Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
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.
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.
Player Feedback Compendium: Enhancing Ashes of Creation [Just Ideas]
Kalnazzar
Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
**Dear Intrepid Studios,**
Everything below is simply suggestions from one person's perspective—just ideas, really. Some of these ideas might already be in development or could be planned for future implementation in the game.
**Note**: *If any of these features have been implemented in recent updates, please disregard those sections.*
**Issue Overview:**
**Randomized Server List**: After launching Ashes of Creation, players encounter a randomized server list on the Start Screen, which disrupts the user experience, especially for those looking to quickly return to servers where they already have characters. The current display doesn’t prioritize servers with existing characters, requiring players to search for their active server.
**Lack of Character Information**: There’s no visible indication of how many characters a player has on each server, making it challenging to identify which servers are actively in use.
**Proposed Solution:**
- **Prioritize Character Servers**: To streamline access, the server list should display servers where players already have characters at the top, with the last-played server appearing first. This would provide quick, efficient access for returning players.
- **Character Count Display**: Including a character count next to each server with active characters would help players quickly identify servers in use without needing to navigate further.
These adjustments would enhance the user experience by reducing time on the start screen, making it easier for players to dive back into their adventures. Thank you, Intrepid Studios, for considering these refinements to improve accessibility and efficiency within the game.
---
**Feedback: Travel and Transportation Systems**
**Issue Overview**: In Ashes of Creation, the journey and sense of scale are essential to preserving the immersion of Verra. However, while traveling from node to node is integral to the game’s world-building, lengthy travel times can feel cumbersome, especially when attempting to engage with group activities, events, or other distant nodes.
**Feedback on Existing Plans**: I appreciate the travel system that Intrepid Studios has outlined for academic nodes reaching the Metropolis stage. The idea of airships linking scientific metropolises within a vassal network is thoughtful, providing a balance of faster travel without diminishing the journey’s significance. However, it's crucial that this airship travel isn’t a “fade to black” experience. Players should be able to see the world of Verra unfold throughout the journey, with a travel speed set at approximately 200-300% of normal land travel. This setup would provide efficient transportation while allowing players to immerse themselves fully in the journey, watching landscapes, seas, and various landmarks from the airship's deck.
**Suggested Solutions:**
**Land-Based Carriage or Wagon System**:
- **Proposal**: Introduce a carriage or wagon system alongside airships. This system would allow for automated node-to-node travel along established roads for all node types within a vassal network setup. Rather than instant travel, the carriage would follow a land route, matching the speed of a common (green) mount and maintaining immersion as players travel at an approachable pace.
- **Cost Structure**: For balance and immersion, the cost of carriage travel could be split between the two nodes, with players paying half the fee when boarding and the remaining half upon disembarking. This approach would allow both nodes to benefit, adding a subtle layer of realism and economic interdependence.
**Benefits**: This land-based travel option would offer a middle ground for players needing efficient node-to-node travel without bypassing the world’s immersion. Carriage travel could allow players to appreciate Verra’s details and landmarks, reinforcing regional connectivity within vassal networks and Ashes of Creation’s intent to build player-driven communities.
**Conclusion**: Balancing convenience with immersion is essential for a cohesive world. By adding automated carriage routes, Ashes of Creation could retain its focus on exploration while offering slightly more flexibility. A well-designed travel system that maintains the importance of journeying across Verra would allow the game to stay true to its vision of an engaging, player-driven world.
**Keeping PvX Spirit Intact**: To preserve PvX gameplay, travel should carry a level of risk. For example, players traveling by carriage should remain vulnerable to attacks, whether from rival players or environmental threats. This would ensure that travel retains an element of challenge and unpredictability. This game thrives on exploration, conflict, and community-driven storytelling, and maintaining risk in travel reinforces this balance, making every journey meaningful.
---
**Feedback on Party Member Visibility on the Map**
**Issue**: Currently, it is extremely difficult to distinguish or locate party members on the map due to the small size of the icons representing them. This lack of visibility becomes a significant barrier to cohesive gameplay, especially in scenarios where staying coordinated with your party is crucial. The uniform appearance of the party markers compounds the challenge, making it confusing to identify individual members quickly.
**Proposed Solution**: To improve party member visibility and enhance the overall group experience, I suggest the following adjustments:
**Benefit**: These improvements would foster a more cohesive and immersive party experience, strengthening group coordination and enhancing gameplay, particularly in PvE encounters or PvP skirmishes. This would also support players who prioritize teamwork, reinforcing Ashes of Creation’s commitment to strategic group play.
---
**Feedback on Crafting and Processing System Improvements**
**Issue**: The current crafting and processing setup in Ashes of Creation allows players to initiate tasks and walk away, creating a disconnect from the immersive experience the game aims to offer. Additionally, there’s limited flexibility in batch processing options, making it difficult to manage various resource quantities efficiently. Items like tools are crafted almost instantaneously, which diminishes immersion.
**Proposed Solutions**: A multi-layered approach could enhance immersion while offering meaningful progression paths for crafting and processing. Here’s a breakdown of ideas to create a more engaging and rewarding system:
**Progression Paths for Enhanced Efficiency**:
- **Artisan Perks and Specialized Gear**: Equip artisan-specific gear to boost crafting speed. [Is In Game]
- **Workstation and Node Upgrades**: Advanced crafting stations within nodes should reduce crafting times as nodes level up.
- **Node-Specific Perks and Artifacts**: Enhance crafting efficiency, rewarding players for node progression.
- **Guild Perks**: Guilds could unlock perks that improve member crafting speed, encouraging teamwork and loyalty.
- **NPC Helpers**: Available at advanced nodes or homesteads, NPCs can assist in crafting tasks, reducing time. [If Added]
**Meaningful Crafting Times for All Items**: Crafting times should ensure that no item is created instantly. Even basic items like tools should take a few minutes to craft, enhancing the significance of each item. This slight time extension would help reinforce the importance of crafted goods without becoming tedious.
**Conclusion**: Implementing these changes would add depth to the crafting and processing systems, preserving immersion while offering rewarding progression paths. By gradually unlocking convenience through player investment and node development, the crafting experience would feel more meaningful, balancing realism, progression, and immersion.
---
**Feedback on Enhanced Chat-Based Player Interaction Options**
**Issue**: While coordinating group activities and interacting with other players through chat, the current system lacks efficiency for direct interactions such as inviting to groups, sending whispers, or inviting to a guild. Clicking a player’s name in chat does not currently provide these options, requiring additional steps to initiate interactions. While nearby players' portraits can be clicked for interactions, this isn’t useful for those only communicating through chat channels (e.g., Global, Node, or Guild Chat).
**Proposed Solution**: To improve ease of interaction within the chat system, I propose adding a feature where clicking on a player’s name in the chat window would bring up a small dialog box with interaction options, including:
This quick-access dialog box would streamline inviting, whispering, and other social activities directly from chat, making it much easier and faster to form groups, recruit members, and interact with fellow players.
To prevent spam or unwanted invites, a setting could be added to general settings to restrict incoming invites (for groups, guilds, etc.) to friends or guildmates only, balancing privacy with social functionality.
**Additional Feature: Item Linking and Market Channel**
Since many players use chat to trade or sell items, an Item Linking feature would greatly enhance this experience. Players could link items directly from their inventory into chat, making them clickable so others can view detailed stats and quality, enabling informed decisions without additional steps.
To keep general chat focused on non-trade discussions, a dedicated Market Channel would be beneficial. This channel could serve as a hub for trading, buying, and selling posts, organizing trade activities without cluttering other chat channels.
