December 13th Livestream Transcription

– Intrepid showcases Battle Royale assets within the MMORPG, Node system UI, Fishing UI, New questing UI and addresses current animation/graphics concerns.

Welcome Notice

The video is the current state of the MMORPG. Their goal is to show how easy it is to show the usage of everything in the BR transferring over into the MMORPG.(The combat shown in this playthrough is not final hybrid, it is first baby steps) Currently showcasing BR assets in the MMORPG world (elven architecture etc.) Questing system being displayed.

Node level: City (Level 5) being showcased. Elven Architecture.

NPC providing node description

• Combat displayed in video is basic hybrid combat system with both tab-target and action combat.
• Currently tab-selecting an enemy highlights its name.
• New spells are showcased. (Alpha 0 Members will remember)
• Standing on rocks prevents mobs from attacking you. (Peter exploiting terrain)

Crashed Caravan Interface

Fishing interface/NPC + Updated Minimap & Quest Log

• Player movement replication has to be tweaked, requires testing in relation to large scale PvP for calculating player locations etc.
• Explanation of BR weapon skills being implemented into player class kits (Archmage’s companion knockback etc.)
• Steven talking about multiple things such as health bars being missing which is all in development.
• Explanation of low optimization being provided – optimization will come during the later testing phases as the current focus is development.

Steven: Really excited for the Alpha 1, the number of nodes to showcase player agency will be quite impressive. While Alpha 0 had 3-4 nodes that could go to stage 3, Alpha 1 will have a lot more with questlines, narratives, in-node housing. Will also be showcasing node interdependencies, looking forward to the different servers and the progression across the various regions. Alpha 1 will be a pleasant shock to the community in regards to how much of the game is available of testing after such a short time.

Extended QnA begins

Q: Economically, will marketplace have min-max prices in auction houses?
A: Auction houses are confined to economic node types. Hitting the Metropolis stage connects all the zones under it. We dont want to put regulations on player ability to auction items. However we will provide metrics for players to decide whether the price is too high or too low. Not all markets are equal, different markets require different things.

Q: Can we keep friendly fire?
A: We dont want to keep friendly fire, however the flagging system allows initiating combat with other players. However, an alliance flag system will be in place, where if you are part of a guild/party/raid/family, you’ll have flagging participation disabled. Mostly related to massive combat. PvP will be open world, dont want classes pre-dominantly AOE based to be unable to perform.

You mentioned Potion launchers, will we be able to switch out ammo for various types? (Fire/Ice/Poison)
A: Different explosive types are planned for the Apocalypse. Current is fire/ice. As the weapon grows, it will receive other types. This plays into the class augment system which will augment your skills to augment various damage types.

Q: Why do all the male costumes look feminine?
A: Dont think they look feminine, but the cosmetics shown now are related to the production schedule (Kaelar, Human, Elvish, Pyrian armors) it’s meant to be elegant. Might be considered feminine.

Q: Map is 480skqm, expect it to take a long time to fill, will areas change?
A: Yes, areas will change with updates. We want to provide visual world changes, and this will take place mostly due to node progression. There’s a lot of opportunities for players to discover new story arcs and this content gets revealed via node building. The map size is large, but not too large. Large enough to fill with content. Node system takes care of the variation and changes. Resource locations, which cities show up where etc. change per server. Not too worried about filling with content, very do-able size.

Q: Will the FPS improve with the MMORPG testing?
A: Optimization changes to BR coming in this weekend. Higher playability on low-end machines. Graphic scalability only went down from Epic to High. However moving forward in the next build, you can scale the settings all the way down to low to help low-end machines. The graphical fidelity is stunning in AoC and aids in the immersion of the world, but at the same time we want to ensure a large portion of the community can play this. This is where Unreal Engine 4 helps with easy scaling down of graphics.

Q: When will we see ground mounts (not from the BR) ?
A: Mounts will be shown in the castle siege testing mode. The ground mounts will act as utility items, your hitbox will be the entire mount when mounted, taking damage reduces mount duration timer. Can be used to move around faster.

