to help and support.
I hope with all my heart that Intrepid will always continue with this spirit of listening, giving importance and weight to the feedback and opinions of those players who are there always trying to help AoC to improve as it has been doing since its beginnings.
16.-The secrecy of AoC.
This level of secrecy seems to me very interesting and fun for AoC, so much potential to play in AoC with secrecy, exploration, discovery.
Make exploration a world apart and something very fun that gives great rewards but at the same time has risks and challenges to be completed.
Individual explorations or group explorations, explorations where players are needed at certain points in the AoC world far away to discover something unique.
Exploration has always been one of those "special things" in good MMORPGS.
Journeys are not only physical, there are also mental and spiritual journeys.
17.-A MMORPG that doesn't treat you as if you were an idiot in many ways.
Taking Elden Ring as an example, thanks to those details where it really respects the intelligence is remarkable how you can enjoy more of a video game at the time and discover things that can be enjoyed by having challenges, difficulties of a certain level or simple things but make the player feel attracted but above all feel that their intelligence is really rewarded.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GxzPymc8u4&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fforums.ashesofcreation.com%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&feature=emb_title18.-The great potential of the Freeholds.
This twitt has so much potential for generating ideas for the freeholds. ( the video is in English)
Imagine having a freeholds editor as if we were a designer or developer to be able to create very detailed things, to give more dynamism and life to the construction of our freeholds.
Having the opportunity to be so detailed would be eternally grateful for all RP players and construction lovers but of course to get to that level you should risk a lot, there should be a lot of effort, there should be many requirements of levels of profession to reach that level of detail and construction.
19.- MMORPGS should not be reflected through their cinematic but through their quality as MMORPG.
BAD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4gBChg6AIIGOOD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKXiKBnzpBQVERY GOOD
https://youtu.be/M_XwzBMTJaM?si=yCShCIrFGoPka6AG&t=1A large majority of players have gotten so used to the cinematic-dependency that it seems like a joke. Shadow lands was one of the best selling expansions of recent times in its first weeks, the hype created by its cinematics was incredible but how did it end? How was the expansion? One of the worst, if not the worst expansion that A&B has had to date, the cinematics were the game? The cinematics really represented Shadow Lands?
Let's be clear, MMORPGS should not be reflected in cinematics, otherwise players will get used to relying on cinematics to say "oh, that MMORPG has potential", when in reality the cinematics that are made don't really reflect what the MMORPG is like.
While the cinematics have their purpose, "promotion and marketing" they should not be the MAIN FACTOR that makes players want to play a MMORPG.
If players should be influenced to play a MMORPG it should be because of what the MMORPG offers and generates to the players, not with simple cinematics that have nothing to do with the real game.
Before the video games and MMORPGS did not need abundant expensive cinematic to attract the attention of the players, before the players were attracted by what those games and MMORPGS offered, real things, things that the player could experience and that generated in the player a respect and admiration for those games.
That is why the golden age is so remembered and loved, it is not because of the rose colored glasses as many say but because really what the games generated at that time to the players were emotions and feelings that made the player hooked, that was really the marketing of that time, a real marketing where the player really wanted to play a video game for what it had and not for some cinematic in 4k.
Nowadays the best games of the last times like Elden Ring , God of War Ragnarok , The Witcher , GTA V, Zelda Breath Of The Wild focus more on showing what they really have , with more realistic cinematics in relation to what that game offers but above all demonstrating that their best marketing is the quality of their video game.
That's what I would like for Intrepid in the future, that they have more realistic cinematics and that they don't depend on their cinematics to be considered "a good MMORPG" but rather that those cinematics are just hype tools because the real marketing and promotion of AoC would be how well done AoC is.
20.-The Liniker Idea.
This idea seems to me incredible and with a gigantic potential.
It could be applied in many things for AoC, with the premise that players who really have a very high level of experience in different "things", their feedback and opinions on those "things" should be their feedback and opinions on those "things" should be taken with more importance than the feedback of other people who don't have much experience in those "things".
For example:
If I need a feeedback of the archmage at level 50 using "X" skills in a "Y" situation then a player specialized in ARCHIMAGES who has reached level 50 and who has gone through "X" and "Y" would be what is needed to have a guarantee of a proper feedback.
