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Will Ashes of Creation have a 'nullsec' similar to EVE Online?

EVE Online is one of my favourite MMOs of all time, and I've barely played it. It has such a strong appeal to me, but I simply cannot dedicate the time it requires of me towards it; it has an astoundingly slow progression system, with a complex interface, and overall the design is.. boring. But what it does have, however, <em>is one of the most freeform sandbox experiments of all time</em>. The stories that come out of that game, the drama, the intrigue, the politics, are Top Tier. I spend so much time pouring over the /r/eve subreddit and I've even bought a book based on EVE stories.

The entire reason EVE has survived is almost strictly because of just how free and open it is, specifically in the 'nullsec' areas - where there is no protection from NPCs, and anything goes.. to wit that the only law there is player created. Nullsec areas are generally considered the locations that give a player/corporation the most to gain with the right amount of infrastructure, either in the form of valuable resources, lucrative missions/anomalies, or straight up rapidity of transportation (you can save so much time if you secure safe transportation routes through nullsec).

Which is why the idea of a fantasy sandbox MMO, using similar facets, appeals to me like nothing else. I <strong>love</strong> the idea of being able to decide what kind of character you want to play as, and then being able to 'roleplay' that character within a given setting. What if I want to be a bandit exploiting the vulnerabilities of a stronghold's economy by picking away at caravans? Under ideal circumstances, I could do that - I could choose to be a bandit, and the only consequences I would suffer from that choice would be inherent in <em>choosing to become a bandit</em>. And if it was wrapped with a user-friendly interface, fun and exciting gameplay, and a cool aesthetic? Hot diggity dog, that'd be awesome!

<em><strong>So while it's interesting to see Ashes of Creation adopt EVE Online's security status feature in the form of their "Corruption" mechanic, I have to ask: Will they be adopting EVE's "nullsec" features as well? Do you think they should or should not?</strong></em>

My personal belief is that without it, it severely limits the freedom of players to generate the intrigue so many of us are hoping to get out of Ashes.

Comments

  • If you go to the <a href="https://discord.gg/AshesOfCreation">discord</a> you can find the answer to some of your questions. I would not nesscarily call it nullsec but caravan routing has been discussed in the manner your describing transport here. You would probably also gain some of the knowledge you seek by going to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGepb_OZLhQ">the Q/A</a>. For further inquirery I suggest going to the discord to the intrepid_answers and ask_intrepid sections to either see if some of the questions answered by Steven the Creative Director gives you more insight in to what you are asking, or to ask steven by tagging him in ask_intrepid.

    The pvp-dynamics of this kind of routing is also discussed in both the discord and in the Q/A, generally I think your personal belif of player freedom to generate the intrigue is very much in line with what the devs have been talking about.
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