Q: Is questing going to be part of the experience or faceroll through it to get to end-game content?
A: Questing will affect you whether or not you take part in it as it contributes to the world. There is no end-game, the game is the game. The idea of the node system interaction with systems is that there isnt necessarily an end-game, you just hit a phase were you are able to exert your influence over the world.

Q: Is there a more up to date timeline on Alpha 1 Phase 2?
A: As we approach Alpha 1, we will update timeline close to our next event- which will be announced soon?

Q: What is a trade agreement and how many can we have?
A: No limit on it right now, however limits will be implemented depending on node stage, higher node, more trade agreements. Can upgrade buildings to get additional slots. Is an agreement between 2 nodes to exchange materials. (Various items/blueprints/quests) all influenced by the node trade agreements. Trade agreements spawn regular intervals of NPC caravans that the citizens are responsible for ensuring the safety of.

Q: Can a landlocked node have access to ship building?
A: Nodes dont have ‘access’ to ship building, but they can connect to docks that are available next to a coast line. Depending on node proximity to the dock determines things such as trade agreements over the ocean. But no you are not locked.

Foreshadowing of flying dutchman

Q: Will there be UI for apocalypse?
A: Yes

Q: How much importance is being given to player interactions and can you give us examples of player interactions that you are proud of?
A: We give a lot of importance. We want to give players mechanically meaningful ways to interact. Not just roleplay, crafting system has interdependencies between different crafters to build high end stuff. Social areas provide mechanical benefits if you spend time with them (Cards, dart games etc.) Business systems (Taverns, shops etc.) all mechanically meaningful player interactions.

Q: In some MMO’s that movement feels so sharp, will movement get smoother than it already is?
A: Both animations and player locations will change as we keep moving forward with development. The way we work with animations is that we have a long list of animations (spells/movement etc). We first do a first pass, then a second pass, third, fourth pass etc. So we dont start on one thing like a weapon and go from first to final pass. All art is an iterative process, so we go through each pass with time. We’re also thinking of technology to keep upgrading and doing it better. We have an amazing animation team at Intrepid, from top notch animation games. Regarding player replication (server-player movement communication) those things are being worked on as they have to be tweaked for large scale, have to be efficient to ensure not too much data is going through etc. If necessary as battles reach 500+ players around a castle, we will have to cull some of the players that you are seeing. During the various tests we constantly adjust systems to push-pull and find out the limits and how far we can push things.

Q: Will we be able to use fishing nets?
A: Yes, off the ship and in person. You can catch guppies depending on the net (?) <Magical net confirmed>

Q: Do you plan on making every NPC approachable from a personality perspective?
A: All NPC’s are very charismatic. Would like to have lots of responses for every NPC. If we get a chance to give each NPC reactions, we’d love to do that.

Q: Can you change enemy colours so they look different from players?
A: Yes. UI is incomplete.

Q: How in-depth will the stock market system be?
A: Fairly in-depth. Organizations in the world hold stock, the way they work/react/perform in relation to specific events that create performance indicators for those organizations determines stock rise/fall. Additionally they have stock caps which can be increased/decreased depending on how much stock the org. Holds. They can be in relation to guild hall etc. Depends on lifespan of the organization and its assets to see what stock you can hold and sell/recapitalize. Part of this is our desire to provide various paths of progression/gameplay. Stock market exists within economic area. The crafting tree is not the only one who can participate. Even individuals can perform well in the economic aspect of the game. Also adds a cool social system in the guild and causes various conflicts of players having to manage things, other players can buy stock in your guild.

Q: Is the monster difficulty based on zone/player?
A: Zones do exist, they scale based on node level (Scale up and down). Each ZOI has a pre-determined denomination of monster levels/types/rewards and these tables adjust based on the development of the surrounding area. For example wilderness near starting zone 25% lvl 1-5 25% lvl 6-8 etc. as you advance further the mobs scale. That’s how the world advances based on the players activity and development. City proximity etc also factors in. Roads/Walls are safer. Want low level players to participate without being clipped immediately.

