I expected a feedback thread and I wrote down a lot of things. I hope it's still welcome here. I'll answer the questions first:
Whatâs the first thing you plan to do when Alpha Two servers go live? Share your game plan with us!
Getting a feel for the game pace and tone. I hope for a slow rythm, a humble beggining that inspires you makes progression on your character exciting.
What systems do you interact with most in other MMORPGs that you play? If those systems are present in the launch of Alpha Two, will you be testing them?
PvE content and professions I'd say. And I'll try everything of course. Another thing I love but I can't interact with because it doesn't usually exist is all the naval stuff. I hope it comes to A2 soon.
Now the feedback I wrote:
* ALL TIMESTAMPS REFER TO THE 4K VIDEO ON YOUTUBE.
IMMERSION / TONE / FEEL:
- I love the level 1 outfits, very humble and rudimentary like they should be.
- Exception: the cleric staff is a bit too fancy.
- I like that you start only with 1 ability at level 1. I could agree on 2 but not more.
- I don't like that you receive an uncommon and a rare item so early in your adventure, even if it's not gear and not really relevant. It sets a certain tone for the game that I don't like.
- NPCs talking to you from far away with those chat bubbles is cool.
- The fact that people can fall from the Lionhold bridge holes and players below could see it is amazing.
- A couple or three more NPCs in Lionhold doing their activities or walking around not paying attention to you would be nice.
- An example of that would be someone washing their clothes using the small flow of water in the middle of the town.
- Camps like 33:18 could be improved by not being empty.
GAMEPLAY:
- Aggro range still way too short / inexistent.
- I really dislike that you interact with things with a keybind instead of your mouse in tab-target mode. I think interacting with the mouse and having the cursor change depending on what you're hovering has a lot more benefits and feels better overall.
- Jokes apart, the jumping puzzle should be easier for a new player's spawn. Not the best moment to build silly frustration so early into the game.
- Very happy that the player is taught the various systems via quests/hints instead a more railroaded experience or a tutorial.
GRAPHICS / ANIMATIONS / ART:
- Both the ruins and Lionhold look amazing.
- There is way too much wind for an interior. Specially noticeable in NPCs' capes.
- The lightning transition when entering and exiting the ruins looks on point.
- In contrast to that, there is a high amount of lightning bugs and popping.
- Waterfalls look very good.
- The rocks the goblins are throwing in the distance at 15:20 have very weird trajectories sometimes.
- Multiple graphic artifacts on the floor from minute 15:20 onwards.
- Some goblins on the way down to Lionhold are floating when doing the crouch animation (17:59).
- Several shaking NPCs (examples at 23:45, 24:14, 27:30).
- Floating and freezing NPC at 27:05. Also a lightning bug.
UI:
- Nameplates of NPCs and Players should be differently colored. At the moment they are all green.
- The book icon above quest givers is enough information to notice them. The effect on their names I feel it's unnecessary and a bit too flashy.
- Health numbers on targets are not centered in the Y axis.
- Speech bubbles look clean.
- Commission board doesn't. A lot of stuff in little space.
- Last part of the storage hint 2/3 at 27:25 could be wrongly interpreted as "if I visit that node once, then the cargo in it is accesible from anywhere". Not a good thing for a new player to believe. I suggest finding a better wording. "Without first traveling" is the potentially confusing part.
AUDIO:
- The adaptative combat music is great but it keeps going ham for too long after the combat has ended.
- I'm okay with AI voiceovers. A bit worried about they sounding stupid in another languages. It's pretty common that non-english AI voices sound way worse.
Feedback I currently have for what we were shown during the most recent livestream:
The Eastern part of the map looks far more populated with content than the Western part.
AI voices sound really bad. If they're only there as a placeholder whilst they are allegedly improved upon then it would be far better for the voices to just not be there until they're ready. Hearing one of the NPCs say "meself" was, as a Briton, disgusting (I'm sorry, but it really did make me cringe, lol).
I know this was also already mentioned on stream, but just to note it here; NPCs having coloured hair is very immersion breaking. If a player chooses to have coloured hair then this is very different because it will more than likely fit with the philosophy of the creation of that character which the player has made, whether they have coloured hair for a joke or because it actually looks cool and part of the aesthetic. NPCs having coloured hair just feels very random and instead of adding to the fantasy, actually takes away from it.
Things that I plan to do in the launch of Alpha 2:
RDM as many players as I can (until I get bored) to test the corruption system.
Explore as much as I can.
Try to break Character Creation.
Contribute as much as I can to gathering resources for a node.
Try out and get to know all the different classes.
Test fall damage.
Explore all options for socialising with random players I meet whilst playing.
PvE as much as I can.
Thanks for keeping up with the monthly streams, and I look forward to playing the A2!
Just want to say, that jumping over a gap is not a jumping puzzle and I really don't know what got into your mind to show this part for 5 minutes of a 30 minutes gameplay video. Besides that it was interesting.
The thing iam forward to is experiencing the nodes.
Whatâs the first thing you plan to do when Alpha Two servers go live? Share your game plan with us! Testing whether or not the Bard is for me. I never play support classes but the bard's mana utility being their unique feature speaks to me. But I cant tell how well they can do content alone (IE when my friends are offline) or how they would function in a game where a pure DPS looks at me funny and I cant do anything on it.