**Conclusion**: Enhancing chat interactions with options for direct group, guild, and whisper invites, along with item linking and a dedicated Market Channel, would significantly improve player engagement and streamline social activities. This system would facilitate a more connected community and support player-driven interactions in an organized, efficient way.
---
**Feedback: Crafting and Processing Commissions to Enhance Artisan Progression and Community Engagement**
**Issue**: In the current crafting and processing system, players often produce items in bulk that are sold to NPCs at a loss due to limited demand, which can feel wasteful and inefficient. The absence of a structured commissioning system restricts players' ability to level up their crafts purposefully while creating useful items.
**Proposed Solution**: Introducing Crafting and Processing Commissions would address this by providing specific tasks that allow players to craft requested items in set quantities—such as “craft 10 of X item”—and turn in or retain the items upon completion. This system could include chained commissions where players complete all aspects of production, from gathering to processing to crafting. By making commissions available, players would find a meaningful path to develop crafting skills and produce items that serve a clear purpose.
**Balancing Experience Gains**: To avoid solo leveling exploitation, commissions should carefully balance experience rewards. Ashes of Creation is designed to foster player interaction and community engagement, so crafting commissions should encourage social gameplay rather than providing a way to level solely through solo commissions.
To achieve this, Artisan Experience (Artisan XP) could be the primary reward rather than general player experience. Additionally, offering materials, rare resources, or unique crafting components as rewards would make commissions attractive without compromising social elements. This setup would ensure players feel rewarded and motivated to engage with the crafting system without undermining community and cooperation goals.
By focusing on Artisan XP and tailored rewards, crafting and processing commissions would enhance the progression for dedicated crafters while supporting the game’s vision of an interactive, player-driven world.
---
**Feedback: UI Quality-of-Life Improvements for an Enhanced Player Experience**
**Issue Summary**: While Ashes of Creation offers a rich and immersive world, several UI features could be improved to enhance the overall user experience, providing valuable quality-of-life (QoL) enhancements. The following suggestions address both functional and organizational UI improvements to streamline gameplay and improve convenience.
**Proposed Solutions:**
In-Game Friends List with Custom Categories
Problem: Currently, there is no in-game system to add players to a friends list, making it challenging to reconnect with allies or enjoyable random groups. Additionally, there’s no way to categorize or organize friends based on relationships, groups, or relevance, which can lead to cluttered lists and hinder usability.
Solution: Implement an in-game friends list that allows players to add others as friends and see when they’re online. To further enhance usability, introduce customizable categories within the friends list. This feature would let players create and name groups for different types of contacts, such as IRL friends, guildmates, or trading partners, fostering a more organized social experience.
[PGL] Personal Grudge List, with Notes and Categories
Problem: In a PvP environment, it is valuable for players to keep track of adversaries. Without a KOS list, players may struggle to remember which opponents are marked as hostile or have caused issues in the past.
Solution: Add a PGL feature similar to the friends list, where players can add adversaries. Optional note fields for each PGL entry could include details like the reason for hostility or specific incidents. Customizable subgroups could further organize these entries, enhancing management of adversarial interactions.
Quest Journal and Tracked Quests Memory
Problem: Each time a player logs in, their tracked quests and commissions reset, requiring them to manually re-track each quest.
Solution: Ensure the quest journal remembers tracked quests and commissions across sessions, allowing players to resume progress seamlessly.
Inventory Organization
Problem: Inventory organization is limited, with items remaining vertically aligned, limiting space management in the Tetris-style system.
Solution: Enable item rotation within the inventory, allowing players to better organize items, maximizing bag space and aligning with the Tetris-style inventory layout.
Optional Timestamps on Chat Messages
Problem: Without timestamps, it can be challenging to gauge the timing of missed chat messages.
Solution: Add an optional setting for timestamps on chat messages, allowing players to toggle this feature on or off.
Persistent Map Zoom and Full-Screen Option
Problem: The map resets its zoom level each time it’s reopened, and the partial map view limits exploration.
Solution: Enable the map to remember the player’s last zoom level, and add a full-screen option with a key index to clarify icon meanings.
Horse Marker on Map
Problem: Without a marker for the player’s horse, locating mounts in unfamiliar areas is difficult.
Solution: Include a customizable horse marker on the map to reduce search time.
---
**Additional Feature Request: Enhanced Mini-Map Functionality**
Problem: The current mini-map lacks markers for the player’s horse or friends, making it difficult to locate them at a glance.
Solution: Enhance the mini-map to include markers for the player’s horse and friends, allowing it to reflect settings established for the world map. This addition would improve convenience and the overall user experience in group or exploration scenarios.
**Summary**: These proposed UI enhancements—ranging from friend lists to map improvements and inventory organization—would elevate user convenience and foster a smoother, more immersive experience. Addressing these quality-of-life aspects would enable players to focus on their adventures and social interactions in Verra.
---
**Feedback: Enhanced Mount Mechanics for Immersive Gameplay**
**Issue Summary**: Mounted travel in Ashes of Creation currently lacks depth, interactivity, and immersion. Key elements such as sprint mechanics, resource management, and visual dynamics could be refined to enrich the player experience and strengthen the bond between players and their mounts.
**Proposed Solutions:**
Dynamic Ground Riding System with Enhanced Sprint Mechanics
Issue: Mounted travel currently lacks excitement and interactivity. The mount sprint function is mapped separately, making it less intuitive, and sprinting operates like a cooldown-based ability rather than a stamina-driven mechanic.
Solution: Introduce a stamina-based sprint system:
Active Mount Hydration and Feeding System for Realism
Issue: Mounts lack a hydration or feeding system, detracting from immersion.
Solution: Introduce hydration and feeding mechanics to enhance immersion:
Mount Call Improvement: Responsive Summon Range
Issue: Calling a mount within close range requires two actions, disrupting immersion.
Solution: **Pathing for Close-Range Summon**: Allow a mount to path toward the player when within earshot, removing the need to despawn and re-summon.
Player-Crafted Camps for Mount and Player Recovery
Issue: There are limited options for rest and care for mounts on long journeys.
Solution: Allow players to craft camps as resting points for themselves and mounts:
- **Mount and Player Camps**: Camps could provide basic cooking, health/mana regeneration, and facilities for mount care, similar to New World. They would not serve as respawn points but as essential travel waypoints.
---
**Feedback: Enhancing Immersion and Depth in Resource Gathering, NPC Vendors, and Hunting Mechanics**
**NPC Vendors and Resource Availability**
**Issue**:
Currently, basic resources like honey and water are available for purchase from NPC vendors. While this adds convenience, it detracts from the core gameplay loop of exploration and gathering, potentially impacting the game’s immersive experience. By making fundamental resources easily accessible through vendors, the need to engage in exploration and harvesting diminishes, which could reduce the sense of adventure and accomplishment for players.
**Solution**:
To uphold the immersive experience and reward exploration:
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**Gathering Node Improvements**
**Issue**:
The current gathering system could be enhanced by adding variety and complexity to the types of gathering nodes players encounter. The gathering experience could benefit from immersive nodes that require different strategies, skills, or tools to access, creating a more engaging and interactive environment. Drawing inspiration from other MMOs, gathering nodes with unique effects and environmental hazards would provide a challenge for players and reinforce the sense of accomplishment when harvesting rare materials.
**Solution**:
To make the gathering system more immersive and rewarding:
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**Hunting and Taming Mechanics**
**Issue**:
The current hunting mechanic, where players are required to pet an animal before killing it, disrupts immersion and does not align well with the intended action of hunting. This approach is more suited to taming mechanics than hunting, and it can feel awkward for players looking for a more authentic experience. A better-designed hunting system would provide players with the tools and mechanics to kill, skin, and butcher animals in a way that feels natural and engaging.
