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Alpha Two Phase II testing is currently taking place five 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.
Some art complaints are missplaced
Snekkers
Member, Alpha Two
I write this post because I see many complaints about art in Ashes of Creation. I also feel worried about some parts of the game’s art direction. However, when people address these problems, they mostly speak about environmental assets and world style. I think the real issues are in other areas, and I want to explain that in this post.
Intrepid showed they are able do very nice environment. The weather showcase environment is awesome.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhvQEPuexjg
Compared to that, the current environment feels weaker. Even areas that look good have problems, like low-quality textures, poor lighting, or not enough different assets.
I believe if they fix shaders, improve lighting, update some textures and particles, and add more variety in tree shapes, the environment could become really great. Concerns about world style are easier to solve, as Steven mentioned in his recent interview with TheLazyPeon. He said they plan to add more assets to PoIs and other quirks that make the world of Verra unique. So, I am not that worried because Intrepid proved they can deliver high-fidelity worlds—like in the weather showcase. Even winter parts of it look good. I don’t see strong reason to worry about environment style yet.
What I do worry about is character models and NPCs. It’s difficult to create models that fit nicely in a beautiful world. Right now, the player models and NPCs look terrible—like they’re all clownish or drugged. With games like Concord, I hope Intrepid tries very hard to make appealing models that match the environment’s quality. Even if they produce high-quality models, they must ensure the style is not simply unattractive. Concord had good quality models, but they were still ugly and unappealing.
I have similar concerns about Ashes of Creation armors. I do believe Intrepid will make high-fidelity armors, but since they want a more realistic style, I fear it might end up like New World’s armors: high quality, but ugly or boring in style.
It’s possible to add props or adjust lighting, but some things are not so easy to change later. For example, I don’t see them redoing entire landscapes now. That’s why I bring up these concerns before many sets are already made. It’s okay for level 25 sets to be a bit plain, but lots of players want unique, interesting fantasy armor at level 50. We should remember that “fantasy” doesn’t have to mean “cartoony.”
I also want to mention two small things. One is the current Riverlands landscape. I think it might be too late to change it. Another is how nodes fit in the world. For both, I refer to screenshots from Crimson Desert:
When you look at Crimson Desert’s landscape, it feels geologically logical, giving strong immersion. In Ashes of Creation, the terrain seems kind of random, like a designer just placing hills without thinking. Making terrain that feels natural in real life is very underrated. Unfortunately, like I said, it might be too late to fix that now.
Finally about nodes. Intrepid is not yet at the stage of node footprint development, but Steven mentioned current footprints are internally called Winstead and Miraleth. I want to highlight how a city can look great if there is building variety, good scale, and it blends into the environment, like the screenshot above. I’m sure we will eventually get very interesting, non-flat node layouts. Right now, it’s just a flat village with some artificial high ground for the town hall, but I assume that will change in future.
Intrepid showed they are able do very nice environment. The weather showcase environment is awesome.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhvQEPuexjgCompared to that, the current environment feels weaker. Even areas that look good have problems, like low-quality textures, poor lighting, or not enough different assets.
I believe if they fix shaders, improve lighting, update some textures and particles, and add more variety in tree shapes, the environment could become really great. Concerns about world style are easier to solve, as Steven mentioned in his recent interview with TheLazyPeon. He said they plan to add more assets to PoIs and other quirks that make the world of Verra unique. So, I am not that worried because Intrepid proved they can deliver high-fidelity worlds—like in the weather showcase. Even winter parts of it look good. I don’t see strong reason to worry about environment style yet.
What I do worry about is character models and NPCs. It’s difficult to create models that fit nicely in a beautiful world. Right now, the player models and NPCs look terrible—like they’re all clownish or drugged. With games like Concord, I hope Intrepid tries very hard to make appealing models that match the environment’s quality. Even if they produce high-quality models, they must ensure the style is not simply unattractive. Concord had good quality models, but they were still ugly and unappealing.
I have similar concerns about Ashes of Creation armors. I do believe Intrepid will make high-fidelity armors, but since they want a more realistic style, I fear it might end up like New World’s armors: high quality, but ugly or boring in style.
It’s possible to add props or adjust lighting, but some things are not so easy to change later. For example, I don’t see them redoing entire landscapes now. That’s why I bring up these concerns before many sets are already made. It’s okay for level 25 sets to be a bit plain, but lots of players want unique, interesting fantasy armor at level 50. We should remember that “fantasy” doesn’t have to mean “cartoony.”
I also want to mention two small things. One is the current Riverlands landscape. I think it might be too late to change it. Another is how nodes fit in the world. For both, I refer to screenshots from Crimson Desert:
When you look at Crimson Desert’s landscape, it feels geologically logical, giving strong immersion. In Ashes of Creation, the terrain seems kind of random, like a designer just placing hills without thinking. Making terrain that feels natural in real life is very underrated. Unfortunately, like I said, it might be too late to fix that now.
Finally about nodes. Intrepid is not yet at the stage of node footprint development, but Steven mentioned current footprints are internally called Winstead and Miraleth. I want to highlight how a city can look great if there is building variety, good scale, and it blends into the environment, like the screenshot above. I’m sure we will eventually get very interesting, non-flat node layouts. Right now, it’s just a flat village with some artificial high ground for the town hall, but I assume that will change in future.