Q: Since trading between people is allowed, how will you deal with goldsellers/bots?
A: We have really cool tech behind bots, because subscription based game, there’s a big barrier of entry. We have behaviour metrics that track players so if someone acts as a gold seller, we know. All of this is reactive.

Q: Are there going to be trade hazards, such as the kraken at sea?
A: Archeage Flashback: 20-packs on a merch ship, went right through the kraken on Archeage, Tentacle slammed the ship in half. Spent 3 hours trying to recover packs from underneath krakken.
Yes. There will be trade hazards, they wont revolve around player driver caravans, but they will be present for NPC driver caravans based on trade agreements between nodes. We have the idea of bandits and various node events in general.

Google Doc Link

December 6th Discord QnA

– Steven clarifies BR monetization, Castle Siege information, Apocalypse concerns, Funding for Battle Royale servers.

Q: What happens on finding the second sandal?
A: Finding the second easter egg sandal makes something interesting happen. (Sarcasm)

Q: Will we have a separate inventory storage for all these 70+ costumes?
A: Cosmetics will not share inventory space with in-game items. Also There will not be a limit on the space allowed for cosmetic items.

Q: Why is the new cloak not black?
A: The cloak (new december cosmetic wolf pelt costume) is not black because otherwise they’d have to be selling it.

Q: Regarding creation of cosmetics for MMORPG and Apocalypse.
A: Unique cosmetics that can only be earned through apocalypse and they want to make sure Process of cosmetic assets will split up later on in development around Q4 2019. A separate team will be creating assets for Apocalypse.

Q: Will we have healers in the castle siege?
A: Yes, there will be healing skills in the support version of the class. Supports will focus on 2 things, Buffs/Debuffs based on proximinty and projectile use. Target a location and launch a projectile that provides buffs/debuffs. Proximity based healing bursts/grenades that grant life to allies.

Q: How are comms going to work in Castle Siege?
A: If you are in a raid of multiple squads for castle siege, the leaders will be able to communicate across all member squads (Structured comms available) 5 will have global speech capacity and individual parties will have their own intervoice communication. + Party members can hear other squad leaders as well with the global voice.

Q: Some things feel closer to the EA mentality, however testing is being shuffled to create Apocalypse. (Regarding UE4 etc.) is apocalypse a focal point of the game now? Since the core product is completely funded from kickstarter?
A: The development of the core viable product is 100% there and done. The hiring of additional team members etc is taken care of. However as we added a new additional testing phase (Apocalypse). When we addressed community concerns regarding combat and the number of players on screen, we ended up having to move up a lot of testing earlier up the pipeline to test these server systems. Due to this, we’ve been forced to switch to high end server hosting with cloud backend so that we can do this large scale testing earlier, going up to hundreds of thousands of players. As such it makes sense to account for a monetization strategy to account for this expensive testing phase.

In Addition to that, before we named it Apocalypse there was a lot of confusion regarding the game being an BR, hence it became important to distinguish the two, so we had to make a lot of assets and marketing to separate apocalypse from the MMORPG so as to not give players the wrong idea. However at the same time everything feeds into the MMORPG. Hence we decided to make apocalypse a viable product on its own to provide data for the main game, this is important to provide a high quality product, as such it required a proper monetization method. Additionally the monetization method is very friendly and has a lot of perks for all types of players. Once again, the MMORPG is on schedule and they are meeting all their milestones.

(TL;DR Pushing the large scale testing up this early benefits the future of the game immensely)

Q: Will guild systems be in for the Castle Siege as soon as it goes up?
A: The guild mode may not be available immediately however they will be there definitely, especially 100% before it is made open to the public. Initially grouping will also be restricted to 4 initially, However all of this will be sorted before it leaves A1 testing.

