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đź“ťJanuary 2025 Livestream Discussion | Treasure Hunts + Pocket Dungeons đź’°

Hello glorious community,

We’d like to hear your thoughts on the Treasure Hunt Playthrough and Pocket Dungeons shown during the January 2025 Development Update Livestream.

To help guide this conversation, here are a few thought starters you can choose from:
  • How do you feel about the Treasure Hunt and Pocket Dungeon Playthrough?
  • What excites you about playing and interacting with Treasure Hunts and/or Pocket Dungeons?
  • Is there anything, in particular, you’re excited or concerned about regarding what was shown with the Treasure Hunt and/or Pocket Dungeon Playthrough?
  • What does a perfect treasure map system look like to you? In your opinion, what makes for a fun treasure map system experience?
  • Are there similar systems you’ve seen in other games that you like or dislike? If so, please explain!
Please don’t feel limited by the thought starters above. Feel free to share anything you’d like about the Treasure Hunt Playthrough shown during the January Development Update

Everyone here at Intrepid Studios looks forward to reading through all the feedback you have to share!
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Comments

  • LudulluLudullu Member, Alpha Two
    Looked great and I'll definitely gonna test it out once I get back into the game. Seems like a very nice way to have some soloable content with some nice rewards.

    For all the non-solo activities - there's guild bank. Oh wait...
  • AzheraeAzherae Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    General/Prompt Response
    This one's gonna be rough (honestly probably not, I'll try to focus on positives). TL;DR this seems really convoluted and 'fake', as content for this game type.

    We've accepted that this game 'probably isn't for us' ever since the Open Seas reveal and Caravan Showcase, but one of those was a philosophy difference and the other was just 'well they just don't have a designer that can put it all together yet'.

    But my feedback on this is the same as the Caravan Showcase.

    "This is far worse than the sum of its incredibly suspicious-looking parts."

    As a concept of 'something to do', this content makes this into a really strange 'lobby' style game for more casual or 'solo' players, and this is one of those systems that seems entirely intentional in terms of its slot within the gameplay. It feels like you're sort of pushing those players 'into their own lane' but it sorta pushes them 'out of the world'.

    If you make it more rewarding, it will swing the other way. It just doesn't feel integrated, and obviously this isn't necessarily ready yet on that front, but it's definitely giving me the same vibes as Caravans and those are literally twice as bad as I feared back when I saw them, so I hope this one won't go in the same direction.

    World Art Shown
    Looking good! I really like the feel of this area, really showcases the skills and plan incredibly well, and everything looks like it is just waiting to be explored, absolutely amazing art and direction. This post will be too long if I praise everything, just assume that that praise would be at least on the tier of my other Giant Piles.

    Procedural Content Generation Result
    I can say that it's 'visible', but not in a bad way (I probably have bias as an occasional Minecraft modder, though). That said, it's not very noticeable and I think that's what matters for those who care. I can't tell the difference between spots that have been touched by the artists directly, and other aspects, in this showcase at least.

    Econ Stuff Shown
    Disgusted? Probably the best term. Entirely personal for me for now as mentioned above. I don't have a problem with this content type in general, Treasure Chests in dungeons is one of my favorite FF11 things, and Throne and Liberty's Mystic Globes are at least okay, if a bit too ubiquitous sometimes. But that 'constantly being able to find a little of it' fits with the rewards and reward type those give. This, for me, seems to go all the way back to planning, but it isn't entirely clear and I don't wanna be negative without basis.

    World Implementation
    From everything seen, obviously I'm guessing, but it looks really good on the design backbone front, looking forward to more of that in many areas. I guess I'll mention the mob distribution under this as well since I feel like it is covered by the same Team. It's looking really good, almost to the point where I can imagine the game feeling good to play for even my group who don't like the combat much, just from the side of flowing between mobs and adapting.

    Weather stuff looked good too, my 'itch' for a new game with a good weather system has obviously been 'scratched' by Throne and Liberty but y'all seem to be keeping pace and that's great!

    Pocket Dungeons Themselves
    If I imagine these areas filled with good PvE content, it makes me want to play, and I think that's probably the biggest 'praise/feedback' I can give. They don't look good for PvP clashes, so far, but it's unclear if that is even the 'goal' of Pocket Dungeons. If these are meant to be the sort of thing that a group just go out with the expectation of having a bit of a goal and reward, basically 'low risk' locations, I don't mind the fact that the PvP would probably not be particularly interesting.

    But even though that's exactly how it should feel realistically, that seems really far from what AoC 'is' in terms of the real outcomes. I'll keep hoping it goes in the direction that I'm biasedly seeing.
    Y'all know how Jamberry Roll.
  • Gaul_Gaul_ Member, Alpha Two
    edited February 4
    I am a major fan of the pocket dungeon concept. The (pre-nerf) Honorsworn Tower east of New Aela was a fond memory in P1 as it hadn't been discovered yet by a large portion of the server, so it felt like my little personal den for a couple of days. It also led to some social interaction as other players or groups of players would show up, make inquiries and decide to either farm alongside me or move on. By hiding away these little spots, it creates that 'encounter' feeling when you walk through a door and suddenly are face-to-face with another player. I highly recommend sprinkling these all over Verra.

