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.
3 things you want to see with AoC dungeons
Veeshan
Member, Alpha Two
Figured we would do a little post to see what people want to see in regards to dungeons in AoC, The main thing i want from dungeons is to feel more dangerous and different vibe than the overworld.
The 3 things i wanna see for AoC dungeons
1 - non linear dungeons (The old School approach to dungeon layouts such as Everquest/Runescape)
2 - No maps (No maps instantly make things feel much more dangerous/different from overworld content especialy when you first go in you will play it safe but more often you go in you will build up an internal map and you feel safer going deeper)
3- Traps (Traps take away a little bit of control the players think they have so it makes thing feel more dangerous especialy things like pitfall traps where you may get dropped in a lower level where mobs are more challenging) of course a class should have detect traps ability maybe rogue or hunter
Extra note: Rogues or ranger should get a detection trap they can place down and this just alerts them if a player triggers it just as a safety net for if somone sneaking up on your group of course they could disarm it and still get the jump.
The 3 things i wanna see for AoC dungeons
1 - non linear dungeons (The old School approach to dungeon layouts such as Everquest/Runescape)
2 - No maps (No maps instantly make things feel much more dangerous/different from overworld content especialy when you first go in you will play it safe but more often you go in you will build up an internal map and you feel safer going deeper)
3- Traps (Traps take away a little bit of control the players think they have so it makes thing feel more dangerous especialy things like pitfall traps where you may get dropped in a lower level where mobs are more challenging) of course a class should have detect traps ability maybe rogue or hunter
Extra note: Rogues or ranger should get a detection trap they can place down and this just alerts them if a player triggers it just as a safety net for if somone sneaking up on your group of course they could disarm it and still get the jump.
3
Comments
2. Specific strange 'modifiers' from the outdoor/overland weather within the dungeons, especially changes to the dungeon terrain and layout based on the weather.
3. Ways for players/groups to help or hinder each other's progress, by flipping switches, locking or unlocking doors, and changing paths to change the dungeon layout in small ways (or larger ways, on a cooldown, that's good too!)
2. Dungeon changes every week (or at least roughly that timing, depending on weather/node changes/event influence)
3. Same as Azherae's 3. Players should be able to create some changes within the dungeon to influence others' gameplay. This should be visible on a player-created map, if that player made it after the change
1 - Not only archetypes/class interactions but potentially professions as well within the dungeon/zone. This Allows for secret rooms for various purposes, traps and pathing. Could even be funny leaving a trail of fish acquired within the dungeon to use as bait for an in dungeon beast trap / diversion to incoming invaders. things like cave-ins, destroyable barricades, mobs that hunt other groups etc.
2 - more immersive environmental encounters for boss fights. Nothing wrong with simpler mechanics to an extent but would like to see interactive options for diversity to prevent just standing around and doing a rotation boringly for however long the encounter takes. Make it feel like it's a fantasy encounter like a well thought out table top gaming scenario instead of just a basic arena. If the bosses mobility is multi-dimensional, the encounter/area should be multi-dimensional accordingly.
3 - Different entrances and pathing with pvp/siege intent in mind. Ways for if you're going to get steam rolled out of the dungeon by other players for to at least slow down until reinforcements arrive/respawn. Nothing game breaking though by being too one sided.
2. Class-unique abilities, like rogue/ranger detect trap/ secret, or cleric clear toxic fog (they showed in one stream a year or more back).
3. The ability to spend as much or as little time as possible. If I want to spend 30 minutes in there, I want it to feel like I got something out of there. If i spend 3 hours in there, I also want to feel like I got 3 hours worth of stuff.
Summer, dry season, could change the mobs near the entrances....more lizards and hot weather creatures. New entrances open up when rivers and lake water levels decrease.
Winter, cold season, again different mobs near the entrance based on cold and ice. Some entrances might be closed by icefalls and snow drifts.
2. Surface events, such as the Verran equivalent of Halloween, impact mobs and quests in dungeons. Mating seasons for mobs changes their behavior, making some passive mobs aggressive.