Whatâs something youâd like to see the community achieve together during Alpha Two testing?
Might sound weird but if the Devs put in a really hard boss like the old new world Bear boss that was there. Something that they put in and aren't going to tune but just say "have at it, we made it stupid hard for giggles" and watch the community game out how to kill it.
Which system stands out the most to you, and why?
Corruption. I might just be overthinking things but corruption and how it acts will decide my class choice come launch. If I cant run for more than an hour without someone trying to kill me and my class isnt designed well for dealing with that situation I wont role that class. I know balancing is around 8v8s and you should play with groups most of the time but sometimes you dont want to be around other people.
And if the class I love has to use ever cooldown to kill someone 4 levels below you because it is built around groups not fighting one individual, AND corruption isnt enough of a deterrent to stop constant ganks, I will play a class that can handle corruption.
Might be a leap of logic on my hand, but if corruption doesnt stop players from constantly trying to kill me because corruption is a joke, I will play a class that will have to deal with the threat of players always attacking me.
What systems do you interact with most in other MMORPGs that you play? If those systems are present in the launch of Alpha Two, will you be testing them?
PVP and raiding. And yes I will try both.
Honestly the Lawless zones are the most concerning to me. I enjoy PVP quite a bit when it's done right, but limiting end game materials to a forced PVP zone will lead to large guilds gatekeeping entrances and cause significant problems. Of course anything can be gatekept like this but forcing PVP makes it to where the system that's supposed to be in place for stuff exactly like this is completely irrelevant.
Creating lawless zones like this will just turn these areas into "kill every player on sight" and completely ruin the risk versus reward gameplay you're going for.
When Alpha 2 servers go live, I want to enjoy the character creator to the max and see how far I can test my ability to create multiple different presets of people. Ever since I saw Asmongold created in the character creator, I'm beyond excited to see who/what else can be created!
I also fully intend to break the game as much as I can, in any and every way. Yeah, that sounds awful when I word it like that haha, but one of my absolute favorite things to do as a software developer is routinely test the ever-living hell out of software to find any unforeseen hiccups. Creatively thinking outside of the box in very unusual ways to discover dupes or any glitches possible so we can have a much cleaner road to launch is my goal.
Community wise, I do want to see how well players interact when it comes to raid-wide groups against world bosses, and also the PVP/caravan system.
Other than that, I want to have fun of course, and hopefully find a nice guild to settle down with while I pursue my own personal goals in-game. ^^
Am really looking forward to testing all of the options in the Character Creator.
Wanting to help balance the time/rewards ratios on getting local rewards, such as outfits. Will be looking for clipping and rewards set at too high of a cost.
Will look forward to giving input on how good/bad the inventory system turns out to be. It's a fairly unique idea thus far, just not sure how practical it'll turn out. There's always the bag-in-a-bag collection of bugs that often plague early-development MMOs.
Certainly going to poke at the communications-systems, as well. Will be sending some in-game mails and - if it's live for A2 - looking for how well the in-game voice will function.
Going to poke at commissions and the bulletin boards.
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KrystalKittenMember, Leader of Men, Kickstarter, Alpha One
Whatâs the first thing you plan to do when Alpha Two servers go live? Share your game plan with us!
I want to GM Farming and Culinary. So more then likely anything to expand my storage and get money cause those are goldsinks
Whatâs something youâd like to see the community achieve together during Alpha Two testing?
Which system stands out the most to you, and why?
Getting a node to highest level. I like seeing communitys come together and working together for a common goal
What systems do you interact with most in other MMORPGs that you play? If those systems are present in the launch of Alpha Two, will you be testing them?
Crafting/gathering.
OH YEA!!!!
Very high level but for testing for first phase:
1. Code load and install times
2. Character configuration settings feedback (character selection issues, design thoughts, anomalies, etc)
3. Server access times and issues
4. User settings - ability to choose angles, motion sickness, audio selections, check for adequate customizable settings, etc
5. Realm issues, explore the realm and interact with everything.
6. Expecting a server load test somewhere in here
Most of my interaction with MMORPGs is in PVE...group activities, raids, dungeons. Also, the player experience and ecosystem in a game is important..NPC dialog, economy, environmental interaction, player-to-player communications. I plan to provide feedback in all of these areas if needed. I am very excited about the caravan capability where one can defend or raid a live caravan. I am hoping there are some aspects of being able to camouflage or use concealing tactics in caravan movement as a way to inject tracking techniques for the raid party...in other words, the ability to raid a caravan will depend on the ability to improve skills in tracking.
Whatâs the first thing you plan to do when Alpha Two servers go live? Share your game plan with us!
First is going to try and get on the same server as my friends so we can play together, because I won't be playing when I'm not able to play with my friends
From there the game plan is to play together, try most likely the Bard first and just test everything that we come across
For me I'm going to be focusing most on testing the classes and the gameplay, especially the hybrid combat mode (fingers crossed that we will be able to play it already)
Whatâs something youâd like to see the community achieve together during Alpha Two testing?