Q: Do you have any plans for a leaderboard in the castle siege?
A: Yes, we have a plans for it. The test going live today will also have leaderboards to show stats etc. One of the unique features of castle siege is that you will be able to filter by guild and see the particular performance of their members.

Q: Concerns regarding Aimbotting headshots etc?
A: We’re implementing EasyAntiCheat, we’re not the type of devs to shove 3rd party code in. We’ll be analyzing it and using it to build on it to create a better anti-hack system to counter hackers etc (Such as the speedhacks during the Battle Royale)

Q: Will cheaters be hardware ID banned?
A: Cheaters are punished via an escalation process, they will be IP banned

Q: EU friendlier testing times?
A: Current stage not as important for those times. US devs its hard. December 18th onwards ofcourse will be friendly towards all regions as 24×7 testing. However right now it needs to be during our (USA) hours.

Q: How do you expect Apocalypse to be able to compete with other BR games?
A: Scalability of the servers dictates price. Meaning higher load = More expensive. Lower load = Less pricing. This way we dont have to worry about costs too much. Regarding competing, we are going to be offering 3 different modes (Castle/Horde/BR) which are unique enough and its something that others arent offering. Our visuals and graphic fidelity is much higher and more of an appeal towards people that are not just restricted to one type of combat like magic (spellbreak etc).

Q: Will it be possible for us to see caravan play next week?
A: No. Particular issue with caravans currently, as there are 2 types of caravans, player caravans and NPC caravans. Players can store stuff in storage points such as nodes/warehouses etc. The storage points are not set up yet, hence its an issue. We are planning on merging caravan HP with player HP to make it one system (Potentially if player dies, caravan dies). Technical issues etc. The above wasnt meant to be shared, unintentional leak. Steven has had Jeff overlay all the BR things on the MMORPG world to prove and show players how everything is utilized for the end goal.

Q: Direwolves when?
A: Direwolves will be implemented when they are ready. Havent touched that model yet.

Q: Regarding leaderboards, will we be moving away from Alpha ID’s to actual accounts?
A: You’ll be able to use your accounts come December 18th. ]

Q: Regarding Intrepid/My.com account syncing
A: If Intrepid users would like to play on My.com they can elect to transfer their Intrepid held accounts to that service. Wont be available immediately but 100% before Alpha 1.

Q: Show castle siege map please
A: Will be shown as soon as Steven is comfortable sharing it

Q: What is your opinion on macroing?
A: If game requires macroing, its a bit monotonous, gameplay needs adjustment to a point where its not as predictable to have macros. Generally dislike macros, no answer to that right now. Text macros not a problem, just skill macros.

Q: Will players be able to solo and self sustain/survive?
A: Yes.

Q: Sustainability with consumables?
A: Potions will augment sustainability, also dont want players to rely on them i.e. dont want players to spam HP potions, want self sustain without them. Possibly cooldowns or usage limit to keep spamming potions in check. Will work on in testing. Dont want HP pot spamming in PvP etc as it promotes RMT as whales buy them from other players.

Q: Spamming HP potion ammo with potion launcher healing, any counters?
A: We are not looking to integrate skill usage into a particular weapon, so I cant say we’ll have that feature. However in regards to castle sieges and horde mode, we’ll be testing certain features. So we’re tying certain MMORPG skills into activateable skills on weapon types within apocalypse. So theoretically we could apply them to a weapon such as potion launcher or wand.

Q: Possibility to have a blog that explains different augments/classes/systems etc?
A: Yes.

Q: Regarding apocalypse and alpha 1, at one point both will be up simultaneously. Will combat etc be copied over or how is it going to work?
A: Apocalypse will stay full action combat. Alpha 1 will have first iteration of hybrid combat, will change over time during Alpha 1 and Alpha 2. Apocalypse will stay action combat.

Q: (Un-intelligible question)
A: We want to collect data on reaction time, latency, action combat and different spells. Tracking of client registries for data, player movement interpolation and hitscan/projectile etc. Cant tell you exactly what it will look like eventually, but as we move forward and collect data, we’ll be setting up what we call the verticle slice of hybrid combat within the game.