3. Some mobs, both in dungeons and other environments, react differently to different races. Some hate orcs and are aggressive towards them, some feel kindship with orcs. Similar variations to other races, potentially influenced by seasons.
1. Dungeons with poisonous environment and creatures which cause frequent damage over time.
2. Neutral NPCs which you can hire in the dungeon, useful if a party member suddenly disconnects.
3. Jumping puzzles which change configuration each time a player complete it.
Hopefuly we wil see a few of these atleast ^.^
Would be cool to see some of the same idea since crafted gear will be the primary gearing in this game.
Like, players must be fighting in a certain room against a certain boss, and when a certain mechanic is going on the crafting conditions to combine materials are met. And the raid just has to let the crafter go do his thing AAND keep him alive from the mechanic and adds spawning and all other chaos going on.
2. Random spawns
3. Random loot
If dungeons are to be small fixed instances like WoW, I prefer them to be relatively quick. There's nothing worse than being in the middle of a 40 minute instance and have someone drop or need to drop yourself. It's not such an issue in relatively short dungeons or more freeform dungeons.
As far as brain teasers/jumping puzzles I loved the dungeons from the Zelda series, and from the game Crosscode (for nintendo switch).
Here is an example of one of the hardest puzzles in the game, where you have to shoot a projectile in slow motion, then escort it throughout the room by utilizing the different previously learned mechanics, in order to steer it clear of any obstacles until it reaches the end to unlock the door for you to progress. It was pretty fun to figure this one and and execute it.
Other aspects of dungeon design that I like includes
1. having a huge focus on mystery and discovery, such as
A) lots of secrets that you have to use hidden clues to figure out
B- having ties to the lore that when you figure it out it helps fill in gaps in the story
C) has important hidden knowledge available to find that can benefit you if understood and utilized organically
D) Having meaningful rewards that can be found or earned (such as rare hidden tamable pets, potential npc helpers that are stuck, etc.) Its cool when there is a hard to reach spot that you are unsure if you can get to it, and it turns out you can and there is something cool waiting for you. Its also cool when they tease you with a reward in a seemingly impossible to reach spot and you have to figure out how to get to it.
2. Good music
3. A healthy dose of risk and challenge
4. Fun boss fights
5. Well designed layout and level design
6. Immersive atmosphere
There definitely more but I would have to think about it.
2- Mobs or mini bosses giving good drops and not just the bosses dropping valuable items.
3- The option to pick from a variety of paths to get to the bosses or end boss. Different gates to open etc.
4- Good music, cinematics if possible, immersive atmosphere
1. THE MOST IMPORTATNT THING!!! - PLEASE DO NOT have the mobs standing still and just sitting there waiting for us to come hit them as loot piñatas. This goes the same for the boos fights as well. Please don't let us stand 30 feet away all grouped up and the boss is just standing there blind, def and dumb towards us. PLEASE don't do this.
2. NO MAPS. Let us learn it on our own and make our own maps of the place. I would be 150% perfectly fine if you turned the mini map off once you enter a dungeon.
3. A rotating mob population. Please don't keep the same mobs at the same spots. This will lead to boredom.
4. Make the dungeons very immersive, awe inspiring, with great lore, and some awesome background music while you're in there, and make them very challenging!
Dungeons with a lot of verticality in them. For example, a giant hole going into the ground like a giant mining shaft, with levels and rooms as you go down. Lots of stairs, ladders and elevators you have to traverse. This lets you see other player parties across the mining shaft on the other side, and as you go past them down the elevators.
For the adventurous with gliding mounts, perhaps let them spiral down through the giant hole, with the risk of overshooting their target level, be shot at on the way down, or fall to the bottom for a nasty surprise.
Everquest had a couple of verticality dungeons, Tower of frozen shadows for example had like 7 levels and some floors had pit traps where u fell down some levels :P
Also a dungeon called the hole :P which one way down was jumping off into the giant hole death sentance without levetate although i think it drops u right in a pretty mean room too if u take that route in haha :P not sure how vertical it is however once in that was one zone iu didnt realy go too in that game