I'd like to see people help testing and improving the game the way that Intrepid is hoping for
And I'm hoping to see that people are not getting upset over an alpha being an alpha and not a finished game
Which system stands out the most to you, and why?
The different combat systems, classical tab-target and hybrid, simply because I personally love action combat and anything that feels less static and more like flowing, intuitive and engaging combat, I'mn conviced that a hybrid system can achieve that if executed well
What systems do you interact with most in other MMORPGs that you play?
Classic PvE and PvP content in combination with a classic holy trinity. I just love playing together with other people to achieve something, while being part of - and filling a role in a group, so that it truly feels like everyone is adding to the experience
If those systems are present in the launch of Alpha Two, will you be testing them?
Absolutely yes, since it's the backbone of MMORPGs for me to be able to make those experiences and create memories with others. So anything that falls into that category for me, whether it's dungeons, PvP, Caravans or all the others, I'm excited to try and test everything and see if I can get that feeling back that I've been missing the past few years
Whatâs the first thing you plan to do when Alpha Two servers go live? Share your game plan with us!
1. Interact with the community and creating a guild will be very important for myself.
2. Complete all the quests and objectives
3. Max out my skills in Alchemy, cooking ect
Whatâs something youâd like to see the community achieve together during Alpha Two testing?
Collaborate on a boss or mission where guilds have to come together to conquer
Which system stands out the most to you, and why?
The levelling experience, this is the part of the games that brings you in. After that the world is your oyster.
What systems do you interact with most in other MMORPGs that you play? If those systems are present in the launch of Alpha Two, will you be testing them?
The guild system is the part I will be interacting with a lot. The hardest part is keeping the solo player and the group player engaged with guild mechanics.
I'm sure that I'll spend quit a bit of time with the character creator to start with. The look of my character means a lot to me. UI customization as well since I'm used to certain things in certain places. I'll be checking out the Ranger and Mage first as i tend to like ranged dps. For the weapons i specifically want to take a good look at the differences between the short and long bow. Are the trades in range, hit, speed etc. different enough. Or are they so close that the speed of the short just overwhelms using the long (i realize this is a balance issue and may not be there yet) After that I'm a crafter/gatherer/explorer, so yah I'll be getting into the professions and figuring out what feels good and exploring while i gather. Granted Rogue is my preferred class to explore but I'll make due and wait patiently till it comes online later.
I signed on 4 years ago and its finally almost here... Look forward to seeing you all in Verra soon!!
Amar
It was exciting to see Lionhold and a first look at the new-player experience. I would like to focus on what I noticed and what I would like to see improved regarding this new-player experience.
New-player experience
I think a crucial part of the new-player experience is getting players invested early on. Players should instantly have the desire to progress and dive into the various systems, which I think stems for a curiosity about the mysteries the various systems hold, as well as observing a given fantasy and wanting to achieve and experience that fantasy for themselves. If these things are done well, it could really get players hooked early on, and these things are very strong motivators that a lot of classic games have done very well, and it would be a shame not to leverage these different types of gameplay and design techniques.
1. Introducing mystery and sparking curiosity
I would really enjoy a new-player experience that puts elements of mystery at the forefront. Mystery is in the unique position of being most effective the less the player knows, in contrast with most other gameplay systems where things get better and more engaging the more the player learns and improves. I think this sets mystery up to be such a simple but strong way of gripping the player before they even engage with any of the mechanics, while also being a type of gameplay full of discovery and appeal for a lot of different players. It naturally draws players into the progression of unraveling the mysteries hidden within the game, thus also naturally motivating players to progress in a variety of other progression systems as they chase those mysteries, which is a great way of introducing players to different systems and gameplay types and motivating them to progress.
This video talks about how to make a compelling mystery through sparking curiosity and investment into whatever type of mystery it is (Be it related to lore, the world, or even the mystery of how to attain more skill/mastery over a particular system like combat or crafting in order to achieve that fantasy. Basically setting up any kind of long term mystery ingrained accrossed any of the systems within the game); of which could provide alternative paths early on for players to solve these mysteries in different ways using different skill sets (like observation, knowledge, deduction, exploration, etc.). The new player experience would be a prime opportunity for introducing these mysteries accrossed different systems, and tutorializing players on various ways of solving mysteries using different types of player skillsets to both spark interest and to provide impactful choices early on.
- one example already in Ashes (not sure if its intended or not) is the curiosity that some of the environments spark. A good example was from the seasons update:
I really liked at 14:26 you can see some mysterious structures. You look at the face-shaped rock and think "hm, I wonder what caused that, what secrets it holds, or what it can tell me about the past and thus how it can inform me about the potential future of the world?" And you can see the floating structure and think "hm, I wonder if I can get up there and I wonder when the last time someone was there or if there is anything important still there?"
- This can be done for any of the systems very early on during the new player experience, such as the environment sparking curiosity for exploration, or some observation or dialogue that sparks curiosity to learn more about the story/lore, or some teased fight scenes that spark curiosity in the full potential of the combat system or class potential, etc.
