Unique servers storyline question.

On March 31 Steven said that every player's decision would be canonized and form unique stroyline for that very server.
So why would players from different servers make different decisions on the global scale to form that unique storyline? What differs playerbase on server A from playerbase on server B?

Also why unique server storyline would matter that much for characters locked within a single server and unable to experience another outcome?

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Ludullu

It's just about a variety of choices and slight differences in content those changes might provide. Players on different servers might make different choices throughout the server's history, which will lead to different outcomes. That's it.

Noaani

Chaos_Legion wrote: »

Also why unique server storyline would matter that much for characters locked within a single server and unable to experience another outcome?

This part doesn't really matter at all, it is just a consequence of players actions impacting the game world.

I mean, your actions aren't really impacting the game world if you successfully defend against a siege but your node is destroyed anyway.

In order for player actions to have meaning in the world, different servers following different paths kind of has to happen. If it is going to happen, you may as well tout it as a unique feature of your game, rather than leaving it to just be considered the consequence of other systems and mechanics that it actually is.

bloodprophet

Nodes will be the big difference. Content will be locked behind node development. So if server A unlocks nodes different from server B there will be different content.

https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Nodes

Chaos_Legion

Its unclear (to me) whether its the server environment becomes canonized and thus cannot ever be changed or is it just the story arcs become canonized and are locked until the next cycle. Steven refers to it as a narrative world building, much like nodes . Which sounds like former to me, but if its the latter, then again why would thousands of players suddenly change their decisions and shift story arc to another branch. I just hope they know what they are doing ))

Ludullu

Chaos_Legion wrote: »

then again why would thousands of players suddenly change their decisions and shift story arc to another branch

They will just play the game how they want. And it's gonna be on Intrepid to account for any possible decisions. Or at least point players to some of them.

Caww

I hope there are enough character slots to accommodate the top server story arcs... just in case I would like to experience a different aspect.

from the wiki: There will be a "comfortable" number of character slots on launch.

Ludullu

Caww wrote: »

I hope there are enough character slots to accommodate the top server story arcs... just in case I would like to experience a different aspect.

from the wiki: There will be a "comfortable" number of character slots on launch.

I'd hope chars are server-based and not account-based. Considering that we can't move our chars between servers I see no point in having account-based char limits.

Chaos_Legion

Annother question is how story arcs deals with player lvl? Do you have to skip latter parts for being too weak and switch to another stories? No answer yet, i know.

Ludullu

Chaos_Legion wrote: »

Annother question is how story arcs deals with player lvl? Do you have to skip latter parts for being too weak and switch to another stories? No answer yet, i know.

Different node lvls will have different steps of story arcs, so you'll need to travel around and experience different stuff that matches your lvl. Or at least that's how I see it going down.

This is not a super linear game, so you'll most likely miss out on some story arcs, even if they'll come back in rotation later on.

Azherae

Chaos_Legion wrote: »

Annother question is how story arcs deals with player lvl? Do you have to skip latter parts for being too weak and switch to another stories? No answer yet, i know.

In the games I play that do it, the story Arc equivalent spawns 2-4 'tiers' of content, sometimes in different locations, and different players gravitate to the one that lets them be most effective/efficient.

One of the other methods used is to just count on player interest dropoff. Content is introduced at low level and if left alone will get stronger. For a certain period, the low level characters push back, when they lose interest or outlevel it, less people do that, and the content levels up to the next tier, and people of the next strength level become interested.

Eventually even when the whole server is strong, the situation is solved still, it just takes longer for the content to become challenging or available, but the ability for low level players to still engage with it and make some impact, remains.

This is for games with more 'seasonal' content strength/'Story arcs' though. The equivalent in the game that doesn't have this is a matter of hierarchy, so it would be the difference between 'saving your Node's building' (for low level players in lower level nodes) and 'saving your City's Reliquary from a beastman attack' (for higher level players in higher level nodes).

The High level players could easily move to just overwhelm the low level content, but time spent vs effectiveness is a factor.

Chaos_Legion

NiKr wrote: »

Different node lvls will have different steps of story arcs, so you'll need to travel around and experience different stuff that matches your lvl. Or at least that's how I see it going down.

This is not a super linear game, so you'll most likely miss out on some story arcs, even if they'll come back in rotation later on.

So if a node gets destroyed we can experience the same or different questlines again and again? Replayable content via node destruction.

Azherae

Chaos_Legion wrote: »

NiKr wrote: »

Different node lvls will have different steps of story arcs, so you'll need to travel around and experience different stuff that matches your lvl. Or at least that's how I see it going down.

This is not a super linear game, so you'll most likely miss out on some story arcs, even if they'll come back in rotation later on.

So if a node gets destroyed we can experience the same or different questlines again and again? Replayable content via node destruction.

It could mean that too, based on what we've learned recently, but please note that it's possible that the original comment was based moreso on the idea that the world is dynamic enough to just not be in the same configuration.

For example, like a gridmap based civ-building strategy game. Even if the map doesn't change, things like 'which nation or faction you choose to play as', 'who allies with you', and so on, are things that some people consider 'storyline'. I don't think we know with certainty if the term 'storyline' has always referred to things like the Story Arc system. You could always ask in this month's Q&A thread though.

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