**Solution**:
To create a more realistic and engaging hunting experience:
These proposed changes would not only enhance the immersion and realism of Ashes of Creation but also encourage players to engage more deeply with the world around them. By rethinking resource availability, diversifying gathering nodes, and refining hunting and taming mechanics, Intrepid Studios can create an experience that rewards exploration, strategy, and craftsmanship, reinforcing the game’s core philosophy of player-driven, immersive gameplay.
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**Feedback: Adding Mines and Deep Natural Caves to Enhance Resource Accessibility and PvP Opportunities**
**Issue**:
The current system lacks high-risk gathering areas that encourage player interaction, particularly in PvP, where competitive or cooperative dynamics could enrich the game's environment.
**Solution**:
Implementing scattered mines and deep natural caves across the world would address both accessibility and PvP engagement, providing multiple benefits to the player experience:
By introducing accessible, resource-rich mines and deep natural caves with PvP elements, Ashes of Creation could offer a more immersive and balanced crafting experience that encourages exploration, risk-taking, and strategic player interactions. This approach would support both PvE and PvP communities, making resource gathering a meaningful part of the game’s player-driven ecosystem.
---
**Feedback: Enhancing Tank Mechanics in Ashes of Creation**
**Introduction**:
As a player with extensive experience testing the tank role, I’ve identified specific areas where tank mechanics could be refined to emphasize core strengths like threat generation, crowd control, and damage mitigation. Rather than increasing tank damage or healing, which could skew the class’s intended role, focusing on these foundational mechanics would enrich the tanking experience and keep its design true to its purpose.
**Key Improvements and Suggestions**
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**Feedback: Request for a Hand-to-Hand Combat Archetype in Ashes of Creation**
**Introduction**:
As Ashes of Creation continues to develop its diverse and immersive class systems, one area with significant potential for expansion is hand-to-hand combat. Introducing a hand-to-hand combat archetype, which I’ll refer to here as the **Brawler**, would add depth and versatility to the gameplay experience. This archetype could embody the essence of close-range martial prowess, strength, and agility, appealing to players who prefer unarmed or minimally armed combat.
**Issue**:
Currently, there isn’t a dedicated archetype that focuses on hand-to-hand combat, leaving a gap in the variety of combat styles. Including a Brawler archetype would introduce new mechanics and aesthetics that set it apart, enhancing both PvE and PvP experiences. Players could engage in a different style of combat that emphasizes physical resilience, agility, and skillful martial arts, which would add a unique flavor to the game's overall combat diversity.
**Proposed Solution**:
The Brawler archetype could be introduced as a core, hand-to-hand-focused class that builds on the primary archetype system, bringing dynamic new class combinations into the game. Here are a few class examples that a Brawler archetype could open up, offering diverse gameplay styles across various archetype pairings:
**Conclusion**:
Introducing a Brawler archetype would fill a unique niche, expanding the class combinations available and offering a fresh experience for players who enjoy high-intensity, close-quarters combat. I believe this addition would be a valuable and exciting enhancement to Ashes of Creation, supporting Intrepid Studios’ vision for a richly varied and immersive world. Thank you for considering this feedback as the team continues to shape the dynamic, evolving landscape of Verra.
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Here's the formatted and refined version, with bolded titles, clearly highlighted sections for readability, and the additional notes and adjustments you've specified.
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**Feedback: Suggested Improvements to Player Looting System**
**Issue**:
Currently, when players are killed by NPCs, their ash pile is immediately accessible to any nearby players, which can be frustrating for players bound far from their ash pile and unable to retrieve their materials quickly. Furthermore, ash piles often despawn too quickly, limiting the player’s opportunity to reclaim their items. By comparison, when a player kills an NPC, that NPC’s loot is temporarily locked for the killer, allowing them a fair chance to claim their rewards.
**Proposed Solution**:
**Additional Enhancements**:
**Conclusion**:
These adjustments would create a fairer, more balanced looting system, offering players a better chance to reclaim items lost to NPC deaths and contributing to a more immersive and player-friendly experience. Thank you for considering these improvements as you refine the Ashes of Creation looting mechanics.
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**Subject: Feedback on Bard Archetype**
**Dear Ashes of Creation Development Team**,
I wanted to share some feedback on potential enhancements for a more immersive Bard experience. While the ability to select a main instrument is a fantastic addition, I feel the archetype could reach new heights with a focus on vocal hymns and melodies. These additions would capture the emotional essence of a Bard, making their presence both dynamic and memorable.
**Key Areas of Feedback**:
**Vocal Hymns and Melodies**:
Many players envision their Bards as singers, using their voices to inspire, heal, and rally allies. Currently, abilities representing sung performances default to a harp sound, which can lack the expressive depth that vocal performances could provide.
Adding an option for vocal renditions—where players could select a singing voice for their Bard—would add a layer of personalization and immersion, enhancing the archetype’s emotional impact and uniqueness.
**Sound Toggle Feature for Player Control**:
To provide flexibility, a sound toggle could allow players to control whether they hear Bard music or not. For party settings, this toggle could allow party members to enjoy or mute their Bard’s music, making for a more personalized experience.
This feature could also enhance the cooperative experience, as party members who enjoy hearing Bard music could keep the toggle on, while others who prefer silence could opt out.
**Voice and Music Customization**:
At character creation, players could choose a voice and a singing style for their Bard, possibly tied to racial music themes or unique songs learned from teachers or discovered during exploration.
**Musical Inspirations and Examples**:
Incorporating a range of musical styles would further enrich the Bard’s repertoire. Inspirations like Diva's Song from *Blood+* and *The Fifth Element*, as well as *Dark Waltz* by Hayley Westenra, would lend a dark, operatic element that could be adapted to suit Ashes of Creation’s unique lore. Intrepid Studios could explore creating unique, racially themed music that strengthens the world’s immersion and allows players to connect deeply with their characters.
**Conclusion**:
Enhancing the Bard archetype with vocal performances and greater musical customization options would offer players a deeper, more expressive roleplaying experience. This would not only expand the emotional range of the Bard but also contribute to a richer, more engaging world. Thank you for your dedication to the game’s development, and I look forward to seeing how the Bard archetype grows and evolves.
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Here's the formatted and refined version, with bolded titles, clearly highlighted sections for readability, and the additional notes and adjustments you've specified.
---
**Feedback: Suggested Improvements to Player Looting System**
**Issue**:
Currently, when players are killed by NPCs, their ash pile is immediately accessible to any nearby players, which can be frustrating for players bound far from their ash pile and unable to retrieve their materials quickly. Furthermore, ash piles often despawn too quickly, limiting the player’s opportunity to reclaim their items. By comparison, when a player kills an NPC, that NPC’s loot is temporarily locked for the killer, allowing them a fair chance to claim their rewards.
**Proposed Solution**:
**Additional Enhancements**:
**Conclusion**:
These adjustments would create a fairer, more balanced looting system, offering players a better chance to reclaim items lost to NPC deaths and contributing to a more immersive and player-friendly experience. Thank you for considering these improvements as you refine the Ashes of Creation looting mechanics.
**Feedback: Incorporating Wind Magic for Mages**
**Issue Overview:**
Currently, the elemental magic system focuses on traditional elements like fire, water, earth, and lightning, but it lacks wind-based magic. Adding wind magic would provide unique versatility and depth to the mage class, offering players a lighter, more fluid form of elemental power. Wind aligns well with themes of agility, speed, and control, providing mages with new, dynamic spellcasting options that complement both offensive and defensive playstyles.
**Proposed Solution:**
Introduce a selection of wind-based abilities to diversify the mage class. Wind magic could provide both crowd control and utility, enhancing the mage’s role as a flexible and strategic caster.