Here is another look into how to introduce mystery/spark curiosity into the lore and world
2. Establishing aspirations and fantasies
I have a hard time puting my finger on it, but I feel like this might be what was so captivating to me about the new-player experience at the peak of Destiny 1. There was something about being in that city hub as a new player. It was so cool to see the strongest and renowned lore characters who represented each class type, with their awesome armor, lore, epic quests they handed out, and epic rewards you could work towards (even better if the rewards relate to that particular vendor and class fantasy). I think it was this aspiration of achieving that class fantasy that made this so neat, by teasing the player with what they can become if they put in the effort, you look at that character and think "man I wish I could be that cool" and then realize that you can be that cool if you earn the gear, abilities, and other rewards from that character. Last time I played Warframe a while ago it had this idea as well within its faction systems.
In Destiny, it was also very cool to know that there were other vendors who were hidden.
Yes, this was fun to try and find them and reach them from a skill perspective of course, but there was also something about this that added to that endgame-fantasy and mystery aspects as well, because you feel like there is this "extra layer" to the world that not everyone has access to or knows about, like some kind of underground organization or network or something, which really makes you feel like the world actually has a lot of depth to it where only the most clever and capable can survive and you have must be willing to do anything you can to stand out and gain an edge over the competition. I think its ultimately the fantasy that drives you to uncover secrets such as this, but its the challenge and mysterious elements that make you feel like you really earned that fantasy when you achieve it, as you compete against others in reaching your full potential and realizing a fantasy that they might not have access to, to gain that competitive edge within the world and to stand out as a player within a world full of people and characters vying for the top spot. Something as simple as some hidden vendors in the new player hub managed to capture that feeling for me very early on which I think is a powerful thing for a new player to experience (which is the more important takeaway, more than the individual example).
These aren't really new ideas, but the way Destiny 1 handled it was very captivating to me for some reason, and its also just kind of important to remember to do these types of things and to consider some of the more minor details that contribute to this as well.
- These aspects are also even better if these lore characters feel like they are a living and breathing part if the world, and interact with the world and the story elements.
- Another key aspect of the fantasy and creating those aspirations, is to give the player a taste of what that end-game fantasy will feel like. Some of the coolest "new player experiences" I can remember, involve being teased very early on in the playthrough.
This could be something like seeing the most powerful lore character for a given class (like the strongest npc tank in the lore, for example) fight with someone early on near the start of the experience. This would be pretty cool if you are a tank and are seeing that happen, and puts context of where you are now vs. what you might now want to be later on. Its that anticipation and sense of progression and earning that fantasy that can hook players early on. Its also really fun when you get a quick tease of being able to actually play and feel what it would be like at max progression. Things like having temporary access to all your skills at the beginning of the game, before they get stripped away from for for story reasons or whatever. Or being able temporarily take control of a very strong lore character. Things like that which allow you to feel what it would be like at max progression can be very fun teases that get players hooked early on, and can apply to a variety of systems.
Just make sure its only a taste though, as you want players to still have that curiosity, mystery, amd sense of wonder about what that fantasy holds for them.
3. Set the scene for adventure
This is something that Pokemon (pretty sure its the largest selling media franchise in the world) does really well. This is one of the reasons why such a simple formula that Gamefreak uses year, after year, after year, still garners so much success. Its basically the same story, the same gameplay, the same pretty much everything, and they can afford to play it safe every time they make a new game, because their formula still has such a strong way of inspiring that sense of adventure as long as they introduce new pokemon for the player to adventure alongside. This is why they focus so much time and effort on revealing the new starter pokemon for each new game in the series, because they know that sparking that sense of adventure early on in the new player experience is so important for drawing in players. Here are some things I think we can learn from this-
- Introduce characters/personalities
This is an important part of setting the scene for adventure and one reason of why the starter pokemon are so important in that series. They are likely going to be with you throughout your whole journey, so its important to make them extra appealing and to introduce them early on to get you hooked. This is something that a lot of my favorite games have done, is to introduce some very cool characters very early on to spark interest in learning more about them, and wanting to be more like them, or acquiring their help in achieving my goals or fantasy. In Ashes terms, this could be introducing the player early on to characters who will be key to the lore or gameplay, and making sure they are very cool, appealing, and full of personality, to spark that interest and investment ealry on. Allow players to interact with these key characters early on, or watch cutscenes about them, and so on.
- Choosing personal gameplay style
This is another aspect of the starter pokemon is that they are a means of expressing personal style, preference, and it establishes the path you will take on your journey from that point forward. In Ashes terms, this could be something like emphasizing the stylistic differences in the class choices, and emphasizing the different feel, experience, and distinctions associated with the different classes, or highlighting the unique ways of playing within other core systems that the player will interact with throughout their play through. This could also mean highlighting the differences between the various play loops very early on so the player can get a good idea of what they want their experience to play and feel like, and what path forward they want to take.
- Establishing clear goals relating to player's preferred content types
Lastly, its important to establish clear goals. This puts context into where the player is currently at and what they will have to do to make the journey towards their destination. Obviously you can have different goals to choose from like "being the very best like no one ever was" or "completing your pokedex for professor Oak" but each is still a clear goal that makes you feel excited about the journey ahead. Allow players to experiment early on with the various game loops and figure out which they want to commit more too, and give clear goals relating to each type of experience.
4. Tutorialization
Teaching the player is a big part of the new-player experience.