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Comments
Consider that if you're a visually inclined player, you might have to wait for the UI to be fully customisable before you can expect to get the experience you want to see. MMOs are naturally going to look worse until you fix the UI to your taste in terms of balance between information and aesthetics, so until you get that, there's an extra reason not to expect an MMO to impress you as much as a single-player title would.
Also, yes, you're right, they could create an even more harmonious graphical look by handcrafting the landscapes even more aesthetically. But they're trying to create a world that can be reshaped through player action and still be functional. What you're asking for would completely overwhelm the developer time capacities, especially considering the additional constraints created by the complexity of the Node and Story Arc systems. It's just not feasible, nor would it work too great anyway, since a multiplayer landscape just has to span across a wider space than a single-player game, which makes the small-scale handcrafted look less impactful.
In short: Stop comparing MMOs to single-player games. The priorities lie somewhere else. You have to understand the point of the existing vision before you make recommendations that completely disregard half of the game's nature, and stop demanding equal standards from completely different types of games. Even if you're "just offering suggestions."
Your concerns about the armour may or may not be valid. I personally think everything we've seen from the armour showcases looks exactly like what I want to see in this type of game...
Yes, it does come under polish.
Which can be re-worded as "the game is in alpha".
For some reason though, people don't understand this, and think the game should be in a live-ready state despite the fact that we are only just starting the first of the two major testing and development phases.
Honestly, I see a remarkable improvement in the graphics, colors, and environment—it’s truly impressive.
Personally, I’m a huge fan, and I absolutely love their work.
That said, yes, there are still many missing points of interest probably decorations and elements that add more life to the different areas. But I remain confident about the coming years, we’re going to see some truly stunning locations and incredible Nodes
!
🔹 Environment & World Design
I agree that Intrepid has already shown they can create breathtaking environments (the weather showcase was proof of that!). Some of the current world assets do look less refined in comparison, but as you mentioned, shaders, lighting, and texture updates can make a huge difference. Steven has also confirmed that more details and PoIs are coming, so it’s likely we’ll see significant improvements over time.
🔹 Character Models & NPCs
This is where I completely agree with you—right now, some character models feel off, and NPCs don’t always blend well with the world’s atmosphere. Having realistic models is great, but they also need to be appealing. Hopefully, as they refine their art direction, we’ll see improvements that balance realism with engaging design.
🔹 Armor Design & Fantasy Aesthetic
I understand the concern about armor sets looking too plain or lacking that fantasy feel. Intrepid wants a more grounded approach, but that doesn’t mean gear should feel uninspired. We’ve seen some unique concepts in early showcases, so I’m hoping later-tier armors will have more of that epic fantasy identity players want.
🔹 Terrain & Node Development
The comparison to Crimson Desert is interesting! Making landscapes feel naturally formed instead of manually placed is something that greatly enhances immersion. The node system is still evolving, and I’d love to see more variety in how they integrate into the world. If done right, it could really make cities feel alive and organically placed.
I have great Trust into Sir Seven and his Developer Crew -> that they can make the Game look as overwhelmingly fun- stunning- and great-looking like all those Presentations Years ago.
And i am completely honest here -> as superficial as this right here right now might sound from me :
IF the Game will look as much fun and badass and epic around Version 1.0. will be the deciding Factor as well, if People will give it a shot and play it in huge Numbers.
It doesn't have only just "be" as good -> it also has to "look" absolutely nice. Simply because it has the Potential and i hear since Years time and time again what for an immense Potential the Unreal Engine Five holds.
Of Course i am aware all of this has to have get programmed first and this takes time -> or the Engine will do Jacksh~ite and we will never see such amazing, different Weather Situations -> Fog/Moisture-in-the-Air Differences or not,
you know just the Stuff independent from the four different Seasons.
While the Game looks already absolutely superior optically to let's say World of Warcraft itself -> "Atmosphere" always plays an important role. And this Atmosphere-thingy -> WoW usually nailes perfectly.
I am relieved i saw the "Atmosphere around Carphin" change, when i came really close to the Tower and the City surrounding it, with my Character which is pretty much a One-Shot for most if not all Mobs there. (lol)
So Verra is supposed to have an "Underworld", too - at some Point. And of Course the Sea's between the Continents. Maybe - "hopefully" - underwater Area's near the Coasts and elsewhere as well.
The Game's Engine holds the potential. But how much is used and realised to create an absolutely epic Ingame Fantasy World will be deciding Factor.
I remember when "Guild Wars Two" looked absolutely bombastic and epic as well around 2012. And then we saw the unfunniest things. Houses which were just "Dummies" you couldn't even enter into. Which were just a front. Whole, huge Cities like this.
There has to be more. Much, much more.
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
✓ Maybe i look after a Guild sometime soon
On a contrary, I think character design/art is horrible, not environments. Same reused noses and Kardashian lips, weak looking orcs with weird face proportions, Tulnar (especially females) look like something out f*rry pr0n, Empyreans with sunken faces that look like drug addicts...
There is no badass factor in designs. It's just weak.
If it doesn't improve, this will be only the game I won't give a shot because of design/art.
This is coming from someone who gives a chance to 30+ year old games.
I would have added armor design into complaints, but I wont because they actually improved on that front.
Steven says its realistic, yet character illustrations and concept art doesn't reflect that.
Characters are stylized which you can clearly see at front page splash art, race/class designs and so on...
+ They are all kind of ugly too tbh. Especially elves, which are usually the ''pretty'' race.
Environments are fine for an alpha, I guess. No problems there...
That was somewhat a point, even though environment can use some improvement, real problems are with character art, not the environment itself.