Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Comments
Here ya are!
That is in fact a good image. If we were gonna make Ashes Content for our streams, it would definitely be among the better images to use in various places, really captures the feeling that we associate with the game.
Absolute banger of a job from all who were involved in this art.
I want it ingame as a painting for my house.
I’m also looking forward to the freeholds.
I am looking forward to the game systems that facilitate meaningful cooperation, and to finding like-minded players to work on common goals with. Within that, I especially look forward to the various objective-based PvP scenarios, to tackle them in an organised manner, and to explore the complex system of interdependent classes, roles, and equipment-based specialisations within PvP.
I really hope the characters get changed a little on the artist side of things. I feel like the art direction doesn't have a solid direction still. The orcs seem to have the most unique look so far but the humans look absolutely ugly. I really wanna be able to make characters that look sexy lol.
I'd like to see lots of gear and collectibles and some kind of transmog system to go along with it. My main thing in MMOs is to immerse myself in my character, but a lot of games don't do that well. I think BDO, FFXIV and WoW have done those systems best.
Maybe not the BDO upgrade values on enhancing gear though. Those are just painful. I don't like feeling utterly punished for upgrading and failing. I'm fine if the materials aren't too difficult to farm but when you get one drop per hour it gets disheartening to keep playing. Now if you make gathering process more interesting then I'm all for it.
Break the tedious grind and make it interesting. And prepare for people to hate on the graphic style if you have no plans to change them.
I absolutely love it when everyone in the guild is working together towards pvp goals.
For me, doing in-game activities such as farming or crafting are pretty meaningless if there isnt some overarching goal or achievement that youre trying to reach by doing those activities.
I know these goals are very subjective. It can be progressing your gear, getting a certain achievement, becomming rich etc, but for me its all about the large scale prestigious pvp objectives such as the castles. Grinding mobs to get better gear so you can then grind more mobs to get better gear etc etc to me is a boring gameplay loop. What point is there in progressing your gear if youre never going to benefit from it in some larger overarching objective you have?
I personally play a lot of full loot survival mmos (atlas, last oasis) and some of my best moments in gaming were always when im defending a big objective, wether that be a base or a claim, but something that if you lose it, youre just kinda fucked. If theres nothing on the line in a pvp fight, i simply just dont really care.
Back when new world first launched it was a thrill to take and hold everfall (the most important city on launch). Each defense felt intense, as losing actually meant something. It was a prestigous thing to hold and holding the city meant you were able to get the resources to expend and claim other towns.
The problem with these types of pvp objectives usually is that the game loses players, and then it doesnt really mean much anymore to hold them. Competition dies down, players leave, you have noone to fight anymore and theres just nothing left to play for anymore.
I really hope ashes is able to retain a large enough playercount so that there is always competition around these big pvp objectives.
Besides some good old large scale pvp, im also really looking forward to the naval system!
I loved the ship combat in atlas. Players all working together to keep a ship afloat while trying to outmanauver and sink other ships just felt amazing. One thing atlas did (and last oasis too, but it wasnt ships but "walkers) was reducing the need for multiple players on a ship. Both games started introducing systems that made it easier to man a ship with just 1 or 2 players in an attempt to "create an equal playing field for smaller groups". I hope ashes will never go down that route, and proper teamplay and coordination is rewarded during ship combat.
Cant wait to play this game, keep up the great work!
This guy rules. Actuallllyyy.
Runner up would be nodes and everything about them.
the next would be a balance to XP and leveling with meaningful choice. an example of what i mean is like retail wow vs classic. in retail, you can ignore almost any activity, just doing the main story quest, and youre still likely to hit max level with a decent set of gear. in classic, if you focused the main questline, eventually youll hit a wall where you are to low level, but this encourage you to explore the game in the way you chose. do i want to side quest with some gathering to catch up? or would i rather do dungeons the whole way? or maybe some light pvp while i unlock the map and gain exploration xp?
There are way to many specializations proposed in AoC with the affiloations, class combos and weapon/armor free for all.
Why should active abilities of archetypes being part of it? Why lock some abilities out? I say let us slot them all. Let us enjoy our archetype and specialize elsewhere. Dont lock abilities out with the points system
I want to see archetypes having active, situational abilities and large hotbars.