This is a great video showing the organic and subtle ways of introducing the player to the fantasy, and to the different underlying mechanics.
These methods are very good for guiding the player without holding their hand, and while still being interactive and engaging even from the start before players fully grasp the systems. I think these could be useful teaching tools within some dedicated tutorial questlines.
First Off, im super excited that A2 is only a mere 2 weeks-ish away. already over here pre prepping my set up for the 25th and hashing out things for my stream. I think at first I'm going to go in pretty slowly, i know alot of people sadly treat games like a job with a deadline(non devs) and im not going to be one of those people. I want to really experience whats been built so far since this will be my first time touching the game. So im excited to see how the interactions between NPC's, the geography, mobs and other players goes, im all for the AI voicing mixed into the game so each npcs diction/accent is going to be a fun part for me.
Ill also probably explore as much as i can and see how well i can work the terrain and what will allow me to traverse hard spots or what with make me clash. speaking of Terrain.. There is a 100% chance I'm gonna jump off that bridge in Lion Hold..you know..for testing..purposes..
What systems do you interact with most in other MMORPGs that you play? If those systems are present in the launch of Alpha Two, will you be testing them?
- With the way that i usually play MMO's i dont jump right into professions unless i have to until about midway through the leveling process. That being said i know that the dev team has put some real work into making this a long lasting MMO so mid way leveling would take quite a long time. since this is an alpha phase ill will most likely jump into professions almost the moment i am able, to be able to get a good feel for it and hopefully provide good feedback if I can.
- I also do not remember if we will be getting freeholds or houses during the alpha(i have a TBI due to some spicy road in Iraq) so ill have to check again. but if we do then theres a 100% chance ill delve into that pretty hard and try and figure out what works best and where and of course, decorating is top priority right lol
all in all im just super excited to finally get my hands on a game that ive been waiting for for 4 years in the capacity of being able to help make it better and generally experience it.
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MissionCreepMember, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One
Solo leveling and crafting.
I know crafting isn't ready, I just want to get an early taste.
I also know that group play is encouraged, and I want to do that. But group play will sort itself out with a good team.
Solo is either do-able or it's not, or it only works for certain types of builds. It has to be tested by individuals of all types to see.
Well, I say "tested." Intrepid just needs to farm the data that we're giving them by playing.
Whatâs the first thing you plan to do when Alpha Two servers go live? Share your game plan with us!
I'm going to run off into the middle of nowhere and see what I can find. My intent is to see what the "solo" player experience is like. It's important for player retention for the game to be able to satisfy players who aren't currently hanging out with others, after all.
Whatâs something youâd like to see the community achieve together during Alpha Two testing?
I'd love to see how impressive we can make a big battle. Either a node battle, or just a damn big pvp fight.
Which system stands out the most to you, and why?
The caravan and node systems. They're what originally drew me to Ashes more than anything else; the concept of trundling a long path down to somewhere to sell my goods after farming in another location holds a kind of appeal I struggle to articulate, and the nodes are designed ground-up to support that kind of thing.
What systems do you interact with most in other MMORPGs that you play? If those systems are present in the launch of Alpha Two, will you be testing them?
I used to play around with the trade system in Black Desert, which was an incredibly anemic version of the caravan system in Ashes. It was relaxing to be able to do it, but required more. As such, I'll be playing around with caravans a lot, both from a trade perspective and a pvp perspective. I'm hoping it has the oomph I'm looking for in that regard.
Are we allowed to create videos and upload them to YouTube, Twitch etc from our game play footage during this phase? I'm new to this stuff but hearing NDA makes me think you cannot?
Comments
Whatâs the first thing you plan to do when Alpha Two servers go live? Share your game plan with us!
Getting a feel for the game pace and tone. I hope for a slow rythm, a humble beggining that inspires you makes progression on your character exciting.
What systems do you interact with most in other MMORPGs that you play? If those systems are present in the launch of Alpha Two, will you be testing them?
PvE content and professions I'd say. And I'll try everything of course. Another thing I love but I can't interact with because it doesn't usually exist is all the naval stuff. I hope it comes to A2 soon.
Now the feedback I wrote:
* ALL TIMESTAMPS REFER TO THE 4K VIDEO ON YOUTUBE.
IMMERSION / TONE / FEEL:
- I love the level 1 outfits, very humble and rudimentary like they should be.
- Exception: the cleric staff is a bit too fancy.
- I like that you start only with 1 ability at level 1. I could agree on 2 but not more.
- I don't like that you receive an uncommon and a rare item so early in your adventure, even if it's not gear and not really relevant. It sets a certain tone for the game that I don't like.
- NPCs talking to you from far away with those chat bubbles is cool.
- The fact that people can fall from the Lionhold bridge holes and players below could see it is amazing.
- A couple or three more NPCs in Lionhold doing their activities or walking around not paying attention to you would be nice.
- An example of that would be someone washing their clothes using the small flow of water in the middle of the town.
- Camps like 33:18 could be improved by not being empty.
GAMEPLAY:
- Aggro range still way too short / inexistent.
- I really dislike that you interact with things with a keybind instead of your mouse in tab-target mode. I think interacting with the mouse and having the cursor change depending on what you're hovering has a lot more benefits and feels better overall.
