Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place 5+ days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place 5+ days each week. More information about testing schedule can be found here
If you have Alpha Two, you can download the game launcher here, and we encourage you to join us on our Official Discord Server for the most up to date testing news.
PvP is a free for all chaotic mess
Volgaris
Member, Alpha Two
I've reached the end of my tolerance for testing in the games current state. Which is not to say the game is bad, but testing is work and too much effort gets nullified. My approach hasn't been to play the game as it's a release, but to test certain systems and mechanics, for my own selfish reason of wanting a great MMO. Which I see Ashes as our last best hope for.
There are number of bugs that I have confidence will be worked out. Knowing that it's Alpha I don't have an issue with the bugs or interruptions. My biggest issue is with the PvP. In most cases I enjoy PvP, but I haven't enjoyed PvP in Ashes, which is very concerning because it's a PvP game.
At this point you have two points of allegiance, the Guild, and the Node. The Guild being the bigger of the two. Obviously killing someone in your Guild to take their loot would be pretty crazy. But killing someone in your Node? Kind of acceptable in the games current state. With the religion system we get another wrench throwing into the already blurred lines.
For example, if I kill someone who's also a citizen of the same Node as I am. There's no consequence beside getting on their naughty list. I could even be standing next to them in the Node 5 minutes later sharing the smelter. I have actually just gotten away with murder and theft. If it happens in a pvp zone I don't even need to worry about corruption. What this system creates is a chaotic mess of "Everyone is an enemy and everyone is a friend at all times.". Basically this just encourages people to be "secret" baddies, leading to backstabbing, cheesing, and just overall scum playstyle.
It's so odd I can be competing for mobs against a group that leads to PvP. (fun times imo). But 15 minutes later the groups reform and the teams are mixed up... This can happen in pugs, it's an extreme example though. I could one day be helping someone who will be ganking me tomorrow because they wanted that mob/resource. So pugs form knowing that the people you're playing with today could be your enemy tomorrow. It's just feels so weird, and seeing it come to be I've learned I don't like it. I like RvR and I like PvP. I don't like this system. And corruption isn't a solution.
Node vs Node doesn't replace Realm vs Realm. Your realm loyalty is forever, your Node loyalty is 24hours. But with the system half implemented it's hard to say what it's supposed to look like. I can just say the current state of PvP is a mess and basically not enjoyable. I want to engage in PvP but I want those engagements to be meaningful, that they have purpose, that I'm killing the bad guys, not someone who could be in my party later that night when we run a dungeon because my pocket healer or tank has the flu. Yeah I could just invite someone else, but that won't stop it from happening again the next day.
Guild members could even be spread out between Nodes leading to a conflict of interest, this is probably by design, which seems okay on paper, but really only exacerbates the issue of blurry allegiances and flaky loyalties. Religion is just fuel on the fire.
I have no ideas how to "fix" this system as I think the system itself is the problem. I do think there are things can be put in place to improve it, maybe...
One thing I'd like to see which could help would be a Node reputation system.
For Example:
1. I should be able to gain reputation with any node. Say through commissions.
2. If I kill a member of that node I should lose reputation.
3. If my reputation is below X value the guards in that node are now hostel to me.
4. Bad reputation will slowly trickle back to that X value so the guards aren't hostel anymore.
5. And/Or their could be quest on the outskirts with none hostel guards to repair the bad rep.
6. If a node is destroyed in war this reputation should be set back to it's base X value.
Things could be done, but I still don't think it'd fix the overall issue. And not knowing the finished vision Steven has a system like the above could be counter productive.
I want the game to succeed, but if exploiters, bots, and cheaters don't kill the game, this will drive many away after a few months. Not trying to be negative, just acting as a canary in a coal mine, maybe they'll notice.
There are number of bugs that I have confidence will be worked out. Knowing that it's Alpha I don't have an issue with the bugs or interruptions. My biggest issue is with the PvP. In most cases I enjoy PvP, but I haven't enjoyed PvP in Ashes, which is very concerning because it's a PvP game.
At this point you have two points of allegiance, the Guild, and the Node. The Guild being the bigger of the two. Obviously killing someone in your Guild to take their loot would be pretty crazy. But killing someone in your Node? Kind of acceptable in the games current state. With the religion system we get another wrench throwing into the already blurred lines.
For example, if I kill someone who's also a citizen of the same Node as I am. There's no consequence beside getting on their naughty list. I could even be standing next to them in the Node 5 minutes later sharing the smelter. I have actually just gotten away with murder and theft. If it happens in a pvp zone I don't even need to worry about corruption. What this system creates is a chaotic mess of "Everyone is an enemy and everyone is a friend at all times.". Basically this just encourages people to be "secret" baddies, leading to backstabbing, cheesing, and just overall scum playstyle.
It's so odd I can be competing for mobs against a group that leads to PvP. (fun times imo). But 15 minutes later the groups reform and the teams are mixed up... This can happen in pugs, it's an extreme example though. I could one day be helping someone who will be ganking me tomorrow because they wanted that mob/resource. So pugs form knowing that the people you're playing with today could be your enemy tomorrow. It's just feels so weird, and seeing it come to be I've learned I don't like it. I like RvR and I like PvP. I don't like this system. And corruption isn't a solution.
Node vs Node doesn't replace Realm vs Realm. Your realm loyalty is forever, your Node loyalty is 24hours. But with the system half implemented it's hard to say what it's supposed to look like. I can just say the current state of PvP is a mess and basically not enjoyable. I want to engage in PvP but I want those engagements to be meaningful, that they have purpose, that I'm killing the bad guys, not someone who could be in my party later that night when we run a dungeon because my pocket healer or tank has the flu. Yeah I could just invite someone else, but that won't stop it from happening again the next day.
Guild members could even be spread out between Nodes leading to a conflict of interest, this is probably by design, which seems okay on paper, but really only exacerbates the issue of blurry allegiances and flaky loyalties. Religion is just fuel on the fire.
I have no ideas how to "fix" this system as I think the system itself is the problem. I do think there are things can be put in place to improve it, maybe...
One thing I'd like to see which could help would be a Node reputation system.
For Example:
1. I should be able to gain reputation with any node. Say through commissions.
2. If I kill a member of that node I should lose reputation.
3. If my reputation is below X value the guards in that node are now hostel to me.
4. Bad reputation will slowly trickle back to that X value so the guards aren't hostel anymore.
5. And/Or their could be quest on the outskirts with none hostel guards to repair the bad rep.
6. If a node is destroyed in war this reputation should be set back to it's base X value.
Things could be done, but I still don't think it'd fix the overall issue. And not knowing the finished vision Steven has a system like the above could be counter productive.
I want the game to succeed, but if exploiters, bots, and cheaters don't kill the game, this will drive many away after a few months. Not trying to be negative, just acting as a canary in a coal mine, maybe they'll notice.
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