Ashes of Creation

turbo

Molten Core Raider
1,238
106
I've hardly ever invested in a game on kickstarter or preordered years in advance; 3 to be specific and two were huge let downs (Crowfall, Unsung Hero - FFT successor, and AoC).

Please do not mention Crowfall and AoC in the same sentence. I invested 500 years ago on Crowfall and followed and tested extensively and it was just a hot pile of shit. While I won't say I agree with every single aspect of AOC design it hands down has the most innovative and well thought out layered systems in any MMO created. Their development process is light years ahead of most companies as far as genuine transpency and VOC feedback loops. They have made many critical changes based off customer feedback BUT still are willing to maintain intregity with respect to the over aching design philosophy (IE not let joe blow who just wants to gank noobies with no risk to dictate design direction).

One aspect I'll be interested in seeing is that there is such a large grand scale of things and looks to be plenty of thought for all types of gamers that there will not be just one dominate guild that feels so superior in all aspects of the game it demotivates players from playing and cuts into the player base. In todays world of insta-information when games get released i think there is going to be such involved in this game there will still be sliver of mystery for the average player. Listening to their design approaches seems they have learned alot of lessons from gaming across the last 25+ years in MMO's and tried to address both unfun gameplay loops but also limit inviduals completely abusing systems beyond their intent etc.

Overall haven't been this excited for a game since Vanguard and have zero doubt the finished product will be 500% better in terms of bugs and polish. I've got both me and my wife in the alpha 2 and am hopeful this is a game we play through our 40's as I really don't like game jumping at this point in my life. Want something I can really sink my teeth into and invest all my time and feel like its rewarded and itsn't going to waste in 12 months. No issues with them taking another 1.5 years+ to release if it means I've got a game that will last the next 10 years.

Smite 2 alpha just got announced and we play Epic 7 as our primary game until AoC comes out so in no super rush. My only worry is when the game is finally released and i have to split my first week of playing between my character with my wife and my main haha, she does me proud but longest session she has done is 11 or 12 hours (wasn't a gamer when we got married), I'm getting old but can still hammer out a 36-40 hr session, my fondest gaming memories almost always center around opening of MMO's and really pushing hard to be the first to see and beat the hard content etc when everthing is relatively "new". Rift was probably the best experience ever as there was so much end game content that no one knew about to discover and was hard as fuck.
 

Xerge

<Donor>
1,313
1,244
Biggest hurdle I see for AoC is finding their own fun factor. They have some rock solid engineers and wild artists who I have no doubt about, however finding that fun loop and combat under layers of systems and mechanics isn't going to be easy.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

Mahes

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
4,708
5,378
I think the siege system is one of the big potential fun factors. At this point, making a game that takes the best qualities from all of the past MMO's and putting that system together might be what they are attempting to go for. The Node system, Naval combat(Something very lacking in discussions), and Tech that allows for many players to fight next to each other, are the new features I look forward to seeing.

Add to that a beautiful looking game with a great combat system(Hopefully) and they get to print money. Every game I have played has had elements I have really enjoyed and elements I have not. I am sure this game will be no different. I am hoping though, that this game will have many more elements I enjoy than not.

The comparison to EvE is very appropriate. I would love a fantasy based EvE style game. I hope that is the direction they are taking realm control towards.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

Daidraco

Golden Baronet of the Realm
9,210
9,315
I think the siege system is one of the big potential fun factors. At this point, making a game that takes the best qualities from all of the past MMO's and putting that system together might be what they are attempting to go for. The Node system, Naval combat(Something very lacking in discussions), and Tech that allows for many players to fight next to each other, are the new features I look forward to seeing.

Add to that a beautiful looking game with a great combat system(Hopefully) and they get to print money. Every game I have played has had elements I have really enjoyed and elements I have not. I am sure this game will be no different. I am hoping though, that this game will have many more elements I enjoy than not.

The comparison to EvE is very appropriate. I would love a fantasy based EvE style game. I hope that is the direction they are taking realm control towards.
I do want to know more about the Naval Combat, too. Ive never really enjoyed it in other MMO's, as the ships and how they work etc. are just kind of boring. Can still have fun playing in that space, but thats because of the people you're with. In essence, when theyre done designing it and are comfortable talking about it - I want it to be more Assassins Creed: Black Flag, and less, way less, Archage or Black Desert. Fighting the raid bosses (PVE) will be interesting, but the ship to ship combat in Black Flag was just so much more fun than anything else Ive played with naval combat.