Some skills can have high mp, long CD and low impact, but there will be a value somewhere in the game. A situational value and I'd like my char, since he is a fighter, to be able to use that skill without having to go back to respec.
Same thing goes for the weapons. I'd like to see, inbeded in the archetypes, weapon usage. Some active abilities should require a specific weapon to be slotted, and those actions should reflect the weapons martial combat.
Not just procs of bleed...
I think too many games design elaborate skill trees, where you spec your points.
Two bad things about it:
1) You miss out on so many of your archetypes actions that you should, as a fighter for eg, perform.
2) These trees are bloatted with passives and stats, which add nothing visual or active. "+5% rear dmg". Why? It's so useless. Why not add a couple of rear dmg ACTIVE skills? Backstab and Lethal Strike?
"+10% armor penetration". Why not create an active skill? Crushing blow.
Class and weapon.
I have played a couple of mmos that say "play as you want", and a couple with solid class structures and weapon/armor locks.
Then there was L2 with solid classes,.a large variety and the freedom to equip weapons situationally, whilst also having rigid class/weapon/armor identities.
I would like some mmo to go one step forward.
I'd like to see an mmo with clear classes:
Paladin
Necro
Warlock
Druid
Archer
Rogue
Mage
Summoner
Healer
Bard
Dark Knight
Warrior etc etc etc
The staples of fantasy, not to reinvent the wheel. And I'd like these classes to have 2-3 weapons for specilization with active striking/fighting abilities + situational/buff abilities tied to the class theme/role.
No more "play as you want", because it leads to metas.
I'd like to one day play a dualsword warrior, with proper dualsword combat, striking abilities, that can also have options for a two handed weapon and a spear, with perhaps some abilities, similar to this anmoying yellow hammer we have in the fighter, but instead of summoning a magical giant object, the character could just sheathe the 2 swords, draw the 2handed from the backstrap and execute (deal big dmg) on a fallen target. Situational, variable, true to class ID.
Good animations and satisfying gameplay. Solid class design.
PvP, I really want to figure out where exactly the balance is meaning to reside. Allowing for a reasonable amount of corruption to promote bounties so bounty hunting is viable? Or a much stricter approach essentially making an indirect opt-in PvP situation. While I know corruption is meant to only deter griefing, thats hard to achieve entirely without being overly protective of those who dont participate in PvP.
Naval content is a no brainer. I can't wait to see all of the different ship types, attachments, and combat.
Node systems will be fun to explore seeing as theyre such a new concept and they are pretty much the bedrock of the games design it seems.
I reallllly want to see all of the different synergies for combat. I hope there is a wide variety that requires a sense of skill to coordinate between players for different outcomes. What if there are some abilities that may have negative affects when they are cast together?
I would like group content to be for groups. Sailing should require 4-5 members.
Rawing a small boat should require 2 members, a caravan should require a few people. Same for FHs. They should require team effort in producing the building blocks and the produce as well for real profits.
I dont want to see mmos being soloable anymore. Yes, there will be times that your friends will be offlibe or times that you dont want to group up.
There will be node, affiliation, class/skill, and weaker mobs to keep yourself busy.
But solo should be look down upon by the DEVELOPING STUDIO.
And as always.
Owpvp, limited instances and NO PAY TO WIN.
thanks AOC.
Edit: To clarify a little about being a "PvE player"... I've gotten to the top tier in FFXIV's 5v5 mode (if you play it, you know this isn't a brag, just saying I've played it a fair bit), I'm currently grinding structured PvP in GW2 for the legendary armor, and I still enjoy League of Legends from time to time.
I just don't much care for Ashes' version of PvP. Compared to the games I mentioned, I expect Ashes' PvP will be painfully one-sided far too often. I'm sure it will lead to wonderful stories, and I might enjoy being a part of them occasionally, but I don't expect to enjoy the actual fighting (or fleeing) most of the time.
Which is why I identify as a PvE player on these forums.
The game, in terms of:
1) Mastery
I always strive to perfect my ability and understanding of what I do in anything that I do, so I’m looking forward to mastering the aspects the game has to offer, Combat, Crafting, Crafting Systems, AI you name it.
I love to take things apart and get an understanding of it at it’s most basic pieces and functions.
For combat its:
-Class - maining a Tulnar Summoner Primary Wildblade, secondary the rest.
