Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Comments
True, they can end up making a basketball single-player game instead of a fantasy MMORPG,
But there are still many details missing, which are not even needed to be revealed before Alpha 2 starts.
And those balancing parameters could fluctuate during Alpha 2. That's the fun part of this stage.
Pvp over caravans will come down to a scarcity of resources. If you can stack resources needlessly to a point where you don't need to trade for progression, caravans and caravan raids will not happen.
If you need a particular type of resource and it isn't available in your area you'll have to trade for it. If done correctly these resources are inherently valuable for everyone and worth fighting over.
It will come down to how the systems are tweaked, but as a pvper I am more intrigued about node wars, castle wars, caravans and open sea pvp compared to corruption. Getting paid in resources for raiding caravans sounds good to me and would be a welcome change over getting nothing of value for pvp'ing in my current games.
This bottom part just sounds like random RP to me good and evil doesn't really matter when we are talking what and how the game is designed. I'm unsure where you are getting this players are rewarded for achieving good, there is no gameplay system in place except being a bounty hunter to punish corrupt players.
To focus in on this good / evil thing. Please tell me on how players will feel rewarded from killing random people pvping everywhere. Please explain to me why people are going to be motivated to do that?
The effect it actually will have is reducing the amount of people interested int he game from people getting annoyed and constantly having to fight. Again I feel you you are trying to use rp words to doll it up than looking at the actual reality.
If you were using good /evil in meaningful pvp as i stated above group based, objective, guild wars, etc. It would make more sense atleast....I feel liek you are trying to use good / evil makes things meaningful yet trying to use it to advocate for random PvP everywhere that is not focused on group play (or any sense of meaning) but simply the selfishly nature of other players lol. That isn't good or evil, it is just random pvp.
Based on what the developers are designing to be meaningful PvP is really what matters at the end of the day. Im a heavy ganker i kill people for 0 reason or reasons i make up. They are the most meaningless pvp experiences ever. Any interesting PvP that was meaningful was around drama, story and wars, objective base gameplay.
Going to point out caravans right here.
If you are trying to stop a caravan before a siege that sounds like meaningful pvp right there since you are having a impact and they have a reason to protect and stop you so they get their tax money. The idea you think this is not meaningful in a world where you need things to progress your node and build defenses is insanely silly. You think because of repetition it is not meaningful if there are consequences on failing???
You realize if you are leading up to a siege you don't have sieges every week....there is a limit based on the node level. I'm unsure why you are using this as a argument that is is family (not that daily does not mean it is meaningful). If it has a big impact on the node people are going to feel the need to defend, it is going to make it more competitive with stronger figure coming out to fight and create great interesting pvp events. How can you not see this?
We will need to learn more about caravans but the points you are bringing up like you can only use a caravans one a week makes no sense since you spawn it when you need to deliver resources per player...Pleas read up on the wiki so you can understand more so how it works with the limited information we have.
https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Caravanserai
Again either way if caravans are weekly and their is reason to defend them that is meaningful content. If it is not meaningful to you for reasons like (you don't care about the node, don't want to defend it, don't care if you lose things, etc etc) That would be on you and dealing with the consequences.
This idea that PvP is good/ evil because people can gank in ow is pretty silly to think that is meaningful content. It can create fun things and lead to bigger things time to time, but to not people it is generally annoying and why you don't need people being pk'd every second pointlessly.
Ganking is not actually pvp when you compare it to actual meaningful pvp. Though ganking does create a fun element of friction and danger in the world. And the dose of that needs to be limited since people are unrelenting in a way that does not creative a positive or fun experience.
You like talking quite a lot and baiting to get more information.
But I will not tell you how I play and why I enjoy playing the games the way I do.
Caravans associated with those.
Please read the link if you don't get how it works or what I'm trying to say thanks.
What you enjoy (griefing included) does not matter when it comes to what is meaningful conflict based on the game design and what they have decided can create impact.
Choose to ignore the effects it has on the world and say it is not meaningful is either ignorance or you not able to be competitive in the pvp scene that will become established.
"At the end of each week leading up to a castle siege there is a period of time in the weekend where NPC generated caravans start moving toward one of the castle nodes carrying castle taxes from the nodes that fall under the castle's purview.
During this time it is incumbent upon the owning guild, its allies, and citizens of the nodes to escort these caravans to the castle node.
