Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Comments
Do you want the possibility of a node or region built and controlled by bandit NPCs?
Why one and not the other though?
A Node is a Node. I would think the thing stopping the 'bandit NPCs' from building up their own node would just be that they're not able to do all the gathering and building, and I'm fine with that too, obviously, since Ashes is meant to be about the players...
But you said you want it, so what's your counter reason for 'not wanting it really'?
My ideal game would have full on wars among npcs factions across the entire server, with mobs becoming green and having their own stories. A true world that lives on its own, where players are just tiny parts of the entire machine, rather than the ones at the wheel. But Ashes is simply not that game, nor do I want it to become that.
Well, don't worry, you may be able to play a game like that soon too, and not even need to buy a spaceship.
Oh, it's more than being considered, and appreciate you tagging me into this conversation, @NiKr
Here are a couple small examples from recent livestreams with timestamps:
In the September 2023 Development Update spotlighting the Event system, you see Grayshore NPCs fighting some of The Highwaymen. Link to replay with timestamp.
In the July 2023 Development Update spotlighting the Cleric kit updates, revenants overtake the minotaur that were in this area. You can see the minotaur corpses here during this livestream (link to replay with timestamp).
We definitely want the world to feel alive, and that means that based on what players do (or don't do) during Events and Story Arcs, different NPCs may come into conflict with each other.
While things are still very much work in progress, what types of things would you like to see expanded on, regarding things like NPCs fighting other NPCs?
I did miss the npc archer in the last showcase, so definitely thx for point that out. It definitely seems like the forces are a bit uneven there, but I guess that could be tweaked and changed depending on what Intrepid want to achieve in any given event. But it's good to know that this is already planned, so @Dygz it's at least 2040 and not 2060
As for the zombies overtaking minotaurs - I would definitely like to see that, if that does in fact happened through fighting rather than just flipping a switch. But I guess that can be left for A2's testing.
I would like to be able to call down a Dragon NPC to help in a battle due to my faith or good relationship.
Or better yet, she should have a humanoid form so she can ride on the Caravan and then transform when the bandits start looking like they're going to win and then incinerate them all with dragon breath and then transform back and calmly chat with me about it before enjoying snacks.
Guild Wars 2 has also areas where the evil side pushes an wins because the story is about players helping the good side.
AoC hints you can follow the Others, you will not really help them by becoming corrupt. Some first wave of settlers joined the other side but we will be the 2nd wave.
To go completely to the dark side we should have factions and corruption mechanic protecting only against own faction. Or multi factions, like race wars or religion wars and alliances. Without players nodes stay level 1 I guess. Nobody farms, no NPC mayors to make trade caravans and node wars...
Should we have NPCs as mayors and some force randomly pushing nodes to level up to let say level 3? And that to be the default state?
If the AI force would push more, it would give an unfair advantage or it could be an advantage players should fight to gain. Like attracting a clan of dwarfs to your own mines...
The event from the stream suggested a caravan being attacked. Players could join any side. My feedbak in the pinned thread was that I want the caravan to really move and become attacked rather than to spawn in destroyed state.
having npc's live and act out their functions adds to the world liveliness. If an NPC is carry something, show them carrying it and placing it. If they're working on something on the forge, show them making and assembling it.
So we could have 1000 NPCs (beside the filler regular NPCs) which would create their own history, specific to each server.
One thing I would really like to see with religions is a gesture/action for tribute to become attuned upon religion or adjusting of augments.
IE:
- go into a temple, kneel/pray, divine effects occur with npc's worshiping as well.
- raise weapon for school augment for frost, fire etc.
- kneel in front of religion relic while changing stats
something to show your actions committed to the change of character but doesn't force players to sit there action locked.
Religion specific gestures and habits?
Careful not to mix them up. The Gods will not be amused
You could maybe learn secret religious customs from NPCs too, in ways which not half of server could do. Not everything must be about BIS and legendary items.
true, maybe giving the wrong gesture could cause some funny interaction lol
I was just going off things like templar knights kneeling with their swords and praying as gestures. Even thinking back into games like dark souls, there was hidden things in the games gestures to access factions but no need to go that deep into it.
It's a 'lorification' of an auto-reset mechanism. Natures reclaiming what was hers.
That would be the case if we assume only human players come to Verra. But can be NPCs too.
IS can create the history of NPCs too.
All the people who were on Verra before the Portals re-opened should be bestial hybrids.
Player characters are also hostile towards player characters, so... hostility is not primarily about trying to bring the world back to waht it was prior to the Portals re-opening.
Verra is just repelete with conflict.