Context:
I’ve played most classes (primarily Ranger, Tank, and Fighter) and strongly prefer Action Cam. I also spend a lot of time grouping with and helping new players, so many of these notes come from both personal experience and recurring frustrations I hear from others. I’ve searched the UI for existing options before posting—if any of these already exist, apologies in advance.
1. Action Cam & Tab-Target Interaction Issues (High Priority)
Action Cam is fun and immersive, but several UI interactions frequently break control flow:
Cursor Forcing Issues
The mouse cursor is forcibly activated by many events:
- Need/Greed rolls
- Friend or guild invites
- Trade requests
- Inventory/vendor windows
- Mount despawn (instead of dismount key)
Problem: Losing camera control mid-combat or mid-movement feels awful—especially in group play.
Request:
Add a toggle such as:
“Do not force cursor on UI events while Action Cam is enabled.”
If Action Cam is active, it should stay active unless the player explicitly exits it.
Input Conflicts When Cursor Is Active
If Action Cam is enabled and I open inventory/vendor UI:
- Clicking in world space still swings my weapon
- RMB still guards
I’ve accidentally attacked players in town while interacting with UI (once while holding Alt), which resulted in guards killing me. Funny once—but extremely punishing for new players.
Request:
Whenever the cursor becomes active, disable combat keybinds entirely until Action Cam is re-engaged.
Cursor Positioning
Currently, when the cursor is released and re-captured, it remains wherever it last was.
Request:
Always return the cursor to the center of the screen when re-entering Action Cam.
2. Default Options & Quality-of-Life Settings
PvP Defaults (Critical for New Players)
ESC → Options → Gameplay → PvP
The first two PvP protection options should be enabled by default.
Why:
New players frequently get unintentionally flagged and griefed without understanding why—especially in places like Halls of Judication or Church of Seven Stars.
Common scenario I see repeatedly:
- High-level rogue flags
- Runs through lower-level players, flagging them when they cleave
- Chain-flags healers/supports
- Kills them, loots them, laughs
- New players log off frustrated and confused
Veterans shrug it off. New players quit.
These options can always be disabled later—but default protection would prevent a lot of early churn.
Suggested Default Toggles
- Auto-attack enabled
- Target-of-target enabled
- Show reticle on soft-lock target
- Equipment compare enabled (with option to require CTRL instead)
Additional UI Options
- Add mouse sensitivity sliders:
- Cursor speed
- Action Cam camera speed
- Hover bind customization
3. Artisanship & Processing QoL
Batch & Workflow Improvements
- Allow batch crafting without clicking each create individually
- Add a visual indicator when a station queue is complete or actively processing
- Tie reagent vendors directly to their relevant workbenches
Processing UI Pain Point
Current flow is frustrating when processing mixed rarities:
Example:
- 27 Common Timber
- 14 Uncommon
- 17 Heroic
- 6 Epic
You must:
- Choose sanding paper quantity first
- Then try to match timber via sliders
Request:
Let players select materials first, then apply reagents automatically or proportionally. This would dramatically reduce friction.
Larger QoL Request
Allow crafting/processing directly from local storage (warehouse or guild bank tied to that bench only).
This would:
- Reduce inventory juggling
- Help new players understand systems faster
- Remove unnecessary back-and-forth
4. Destiny Rewards UI
While the UI looks great aesthetically, reward claiming is unintuitive.
Issues:
- Hard to visually identify which star is the reward chest
- Small targets are difficult for laptop users or players with vision limitations
Requests:
- Add a “Claim All” button
- Allow opening stacked chests at once (Destiny, Commissions, etc.)
5. Grouping & Party Management
Open Party Option
As a frequent tank/group lead, I’d love the ability to:
- Set my party to “Open”
- Allow players to join/leave freely in farming areas
You already have similar functionality with caravans (“Join Attackers/Defenders”). Maybe this logic could be reused for parties?
Bonus:
Allow party leaders to set class filters for open parties.
Action Cam Friendly Invites
Inviting players while tanking in Action Cam is clunky.
Idea:
Allow soft-targeting a friendly player and holding F to bring up a contextual submenu (Invite, Inspect, Trade, etc.)—without leaving Action Cam.
6. Skill Trees
- Please allow saving and loading ability templates for quick swaps.
7. Chat Defaults
By default, these channels should have distinct colors:
This would greatly improve readability, especially during peak hours.
8. Marketplace Vendors
Allow players to add items to an existing sell order.
Example:
- I already have 18 enchanted runes listed
- I farm more
- Let me add to that stack instead of canceling/re-listing
This would streamline trading significantly.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, the game is incredibly fun and promising! I am having a blast! Most of these are flow and friction issues, especially impactful for Action Cam users and new players. Addressing even a few of these would noticeably improve moment-to-moment gameplay and onboarding.
Thanks for reading—and for all the work going into Ashes!
