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Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest news on Alpha Two.
Check out general Announcements here to see the latest news on Ashes of Creation & Intrepid Studios.
To get the quickest updates regarding Alpha Two, connect your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Release dates would be awesome.
Nyftie
Member, Alpha Two
I love paying almost $400 and we can’t even get ballpark estimate on alpha and beta release dates…
0
Comments
Didnt you just joined? You didnt pay anything.
Just go to YouTube or Google and look for your flavor-of-the-moment releases, which I'm sensing that you're all about, @Flucke. That way, you can just continue on within the cycle of flavorless game-after-game - and you won't be disappointed with the endless flow of cash-grab, forget-able mobile games that will no doubt be forthcoming.
AoC has the potential to be one of many "passion-project" games to be produced in the years to come, that will focus on innovation and unique/new game mechanics - the way MMO evolution *should* be steering, in order to grow and retain a playerbase. The alternative is.... pretty much everything you've ever played otherwise, up to this point. I suspect that's why you'd expect to be pressing for a well-defined release date, despite whatever the quality of the game will be, at that point in time.
As long as it takes, man. As long as it takes!
- Death
- Taxes
- Ashes not catering to impatient players.
However, when I see AoC, I see a game that is literally selling content; ie: cosmetics, on a regular basis and repaying the customer with promises of a future and some fancy videos, plus of course, the constant "glorious" adjective.
I am not asking anyone to rush anything. I absolutely want AoC to be everything it can be. The idea of structured, world-wide PvP with solid and meaningful PvE content is amazing and I really am looking forward to the gameplay.
However, I don't think it's out of line for the OP to be asking for some kind of schedule. There used to be one, you can find it anytime you want to.
Just look here:
https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Release_schedule
The last entry was in August of 2021, so really quite some time since we've had any kind of timeline at all.
Again, there is a vast difference between someone saying, "hey can you give us an idea of what things are looking like?" Vs someone saying, "Omg hurry up please."
Not asking anyone to hurry up at all.
However, as someone who has been following this game for literally years, I also would like to know, what the plans are in terms of a schedule, what things look like in the future, when we can expect something playable and real in our hands to actually get in and start building this "glorious" world.
Seriously though, don't like? Don't buy, any reason at all? Don't buy. Or do, just know you can't complain about it.
Also finally many have forgotten this statement but we do have an approximation from Stephen for Alpha 2. In a stream early in 2022 he stated that once the phrase "Alpha 2" was consistently used during update streams we could expect the Alpha 2 within the coming months. Well we are on month 3 of tthe phrase being used consistently which paints us an Alpha 2 release date somewhere this year, probably in Q2.
Pandemic had 0 negative affect on gaming industry. Internally as well. Switching to UE5 speeds up process.
Anyone has the right to voice their thoughts... in fact, I went out of my way to show how impressed I am with everything going on here - and yes, speak my mind as well.
The biggest turn off for me so far, is not the year and a half with no roadmap update... its the toxic fanboys who refuse to allow anyone to voice any opinion other than pathetic fawning over Intrepid.
If you don't like what I write, that's fine - but why take the time to blast me with some negativity? I see it anytime anyone dares to be critical of the Glorious AoC Creators... and that's just not healthy at all.
Hiring Process, cause they were still looking for a lot of people during this time. Also working from Home which there is many empirical data showing productivity is less vs at office.
I dont ever recall them saying it speed up the process.
https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Unreal_Engine_5
In Fact - all it did was "save time" had it done later and rebuilding anything bugs, etc.
It didnt effect back end stuff but did effect front end, which was small now to pull the trigger, as opposed to later.
"Over October and November, that's when McP and the engineers began to do the base migration of our custom code-base into UE5 see where there were any major issues."
Which we are not privy to know if they ran into any major issues. But to say this had no timeline effect - i call bull.
Hiring Process, cause they were still looking for a lot of people during this time. Also working from Home which there is many empirical data showing productivity is less vs at office.
I dont ever recall them saying it speed up the process.
https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Unreal_Engine_5
In Fact - all it did was "save time" had it done later and rebuilding anything bugs, etc.
It didnt effect back end stuff but did effect front end, which was small now to pull the trigger, as opposed to later.
"Over October and November, that's when McP and the engineers began to do the base migration of our custom code-base into UE5 see where there were any major issues."
Which we are not privy to know if they ran into any major issues. But to say this had no timeline effect - i call bull.
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exacerbate the amount of effort it would take to move over later
But I changed my mind.
I'll buy cosmetics.
In Alpha 2 I predict a big increase in cosmetic sales, as we might see them live in game.
I think what he is trying to say is please just give us some updates on whats left to polish up.before A2, no timelines needed, no dates, just give us sime information on how far along we are, selling items is not okay if people may not even be around by the time the game releases, give us some context
What would having a date carved in stone do for you? Will it make the project get done quicker?
What if they miss it again do to unforeseen circumstances? Will you be on the list of people storming the various places with pitchforks?
Release happens when it happens. I am sure they have internal documents and dates set but I fail to see any reason they need to or should share any of that with anyone outside the company.
Buying one of the $400 cosmetic packs does mean you'd like to support the game (and get early access keys).
Buying one of the $400 cosmetic packs doesn't mean it's compulsory for the devs to give milestone dates.
There's no requirement or obligation to buy the packs.
You don't have to give Intrepid a dime until launch.
We already get more information - every month, in-fact. They don't HAVE to provide transparent development - but they do.