- Jokes apart, the jumping puzzle should be easier for a new player's spawn. Not the best moment to build silly frustration so early into the game.
- Very happy that the player is taught the various systems via quests/hints instead a more railroaded experience or a tutorial.
GRAPHICS / ANIMATIONS / ART:
- Both the ruins and Lionhold look amazing.
- There is way too much wind for an interior. Specially noticeable in NPCs' capes.
- The lightning transition when entering and exiting the ruins looks on point.
- In contrast to that, there is a high amount of lightning bugs and popping.
- Waterfalls look very good.
- The rocks the goblins are throwing in the distance at 15:20 have very weird trajectories sometimes.
- Multiple graphic artifacts on the floor from minute 15:20 onwards.
- Some goblins on the way down to Lionhold are floating when doing the crouch animation (17:59).
- Several shaking NPCs (examples at 23:45, 24:14, 27:30).
- Floating and freezing NPC at 27:05. Also a lightning bug.
UI:
- Nameplates of NPCs and Players should be differently colored. At the moment they are all green.
- The book icon above quest givers is enough information to notice them. The effect on their names I feel it's unnecessary and a bit too flashy.
- Health numbers on targets are not centered in the Y axis.
- Speech bubbles look clean.
- Commission board doesn't. A lot of stuff in little space.
- Last part of the storage hint 2/3 at 27:25 could be wrongly interpreted as "if I visit that node once, then the cargo in it is accesible from anywhere". Not a good thing for a new player to believe. I suggest finding a better wording. "Without first traveling" is the potentially confusing part.
AUDIO:
- The adaptative combat music is great but it keeps going ham for too long after the combat has ended.
- I'm okay with AI voiceovers. A bit worried about they sounding stupid in another languages. It's pretty common that non-english AI voices sound way worse.
Things that I plan to do in the launch of Alpha 2:
Thanks for keeping up with the monthly streams, and I look forward to playing the A2!
The thing iam forward to is experiencing the nodes.
Testing whether or not the Bard is for me. I never play support classes but the bard's mana utility being their unique feature speaks to me. But I cant tell how well they can do content alone (IE when my friends are offline) or how they would function in a game where a pure DPS looks at me funny and I cant do anything on it.
Whatâs something youâd like to see the community achieve together during Alpha Two testing?
Might sound weird but if the Devs put in a really hard boss like the old new world Bear boss that was there. Something that they put in and aren't going to tune but just say "have at it, we made it stupid hard for giggles" and watch the community game out how to kill it.
Which system stands out the most to you, and why?
Corruption. I might just be overthinking things but corruption and how it acts will decide my class choice come launch. If I cant run for more than an hour without someone trying to kill me and my class isnt designed well for dealing with that situation I wont role that class. I know balancing is around 8v8s and you should play with groups most of the time but sometimes you dont want to be around other people.
And if the class I love has to use ever cooldown to kill someone 4 levels below you because it is built around groups not fighting one individual, AND corruption isnt enough of a deterrent to stop constant ganks, I will play a class that can handle corruption.
Might be a leap of logic on my hand, but if corruption doesnt stop players from constantly trying to kill me because corruption is a joke, I will play a class that will have to deal with the threat of players always attacking me.
What systems do you interact with most in other MMORPGs that you play? If those systems are present in the launch of Alpha Two, will you be testing them?
PVP and raiding. And yes I will try both.
Creating lawless zones like this will just turn these areas into "kill every player on sight" and completely ruin the risk versus reward gameplay you're going for.
I also fully intend to break the game as much as I can, in any and every way. Yeah, that sounds awful when I word it like that haha, but one of my absolute favorite things to do as a software developer is routinely test the ever-living hell out of software to find any unforeseen hiccups. Creatively thinking outside of the box in very unusual ways to discover dupes or any glitches possible so we can have a much cleaner road to launch is my goal.
Community wise, I do want to see how well players interact when it comes to raid-wide groups against world bosses, and also the PVP/caravan system.
Other than that, I want to have fun of course, and hopefully find a nice guild to settle down with while I pursue my own personal goals in-game. ^^
Click here to visit Snow elf's Twitch channel
Wanting to help balance the time/rewards ratios on getting local rewards, such as outfits. Will be looking for clipping and rewards set at too high of a cost.
Will look forward to giving input on how good/bad the inventory system turns out to be. It's a fairly unique idea thus far, just not sure how practical it'll turn out. There's always the bag-in-a-bag collection of bugs that often plague early-development MMOs.
Certainly going to poke at the communications-systems, as well. Will be sending some in-game mails and - if it's live for A2 - looking for how well the in-game voice will function.
Going to poke at commissions and the bulletin boards.
I want to GM Farming and Culinary. So more then likely anything to expand my storage and get money cause those are goldsinks
Whatâs something youâd like to see the community achieve together during Alpha Two testing?
Which system stands out the most to you, and why?
Getting a node to highest level. I like seeing communitys come together and working together for a common goal
What systems do you interact with most in other MMORPGs that you play? If those systems are present in the launch of Alpha Two, will you be testing them?
Crafting/gathering.
OH YEA!!!!