Q: Are you concerned about the large amount of cosmetics being added to the pipeline?
A: The cosmetics offered in apocalypse are not of the quality of the monthly pre-order packages. The monthly packages are a one-off type cosmetic that requires specific modelling/texturing etc. Within apocalypse however, models etc are very similar and these are created for one particular suit with 40-50 pieces of attachments such as shoulder pads, theming etc. So the way it works for Apocalypse is that one plate texture has multiple variants/colours so from a production standpoint its very minimal and is in the hands of the texture team. Does not impact or harm the pipeline of store cosmetics.

Q: Custom modes in castle siege so we can try out different things and test?
A: Ability to host a session, wont be available immediately, however you can duel (Challenge) particular guild/individual to a match and you would host a server dedicated for it.

Q: Have you managed to stop the storm circle in the BR?
A: Currently there’s 2 models of the client. One for public, one for devs, the one for public doesnt have console commands. However the one for devs does, this lets us disable the circle.

Q: Regarding dyeing of cosmetics?
A: Yes, will be able to dye specific pieces or entire outfits.

Q: New mount similar to the Dawnbreaker?
A: Pridestalker has lion head, Dawnbreaker has owl head, bear body, butterfly wing. The difference is visual primarily. The arctic prowler is more aligned with traditional owl bear. The wings alone make kickstarter mount very different,

Q: Will we be seeing the pre-order cosmetics within apocalypse as time goes on?
A: Yes, 100%. Lets us test clipping/models etc before we even get to the game.

Q: Regarding in-game voice chat
A: No proximity chat within Apocalypse. Only group chat.

Q: Regarding BR voice chat bug
A: Its a bug where your unique ID would let you speak to players in a different match. So we’ve added a new server ID tag to avoid it.

“I just want everyone to know that it is beyond measure, important to have apocalypse as a test mode as it greatly helps the MMORPG. There are going to be a lot of people who are currently not part of the community who will come later and this strengthens everything.” – Steven

Google Doc Link

December 6th Livestream Transcription

– Intrepid announces Apocalypse, shares Apocalypse lore, Battle Royale Monetization, Adventure Path info and provides explanation on Skins.

• Announcement of the new server room, Lots of new hires.
• Intrepid thanks players for their contribution, especially A1/A2 testers.
• December cosmetics being shown. Available tomorrow.
• <Insert crazed goat sounds> (Nyth pet sound effects)
• Castle Siege Video + Announcement incoming.

Open Beta announced for December 18th

• Register now: https://apocalypse.ashesofcreation.com/
  • EU My.com site up: https://aoc.my.com/en#
• Beta 1 backers will be invited this weekend to test, Beta 2 next weekend.
• Discussing the importance of launch day as it’s what players remember the most.
• How players will go about earning rewards in apocalypse is now being discussed:
• Apocalypse will have a “Adventure Pass” similar to fortnite battle pass.
• Adventure pass will work for all 3 game modes, can be advanced upto level 50 of the pass.
• Levelling up the pass unlocks weapon skins. Apocalypse account is shared with the MMORPG.
• Anything earned in apocalypse will be yours in AoC as a reward for helping Intrepid test.
• Adventure pass quests will also contain lore of Verra during the Fall.
  