YOU, in-particular, seem to be of the entitled lot, given your recent postings. When we pay for cosmetics *now*, we do so knowing that our enjoyment of them is to be delayed until the time comes that we can use them - not with the promise of "Oh, it'll be by this-or-this date - no matter how the game looks/performs, by then". You know - in contrast nearly every single corporate-driven MMO that's ever been. While it wasn't for me, yours truly nonetheless has great respect for FF having been purposefully been taken down and re-made, in order to cater more to the fans' intrinsic wants.
There's plenty of "context" to be found in the Ashes wiki - even about many of the NPC groups/factions-to-be. Perhaps your own context could be a little clearer: Are you to imply that people whom have payed for cosmetics will have died of old age, by launch, or that perhaps that mankind itself will become extinct?
To buy cosmetics now is to understand that there's still a wait, ahead of the buyer. I don't want just another, easily-forgotten cash-shop-centric Korean MMO; "As long as it takes", is fine by me, for such a passion project.
It doesn't mean that it is a scam, but we have to understand those who think it is
The OP came in with a snarky and edgy comment that is either extremely uninformed or a deliberate troll attempt (or both). Either way it brings nothing of value to the forum here. It's clearly not a good-faith attempt to express their opinion, even if it's only based on ignorance and not on malice. You are not really doing yourself any favour trying to defend it, but you do you I guess.
A good-faith attempt based on ignorance would be more like:
That could lead to an actual constructive discussion about why they aren't releasing roadmaps and dates, and the pros and cons of it, and the OP could even learn from it.
It looks like you aren't super active on the forums, so maybe you haven't seen all the criticisms of the game and intrepid that occur regularly here, that has actual constructive discussions. I can see you have a couple of takes on this game, equating it to star citizen in terms of financing and never releasing, and how the game will somehow be obsolete by the time it releases. I think those are hilariously bad takes that are easily taken apart, but even those opinions of yours aren't presented as badly and pointlessly as the OP does here.
There have been many posts like the OP here where it's clear they are either trolling or haven't spent even a minute looking into how the open game development works. It's nothing new, and I am sure we'll see more if it.
As for the roadmap, not even Steven knows when A2 is ready. I am sure they have goals and target dates, but they'd be morons for releasing them to the public, because they can change from day to day, and many people are incapable of forgiving any sort of delays.
Completely false. Hiring was booming during pandemic to the fact that many companies was over-hiring. Hence the major layoffs we are seeing across the country right now.
There is no data showing less productivity WFH. Completely false. A quick Google search will tell you WFH have increased productivity. Please don't push that narrative. It's harmful actually.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/glebtsipursky/2022/11/03/workers-are-less-productive-working-remotely-at-least-thats-what-their-bosses-think/?sh=4017dd62286a
https://www.apollotechnical.com/working-from-home-productivity-statistics/
UE5 definitely speeds up process of world building as UE5 let designers work in sync and helps their workflow. They don't have to switch back n forth from Zbrush, they can keep everything in engine. It is also much more viable for performance and don't cause as many limitations.
This video explains it;
Then it doesn't look very serious to pay 400$ to work as an Alpha-beta tester
Regardless of macroeconomics... WFH changed what was going on in the corporate environment, IS does not WFH, all of their jobs are in office only jobs. So it is likely WFH changed the landscape for IS development plan, most likely setting it back considering their hiring desires.
I had thought summer several months ago. With the last 3 streams - I got the notion we will not be getting A2 this year, or at the very best, End of year Dec (and that might just be an announcement).
There is still a lot of mechanics/systems showcase that hasnt been shown off, explained, reviewed. There is easily more than 12 dev showcases to cover for this year.
In the end - I don't expect full release until 2027 which would make it 10 years in production - the avg standard making an mmo. If we are lucky, 2026 release, winter 2025 beta 2, summer 2025 beta 1, winter 2024 alpha 2
watch the dev streams during the pandemic year - they werent hiring as many during this time.
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UE5 - IT SAVED THEM TIME making the move early as opposed later. But that MOVE took time from the initial roadmap they had.
100% disagree, this timeline does not correlate with stephens statement in past streams regarding alpha 2. Stephen stated in the past that Alpha 2 would not be the game with full features. Yes theres easily 12 more streams, but no they don't need to be before the Alpha, 2, Stephen stated the Alpha will be near once the phrase "Alpha 2" was consistently used in streams, they started using it consistently 3 months ago, putting a logical alpha 6 months from now with an announcement in 3 months and definitive indicators over the next 2 months. Lastly Stephen stated that the Alpha will be persistent till launch, makes no sense for him to go back on that now and lastly, to have an alpha that is not feature complete only last 6 months is silly, Alpha 2 will be a testing phase that likely last for 18 months before the Beta 1 and 2 servers come online for 1 month each with a 1 month break between to allow for polishing and finally the game an additional month after that.
So basically Alpha 2 this year probably summer is their goal, maybe late summer/fall, then 2024 summer
(if all went well) we can start to look for those beta announcements, if its rough then it'll be up to 2 years. The final note to remember is that IS is hiring like madmen, they are expanding their capabilities, our current pace of development is not our future one.
We'll see. But, mentioning Alpha 2 consistently will not be the hint.
Expect at least 4+ months of a flash screen that says Alpha 2 Preview.
The goal for release was "before 2020". So, the dev team "goals" are irrelevant with regard to dates.
Which is precisely why they don't share their roadmap publicly.