Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Comments
It is intended and now implemented to flag players that do this which now I just run back and see who is flagged and destroy the little **** that took my chit lmao. Guys there is a bug that needs fixed with the flag system can you guys please make it so it don’t flag our teammates grabbing our loot for us? I understand anyone being flagged but Guild/Party members getting flagged lmao although it’s funny watching my friend get destroyed by the guardsmen running for his life with my chit still hopefully it’s a bug…
Why Harsh Death Penalties Matter
Risk vs. Reward Gameplay
Harsh penalties make resource-gathering more meaningful. Every node farmed or rare material acquired carries weight, as there’s always a potential cost if you take risks without preparation. Reducing or removing the penalties during Alpha could result in an unrealistic portrayal of how the game will play at launch.
Encourages Group Play
While solo play is supported, Ashes of Creation thrives on the concept of community and cooperation. The high penalties for death incentivize grouping up for protection and forming alliances, which aligns with the game's MMO nature. A solo-friendly experience should not come at the cost of undermining these core principles.
Alpha Testing Is About Challenge and Discovery
Losing materials or facing setbacks during Alpha may feel frustrating, but it provides critical data for developers to refine systems. Adjusting penalties too heavily during Alpha could lead to unrealistic feedback loops, masking issues that may only arise under the intended level of difficulty.
It’s Meant to Be Tough
Intrepid has always marketed Ashes as a game where actions have consequences. Removing penalties entirely during Alpha could dilute the ethos of the game and provide a false impression of what the live game will demand from players.
Addressing the Specific Concerns
Bugs and Performance-Related Deaths
This is a valid concern and should be addressed as a separate issue. Reporting bugs and performance issues that lead to deaths is part of Alpha testing.
Travel Time to Death Locations
The extended travel times add weight to the game world and make exploration meaningful. Streamlining this too much would diminish the immersion and reduce the need for strategic planning when adventuring.
Alpha Attrition
While some testers may find the penalties off-putting, others embrace this challenge as part of the appeal. Testing under realistic conditions attracts those who are invested in providing actionable feedback, ensuring the development aligns with the intended player base.
A Closing Thought
Harsh death penalties in Ashes of Creation are frustrating by design, but they also define its appeal. While adjustments might be necessary during Alpha, especially in the face of bugs and performance issues, the spirit of risk and consequence should remain intact. Finding a balance that allows for meaningful testing without eroding the game’s intended challenge is key.
Streaming at twitch.tv/blackthornes
but i think right now it just kinda punishes tanks more than anyone else
I can understand that stealing each other's loot can be fun - since you always think of yourself as the winner of the exchange, or you might enjoy the adrenaline of the risk - but that's for pvp. So adding this as a pvp penalty can make sense and give the game a given style, but there's no point in adding it to a pve death. That's basically just deleting hours of farming from the economy for no one's advantage and no one's enjoyment - unless someone picks it up by chance. But, as I found out when I died in the land of nowhere, your body disappears after a given time.
Talking specifically on pve, and in the case in which the body (and loot) disappears if not looted in time by anybody, losing part of your stuff if you die doesn't make the game hard. Just more time consuming. Less respectufl of your time as a player. Less friendly for the one with less time availability. All for no gain at all (since nobody is enjoying the fruits of your work if the loot disappeared without it being picked up).
Now, if the body persists indefinitely, then it's a different matter.
This said, I find that "forced pvp" + "drop of stuff on death" is a troublesome choice for a game. Only hardcore people can afford to play such a game, since you need to group all the time, have a lot more time to invest than you'd need if even only one of those two options was implemented and, honestly, Ashes implements some choices that, while fun, were also staples of griefing in the games pre-wow, which makes the game even more unpalatable to the more causal players.
Of course it's fine to create a game like this, if the devs so desire, but you're limiting your success chances massively. There are a lot of things that I like about Ashes, so I'd rather see it a bit milder than initially intended, but very successful on the market.
Well said. btw - wasn't Blackthorne a villain from U VII?
Good to see another student of the old school.
Yes it was!
Streaming at twitch.tv/blackthornes
The solo game at the moment is punishing. Artisanship and gathering has to get a lot more efficient and rewarding. Currently the risk/reward balance is badly off. I think that will get better through phase2. I think once we get into phase 2, the group and PvP players are going to start to complain more. Progress in development isn't going to be even.
Well a youtube video detailing ptr notes went up.
Good news, exp debt now also gives you damage and healing dampening.
So now when your tank dies for instance, they'll just be more likely to keep dying until the group disbands- back to leveling by auto attacking melee mobs with a bow, new meta let's gooooo
Because you know of all the players actually complaining that dying didn't suck enough? Now you die, lose a bunch of stuff. Lose the time and energy you spent grinding mobs, lose durability, have to run back, your ashes were looted AND you do less damage and receive less healing so have fun 'getting revenge' on the purple farming right by your corpse.
I'm hoping that abomination doesn't even make it to the alpha, but atleast it's not something they decided to try spicing up retail release with. I have some serious concerns for the individual coming up with those ideas though, like do you torture lizards and insects you find outside? What problem where you attempting to solve? Was anyone actually trying to die for a benefit???? Are you trying to make a game? Last time I was actively motivated to NOT play a game was when darkfall new dawn launch and that gave evaporated.
PvE focused: WoW / FFXIV / Lineage II
Sandbox: Ultima Online / Darkfall / Mortal Online
Big Influence: SNES Fighting games / Starcraft / Diablo II / Smite
In the short term 25% of your items deleted is nothing but if you're grinding for hours, even with a group and amass a few stacks of glint, then die due to messup you can lose stacks of glint in 1 death, and if you're ina high level area where you died, specially as a low mobility class like a tank, its likley it'll cause a wipe, making your entire party die and lose huntreds of glint from 1 mistake. if someone doesnt heal you in time, you lose 25% of your items and they dont if they can get away. its way too punishing for a tank at least. it makes sense for this to be the case if corrupted but for 25% deleted on default is just terrible.
I get wanting to have immersion and encourage teamplay but it jsut doesnt work, maybe 50% items drop but no deleting? heck i'd prefer 100% of items dropping and being able to recover thaem than 10% outright deleted nomatter what you do.
Genuinely loving the game as it stands but this is my one critique that i sincerely home gets changed as it does ruin the game for so many people
(Inb4 PlAy WiTh OtHeRs / iTs In AlPhA / tHiS tEsTiNg PhAsE iS SeRvEr SStaBilLity)
Feedback is feedback, discussion is discussion. there's immersion and there's punishing players for dying for no reason.
the current system encourages high levels to sit in low level areas and never branch out.
but once again i get its alpha, i get its testing the system not the game, i get itll get fixed eventually with balancing. but im stating strongly i disagree with item deletion ever being a punishment for uncorrupted death
I agree. IMO you are in consenting PvP, someone should be able to loot my Ash pile but in consenting PvP, you should not build exp dept. With death in PvE I should gain exp dept.
Sure, but finding groups is next to impossible.
What reward?