Which, hell, I think that explains a lot with what Xerge Xerge is saying as well. A lot of the stuff that would be the "fun" parts just hasnt been really talked about much. We've seen Ranger far more than any other class, as if theyre really proud of that one. But the previews of the tank and healer, both of them were just... drab as fuck looking. So Im hoping they revisit those classes. The wizard one or whatever, was interesting, but Im not a fan of the launch slow moving AOE Ball, blink in the same direction, set up combo for the lightning ball. Really hope there are other trees for each class, basically.

But we're so far away from launch that none of this really even hits my radar right now. We still have an Alpha to go, and they close down alpha sales at the end of the day, today. You think its worth it to get the Alpha pack (250) Xerge Xerge ? You already have the FNF invite, iirc.
 

Xerge

<Donor>
1,313
1,244
Daidraco Daidraco if you're invested into genre i think its worth buying into, but thats me. If it weren't for the FNF connection I would have still paid for it, honestly.
 
  • 1Solidarity
Reactions: 1 user

Daidraco

Golden Baronet of the Realm
9,210
9,315
Daidraco Daidraco if you're invested into genre i think its worth buying into, but thats me. If it weren't for the FNF connection I would have still paid for it, honestly.
Saw that it not only ended today, the 17th, but it ended at 11am PST, so I went ahead and got it. Waste of money probably, but I buy dumber shit and maybe this'll keep me inside long enough to not waste the equivalent. Saw something about the servers being up until retail, which... well.. fuck. If thats true, whoever doesnt play in these tests is going to be miles behind those that did in terms of knowledge.
 

Mahes

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
4,708
5,378
Well, you figure Alpha 2 is going to be a long Alpha stage. I think it breaks down fine if it ends up lasting a year. I do think Alpha 2 will last at least 1 year given that they want it to start on September of this year. They had claimed that Alpha 2 was going to have 75% of the game in it. They have shown the Tank, Healer, Caster and the Ranger so far. They are still missing 4 classes and they have only gone in depth with the Ranger class. Either they are decreasing expectations for what Alpha 2 will have ready, or it gets pushed. Their progress has sped up but it has not sped up that fast.

I would love to be wrong but there is nothing making me believe that they will have 8 complete and ready classes to test up to level 35 by September. I guess one could argue that you only need two more to be ready to fall into the 75% complete by Alpha 2. I could have sworn though that all classes ready to play was one of the parameters for Alpha 2.

I bring this up because if they do release it before the 75% ready stage, Alpha 2 could last even longer than one year. This makes the investment worth it.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

Mr. Sox

Trakanon Raider
2,154
1,228
Remember AOC is an eastern style game like BDO and Linerage. Lets see what the other games have up their sleves before we start playing to the Sandal Lord. The real test will be the summoner and bard classes.
 

Zindan

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
6,633
4,413
Remember AOC is an eastern style game like BDO and Linerage. Lets see what the other games have up their sleves before we start playing to the Sandal Lord. The real test will be the summoner and bard classes.
In what way is AoC like BDO?
 

Mahes

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
4,708
5,378
They had that moment that brought me back to Dark Ages of Camelot...

Stealth groups....

"Everyone Target the "Insert person"....
 
  • 1Like
  • 1Solidarity
Reactions: 1 users

Daidraco

Golden Baronet of the Realm
9,210
9,315
One of the first times in a long while where Ive actively sat down and watched the whole video for this game. I find that really odd because I generally.. care way more about PVE than I do PVP.

I also want to see traps that the offensive team can use. The caravan needs to be able to defend itself well enough against a small group of players, but I dont want it to have to be a god damn zerg of players fighting over what is essentially 20 silver in a world where a food buff costs gold. Let that guerilla warfare fly! Put some disabling traps that stop the caravan for 30 seconds, and let them duke it out instead of run run run.

Also, last time we visited the Caravan, it had some AOE healing spells and such that I didnt see at all this time around.
 

Xexx

Vyemm Raider
7,429
1,624
They had that moment that brought me back to Dark Ages of Camelot...

Stealth groups....

"Everyone Target the "Insert person"....

Thats exactly what the pvp looked like. The character movement even looked similar when they pulled back the camera some.
 

Skylancer81

Molten Core Raider
695
779
8 years of "known" development and still 5 years away from MAYBE being released...
I miss the days of first hearing about a game being in development and it coming out within a year or so. But a freaking decade plus? No excuse but greed via massive grift.

Advances in technology should be making the development cycle much faster, not ages slower.

I was hyped about this game from 2016 to 2018. In 2018 I realized it was never coming out. In the 5 plus years I have seen nothing that has changed my mind.

I doubt they will prove me wrong and release this. If they do I will admit I was wrong. However I feel it is more likely another Star Citizen grift.
 
Last edited:
  • 1Solidarity
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 users