-Mounted - I want a badass friend whom I charge into battle with.
-Naval - I'll get the boats for my group but I like being boarding party always.
-Aerial Combat - Let me shoot people out of the sky with a glider of my own.
In any medium they come in - I don't care when, where, and how - I love to fight.
Herbalism, Alchemy, Mining, and Smithing are usually the top of the list for me when it comes to crafting; but I don't play Valheim because I hate crafting. I play Valheim because I love it.
But I enjoy a damn good logistics system that the crafting system will fit into - logistics is the darkness, my old friend. Another puzzle to be solved and mastered.
For AI its
Breaking down the fights, piece by piece, figuring out the puzzle no matter how many tries it takes.
And when you get that in Ashes PvX, it’ll be the chefs kiss for me.
2) Socialization
My way of socialization is to first seek other peoples who share crossover in my interests, I like finding like minded individuals who want to master the game for what it has to offer.
That also includes the psychological aspect of the game in terms of other gamers, whether it be finding the most complete way to structure, strategize, and organize my guild.
My background is in psychology in terms of an “upper education”, I like to see what makes people tick and how they behave.
3) Tutoring/Mentoring
It comes full circle for me and makes me feel accomplished when I can take people whom are below average and zero understanding of a game and mentor them into competitive and competent players. It’s the biggest challenge and undertaking any high tier, mastery seeking player can accomplish and it’s the actualization of my own mastery and leadership abilities.
4) Some good ole Nerdrage, Server Drama, and with some RP madness mixed into the mix. I do not care about hand holdin’ everyone gets a long, vanilla servers. That is not my style, I am never amused.
I like to see all of the combustible elements of a game and the smoke 24/7, it never gets old or stressful to me. It’s just a cycle to be surfed.
Truly the ultimate generalistic broad question.
What can i offer other than my ultimate generalistic broad answer?
A: Entertainment.
Just kidding, let's make it a lil more specific...
Mostly, Meaningful Conflict.
Of all kinds and types, against men and machine, that creates friends and foes, that requires skill and dedication, that makes players invested and motivated, that is challenging and rewarding, dramatic and unpredictable, of massive and small scale, which is intrinsic of the systems or player made, so on and so forth.
Aren't we all sinners?
its a must, best recent close example - New World, however it did display open world not being capped, it was 100's v 100's flagged pvp
The wars 50v50 was fine, but they needed to rework networking as there was huge issues at the start. Also it was capture point a,b,c very stale tactics and got boring after 10 or so wars
Lastly as long as there is incentive, objectives, targets, goals, stuff to do. will be fun!
guild wars, open pvp etc
This adventure will include different things like building a node into some cool looking place, making friends, exploring beautiful Verra, raiding epic dungeons, finding awesome treasures and becoming a strong player.
There is not a specific game system thing that I'm looking from this game. It is just a fantasy adventure that I want to experience and I believe that Intrepid Studios can make it happen!
2. watching the world evolve.
3. getting lost in the lore
4. pushing my character to the max
5. own a freehold
6. be a helpful player for new people
7. dungeon diving
A Dream by Diura
In a realm of magic and might, as the sun bathes the land in golden light,
A bard's lute fills the air with a tune, amidst a
Node bustling like a liveliest dune.
Guildies gather, caravan prepared, their spirits lifted, worries ensnared,
A player seeks escort to venture far, and another dances to the bard's guitar.
With rain's arrival and winds that gust, their journey takes a risky thrust,
Yet the music plays, hearts undeterred, as they travel through the stormy surge.
Halfway to the next node, foes appear, opportunists seeking to interfere,
But amidst the clash, a rumble sounds, and a Cyclops emerges, astounding all around.
In awe and fear, they stand and stare, a rare sight beyond compare,
A decision made, they join as one, seeking treasures from what's to be won.
With courage and strength, they charge ahead, in a battle where they all are led,
The Cyclops falls, loot scattered wide, rewards abundant, their hearts full of pride.
Now allies made, what path to tread? To share the spoils or let conflict spread?
Together they decide to go, sharing rewards, building bonds that grow.
These are the adventures they seek, in a world alive, where dreams reach their peak,
With their lutes and swords held high, they'll cherish each moment 'neath the open sky.
Bosses with variations, world bosses, a functional economy.