**Suggested Wind-Based Abilities:**
**Benefits:**
Incorporating wind magic would enhance the mage’s versatility, providing a balance of control and mobility. Wind-based abilities would allow mages to manipulate the battlefield effectively, offering tools that not only deal damage but also support teammates by controlling enemy movements and creating protective barriers.
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Full Example:
**Orecal Archetype**
**Class Combo**: Brawler/Cleric
**Primary Style**: Shaolin Kung Fu
**Role**: Support and Healer
**Lore and Identity**:
The Orecal is a sacred healer-warrior who channels divine energy through martial techniques, using their spiritual connection to provide healing, restoration, and protective auras. Grounded in the philosophy of balance and harmony, the Orecal’s primary goal is to nurture allies, purify wounds, and keep corruption at bay. They combine traditional healing with focused martial movements, blending body and spirit to bring tranquility to the battlefield.
**Core Abilities**:
**Support Role and Combat Philosophy**:
As a support class, the Orecal focuses on keeping allies sustained through healing and resistance buffs, while using martial techniques as a conduit for divine energy. Their abilities are designed to heal and protect allies over time, allowing them to stay engaged in combat without succumbing to fatigue or injury.
**Role in Ashes of Creation**:
In *Ashes of Creation*, the Orecal is highly valued as a unique support healer who brings calm, steady support and resilience to groups. Known for their ability to sustain teams during prolonged encounters, they embody the spirit of unity and balance. As conduits of divine healing, Orecals are sought for their restorative skills and dedication to preserving life against forces of corruption.
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Everything below is simply suggestions from one person's perspective—just ideas, really. Some of these ideas might already be in development or could be planned for future implementation in the game.
**Note**: *If any of these features have been implemented in recent updates, please disregard those sections.*
**Issue Overview:**
**Randomized Server List**: After launching Ashes of Creation, players encounter a randomized server list on the Start Screen, which disrupts the user experience, especially for those looking to quickly return to servers where they already have characters. The current display doesn’t prioritize servers with existing characters, requiring players to search for their active server.
**Lack of Character Information**: There’s no visible indication of how many characters a player has on each server, making it challenging to identify which servers are actively in use.
**Proposed Solution:**
- **Prioritize Character Servers**: To streamline access, the server list should display servers where players already have characters at the top, with the last-played server appearing first. This would provide quick, efficient access for returning players.
- **Character Count Display**: Including a character count next to each server with active characters would help players quickly identify servers in use without needing to navigate further.
These adjustments would enhance the user experience by reducing time on the start screen, making it easier for players to dive back into their adventures. Thank you, Intrepid Studios, for considering these refinements to improve accessibility and efficiency within the game.
---
**Feedback: Travel and Transportation Systems**
**Issue Overview**: In Ashes of Creation, the journey and sense of scale are essential to preserving the immersion of Verra. However, while traveling from node to node is integral to the game’s world-building, lengthy travel times can feel cumbersome, especially when attempting to engage with group activities, events, or other distant nodes.
**Feedback on Existing Plans**: I appreciate the travel system that Intrepid Studios has outlined for academic nodes reaching the Metropolis stage. The idea of airships linking scientific metropolises within a vassal network is thoughtful, providing a balance of faster travel without diminishing the journey’s significance. However, it's crucial that this airship travel isn’t a “fade to black” experience. Players should be able to see the world of Verra unfold throughout the journey, with a travel speed set at approximately 200-300% of normal land travel. This setup would provide efficient transportation while allowing players to immerse themselves fully in the journey, watching landscapes, seas, and various landmarks from the airship's deck.
**Suggested Solutions:**
**Land-Based Carriage or Wagon System**:
- **Proposal**: Introduce a carriage or wagon system alongside airships. This system would allow for automated node-to-node travel along established roads for all node types within a vassal network setup. Rather than instant travel, the carriage would follow a land route, matching the speed of a common (green) mount and maintaining immersion as players travel at an approachable pace.
- **Cost Structure**: For balance and immersion, the cost of carriage travel could be split between the two nodes, with players paying half the fee when boarding and the remaining half upon disembarking. This approach would allow both nodes to benefit, adding a subtle layer of realism and economic interdependence.
**Benefits**: This land-based travel option would offer a middle ground for players needing efficient node-to-node travel without bypassing the world’s immersion. Carriage travel could allow players to appreciate Verra’s details and landmarks, reinforcing regional connectivity within vassal networks and Ashes of Creation’s intent to build player-driven communities.
**Conclusion**: Balancing convenience with immersion is essential for a cohesive world. By adding automated carriage routes, Ashes of Creation could retain its focus on exploration while offering slightly more flexibility. A well-designed travel system that maintains the importance of journeying across Verra would allow the game to stay true to its vision of an engaging, player-driven world.
**Keeping PvX Spirit Intact**: To preserve PvX gameplay, travel should carry a level of risk. For example, players traveling by carriage should remain vulnerable to attacks, whether from rival players or environmental threats. This would ensure that travel retains an element of challenge and unpredictability. This game thrives on exploration, conflict, and community-driven storytelling, and maintaining risk in travel reinforces this balance, making every journey meaningful.
---
**Feedback on Party Member Visibility on the Map**
**Issue**: Currently, it is extremely difficult to distinguish or locate party members on the map due to the small size of the icons representing them. This lack of visibility becomes a significant barrier to cohesive gameplay, especially in scenarios where staying coordinated with your party is crucial. The uniform appearance of the party markers compounds the challenge, making it confusing to identify individual members quickly.
**Proposed Solution**: To improve party member visibility and enhance the overall group experience, I suggest the following adjustments:
- **Scale and Size Adjustment**: Increase the size of party member icons on the map by at least five times their current dimensions, making it easier to track group members, especially during fast-paced or densely populated events.
- **Customizable Icons**: Allow players to assign unique colors or symbols to each party member, enabling quick identification and reducing confusion.
- **Class-Specific Icons and Name Display with Scalable Font**: Introduce an option to represent party members by class icons, enhancing role-specific awareness and reinforcing each player’s contribution to the group dynamic. Display the names of party members alongside their icons and allow players to scale the font size for improved readability.
**Benefit**: These improvements would foster a more cohesive and immersive party experience, strengthening group coordination and enhancing gameplay, particularly in PvE encounters or PvP skirmishes. This would also support players who prioritize teamwork, reinforcing Ashes of Creation’s commitment to strategic group play.
---
**Feedback on Crafting and Processing System Improvements**
**Issue**: The current crafting and processing setup in Ashes of Creation allows players to initiate tasks and walk away, creating a disconnect from the immersive experience the game aims to offer. Additionally, there’s limited flexibility in batch processing options, making it difficult to manage various resource quantities efficiently. Items like tools are crafted almost instantaneously, which diminishes immersion.
**Proposed Solutions**: A multi-layered approach could enhance immersion while offering meaningful progression paths for crafting and processing. Here’s a breakdown of ideas to create a more engaging and rewarding system:
- **Flexible Batch Processing**: Players should select batch sizes for processing up to a maximum, allowing them to craft or process items based on available resources. For instance, if a player has six units of a resource, they should set the batch to six rather than using predefined quantities. This adjustable batch size would enhance control, reduce waste, and improve efficiency.
- **Enhanced Crafting Immersion at Node Stations**: In early stages, players should remain at crafting stations while engaged in the process. As nodes advance, it could unlock convenience, such as NPCs hired by the mayor to gradually reduce processing times or enable off-station crafting. This system rewards investment, making crafting faster without losing immersion.
- **Homestead Progression with Retainers**: Players should hire retainers or assistants at personal homesteads as they progress. These retainers could work on crafting tasks in the player’s absence, enhancing productivity and efficiency over time.
