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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.
Massive combat still looks too colorful and flashy
Artharion
Member, Alpha Two
When it comes to skill and battle effects, the game still looks too colorful and flashy, and especially in massive PvP you can see that. IMHO, this is something that affect the gameplay in several ways, but also how the whole scene looks. Here some points to consider and that might help to generate a more comfortable atmosphere for the player, both in terms of gameplay and also in terms of look & feel:
Use More Muted Color Palette for Effects: Using less saturated or darker colors for skill effects can reduce visual fatigue and make it easier for players to focus on strategy and gameplay mechanics without distractions. This also helps ensure that special effects do not dominate the visual scene, especially in massive combat situations where many players are using abilities simultaneously.
Visual Differentiation by Class: Limiting the more flashy and colorful visual effects to specific classes, like mages or other magical classes, can add a layer of visual strategy, allowing players to quickly identify the type of threat or support a particular class might be providing on the battlefield. For non-magical classes, such as archers, effects could be more subtle or realistic, focusing on showcasing the skill without overwhelming the scene. IMHO, skills like that flashy green arrow-machine gun from the Archer is too much, also it looks more like a Star Wars blaster than a medieval set.
Optimization of Effects for Massive PvP: Consider optimizing effects in massive PvP situations, possibly with a setting that allows players to adjust the intensity or visibility of certain visual effects. This could include options to simplify skill effects in high-player combat situations, reducing the number of flashes, particles, and other graphical elements that can make the action hard to follow.
Visual Feedback and Gameplay: While aesthetics are important, it is crucial that any adjustments to visual effects do not compromise players' ability to read the game and react appropriately. Each skill should have a clear visual indicator of its area of effect, casting time, and immediate impact, so players can make informed decisions in the heat of the moment.
Implementing these changes will require a careful balance between aesthetics, functionality, and accessibility. It would be beneficial for the development team to collect more community feedback and conduct iterative testing to find the right balance that satisfies most players. This feedback and adjustment process is crucial for creating a gaming experience that is both visually appealing and solidly playable.
Finally, I think a good example of how effects should look in a game where large scale PvP is an important part of it, is Throne and Liberty. Look this 2000v1500 player Siege and how, even where you have thousands of players, effects don't cover all the screen. They are not that colorful and more subtle:
https://youtu.be/Mq6iRarVWKA?si=ixq1pfqfLl3e7sSx
Use More Muted Color Palette for Effects: Using less saturated or darker colors for skill effects can reduce visual fatigue and make it easier for players to focus on strategy and gameplay mechanics without distractions. This also helps ensure that special effects do not dominate the visual scene, especially in massive combat situations where many players are using abilities simultaneously.
Visual Differentiation by Class: Limiting the more flashy and colorful visual effects to specific classes, like mages or other magical classes, can add a layer of visual strategy, allowing players to quickly identify the type of threat or support a particular class might be providing on the battlefield. For non-magical classes, such as archers, effects could be more subtle or realistic, focusing on showcasing the skill without overwhelming the scene. IMHO, skills like that flashy green arrow-machine gun from the Archer is too much, also it looks more like a Star Wars blaster than a medieval set.
Optimization of Effects for Massive PvP: Consider optimizing effects in massive PvP situations, possibly with a setting that allows players to adjust the intensity or visibility of certain visual effects. This could include options to simplify skill effects in high-player combat situations, reducing the number of flashes, particles, and other graphical elements that can make the action hard to follow.
Visual Feedback and Gameplay: While aesthetics are important, it is crucial that any adjustments to visual effects do not compromise players' ability to read the game and react appropriately. Each skill should have a clear visual indicator of its area of effect, casting time, and immediate impact, so players can make informed decisions in the heat of the moment.
Implementing these changes will require a careful balance between aesthetics, functionality, and accessibility. It would be beneficial for the development team to collect more community feedback and conduct iterative testing to find the right balance that satisfies most players. This feedback and adjustment process is crucial for creating a gaming experience that is both visually appealing and solidly playable.
