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.
Comments
I can wait for them to add their own style onto the game so when you log in, you are like "Yes, this is Ashes"
Honestly, every game you mentioned just doesn’t appeal to me. I’ve never been into the cartoonish style of games like Fortnite, Minecraft, or even early WoW—which, in my opinion, felt aimed at a younger audience. At least WoW has made some efforts to mature its style over time. I like AoC Art Style.
Improving model, animation or visual effect should be possible.
Yeah, it was the cartoony graphics that put me off WoW. I'm sure it was a good game, but it just didn't interest me at all.
The question with that is - does Intrepid want the kind of audience that games with this stylized art style attracts?
The population of those games you listed - none of them would do well in Ashes. Either they will come for the art style and leave because the game isn't for them, or they will come for the art style and Intrepid will change the game to better suit them.
Neither is a good result.
The population you are referring to is the majority of the mmo genre player base. Do they want that audience? They better if they want their mmo to be long lasting and make money.
Also, this is based on no evidence. Where is the data that liking a particular art style is linked to any preference of gameplay mechanics in an mmo?
More people will be attracted to a original, unique, stylized art style and maybe more people will come to play because of it, but that is absolutely a good result. I can guarantee Intrepid wants a large player base and lots of people to come play the game, even if they don't end up staying.
This idea that they will change the game for those people is a strange assumption... and kinda has gatekeeping vibes. This could happen regardless of the art style and there is nothing you can do about it.
Plus, even with a "generic" or "realistic" look, if it is high enough of quality then it can still stand out. Just look at the original ranger showcase and the seasons showcase, those are some of the best looking graphics i've ever seen in a game and I would be able to tell right away it is Ashes by watching those. If the rest of the game looks that good when it finished I don't think the artstyle will be an issue.
Steven has indeed said that the average WoW player is unlikely to enjoy Ashes.
No, it really isn't.
If the game attracts a large number of people that came for the art, but then left because the game itself isn't what they want to play, that just means servers die faster. In an MMORPG, this often ends up in a death spiral of population - I also can't imagine it being overly good publicity for Intrepid to look at server mergers within 3 months of launch.
The players that the game attracts need to be the kind of players that are there for the game systems, not that are there for the art style.
There is nothing at all gatekeeping about this. I am in no place to stop you discussing what you think - and if I am in no place to stop you, then gatekeeping is literally not a term that can be applied to anything I do.
However, claiming others are gatekeeping when they are clearly no is a form of gatekeeping by proxy. You said it because you mistakenly thought that you claiming gatekeeping may stop me commenting as I see fit - which would be using social norms as a means of gatekeeping.
Claims of gatekeeping where there is actually none are just a joke.
Anyone found these in game yet?😄
He's got the bankroll to make whatever he wants.
So you either accept the game for what it is and enjoy it or stay on the gaslight station to lame town...
Should I add "gatekeeping" to my comment to sound more important?
Like at what point did you look at the last 7 years or so of development with concept art and open studio development and think ...I'll join that games forum and piss in its cornflakes bowl because it needs to look like something else even though it had 1 of the most successful kick starter campaigns..let alone this is Alpha 2 playtesting and for what its worth the game looks fantastic for a rough cut on graphics fidelity...
Like how else would you make the human race look different while killing giant flowers, mushrooms, ogres and dragons my guy?
That sounds like it might be the sensible and gatekeepingy thing to do. I mean, who wouldn't want to increase their gatekeepingism? I imagine there's a whole scale of gatekeepingificationnessism.
If the gatekeeping gate had hinges it would be Unreal Engine 5.
When I look around ingame It's clearly not photo realistic nor is it Disney/Pixar.
So I would Like to think its somewhere between Conan, Willow, (Terry Gilliam Films) <-> Never ending Story/Dark Crystal (classic Jim Henson)
In other words Classic Western Dark Fantasy...
While it's obviously sad that not everyone will get that perfect blend of 'systems they like' and 'visuals they like' in the MMO genre, there's nothing wrong with the Ashes art style really. It's, as said above, more or less classic 'Western' fantasy style, with all the bumps, grit, and wrinkles you'd expect from that art space.
If we look back at the Character Creator 'pitch' stream (I don't know what else to call these, besides 'advertisements' or 'concept art' but neither of those makes sense) we see an amazing and vibrant design language that could absolutely stand up for a long time, if they can deliver on it.
The 'sea of other fantasy games' isn't going to matter much more than it did during the late '10s when things were visually homogenizing for a bit.
And if it really bothers you that much, just wait longer. MMOs are probably having the start of their 'revival', where devs are coming together and paying attention to learning all the little arts and 'how to step around this pitfall of the genre' moments from the past.
There are other, more 'generic' parts of AoC that probably deserve more attention than its current visuals, and we know the Art and Design teams communicate well enough to work their way there, provided they have the talent to realize their 'design concept art' (I'll accept whatever name anyone wants to slap on this... you know what I mean if you've seen the character creator stream).
Hell no. Stop those wow FFXIV players from coming in here and demanding useless and baseless changes.
Ummm no...WoW art appealed to children/younger people and was not as "scary" as other games at the time. exactly as Blizz designed it. It is simplistic and in no way ground breaking. By design.
I think it’s too late everyone knows ue5 make generic games all look alike
I believe this is the case of what is going on. In some mmos there are options to make everyone look the same so there are fewer assets to load. I havent read alpha notes, but it seems like they are focusing on server stuff at the moment. I play Star Citizen so thats a weird thing to say haha.
And anyway, gameplay > graphics 100%.
The sooner they get input on visuals, the better. Why wait to change your artstyle until way later? That is the job of the artists. The artists are likely not working on gameplay mechanics.
Not as "scary"? Sure, I agree a lot of "realistic" attempting games get outdated really fast and have that creepy uncanny valley feeling. Like Ashes does.
And to say it was just appealing to children is quite silly. People of all ages can and do enjoy that art style. Also, let's not forget that video games are in fact toys. :P
Are you suggestion Intrepid just switches game engine from the most modern game engine currently after updating from Unreal engine 4...because the game looks like it was made in the game engine they are using...? What alternative game engine do you recommend then? I think the issue is you don't like unreal engine...
I would say Ashes of creation alpha looks better than ESO, even from a 1 map zone perspective.
GW2 has its moments but its not a western dark fantasy game. Some areas are not that great and none of them have seasonal weather events. Its its own thing I appreciate it for what it is but I don't want to play another game that looks like it. also even if the graphics a zany colour pallets and eastern influenced it still looks like a DX9 game
You have to look at the current state of Ashes alpha as a bare pizza base without any sauce or toppings.
and in that respect its a good looking base.