The enemies of the guild have incentive to attack these caravans to reap the rewards from the caravan and to sabotage the tax collection, which will reduce the defensive capability of the castle nodes and hence the castle itself.
Citizens of nodes that fall under the purview of the castle are automatically registered as defenders of these caravans and may not participate in attacks against them."
---https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Castle_sieges
Ashes of Creation impresses the hell out of me, the scope, the design, the vision, and the discipline of the developers.
It is obvious to me that PvP is absolutely central to the design of Ashes of Creation; without it, the Node System would collapse like wet tissue paper.
PvP therefore is simply the price of admission. If I want to play this game, I better learn to deal with it.
I expect a vibrant game world, active in game communities, a thriving economy, worthwhile crafting, exploration and adventure.
So I will throw myself into the game that is being offered, and see what happens.
"So.... Castles when captured by a guild have 3 nodes that are tied to that castle, and exist in close proximity to the castle itself. Only the guild's members can participate in the development of those 3 nodes, and they must develop those nodes to enhance the defenses of the castle. Sieges for a castle are once every month, and during the 3 weeks leading up to the castle siege week, each node will auto experience a siege, where attackers can try to destroy what the guild has built, in order to weaken the defenses for the castle when it's siege comes later in the month. Being a member of the guild will automatically make you a garrison of the castle nodes and castle itself. These nodes next to the castle cannot exceede node stage 4 and are always military node types."
---- Steven
---- https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Guild_castles | The guild must develop those nodes to enhance the defenses of the castle.[3]
Why are you still refusing to read what was written in the article I linked about caravans. I will copy the words for you so so you can't ignore them this time.
Caravanserai is a node building in Ashes of Creation where caravans are constructed, prepared for launch, and are unloaded.[2][3]
The caravanserai is a default building type that is present in every node (of Village (stage 3) or higher). This building can be upgraded to add additional beneficial features.[2][4]
When you want to launch a caravan you have must first have a caravan that's constructed at the caravanserai.[2] – Steven Sharif
Caravans are constructed at a caravanserai from components. If components are missing, default versions with lowest stat values will be applied to the caravan.[2][5][6]
In order to construct caravan at the caravanserai, you go to caravanserai and you say hey I've got all these components and I want to construct a caravan; and the caravanserai will accept the components that you have: It will use those components. If you don't have components for certain parts of the caravan it will give you default versions, which will be lowest stat value that that caravan can then have.[2] – Steven Sharif
Once a caravan is constructed it will be hosted at that caravanserai. Players will be able to select from a list of available caravans via a UI screen, which will show the available storage compartments for each caravan. These compartments can be assigned to members of a party or a named interest.[2]
There is a system driven way for players to co-op caravan trips; and essentially you have the driver or the owner of the caravan preps the caravan for launch at the caravanserai, which is the node building that launches the caravans, and he can make a selection to allow designated players or members of his party to reserve space within the caravan; and they may then upload their goods into the caravan at the caravanserai by interfacing with the UI there; and there can even be an agreement for insurance should the caravan be destroyed.[3] – Steven Sharif
Please stop ignoring actual quotes, these are not my own words...Caravans are not just weekly / siege related content....
Point to me where you said it wasn't weekly content? Point to me when you said it has nothing to do with the week but player driven when Caravans are around as content.
Point to me where you said it wasn't weekly content? Point to me when you said it has nothing to do with the week but player driven when Caravans are around as content.
You seriously don't get it... something that is always happening it is not viewed as weekly content.
You just argue because you love to read your own inane arguments.
Even when there is nothing for you to argue over - you just make up shit to argue about.
edit: Nope, I'm just blind because I've dried the hell out of my eyes playing Palia.
Here's the quote
"Each of the three castle nodes have a siege against it at the end of each of these three weeks."[10][32]
My bad.
You are quoting pointless aspects to the conversation. The point is it as referenced like it was a weekly aspect, but caravans are not just a weekly aspect in gameplay. The frequency is going to be player driven meaning it will be more than just weekly how often people will see them.
The forums do not revolve around you.
Please quote where i said the forums revolve around me? Or are you making things up for 0 reason. Or is it just your goal to be passive aggressive?
I'm very explicitly telling you... but... you are back on ignore for now.