1. Code load and install times
2. Character configuration settings feedback (character selection issues, design thoughts, anomalies, etc)
3. Server access times and issues
4. User settings - ability to choose angles, motion sickness, audio selections, check for adequate customizable settings, etc
5. Realm issues, explore the realm and interact with everything.
6. Expecting a server load test somewhere in here
Most of my interaction with MMORPGs is in PVE...group activities, raids, dungeons. Also, the player experience and ecosystem in a game is important..NPC dialog, economy, environmental interaction, player-to-player communications. I plan to provide feedback in all of these areas if needed. I am very excited about the caravan capability where one can defend or raid a live caravan. I am hoping there are some aspects of being able to camouflage or use concealing tactics in caravan movement as a way to inject tracking techniques for the raid party...in other words, the ability to raid a caravan will depend on the ability to improve skills in tracking.
Very excited about alpha testing this game!
First is going to try and get on the same server as my friends so we can play together, because I won't be playing when I'm not able to play with my friends
From there the game plan is to play together, try most likely the Bard first and just test everything that we come across
For me I'm going to be focusing most on testing the classes and the gameplay, especially the hybrid combat mode (fingers crossed that we will be able to play it already)
Whatâs something youâd like to see the community achieve together during Alpha Two testing?
I'd like to see people help testing and improving the game the way that Intrepid is hoping for
And I'm hoping to see that people are not getting upset over an alpha being an alpha and not a finished game
Which system stands out the most to you, and why?
The different combat systems, classical tab-target and hybrid, simply because I personally love action combat and anything that feels less static and more like flowing, intuitive and engaging combat, I'mn conviced that a hybrid system can achieve that if executed well
What systems do you interact with most in other MMORPGs that you play?
Classic PvE and PvP content in combination with a classic holy trinity. I just love playing together with other people to achieve something, while being part of - and filling a role in a group, so that it truly feels like everyone is adding to the experience
If those systems are present in the launch of Alpha Two, will you be testing them?
Absolutely yes, since it's the backbone of MMORPGs for me to be able to make those experiences and create memories with others. So anything that falls into that category for me, whether it's dungeons, PvP, Caravans or all the others, I'm excited to try and test everything and see if I can get that feeling back that I've been missing the past few years
Once I load in I'll probably find the nearest shore and walk around the continent. I want to see it before it gets noded.
1. Interact with the community and creating a guild will be very important for myself.
2. Complete all the quests and objectives
3. Max out my skills in Alchemy, cooking ect
Whatâs something youâd like to see the community achieve together during Alpha Two testing?
Collaborate on a boss or mission where guilds have to come together to conquer
Which system stands out the most to you, and why?
The levelling experience, this is the part of the games that brings you in. After that the world is your oyster.
What systems do you interact with most in other MMORPGs that you play? If those systems are present in the launch of Alpha Two, will you be testing them?
The guild system is the part I will be interacting with a lot. The hardest part is keeping the solo player and the group player engaged with guild mechanics.
I signed on 4 years ago and its finally almost here... Look forward to seeing you all in Verra soon!!
Amar
New-player experience
I think a crucial part of the new-player experience is getting players invested early on. Players should instantly have the desire to progress and dive into the various systems, which I think stems for a curiosity about the mysteries the various systems hold, as well as observing a given fantasy and wanting to achieve and experience that fantasy for themselves. If these things are done well, it could really get players hooked early on, and these things are very strong motivators that a lot of classic games have done very well, and it would be a shame not to leverage these different types of gameplay and design techniques.
1. Introducing mystery and sparking curiosity
This video talks about how to make a compelling mystery through sparking curiosity and investment into whatever type of mystery it is (Be it related to lore, the world, or even the mystery of how to attain more skill/mastery over a particular system like combat or crafting in order to achieve that fantasy. Basically setting up any kind of long term mystery ingrained accrossed any of the systems within the game); of which could provide alternative paths early on for players to solve these mysteries in different ways using different skill sets (like observation, knowledge, deduction, exploration, etc.). The new player experience would be a prime opportunity for introducing these mysteries accrossed different systems, and tutorializing players on various ways of solving mysteries using different types of player skillsets to both spark interest and to provide impactful choices early on.
- one example already in Ashes (not sure if its intended or not) is the curiosity that some of the environments spark. A good example was from the seasons update:
I really liked at 14:26 you can see some mysterious structures. You look at the face-shaped rock and think "hm, I wonder what caused that, what secrets it holds, or what it can tell me about the past and thus how it can inform me about the potential future of the world?" And you can see the floating structure and think "hm, I wonder if I can get up there and I wonder when the last time someone was there or if there is anything important still there?"
- This can be done for any of the systems very early on during the new player experience, such as the environment sparking curiosity for exploration, or some observation or dialogue that sparks curiosity to learn more about the story/lore, or some teased fight scenes that spark curiosity in the full potential of the combat system or class potential, etc.
Here is another look into how to introduce mystery/spark curiosity into the lore and world
2. Establishing aspirations and fantasies
In Destiny, it was also very cool to know that there were other vendors who were hidden.