**Progression Paths for Enhanced Efficiency**:
- **Artisan Perks and Specialized Gear**: Equip artisan-specific gear to boost crafting speed. [Is In Game]
- **Workstation and Node Upgrades**: Advanced crafting stations within nodes should reduce crafting times as nodes level up.
- **Node-Specific Perks and Artifacts**: Enhance crafting efficiency, rewarding players for node progression.
- **Guild Perks**: Guilds could unlock perks that improve member crafting speed, encouraging teamwork and loyalty.
- **NPC Helpers**: Available at advanced nodes or homesteads, NPCs can assist in crafting tasks, reducing time. [If Added]
**Meaningful Crafting Times for All Items**: Crafting times should ensure that no item is created instantly. Even basic items like tools should take a few minutes to craft, enhancing the significance of each item. This slight time extension would help reinforce the importance of crafted goods without becoming tedious.
**Conclusion**: Implementing these changes would add depth to the crafting and processing systems, preserving immersion while offering rewarding progression paths. By gradually unlocking convenience through player investment and node development, the crafting experience would feel more meaningful, balancing realism, progression, and immersion.
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**Feedback on Enhanced Chat-Based Player Interaction Options**
**Issue**: While coordinating group activities and interacting with other players through chat, the current system lacks efficiency for direct interactions such as inviting to groups, sending whispers, or inviting to a guild. Clicking a player’s name in chat does not currently provide these options, requiring additional steps to initiate interactions. While nearby players' portraits can be clicked for interactions, this isn’t useful for those only communicating through chat channels (e.g., Global, Node, or Guild Chat).
**Proposed Solution**: To improve ease of interaction within the chat system, I propose adding a feature where clicking on a player’s name in the chat window would bring up a small dialog box with interaction options, including:
- **Invite to Group or Raid**
- **Send Whisper**
- **Invite to Guild**
- **View Character Details**
This quick-access dialog box would streamline inviting, whispering, and other social activities directly from chat, making it much easier and faster to form groups, recruit members, and interact with fellow players.
To prevent spam or unwanted invites, a setting could be added to general settings to restrict incoming invites (for groups, guilds, etc.) to friends or guildmates only, balancing privacy with social functionality.
**Additional Feature: Item Linking and Market Channel**
Since many players use chat to trade or sell items, an Item Linking feature would greatly enhance this experience. Players could link items directly from their inventory into chat, making them clickable so others can view detailed stats and quality, enabling informed decisions without additional steps.
To keep general chat focused on non-trade discussions, a dedicated Market Channel would be beneficial. This channel could serve as a hub for trading, buying, and selling posts, organizing trade activities without cluttering other chat channels.
**Conclusion**: Enhancing chat interactions with options for direct group, guild, and whisper invites, along with item linking and a dedicated Market Channel, would significantly improve player engagement and streamline social activities. This system would facilitate a more connected community and support player-driven interactions in an organized, efficient way.
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**Feedback: Crafting and Processing Commissions to Enhance Artisan Progression and Community Engagement**
**Issue**: In the current crafting and processing system, players often produce items in bulk that are sold to NPCs at a loss due to limited demand, which can feel wasteful and inefficient. The absence of a structured commissioning system restricts players' ability to level up their crafts purposefully while creating useful items.
**Proposed Solution**: Introducing Crafting and Processing Commissions would address this by providing specific tasks that allow players to craft requested items in set quantities—such as “craft 10 of X item”—and turn in or retain the items upon completion. This system could include chained commissions where players complete all aspects of production, from gathering to processing to crafting. By making commissions available, players would find a meaningful path to develop crafting skills and produce items that serve a clear purpose.
**Balancing Experience Gains**: To avoid solo leveling exploitation, commissions should carefully balance experience rewards. Ashes of Creation is designed to foster player interaction and community engagement, so crafting commissions should encourage social gameplay rather than providing a way to level solely through solo commissions.
To achieve this, Artisan Experience (Artisan XP) could be the primary reward rather than general player experience. Additionally, offering materials, rare resources, or unique crafting components as rewards would make commissions attractive without compromising social elements. This setup would ensure players feel rewarded and motivated to engage with the crafting system without undermining community and cooperation goals.
By focusing on Artisan XP and tailored rewards, crafting and processing commissions would enhance the progression for dedicated crafters while supporting the game’s vision of an interactive, player-driven world.
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**Feedback: UI Quality-of-Life Improvements for an Enhanced Player Experience**
**Issue Summary**: While Ashes of Creation offers a rich and immersive world, several UI features could be improved to enhance the overall user experience, providing valuable quality-of-life (QoL) enhancements. The following suggestions address both functional and organizational UI improvements to streamline gameplay and improve convenience.
**Proposed Solutions:**
In-Game Friends List with Custom Categories
Problem: Currently, there is no in-game system to add players to a friends list, making it challenging to reconnect with allies or enjoyable random groups. Additionally, there’s no way to categorize or organize friends based on relationships, groups, or relevance, which can lead to cluttered lists and hinder usability.
Solution: Implement an in-game friends list that allows players to add others as friends and see when they’re online. To further enhance usability, introduce customizable categories within the friends list. This feature would let players create and name groups for different types of contacts, such as IRL friends, guildmates, or trading partners, fostering a more organized social experience.
[PGL] Personal Grudge List, with Notes and Categories
Problem: In a PvP environment, it is valuable for players to keep track of adversaries. Without a KOS list, players may struggle to remember which opponents are marked as hostile or have caused issues in the past.
Solution: Add a PGL feature similar to the friends list, where players can add adversaries. Optional note fields for each PGL entry could include details like the reason for hostility or specific incidents. Customizable subgroups could further organize these entries, enhancing management of adversarial interactions.
Quest Journal and Tracked Quests Memory
Problem: Each time a player logs in, their tracked quests and commissions reset, requiring them to manually re-track each quest.
Solution: Ensure the quest journal remembers tracked quests and commissions across sessions, allowing players to resume progress seamlessly.
Inventory Organization
Problem: Inventory organization is limited, with items remaining vertically aligned, limiting space management in the Tetris-style system.
Solution: Enable item rotation within the inventory, allowing players to better organize items, maximizing bag space and aligning with the Tetris-style inventory layout.
Optional Timestamps on Chat Messages
Problem: Without timestamps, it can be challenging to gauge the timing of missed chat messages.
Solution: Add an optional setting for timestamps on chat messages, allowing players to toggle this feature on or off.
Persistent Map Zoom and Full-Screen Option
Problem: The map resets its zoom level each time it’s reopened, and the partial map view limits exploration.
Solution: Enable the map to remember the player’s last zoom level, and add a full-screen option with a key index to clarify icon meanings.
Horse Marker on Map
Problem: Without a marker for the player’s horse, locating mounts in unfamiliar areas is difficult.
Solution: Include a customizable horse marker on the map to reduce search time.
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**Additional Feature Request: Enhanced Mini-Map Functionality**
Problem: The current mini-map lacks markers for the player’s horse or friends, making it difficult to locate them at a glance.
Solution: Enhance the mini-map to include markers for the player’s horse and friends, allowing it to reflect settings established for the world map. This addition would improve convenience and the overall user experience in group or exploration scenarios.
**Summary**: These proposed UI enhancements—ranging from friend lists to map improvements and inventory organization—would elevate user convenience and foster a smoother, more immersive experience. Addressing these quality-of-life aspects would enable players to focus on their adventures and social interactions in Verra.
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**Feedback: Enhanced Mount Mechanics for Immersive Gameplay**
**Issue Summary**: Mounted travel in Ashes of Creation currently lacks depth, interactivity, and immersion. Key elements such as sprint mechanics, resource management, and visual dynamics could be refined to enrich the player experience and strengthen the bond between players and their mounts.
