Leveraging Community-Driven Content Creation for Accelerated Development in Ashes of Creation
Hello, fellow Ashes of Creation community members!
In the recent AMA, the Intrepid Studios team mentioned their intention to collaborate with external companies to develop animations, assets, and other graphic elements for the game. While this is a common and sensible strategy to accelerate development, I would like to propose an alternative approach that could not only enrich the game but also exponentially speed up the creation of missing assets: organizing open creative contests.
1. Exponentially Accelerating Asset and Animation Creation
Imagine being able to multiply the speed at which necessary assets for Ashes of Creation are developed: this is what the community could offer. Organizing open contests for the creation of biomes, classes, races, armors, weapons, creatures, NPCs, bosses, and much more would allow for a wide range of resources to be obtained in significantly less time. Instead of relying on a single external team, Intrepid could benefit from the creativity and dedication of thousands of fans. This process could generate a much larger quantity of ready-to-use assets than what a single studio could produce, leading to a remarkable acceleration in the overall development of the game.
2. Involving the Community in Fundamental Aspects of the Game
Another crucial aspect is community involvement. Allowing fans to directly contribute to the creation of the game not only increases their sense of belonging and commitment but also makes them an integral part of Ashes of Creation's development. This kind of involvement is priceless: players no longer feel like mere consumers but rather as true co-creators of the game world. This could also foster positive word-of-mouth, attracting new players eager to be part of such an interactive and dynamic community.
3. Creating a Vast Number of Ready-to-Use Assets
Organizing creative contests would lead to the creation of a vast number of ready-to-use assets. Imagine how many brilliant ideas could emerge from a global competition: a rich and diverse resource database could be created, ready to be integrated into the game. Additionally, even non-winning assets could still be useful, with Intrepid having the option to purchase these materials at a fixed cost, further expanding the available resources.
4. Saving Time and Money
Finally, there is potential for saving both time and money. While an external collaboration often requires long phases of briefing, review, and iteration, the contest approach would allow for the simultaneous development of a large number of assets. Additionally, a model that offers prizes for the winners (e.g., 10 contests with €10,000 each) and compensation for non-winning assets could be more cost-effective than commissioning everything to external companies. This method could significantly speed up the game's development while keeping costs under control.
Conclusion
In summary, I believe that organizing creative contests open to the community could be a winning strategy for Ashes of Creation. It would not only provide a wide range of ready-to-use resources but also strengthen the bond between the game and its players, making them active participants in the development process. I hope Intrepid Studios considers this proposal and paves the way for a new level of interaction with its community.
What do you think, adventurers?
Would you like to see the community involved in this way?
Eg. contest in the first comment