Finally, I think a good example of how effects should look in a game where large scale PvP is an important part of it, is Throne and Liberty. Look this 2000v1500 player Siege and how, even where you have thousands of players, effects don't cover all the screen. They are not that colorful and more subtle:
https://youtu.be/Mq6iRarVWKA?si=ixq1pfqfLl3e7sSx 0
Comments
For me and for many other according to what I read or discuss with more member of the community. They always tell us to communicate feedback on the forums, this is what I'm doing.
Definitely not boring to me, fromt what I saw on wednesday, looks pretty cool.
that's fair. just looks like every other mmorpg's combat. Nothing really stands out to me except the flashy effects.
good chat.
Whether players want to selectively filter out what they don’t want to hear is a topic for another Forums thread.
Maybe someone has some examples where this isn't the case, and that would change my mind. That's not to say I don't think they can work towards visual clarity, Its just not possible to truly achieve it for large group encounters imo.
I simply warned you to expect that Ashes combat will always seem too flashy to you.
Because these devs love super-flashy abilities. And... even when they tone them down in response to feedback, people still complain they are too flashy.
Particle effects and rendering.[25]
Effects bloom and brightness.[22]
Effect elements and channels.[22]
Motion blur will be togglable on and off.[26]
I think that if this is not enough, then we have a problem. I am confident there will be a herd of content creators willing to lead the flashy-averse to the promised land of the settings screen.
No one wants to fight in a combat blizzard, and I am not convinced that we will... yet. Not by some second pass pre-alpha 2 combat they still working on , and no demonstration of the above adjustments.
didnt you complain in another thread that the effects got downgraded?
wouldnt they be downgrading if they removed the flashiness of the effects?
also gotta remember they be showing it off with spell effects on max setting aswell so they could be persoanly toned down for u if u wanted most likly in settings
If you watched the live stream back they literally address effects are not finished...that means they will be doing other passes and adjusting them. You aren't even going to see optimized settings yet. They are definitely aware of issues but making the same comment on the same effects that have not been scaled yet won't do much.
That being said i feel like this is a troll at this point as you are trying to suggest you have this view point always or something by saying "Still"
https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/discussion/57319/is-it-just-me-or-do-i-see-some-downgrade-in-the-latest-ranger-devstream/p1
They always say to provide feedback, so this is what me and other are doing. If you can't handle it, just don't enter on the forum.
If there's some option to tune it down or up on settings everybody can be happy.
I'm making more of a point you don't know what you want.
These electric, huge Balls - this cool crackling of Lightning - the Blinks/Teleports and other Effects,
this can be hard on my sensitive Eyes. :-3
But i'll be damned if we can not adjust the Settings in the Future when the Game comes out.
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
✓ Guild is " Balderag's Garde " for now. (German)
+1
I think they should take feedback from Throne and Liberty: A 1500v2000 Siege Battle and you don't see many colourful effects:
Why are these wars not capped o god. If this is really like 3500 people fighting thought hat is pretty insane.
Because that is the shittiest idea for a MASSIVE morpg. These kinds of fights is exactly what pulls people in in the first place. And when that shit is barely lagging like here - that's an incredible pull.
I fucking hate amazon so much right now, cause this shit is exactly why I played L2 back in the day and I wish I could play TL at least until A2 comes out
Na capped wars is the best thing modern mmorpgs have done. Making them actually be competitive and not about who brings the most numbers that is garbage design.
Zerging is not content, and why people have issues with throne and liberty with everyone on the server being in one guild. 0 pvp 0 competition, just biggest numbers.
There's no such thing as competitive sieges. We're not dota or cs or whatever. MASSIVE battles are fun, because you don't see that shit in any other game. I played 32vs32 battlefield back in the 00s. But I never played this kind of scale outside of mmos.
And this kinda relates to what Noaani likes to say about pve content. You dislike him yelling that instances are fair because everyone can access that content, but you're here suggesting fucking over THOUSANDS of people just to have some imaginary "competition" in a siege. That's real funny to me