**Proposed Solutions:**
Dynamic Ground Riding System with Enhanced Sprint Mechanics
Issue: Mounted travel currently lacks excitement and interactivity. The mount sprint function is mapped separately, making it less intuitive, and sprinting operates like a cooldown-based ability rather than a stamina-driven mechanic.
Solution: Introduce a stamina-based sprint system:
- **Stamina-Based Sprint System**: Mounts would have a stamina bar tied to sprinting. Sprinting gradually depletes stamina, adding resource management to travel.
- **Integrated Sprint Controls**: Assign the sprint function to the [C] key, aligning with the player’s own sprint function.
- **Dynamic Sprint Animations and Visual Effects**: When sprinting, add subtle camera effects, like a slight blur or widened field-of-view, to convey acceleration.
Active Mount Hydration and Feeding System for Realism
Issue: Mounts lack a hydration or feeding system, detracting from immersion.
Solution: Introduce hydration and feeding mechanics to enhance immersion:
- **Hydration and Stamina Regeneration**: Add a hydration bar that impacts stamina regeneration. A well-hydrated mount regenerates stamina efficiently.
- **Health Recovery and Feeding Mechanics**: Food could passively restore health, while “pet bandages
” provide immediate healing.
Mount Call Improvement: Responsive Summon Range
Issue: Calling a mount within close range requires two actions, disrupting immersion.
Solution: **Pathing for Close-Range Summon**: Allow a mount to path toward the player when within earshot, removing the need to despawn and re-summon.
Player-Crafted Camps for Mount and Player Recovery
Issue: There are limited options for rest and care for mounts on long journeys.
Solution: Allow players to craft camps as resting points for themselves and mounts:
- **Mount and Player Camps**: Camps could provide basic cooking, health/mana regeneration, and facilities for mount care, similar to New World. They would not serve as respawn points but as essential travel waypoints.
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**Feedback: Enhancing Immersion and Depth in Resource Gathering, NPC Vendors, and Hunting Mechanics**
**NPC Vendors and Resource Availability**
**Issue**:
Currently, basic resources like honey and water are available for purchase from NPC vendors. While this adds convenience, it detracts from the core gameplay loop of exploration and gathering, potentially impacting the game’s immersive experience. By making fundamental resources easily accessible through vendors, the need to engage in exploration and harvesting diminishes, which could reduce the sense of adventure and accomplishment for players.
**Solution**:
To uphold the immersive experience and reward exploration:
- **Remove Basic Resources from NPC Vendors**: Resources like honey and water should be gathered directly from the environment rather than purchased, encouraging players to venture into Verra’s wilderness.
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**Gathering Node Improvements**
**Issue**:
The current gathering system could be enhanced by adding variety and complexity to the types of gathering nodes players encounter. The gathering experience could benefit from immersive nodes that require different strategies, skills, or tools to access, creating a more engaging and interactive environment. Drawing inspiration from other MMOs, gathering nodes with unique effects and environmental hazards would provide a challenge for players and reinforce the sense of accomplishment when harvesting rare materials.
**Solution**:
To make the gathering system more immersive and rewarding:
- **Diverse and Strategic Gathering Nodes**: Add nodes that require specific tools, mounts, or tactics to access, such as bee nests within mounds of dirt (similar to ARK) that need special tools or assistance from mounts to gather safely. This would make gathering more interactive and less repetitive.
- **Nodes with Environmental Hazards**: Introduce gathering nodes that pose environmental challenges, such as poison clouds, elemental effects, or damage-over-time areas. Players would need specific resistance gear or skills to gather safely, creating a risk-reward dynamic that rewards skilled or prepared players. For example, unique ore deposits deep in volcanic caves could require high heat resistance, while frost-covered plants might require cold resistance, reinforcing the immersive nature of resource gathering in a fantasy world.
- **Introduce Specialized Gathering Nodes**: Unique nodes for rare and magical resources, such as pure or magic-infused water, could add valuable depth to crafting professions like alchemy. For example, discovering an ancient spring containing mystic water or rare honey sources would provide a rewarding experience for players dedicated to exploration and resource gathering. These unique materials could be utilized in crafting high-tier potions or magical items, further incentivizing players to explore and invest in the gathering professions.
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**Hunting and Taming Mechanics**
**Issue**:
The current hunting mechanic, where players are required to pet an animal before killing it, disrupts immersion and does not align well with the intended action of hunting. This approach is more suited to taming mechanics than hunting, and it can feel awkward for players looking for a more authentic experience. A better-designed hunting system would provide players with the tools and mechanics to kill, skin, and butcher animals in a way that feels natural and engaging.
**Solution**:
To create a more realistic and engaging hunting experience:
- **Direct Hunting Actions**: Allow players to directly kill non-hostile animals and then pick up the carcass. A preparation phase could be represented by a fill bar, simulating the time needed to tie up the carcass and ready it for transport back to town. This would create a more realistic flow and add immersion to the hunting process.
- **Improved Taming Mechanics for Pets and Mounts**: For taming, consider adding interactive tools like a brush, scented pouches, and player-crafted foods that help players calm and bond with animals over time. This would make taming feel distinct from hunting and add a layer of skill and strategy. For instance, certain types of crafted food could work better with specific animals, making taming more personalized and rewarding.
These proposed changes would not only enhance the immersion and realism of Ashes of Creation but also encourage players to engage more deeply with the world around them. By rethinking resource availability, diversifying gathering nodes, and refining hunting and taming mechanics, Intrepid Studios can create an experience that rewards exploration, strategy, and craftsmanship, reinforcing the game’s core philosophy of player-driven, immersive gameplay.
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**Feedback: Adding Mines and Deep Natural Caves to Enhance Resource Accessibility and PvP Opportunities**
**Issue**:
The current system lacks high-risk gathering areas that encourage player interaction, particularly in PvP, where competitive or cooperative dynamics could enrich the game's environment.
**Solution**:
Implementing scattered mines and deep natural caves across the world would address both accessibility and PvP engagement, providing multiple benefits to the player experience:
- **High-Risk, High-Reward Environment**: Mines and deep caves would naturally attract players due to their resource value, creating organic opportunities for PvP interaction. Players could band together to protect or harvest resources, while others might adopt a bandit approach, attempting to steal resources from miners. This would introduce a dynamic risk-reward scenario, where players must consider the potential dangers of gathering resources in contested areas.
- **Specialized Resource Veins**: To further enrich the experience, mines and caves could feature "top-tier" resource nodes, such as veins or streams of high-quality ore, which would provide exceptional materials for crafting but would also require greater effort to harvest. These high-quality veins could attract players with greater skills or higher-quality gear, adding another layer of competition and PvP potential.
By introducing accessible, resource-rich mines and deep natural caves with PvP elements, Ashes of Creation could offer a more immersive and balanced crafting experience that encourages exploration, risk-taking, and strategic player interactions. This approach would support both PvE and PvP communities, making resource gathering a meaningful part of the game’s player-driven ecosystem.
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**Feedback: Enhancing Tank Mechanics in Ashes of Creation**
**Introduction**:
As a player with extensive experience testing the tank role, I’ve identified specific areas where tank mechanics could be refined to emphasize core strengths like threat generation, crowd control, and damage mitigation. Rather than increasing tank damage or healing, which could skew the class’s intended role, focusing on these foundational mechanics would enrich the tanking experience and keep its design true to its purpose.
**Key Improvements and Suggestions**
- **One-Handed Mace Mechanics**: Maces are traditionally blunt weapons, ideal for breaking through armor. Currently, their effects focus on dazing and slowing enemies, which is useful but could be expanded to make maces feel more impactful.