As much as I enjoy good PvE, I'm not even remotely interested in it. I can't think of any reason you'd play it - other than just curiosity.
You are right but also wrong @Mag7spy. I am not able to be competitive in one vs one fights.
Or so I believe because I have not tried to be for quite some time. I will try though soon and I will find out.
The main problem I have is that somehow some ethical principles grew stronger and I feel bad killing solo players. I did that recently while playing with my guild and I felt very bad.
So I understand what you say by meaningful combat. Certain conditions could remove that ethical barrier because I would not see that solo player just as harmless innocent gatherer or traveler transporting his stuff but as a supporter of a competitor guild or node. That's what we call a "meaningful" PvP.
What are those attributes which have this effect might be different from player to player.
Players who play in guilds feel more loyal to the guild while soloers would get it through the citizenship aspect of AoC.
However I think AoC is trying to handhold and protect too much through the corruption and some game mechanics, like invulnerability in the main building of the freehold or allowing players to launch caravans from a larger area around the caravanserai. It also takes away from immersion.
When i say competitive I'm not talking about 1v1 but more about guild / node / group oriented gameplay.
If it is a rival guild that is meaningful pvp because it is above a conflict between 2 people alone and guild oriented with conflict that will have positive or negative effects between the guilds as to who wins.
AoC is simply putting a lot of emphasis on players willing to pk, this doesn't mean everyone will simply not fight back and let one go red. If you have reason to kill them and know they have something good, there is more chance they will defend themselves.
It gets into a pretty long disccusion on the whole psychology aspect of things, but what they are doing is good to have some protection on the player base. Because dropping mats and losing xp on death is a very, very big deal With a lighter barrier to entry making more people willing to kill and the time it takes to get your xp back, you would be substantially effecting player progress. It isn't just about pk but players attachment to what they have and annoying feeling having to retrace their steps.
Can you imagine how a player base would feel upon less consequences to corruption and getting pked far more often, depending on the amount your progression could be worse off for the day *ie rather than being closer to your level, you are now further away from your level.
Another thing people don't understand as well when it comes to fighting back and flagging purple. It means there is a good chance to have a winner and a lose, even at reduced penalties for flagging you still can potentially lose xp. It could become a thing where you question if it is worth flagging if you feel like you lost a few fights in a row and might want a break for the moment to lose loss progress.
All of this has to be cross checked as well with player time, and the effects it has on your player base. negative effects lead people to complain when it is out of their control. You can look at BDO as an example that had player xp debt upon death in pvp. BDO used a karma system giving you a buffer before you were red so you can kill people multiple times. It lead to people complain do tot he time it takes to gain xp and was removed because the frequency was too strong on players. (Though BDO has issues where you can spawn back where you die pretty much double down on xp loss per pvp death.)
Corruption is something that is always needed, though OWpvp is fun you need the balance to keep a heathy game. And why the most likely use the term meaningful pvp which is more group oriented which they will be pushing towards players and without the limit of corruption.
It keeps the pvp focused between guilds and groups and not people going on a mass murder on the server. While keeping the threat of open world pvp if someone sees you get some rare material and they decide they want it, or they simply really don't like you and deal with the consequences.
I'm very confident if you want a lot of pvp, the game will have that option for players and there won't be any short feeling of it. While trying to have the game grow and not kill it off from evil players like me for example that will feel nothing and kill everyone. I literarily did this in BDO and wiped out an entire guild, and then their officers when the game as well any time they were doing a world boss. Simply gear checking every single one of their members for my own enjoyment. Granted that would be group fighting but still, can't have that kind of thing happening to random people not associated with certain wars going on.
This post is getting to long but to finish off pvp and the risk that comes with it can be a lot of pressure, but things need to be balanced out by some relaxing moments as well. Else you end up pushing some people away.
If you say an evil player like you will like the game, I am happy. Bounty hunters need a purpose too. But we will see what you say once you see the real game. For now everybody just hopes things will be balanced as they want.
Regarding the freehold invulnerability, not the protection bothers me but the way it is implemented, as an indie developer would do it.
I would prefer a protection mechanic needed to maintain and upgrade rather than a popup telling that the player cannot be attacked.
Same with the caravans. They should feel natural rather than a game mechanic. Such systems make me think the game is more like a huge arena rather than a sandbox game. The good thing is that you can delegate the task to other players who like doing them.