In the same way this applies to an infinity of contents and things in AoC, the point of the matter and the importance of this is that it EMPOWERS PEOPLE WHO REALLY WANT AND WANT TO HELP AoC to improve and you take power away from people who only want to give non-constructive opinions and with no guarantee of experience about anything in AoC.
Of course there will always be opinions of all kinds but obviously there are opinions that have more relevance, it is not the same the opinion about crafting of a player with level 15 in crafting than another with level 50.
21.-It is not only a game, it is not and never will be.
https://youtu.be/E6zyrc8F-dAFor many people "it is just a game" but for the people who work to develop those games it is not, they invest one of the most precious things in life in the development of those games, their time, and that is why that "it is just a game" becomes "it is my life time that I use to create something spectacular for you to be entertained" , That's why it's so important to try to do the right things, because you don't do the right things for others but for yourself to prove to yourself that your time that you use is valuable because you make sure that what you do is really worthwhile.
That's your "special thing" that makes you a great professional and that those games are never "just a game".
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Comments
edit: got through it. Good post and I agree with a few points, but got nothing really to say on top of that.
But I definitely did read it all, and it was well put-together, for me. I thank you for that.
Hey Azherae thanks.
If you really want to criticize my comments do it, criticisms never degrade/deface anything but rather help to have other points of view to see potential mistakes and improve.
In this case it's just that we have really strong differences of opinion on the interpretations of things, but it would easily be possible for them to be just that, opinions.
There's nothing I could really say that would be a valid, clear counter to:
"The living example of this is Elden Ring , GOTY 2022 , the most acclaimed game of recent times that is nothing more and nothing less than another Soul formula but knows how to generate in the player those emotions that make the game so enjoyable ( here put examples of what you talked about ER in the forum )."
I can't 'prove' that this take is flawed. There's nothing to 'prove'. That's the sort of thing I meant. I just disagree so heavily with your premises that sometimes your conclusions seem bizarre, but what I would want is to argue with your conclusions.
That makes no sense unless we agree on the premises, and I doubt that will happen.
I didn't see any mistakes or misinformation that I recognized, so from that perspective of actually improving the discussion, you're golden.
I hope that Intrepid reads and takes into account everything you wrote.
(In reference to point 19)
I felt the same with Warcraft III .
I don't deny that good cinematics can create hype and attract the attention of players but if a video game, in this case an MMORPG, thinks that its biggest audience hook is the cinematics and not the quality of its gameplay then something is very wrong.
The cinematics should never be taken as the main reason to try an MMORPG but what was happening 8 years ago? If a MMORPG released a really awesome cinematic then everyone would go "WOOOOOOOW that MMORPG must have potential" when in fact it is just a "cinematic", it doesn't reflect anything about the game.
The big difference between WoW vanilla cinematics with BFA and SD is that literally in WoW vanilla cinematics you are introduced to the classes, their potential features and a world to discover something that is actually true, real and what the player will experience, in the same way with BC and WoTLK cinematics.
On the other hand in the BFA and SD cinematics they show you nothing but things that the player will not experience , those cinematics say nothing about the game they are pure smoke , they create hype and attract players? sure they do , but what really matters " the game itself " filled the expectations of those cinematics ?
The BFA trailer sold that there would be a war and great conflict between the Alliance and Orcs, did BFA really focus on that?
In the SD trailer it was sold that Sylvanas was a CHAD , she ended up being a third rate replacement actor.
It was sold that Zovaal was death and destruction itself , the most powerful of all final bosses WOW players have faced , ended up being a dummy.
For me if a MMORPG or video game is good, really good no matter its cinematics, what really matters is how good the game is and if the game is really good then that would be the best possible marketing and promotion that can be enhanced by a very good cinematics but the main thing will always be "the quality of the game".
Another champions league winning it with pure DNA ( 15 )
THE COMPETITIVE DNA OF REAL MADRID
Real Madrid has a well-known phrase, “If you don't kill us, we'll come for you”. In adversity they grow, fight and look for ways to improve in the same adversity, that is the competitive DNA of Real Madrid.
INTREPID STUDIOS' DNA must continue to improve as its development improves.