**Proposed Change**:
Introduce a passive armor-shattering effect for one-handed maces. After repeated strikes, this effect would reduce the target’s armor, providing both thematic depth and a practical reason for tanks to choose maces over other one-handed weapons. - **Shield Mechanics and Skill Tree**: A tank’s shield should be as important as their weapon, serving both defensive and offensive purposes. To support this, I propose a dedicated Shield Skill Tree, with all shields categorized as one of three types: Tower Shields, Sentinel Shields, and Buckler Shields. Each type would provide unique benefits, making shield choice an important aspect of tank gameplay.
**Shield Skill Tree Overview**:- **Perfect Block**: A timing-based skill that drains significant stamina but triggers unique buffs based on shield type.
- **Tower Shields (Heavy Defense)**: Grants increased block mitigation and immunity to knockdowns or stuns on a perfect block, reflecting resilience.
- **Sentinel Shields (Balance of Defense and Offense)**: A perfect block staggers the enemy and increases attack speed for quick follow-up.
- **Buckler Shields (Aggressive Defense)**: A perfect block grants a temporary boost in movement speed and critical strike chance, aiding in positioning.
- **Threat Management and AoE Aggro**: To improve AoE threat management, tanks could use abilities after a "Perfect Block," which spreads aggro to nearby enemies. For example, after executing a Perfect Block, the tank could release a shockwave that doubles their threat radius and spreads aggro to nearby foes. This approach would provide tanks with a more engaging method of crowd control, rather than just single-target threat generation.
- **Tectonic Slam and Shield-Based Abilities**: Allowing tanks to use shields offensively adds depth to the tank’s toolkit, making them feel like a moving fortress.
**Proposed Abilities**:- **Tectonic Slam**: A powerful shield slam that pins enemies to the ground or a wall, immobilizing them.
- **Moving Fortress (Tower Shield Only)**: The tank charges forward with their shield raised, knocking down enemies in their path.
**Improvement to Blocking Mechanics**:
Introduce audio and visual cues for blocks, such as a screen shake, louder impacts, and dynamic animations, to make blocking feel more visceral. For Perfect Block, sparks or subtle camera shakes could add intensity and reward timing. - **Unyielding Grip Talent (Two-Handed Weapon Skill Tree)**: For a true mastery of heavy weaponry, consider a talent allowing tanks to wield two-handed weapons in one hand, enabling them to pair a claymore with a tower shield. This setup would retain low damage output but would allow for broad, sweeping attacks, maximizing crowd control and making the tank a battlefield bulwark.
- **Enhanced Weapon and Armor Feedback**: To make large weapons feel weighty, introduce a slight delay after each strike, which conveys the heft and impact of two-handed weapons. A minor reduction in movement speed when wielding both a shield and a two-handed weapon could reflect the heavy load, balancing power with agility.
- **Improved Resource Management for Abilities**: To better align with the physical nature of tanking, some tank abilities should use stamina rather than mana. Skills like Inciting Strikes (a two-hit cleave) or Intercept (a defensive dash) would benefit from being stamina-based, emphasizing the physical exertion required.
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**Feedback: Request for a Hand-to-Hand Combat Archetype in Ashes of Creation**
**Introduction**:
As Ashes of Creation continues to develop its diverse and immersive class systems, one area with significant potential for expansion is hand-to-hand combat. Introducing a hand-to-hand combat archetype, which I’ll refer to here as the **Brawler**, would add depth and versatility to the gameplay experience. This archetype could embody the essence of close-range martial prowess, strength, and agility, appealing to players who prefer unarmed or minimally armed combat.
**Issue**:
Currently, there isn’t a dedicated archetype that focuses on hand-to-hand combat, leaving a gap in the variety of combat styles. Including a Brawler archetype would introduce new mechanics and aesthetics that set it apart, enhancing both PvE and PvP experiences. Players could engage in a different style of combat that emphasizes physical resilience, agility, and skillful martial arts, which would add a unique flavor to the game's overall combat diversity.
**Proposed Solution**:
The Brawler archetype could be introduced as a core, hand-to-hand-focused class that builds on the primary archetype system, bringing dynamic new class combinations into the game. Here are a few class examples that a Brawler archetype could open up, offering diverse gameplay styles across various archetype pairings:
- **Brawler/Bard - Drummer**: Blending the rhythmic skills of a bard with the combat acumen of a brawler, the Drummer could support allies through percussion-based buffs and provide powerful, stagger-inducing attacks.
- **Brawler/Cleric - Orecal**""Full example at the end""
- **Brawler/Mage - Mystic Fist**: The Mystic Fist could use arcane energy to enhance their hand-to-hand strikes, combining spells with martial arts to create explosive, magic-infused punches. imagine something like Doctor Strange—how cool would that be?"
- **Brawler/Rogue - Shadowfist**: A stealthy, agile hand-to-hand combatant, the Shadowfist would specialize in high-mobility attacks, dodging, and countering with precise, lethal strikes.
- **Brawler/Brawler - Gladiator**: The ultimate hand-to-hand specialist, the Gladiator would embody pure, unarmed mastery, leveraging their strength and endurance to overpower foes in any situation.
**Conclusion**:
Introducing a Brawler archetype would fill a unique niche, expanding the class combinations available and offering a fresh experience for players who enjoy high-intensity, close-quarters combat. I believe this addition would be a valuable and exciting enhancement to Ashes of Creation, supporting Intrepid Studios’ vision for a richly varied and immersive world. Thank you for considering this feedback as the team continues to shape the dynamic, evolving landscape of Verra.
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Here's the formatted and refined version, with bolded titles, clearly highlighted sections for readability, and the additional notes and adjustments you've specified.
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**Feedback: Suggested Improvements to Player Looting System**
**Issue**:
Currently, when players are killed by NPCs, their ash pile is immediately accessible to any nearby players, which can be frustrating for players bound far from their ash pile and unable to retrieve their materials quickly. Furthermore, ash piles often despawn too quickly, limiting the player’s opportunity to reclaim their items. By comparison, when a player kills an NPC, that NPC’s loot is temporarily locked for the killer, allowing them a fair chance to claim their rewards.
**Proposed Solution**:
- **Timed Loot-Lock on Ash Piles**: Introduce a loot-lock on player ash piles for deaths caused by NPCs, with a suggested lock duration of around three minutes. This brief lock would give the original player a fair chance to recover their items without inconveniencing other players who might later find the ash pile.
- **Extended Ash Pile Duration**: Increase the duration that a player’s ash pile remains in the world, ideally doubling the current time. This would ensure that players who respawn further away have a realistic opportunity to return and retrieve their items, particularly if bound to distant locations.
**Additional Enhancements**:
- **Node Perks**: As nodes progress, they could offer perks that slightly increase loot-lock duration or ash pile persistence for citizens of the node, adding value to citizenship and node loyalty.
- **Craftable Items**: Introduce rare, player-craftable items like rings or accessories that extend the loot-lock time on the wearer’s ash pile. This would enhance crafting depth, adding another useful item for players and creating a new market opportunity.
**Conclusion**:
These adjustments would create a fairer, more balanced looting system, offering players a better chance to reclaim items lost to NPC deaths and contributing to a more immersive and player-friendly experience. Thank you for considering these improvements as you refine the Ashes of Creation looting mechanics.
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**Subject: Feedback on Bard Archetype**
**Dear Ashes of Creation Development Team**,
I wanted to share some feedback on potential enhancements for a more immersive Bard experience. While the ability to select a main instrument is a fantastic addition, I feel the archetype could reach new heights with a focus on vocal hymns and melodies. These additions would capture the emotional essence of a Bard, making their presence both dynamic and memorable.