• Different weapon skin variants shown and explained to show what cosmetic rewards you’ll be earning via the adventuring pass in the apocalypse game modes.
• Various new weapon skins/styles are being shown from the recent testing.
• Lore backstory of Apocalypse now being provided:
• Battle Royale is – As you’re leaving Verra, the slipstream cuts off and you fall back into Verra through the tear (Pink rift) of the BR.
• Castle siege is fighting for last bastions to protect your families.
• Horde mode is the last stand, final stand against the corruption.
• Chapter 1 of Apocalypse titled “EXODUS”. (10 weeks roughly, between 8-12 weeks)
• Similar to seasons in Fortnite. Each chapter will have new rewards/cosmetics etc.
• As Hosting servers is not free, hence Apocalypse will have a shop with purchasing possible. Mounts, Costumes, Weapon skins, Emotes.
• Legendary Adventuring Pass will be available for 10$ for players to earn extra rewards.
• All Alpha 1 backers receive lifetime membership of the 10$ legendary pass.
• In additional, First chapter ‘EXODUS’ will be free for Alpha 2, Beta 1, Beta 2 backers.
• Additionally, new livestream next week to showcase MMORPG development process (20-30 mins gameplay footage with questing/fighting/raidbosses) Progress from PAX WEST till date.
• Most probably on Thursday. Meant to show how the Apocalypse game modes and BR contribute to the MMORPG.

QnA now in progress

• Each class of mount (Rare/Legendary etc) will have its own set of available skins such as land mounts etc. For example, the Ramstrider mount will be able to apply to a land mount within the first 5 levels. A Griphon skin on the other hand will only be applied to a royal mount. So you still have to earn things within the game in order to be able to apply those skins.
• What Steven wants for Christmas — Wants players to have fun, enjoy apocalypse and the testing for christmas.
• Any plans for Aquatic freeholds? Depending on where you place the freehold you will have various environmental tiles available for customization. Not 100% yet.
• If you own a package/kickstarter with Intrepid, you will probably get info on transferring to My.com soonTM. As long as you own an account on the main account, you will have a migration process before December 18th to migrate your account. You do not need to re-register.
• Castle Siege and Horde mode will be first tested by A1 backers for a month. End of December is when castle siege is first probably going to be tested.
• Purchaseable soundtrack? Potentially.
• Not attending PAX south. More details on PAX east soonTM
• How much effect will RNG have in PvP? RNG will always play a role. A way to mitigate RNG is through action combat as it is less RNG dependant. A method to reward skilled play vs TAB play.
• Testing for A1/A2/B1/B2 backers on the New website functionality soonTM. Please keep an eye on your emails. Apocalypse registration site is part of the new website. Testing soonTM.
• All players have access to the free pass upto level 50 with rewards and cosmetics. Legendary pass is optional which has approx 50+ rewards.
• What do kickstarter/summer backers get? They recieve first chapter, with upto 71 cosmetic earnable rewards for free. Additionally A1 backers receive lifetime membership of the legendary path for apocalypse game modes.
• Nodes 3 when? Requires overall picture of MMORPG map, which is what is being completed within the game world currently, spread across all available nodes. Once completed, Intrepid will feel comfortable sharing nodes 3.
• Any plans on increasing combat speed similar to BDO? <Audio issues> Combat will be slowed down a little. Time to kill will be significantly higher than BR. <More audio issues>
• Some of the issues that have arisen during recent testing, primarily the installer and patching process is being completely redone. New launcher being rolled out on Saturdays test to make things easier and cleaner. Meant to be a top notch launcher.
• Latency issues with hit registration in recent 100 player tests are being addressed.
• If you have Embers from pre-order packages, you’ll be able to use those in apocalypse to purchase cosmetics or the legendary adventure path. Additionally free players can obtain embers which carry over into the main MMORPG.
• No Mobile version of the game. Tulnar will be shown when ready.
• Horde mode is purely PvE. Whereas BR and Castle Siege are PvP.
• Can we make custom emotes? It would be amazing. No promises.
• Shields users will be able to actively block projectiles (Active blocking stance) however this is the first rollout and will be reiterated.
• AoC will not be laggy like other MMORPGs as they are leveraging cloud services to provide servers closer to each region in the world (Similar to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and New World).
• Botters/Hackers will be banned. Games have been known to die by botting. They have already started partnering with security resources to handle botting.
• Confirmed that animations and art will continue to develop and get better as development progresses.
• Intrepid hopes to provide the best possible experience with My.com and Mail.ru. Huge thank you to the A1/A2 backers.
• Community Manager announced soonTM. She has lots of MMO experience.

Google Doc Link