Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Phase III testing has begun! During this phase, our realms will be open every day, and we'll only have downtime for updates and maintenance. We'll keep everyone up-to-date about downtimes in Discord.
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.
Alpha Two Phase III testing has begun! During this phase, our realms will be open every day, and we'll only have downtime for updates and maintenance. We'll keep everyone up-to-date about downtimes in Discord.
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.
This game is too hard.
Grograman
Member, Braver of Worlds, Kickstarter, Alpha One, Alpha Two, Early Alpha Two
I'm sorry I'm going to say it. This game is WAY to hard. I've playing MMOs and I've raided hardcore before, but when I'm playing at lvl 1-5 and I'm dying multiple times. When I'm having to travel 10+ mins to a different starting area just to find a vendor for my weapon. We've gone too far. I'm into this and I think there is SO much promise but there is no way this can play with the public that will support the longevity we want.
I understand everyone is going to want to rip into me with explanations about how that how this game is supposed to be! I get that, and I want it to some degree. But there is no way in hell people outside this mindset take to it. I WANT this game to work and I'm getting constantly frustrated.
PLEASE do not go down the way of Wildstar. It was one of the best games I ever played and was destroyed for cratering to the hardcore.
I understand everyone is going to want to rip into me with explanations about how that how this game is supposed to be! I get that, and I want it to some degree. But there is no way in hell people outside this mindset take to it. I WANT this game to work and I'm getting constantly frustrated.
PLEASE do not go down the way of Wildstar. It was one of the best games I ever played and was destroyed for cratering to the hardcore.
3
Comments
It's way too hard.
- Add in the fast transit system ASAP (not fast travel!) this means airships and carts just like AA. Stop making the map any larger until these are in.
- Add common initiate tier items to vendor. Just Brooksteel (bottom tier craft items). Not the cock up from last night where we had second sword items, recipes, adept items... And make them more expensive than they were on the store last night. They should work out MORE expensive than crafting them yourselves. And if that seems too high for a level 1-10 then the cost of crafting it too high.
- Add crafting and processing XP to node progression XP.
- Reduce the cost of crafting
- Fix drop rates to align better with crafting.
- Be happy.
Even then, the game systems are mostly not worth the effort. If you hear no-lifers saying the current state of drops, grind, crafting, and more general the economy are not acceptable, then you know things are FUBAR.
Unless you are really into Ashes, my advice is do not bother. You will only get a pretty negative impression of AoC and burn out. For me this phase start for me is another failure, and it concerns me those issues havent been highlighted and picked up at the design stage. This should have never been implemented and pushed to the "live" server.
The "game" atm is basically: brainless POI mob grinding for glint and gear (terrible drop rates), and terribly designed economy, which requires way too much effort and time to get anything for value.
Blown past falling sands…
IF they sever needs to go down for 2 hours, tell the player base 4 hours, because The Ashes team as a whole fails to bring severs back up in a timely manner, based on time stated by them. Players should not have to play a guessing a game.
Just basic good customer service, Under promise over deliver vs what they do now which is over promise and under deliver. . Things happen it is in testing, the Ashes of creation team should be more realistic when giving sever down times , track record shows it being pushed out , and needing more time than not So for the love of god just add on the time at the get go knowing you will most likely need it. If you don't need more time , your up early and everyone(almost is happy). Piss off less people this way , in addition your word becomes more reliable.
I don't know how you're dying 1-5 multiple times. Before I can blink I'm level 5, a few moments later I'm level 10 with probably only a couple of deaths from getting greedy gathering. The level difference between you and the mob really matter. Try to stick to equal levels if you can.
There are no weapon vendors. You must craft or buy from a player for your gear. There are a few gear drops from mobs. If you can find a grind group this you're optimal path to leveling and gearing.
Crafting areas being split is dumb and a needless burden placed on the new player experience. And really slows their efforts, which has led a few of my friends to quit testing.
You think Wildstar was hardcore you need to go look at the games Steven takes is inspiration from. Wildstar was a great game, I wish they'd release the server code so we could do a private server.
I had hoped the servers were more stable. I just started in Alpha today and my first death was due to server lag; like really bad server lag.
Personally I love the old school feel, I do think its turned too far. 80% of casuals makes up any MMO still going strong. I think there is a place to balance hardcore without driving away all cauals. Even if Ashes kept 60% to 50% of what its normally attracted to a game, i think we woild attract even more hard core players.
Not saying that Intrepid isn't doing a very good job but I think the balance is on the wrong side an they aren't hearing some of the more casual voices in the community.
IMO its because I dont think IS staff are not really playing the game. What I mean buy that is, actually LFG, without using dev tool, or as Steven does, zipping around flying where he want. Actually for a couple of weeks travel like the players do.
Make a char at lvl one, dont tell anyone your staff. Try LFG and guild. Try to make money with the market to progress. Don't rely on staff members to help, just the testers.
Has to be an outside tester, not a Dev or staff that has massive knowledge of the workings of the game. A dev is going to know where to go for everything, is going to know the optimal paths, ect. They need a dedicated group of people testing... oh wait that's us. They got plenty of feedback, but sifting through all the noise has to be a hassle.
It isn't that the game is "too hard", it is thst there game is built as a nostalgia hit for experiences that were largely imagined, and since have been looked back on more fondly than those experiences warrant.
This is as opposed to being a game designed using current best practice in terms of game design (note, there is a difference between current best design and current most profitable design - modt games opt for the latter).
Put simply, the game is built on a memory that didn't actually happen in the way it is being remembered.