**Key Areas of Feedback**:
**Vocal Hymns and Melodies**:
Many players envision their Bards as singers, using their voices to inspire, heal, and rally allies. Currently, abilities representing sung performances default to a harp sound, which can lack the expressive depth that vocal performances could provide.
Adding an option for vocal renditions—where players could select a singing voice for their Bard—would add a layer of personalization and immersion, enhancing the archetype’s emotional impact and uniqueness.
**Sound Toggle Feature for Player Control**:
To provide flexibility, a sound toggle could allow players to control whether they hear Bard music or not. For party settings, this toggle could allow party members to enjoy or mute their Bard’s music, making for a more personalized experience.
This feature could also enhance the cooperative experience, as party members who enjoy hearing Bard music could keep the toggle on, while others who prefer silence could opt out.
**Voice and Music Customization**:
At character creation, players could choose a voice and a singing style for their Bard, possibly tied to racial music themes or unique songs learned from teachers or discovered during exploration.
**Musical Inspirations and Examples**:
Incorporating a range of musical styles would further enrich the Bard’s repertoire. Inspirations like Diva's Song from *Blood+* and *The Fifth Element*, as well as *Dark Waltz* by Hayley Westenra, would lend a dark, operatic element that could be adapted to suit Ashes of Creation’s unique lore. Intrepid Studios could explore creating unique, racially themed music that strengthens the world’s immersion and allows players to connect deeply with their characters.
**Conclusion**:
Enhancing the Bard archetype with vocal performances and greater musical customization options would offer players a deeper, more expressive roleplaying experience. This would not only expand the emotional range of the Bard but also contribute to a richer, more engaging world. Thank you for your dedication to the game’s development, and I look forward to seeing how the Bard archetype grows and evolves.
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Here's the formatted and refined version, with bolded titles, clearly highlighted sections for readability, and the additional notes and adjustments you've specified.
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**Feedback: Suggested Improvements to Player Looting System**
**Issue**:
Currently, when players are killed by NPCs, their ash pile is immediately accessible to any nearby players, which can be frustrating for players bound far from their ash pile and unable to retrieve their materials quickly. Furthermore, ash piles often despawn too quickly, limiting the player’s opportunity to reclaim their items. By comparison, when a player kills an NPC, that NPC’s loot is temporarily locked for the killer, allowing them a fair chance to claim their rewards.
**Proposed Solution**:
- **Timed Loot-Lock on Ash Piles**: Introduce a loot-lock on player ash piles for deaths caused by NPCs, with a suggested lock duration of around three minutes. This brief lock would give the original player a fair chance to recover their items without inconveniencing other players who might later find the ash pile.
- **Extended Ash Pile Duration**: Increase the duration that a player’s ash pile remains in the world, ideally doubling the current time. This would ensure that players who respawn further away have a realistic opportunity to return and retrieve their items, particularly if bound to distant locations.
**Additional Enhancements**:
- **Node Perks**: As nodes progress, they could offer perks that slightly increase loot-lock duration or ash pile persistence for citizens of the node, adding value to citizenship and node loyalty.
- **Craftable Items**: Introduce rare, player-craftable items like rings or accessories that extend the loot-lock time on the wearer’s ash pile. This would enhance crafting depth, adding another useful item for players and creating a new market opportunity.
**Conclusion**:
These adjustments would create a fairer, more balanced looting system, offering players a better chance to reclaim items lost to NPC deaths and contributing to a more immersive and player-friendly experience. Thank you for considering these improvements as you refine the Ashes of Creation looting mechanics.
**Feedback: Incorporating Wind Magic for Mages**
**Issue Overview:**
Currently, the elemental magic system focuses on traditional elements like fire, water, earth, and lightning, but it lacks wind-based magic. Adding wind magic would provide unique versatility and depth to the mage class, offering players a lighter, more fluid form of elemental power. Wind aligns well with themes of agility, speed, and control, providing mages with new, dynamic spellcasting options that complement both offensive and defensive playstyles.
**Proposed Solution:**
Introduce a selection of wind-based abilities to diversify the mage class. Wind magic could provide both crowd control and utility, enhancing the mage’s role as a flexible and strategic caster.
**Suggested Wind-Based Abilities:**
- **Gale Burst:** Generates a powerful gust that knocks back enemies, disrupting their formations and creating space for allies to maneuver. This ability helps control the battlefield.
- **Tempest Shield:** Summons a swirling barrier of wind that reduces incoming damage by deflecting projectiles and slowing melee attackers, giving mages a defensive option. Pick this or the other Shield.
- **Cyclone Surge:** Creates a targeted wind vortex that lifts enemies into the air briefly, incapacitating them and leaving them vulnerable to follow-up attacks from allies.
- **Zephyr’s Grace:** Grants the mage and nearby allies a temporary increase in movement speed and agility, aiding in quick escapes or tactical repositioning during combat.
- **Wind Blade:** Conjures razor-sharp gusts of air that slice through enemies at range, inflicting damage over time as the wind whips around the target.
**Benefits:**
Incorporating wind magic would enhance the mage’s versatility, providing a balance of control and mobility. Wind-based abilities would allow mages to manipulate the battlefield effectively, offering tools that not only deal damage but also support teammates by controlling enemy movements and creating protective barriers.
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Full Example:
**Orecal Archetype**
**Class Combo**: Brawler/Cleric
**Primary Style**: Shaolin Kung Fu
**Role**: Support and Healer
**Lore and Identity**:
The Orecal is a sacred healer-warrior who channels divine energy through martial techniques, using their spiritual connection to provide healing, restoration, and protective auras. Grounded in the philosophy of balance and harmony, the Orecal’s primary goal is to nurture allies, purify wounds, and keep corruption at bay. They combine traditional healing with focused martial movements, blending body and spirit to bring tranquility to the battlefield.
**Core Abilities**:
- **Divine Touch**: Through direct contact, the Orecal channels divine energy into an ally, healing them over time and temporarily increasing their resistance to future damage.
- **Aura of Serenity**: Creates a healing aura that radiates outward, gradually restoring health to nearby allies while reducing incoming magical damage. This aura reflects the Orecal’s calm presence, soothing allies in the heat of battle.
- **Tiger’s Embrace**: Draws upon the Tiger form to perform a powerful grounding stance, releasing a burst of restorative energy that instantly heals a targeted ally and boosts their physical resilience.
- **Heaven’s Blessing**: A focused healing ability where the Orecal’s hands glow with radiant light. When placed on an ally, it provides a burst of healing followed by a shield of divine energy, which absorbs damage for a short period.
- **Purification Strike**: By delivering a light-infused strike to the ground, the Orecal dispels harmful effects from nearby allies, cleansing them of poison, curse, or corruption.
- **Crane’s Shelter**: Inspired by the Crane form, the Orecal can enter a meditative stance that emits a gentle healing pulse to allies within range. This ability also increases allies’ mana regeneration temporarily, restoring their focus and endurance.
**Support Role and Combat Philosophy**:
As a support class, the Orecal focuses on keeping allies sustained through healing and resistance buffs, while using martial techniques as a conduit for divine energy. Their abilities are designed to heal and protect allies over time, allowing them to stay engaged in combat without succumbing to fatigue or injury.
**Role in Ashes of Creation**:
In *Ashes of Creation*, the Orecal is highly valued as a unique support healer who brings calm, steady support and resilience to groups. Known for their ability to sustain teams during prolonged encounters, they embody the spirit of unity and balance. As conduits of divine healing, Orecals are sought for their restorative skills and dedication to preserving life against forces of corruption.
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