It worth buying the game right now?

Hey, I've got a question! Is it worth buying into Alpha 2? Asking Alpha 1 players.

I really like being part of a small tight knit community and I don't mind buggy gameplay. I mainly have fun by experiencing the MMO -side of the MMORPGs. Things like talking random ingame or noningame related stuff in world chat with other people, meeting players randomly in the world and grouping up to do hard quests & dungeons. Thats what I love best.
The RPG side for me is fun but not as fun as interacting with people.

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Talents

There is no testing atm. The last time testing was available was August 15th 2021. No matter what pack you buy, you can't test anything atm.

There is no exact date for when testing will next happen, beyond Steven saying last livestream that "we'll begin internal testing late this year/early next year and begin rolling it out to PI and other testers after.", and that's a Steven estimate which shouldn't be trusted.

Birthday

Sure I understand. I am asking in general.
I am trying to decide if I want to buy into Alpha 2 whenever it comes regardless.
Thats why i created this thread.

nanfoodle

I have not played but what has been presented looks awesome. At this point on a few classes are being tested, when testing happens. The combat is slower and strategic based. IMO it looks really fun and will require teams to work together and communicate. If thats something you like and its not a challenge to drop some money to test, go for it. You said you dont mind buggy but are you ready for unpolished? Raw even. Thats my guess of what most of the game is. Me personally, I am a OG backer that is mostly waiting for the beta testing. IMO, this MMO will be groundbreaking.

McShave

There is no reason to buy Alpha 2 right now. I suggest wait until they have a firm release date for the Alpha so that you aren't left in suspense. I've had my alpha 2 access for 2 or 3 years now, and I've been waiting not-so-patiently lol. But If you know you are definitely going to get it, then now or later doesn't really matter. Maybe wait until you see a monthly cosmetic pack you like a lot, and then buy it during that month.

nanfoodle

This is a good video to watch to see what your looking at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwWK9HJNJRQ

Nerror

If you intend to buy A2 anyway at some point, just wait for a nice cosmetic set you like and buy then. Other than that, whether you buy now or in 6 months probably doesn't make a difference.

If it is primarily a money issue, buy when you can afford it if you care less about the cosmetics. You can also buy the $75 pack now and upgrade to A2 in steps to the $150 and then $250 later, when you can afford it. Assuming you aren't good at saving up.

The current goblin pet is pretty cool I think, so if you like it, you can start forking over the $150. If you also want the pegasus skin you need to go to $250 though. Once you have a pack you can buy future tier cosmetics up to what the pack allows. This is both good and bad depending on how good you are at resisting temptation and how cool the skins are.

Birthday

Thanks everyone ^^

Azherae

Birthday wrote: »

Sure I understand. I am asking in general.
I am trying to decide if I want to buy into Alpha 2 whenever it comes regardless.
Thats why i created this thread.

Ah, this is a slightly different question.

In Alpha-1, because of a decent core understanding of their barebones systems and the type of thing they needed to test, it was quite good, but I say that it won't be good for someone who doesn't enjoy testing for very long.

If you are part of a social group or intend to join one in Alpha-2, it is also good. If you tend to be available during what 'normally' would be considered work hours, even more likely to be a good idea (since we can't be sure about Alpha-2's consistency).

If you're the sort of personality who enjoys 'starting over and doing the same things again but slightly differently to see how they work out', then absolutely go ahead. There's lots of dynamism within Ashes to explore and check, and because of the testing parameters, there will almost certainly be some periods where they speed up certain types of thing, so that you can get some good experiences with 'having an effect' (for example, I doubt they would make 'getting a Freehold or house' take 2 months during Alpha-2 even if it would take that long when live).

If you're the opposite, the type who 'likes to feel their progression means something' or aren't very driven to do ridiculous or risky things, then it might still work out, but it would be much less likely to be a particularly effective use of your money, especially if you often enjoy other gaming or already have an MMO you play.