    The treasure maps were fun for the first couple searches but obviously they are very simple and got boring quickly...this concept may get more interesting once Intrepid starts making them a little more intricate by hooking up constellations and quest-like puzzle hints to that system.
  • KyskeiKyskei Member, Alpha Two
    I enjoy the treasure hunts in Final Fantasy 14 a lot. adds a nice minigame and an activity to do that is more relaxed where we can have a drink and chat. I'd be very happy if something like that got added to the treasure hunts in ashes.
  • ImanekImanek Member, Alpha Two
    Hello,

    Here is my Feedback :

    What do you think of the treasure hunt and the Pocket Dungeon game?

    - The Treasure Hunt: It adds more solo content, allowing players to search for rare resources, which was particularly useful at the beginning of the server when some materials were nearly impossible to find. However, it currently lacks interactions, making it a bit repetitive over time. The rewards are generous, and the fact that there are multiple tiers of rarity increases its appeal.

    - Pocket Dungeons: They introduce more content and exploration, which is great. The more farming spots we have, the better the population is distributed across the game world.

    Why not combine both concepts? Group-based treasure maps could lead players into Pocket Dungeons, encouraging deeper exploration. Instead of marking a specific spot on the map, a description on the treasure map could hint at a location to explore, like an old buried chest.

    What excites you about playing and interacting with treasure hunts and/or Pocket Dungeons?
    Is there anything in particular that excites or concerns you about what has been shown so far with the treasure hunt and/or the Pocket Dungeon game?

    The system is rich and has great potential for improvement before launch. The addition of the tropic regions could enhance treasure hunting, making it a core gameplay feature.

    What does a perfect treasure map system look like to you? In your opinion, what makes a treasure map system fun?

    - Unique, b]non-tradable skins[/b] tied to exploration. Once the transmogrification system is implemented, this will be a great way to motivate a wide variety of players. If the rewards rotate periodically, it will attract even more interest.

    - Bothsolo and group treasure hunts, with some requiring the rewards to be transported via land or maritime caravans.

    - Some treasure hunts could spawn a boss instead of a chest, rewarding players with valuable loot (weapons or armor). Keeping a level of randomness ensures content for solo players while also introducing elite maps for groups.

    - Treasure hunts that lead to dungeons or Pocket Dungeons, where hidden treasures or bosses can be discovered.

    - Decorative items for housing in the future, such as chandeliers, piles of gold, skeletons, etc.

    Have you seen similar systems in other games? What did you like or dislike about them?

    Not exactly in this form, but ArcheAge had a somewhat similar system where players had to search for sunken ships, bring them to the surface, and deliver their treasures to NPCs. There were also underwater chests that required players to search and recover valuable loot.

    Overall, such a system encourages guild and group interactions, as well as land and naval battles. The foundation is already solid, but I find this concept very engaging and believe it could be further enhanced with monetary rewards and exclusive skins.

    Regarding Pocket Dungeons, they are great, especially in a dynamic world. In the future, they could be tied to public events, featuring unique rewards or temporarily accessible secret rooms unlocked once an event concludes. This would further encourage group play across the entire map, which is always a good addition.

    Thank you for your hard work and dedication. I'm excited to see how this evolves!

    Imanech
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  • VeeshanVeeshan Member, Alpha Two
    edited February 6
    Treasure maps are a bit meh atm imo there right click find circles on map run to them and click dirt pile there no figuring anything out.
    Darkfall i think have done treasure maps the best in games ive played and here a little run down in a video i found on how they work. (jump to about 1 minute in)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UH0Podj425U

    Basicly rick clicking maps give a discoloured popup window with a small slice of the world map with an X on it and u gotta figure out that location agaist the world map and go to the spot and did it up instead of just being shown the spot you atleast gotta figure it out so it feels more like a treasure hunt
  • LeukaelLeukael Member, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
    How do you feel about the Treasure Hunt and Pocket Dungeon Playthrough?
    Treasure hunting generally to me feels fine but it feels like there's an opportunity being missed. I think as it is should stay as it is in game.

    What I think the opportunity is in something like another type of map item (let's say a research document) where you can use it in say a boss room to get bonus loot roll on the boss in that room from the chest it spawns when used.

    What excites you about playing and interacting with Treasure Hunts and/or Pocket Dungeons?
    I like that treasure maps help with resource gathering. Feels needed and nice to have at this time.

    Is there anything, in particular, you’re excited or concerned about regarding what was shown with the Treasure Hunt and/or Pocket Dungeon Playthrough?
    Not particularly. It isn't that the features don't add value. I'm glad there's more content but treasure hunting's value is tied to crafting being stood up. When it is stood up this activity will be more valuable. Pocket dungeons value is tied to gear and leveling. I'm currently max level. So both are great but not presently exciting.

    What does a perfect treasure map system look like to you? In your opinion, what makes for a fun treasure map system experience?
    As above, some unique loot you can't get otherwise from a dungeon or another chance at loot rolling on a boss. Or perhaps it shows you to a secret room that is otherwise inaccessible where some mobs spawn and there's a treasure chest. And to be clear I'm not saying target unique loot drops just another roll on the entire table. Recipes too!

    Are there similar systems you’ve seen in other games that you like or dislike? If so, please explain!
    Not especially. It feels more relevant to me than in other games I've seen try to incorporate it (again with crafting is stood up) which I think is a good sign. Just not something in the present test I'm excited to dive into at this time.
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