Yes, this was fun to try and find them and reach them from a skill perspective of course, but there was also something about this that added to that endgame-fantasy and mystery aspects as well, because you feel like there is this "extra layer" to the world that not everyone has access to or knows about, like some kind of underground organization or network or something, which really makes you feel like the world actually has a lot of depth to it where only the most clever and capable can survive and you have must be willing to do anything you can to stand out and gain an edge over the competition. I think its ultimately the fantasy that drives you to uncover secrets such as this, but its the challenge and mysterious elements that make you feel like you really earned that fantasy when you achieve it, as you compete against others in reaching your full potential and realizing a fantasy that they might not have access to, to gain that competitive edge within the world and to stand out as a player within a world full of people and characters vying for the top spot. Something as simple as some hidden vendors in the new player hub managed to capture that feeling for me very early on which I think is a powerful thing for a new player to experience (which is the more important takeaway, more than the individual example).
These aren't really new ideas, but the way Destiny 1 handled it was very captivating to me for some reason, and its also just kind of important to remember to do these types of things and to consider some of the more minor details that contribute to this as well.
- These aspects are also even better if these lore characters feel like they are a living and breathing part if the world, and interact with the world and the story elements.
- Another key aspect of the fantasy and creating those aspirations, is to give the player a taste of what that end-game fantasy will feel like. Some of the coolest "new player experiences" I can remember, involve being teased very early on in the playthrough.
This could be something like seeing the most powerful lore character for a given class (like the strongest npc tank in the lore, for example) fight with someone early on near the start of the experience. This would be pretty cool if you are a tank and are seeing that happen, and puts context of where you are now vs. what you might now want to be later on. Its that anticipation and sense of progression and earning that fantasy that can hook players early on. Its also really fun when you get a quick tease of being able to actually play and feel what it would be like at max progression. Things like having temporary access to all your skills at the beginning of the game, before they get stripped away from for for story reasons or whatever. Or being able temporarily take control of a very strong lore character. Things like that which allow you to feel what it would be like at max progression can be very fun teases that get players hooked early on, and can apply to a variety of systems.
Just make sure its only a taste though, as you want players to still have that curiosity, mystery, amd sense of wonder about what that fantasy holds for them.
3. Set the scene for adventure
- Introduce characters/personalities
- Choosing personal gameplay style
- Establishing clear goals relating to player's preferred content types
4. Tutorialization
This is a great video showing the organic and subtle ways of introducing the player to the fantasy, and to the different underlying mechanics.
This video talks about ways to make tutorials feel more organic, immersive, and interactive
This video talks about ways to introduce very complex systems in a more approachable manner
These methods are very good for guiding the player without holding their hand, and while still being interactive and engaging even from the start before players fully grasp the systems. I think these could be useful teaching tools within some dedicated tutorial questlines.
Ill also probably explore as much as i can and see how well i can work the terrain and what will allow me to traverse hard spots or what with make me clash. speaking of Terrain.. There is a 100% chance I'm gonna jump off that bridge in Lion Hold..you know..for testing..purposes..
What systems do you interact with most in other MMORPGs that you play? If those systems are present in the launch of Alpha Two, will you be testing them?
- With the way that i usually play MMO's i dont jump right into professions unless i have to until about midway through the leveling process. That being said i know that the dev team has put some real work into making this a long lasting MMO so mid way leveling would take quite a long time. since this is an alpha phase ill will most likely jump into professions almost the moment i am able, to be able to get a good feel for it and hopefully provide good feedback if I can.
- I also do not remember if we will be getting freeholds or houses during the alpha(i have a TBI due to some spicy road in Iraq) so ill have to check again. but if we do then theres a 100% chance ill delve into that pretty hard and try and figure out what works best and where and of course, decorating is top priority right lol
all in all im just super excited to finally get my hands on a game that ive been waiting for for 4 years in the capacity of being able to help make it better and generally experience it.
I know crafting isn't ready, I just want to get an early taste.
I also know that group play is encouraged, and I want to do that. But group play will sort itself out with a good team.
Solo is either do-able or it's not, or it only works for certain types of builds. It has to be tested by individuals of all types to see.
Well, I say "tested." Intrepid just needs to farm the data that we're giving them by playing.
The Combat Team has done some amazing work (as seen in the monthly streams). Now it's time to get our hands on it and give feedback (good and bad).
I'm going to run off into the middle of nowhere and see what I can find. My intent is to see what the "solo" player experience is like. It's important for player retention for the game to be able to satisfy players who aren't currently hanging out with others, after all.
Whatâs something youâd like to see the community achieve together during Alpha Two testing?
I'd love to see how impressive we can make a big battle. Either a node battle, or just a damn big pvp fight.
Which system stands out the most to you, and why?
The caravan and node systems. They're what originally drew me to Ashes more than anything else; the concept of trundling a long path down to somewhere to sell my goods after farming in another location holds a kind of appeal I struggle to articulate, and the nodes are designed ground-up to support that kind of thing.
What systems do you interact with most in other MMORPGs that you play? If those systems are present in the launch of Alpha Two, will you be testing them?
I used to play around with the trade system in Black Desert, which was an incredibly anemic version of the caravan system in Ashes. It was relaxing to be able to do it, but required more. As such, I'll be playing around with caravans a lot, both from a trade perspective and a pvp perspective. I'm hoping it has the oomph I'm looking for in that regard.