I don't personally think everyone needs to go into Alpha-2 with a 'testing mindset', since 'just trying to play the game normally' is a type of tester that is also required. As long as you don't get frustrated with 'restarts' and aren't particularly sensitive/salty about imperfect balance, I'd suggest getting it.

nanfoodle

Azherae is 100% right on the repetitive nature of testing. It really is not for everyone but I will say, as much as I would not want to Alpha test again. I'm really happy I had the experience in the past. IMO, it's something every gamer should experience. Really helps you appreciate game development and what a polished game really means.

daveywavey

It's absolutely not worth it. Having said that, I myself have bought into Alpha-2, because I want to be part of the process and I want to help it along. But it's by no means worth the money. Only do it if it's something you specifically WANT to do.

Vissox

I would get the 75$ beta key. Anything you do in alpha would be more flushed out in beta. There are only four reasons to get alpha key
A) your a content creator.

bragging rights, forum screenshots of you in alpha 10 years from now
C) you hate money. Alpha key is 16 months of gametime(EDIT: cost equivalent), it will only come with 9.
D) you hate money, but you want the cosmetic items and the name reservation.

BaSkA_9x2

Wait for the Alpha 2 dates do be released. There are so many skins that feeling FOMO for them shows a lack of self control and probably mental issues, so don't even worry about those. Have $175 saved up so you can decide if it's worth buying it on the days before it releases. That's what I'd do.

Sweatycup

If you enjoy testing games and giving feedback buying for alpha 2 is worth it. If you want to play the game in a completionist state without hinderance or interruption from changes then wait for the beta or full release. They dont need your money to complete the project. The only other reason to buy early is for the person who want to collect all the skins which should be available in-game anyways. Skins give no bonuses to anything just aesthetics. Game will have a subscription too if your not familiar with a mmo with one ontop of game package price. Pretty sure alpha 2 will still not need a subscription till at least full release. Got to keep the servers payed up for somehow.

tautau

Regarding 'waiting for the Alpha 2 release dates' as a strategy. Access to Alpha 2 won't be unlimited. We don't know what the cap will be, or how many spots are left before the cap is reached, but AoC won't be able to hold an infinite number of players, right?

Therefore, if you wait, you run some risk that it will fill up and you won't be able to get in. We have no idea if it is 'almost full' or has tens of thousands of spots left, so we cannot quantify this risk.

Dezemi

Oh, do we pay sub during Alpha tests?

Vaknar

This is really up to you, OP

As long as you understand that there is no live public testing phase at the moment. If you want to support the project, then you could purchase a pre-order pack. Though, it isn't necessary to enjoy watching the development process!

If you're wanting to test the game during Alpha Two, and you understand that there is no announced release date for Alpha Two, then your decision can be an informed one

Nerror

Dezmerizing wrote: »

Oh, do we pay sub during Alpha tests?

No, only after release.

Azherae

Nerror wrote: »

Dezmerizing wrote: »

Oh, do we pay sub during Alpha tests?

No, only after release.

This is the other reason. If you enjoy testing at all, then it's technically financially a fairly good deal if you believe that Alpha-2 will persist for a long time.

You'd be getting at least the equivalent of that. Particularly if you're the sort of person who normally likes to play a lot of alts and explore different paths, and like 'the feeling of everyone being put back on even footing when you are doing that'.

In some ways, it could be a 'superior' experience to even regular MMO play if you're the 'try out new characters and new stories' sort of player.

Many MMOs get stagnant or enter their 'make things easymode to retain players' phase within just a few months, lately. Alpha-2, buggy as it may be, would be a chance to play Ashes for a potentially long time without either of those things happening.

If you're the sort who likes 'refreshing yourself by trying something new' often, an Alpha-2 key could, in the most extreme case, be the most 'value for money' you could even get.

Birthday

I think once I see a pack that I like or once Alpha 2 is announced I'll buy the game.

I like the idea of playing Alpha and trying out many alts. Hopefully we'll have a lot of classes. I'd actually like this Alpha chance to get a feel on as many classes as possible in order to find the one I have most fun with.

Caww

this is a "mad-money" purchase but your approach seems like a good one

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