Alpha-1

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Alpha-1 Teaser.[1]

This is a true development alpha. This is not a marketing alpha; and what that means is as you know part of the process here in developing Ashes of Creation is being open with that development so you guys can see that progress; and it is a double-edged sword. There are going to be a spectrum of people that exists who are very involved with the game's development and those who are just completely at an arm's length away in understanding the process; and they may look at alpha one- the people who don't really understand the development process or haven't been a part of it- they may look at it and they may think oh you know this is trash, looks like trash, you know whatever it's the end-product. But at the end of the day what's important for us and what yields the best possible product is for us to include as much as possible the community in that development process with no NDA so that you guys give valuable feedback; and as we go through the iterative process in further defining the game and fleshing out that content were doing so with the player in mind and their voice in our ear. That is I think one of the key distinguishing factors between our development and many developments that you guys may have seen in the past.[2]Steven Sharif

Alpha-1 preview ancients mobs.[3]

What this experience for Alpha one is going to be- that month-long experience- it is not intended to be a content experience... It is not intended to be a game experience. It is not intended to be a fully-fledged content experience. So keep that in mind.[4]Steven Sharif

Alpha-1 was a testing release of the Ashes of Creation MMORPG.[6]

  • Character
    • Progression to level 15.[9][10]
      The composition of class skills or archetype skills has to tread a fine line between two roads: One we wanted to be representative of skills not just that would traditionally be found 1 through 15 but we're actually introducing some skills that might be found later, because we want to test those particular ideas and how the skill functions.[9]Steven Sharif
    • Character creator (basic).[11][12][13][14]
  • Races
    • 4 playable races Kaelar, Vaelune, Dünir, Empyrean.[19][12]
      A lot of times people ask well why haven't we seen the other races and stuff? We want to establish the quality bar and process with these races first and then when we move into further content production for the other races we have have those pipelines in place and we have the processes in place and we know how to approach them.[20]

The weapon attack is an important component of the combat system, so we want to make sure that as we're doing this combat revamp that we are essentially taking into consideration player feedback and sentiment about how they want a reactive and more mobile weapon attack system.[21]Steven Sharif

info-orange.pngSome of the following information has not been recently confirmed by the developers and may not be on the current development roadmap.

Alpha-1 availability

Pre-order pack upgrades are possible for current pack holders for the difference in price.[45][46][47] Upgrades to Kickstarter and Summer crowdfunding packs are also available in the store for the difference in package price.[48]

Ashes of Creation

Ashes of Creation.[51]

Ashes of Creation takes place within a medieval fantasy setting, blending imagination with cutting-edge graphics. We are putting the word massive back into massively multiplayer with unique and novel mechanics that will bring meaning to player action. Ashes of Creation will incorporate the best parts of traditional MMORPGs with innovative sandbox concepts. You will choose your fate at every opportunity. Questlines will open and close based on the interactions of the players with their world, because this is a world where choice is consequential. Monsters will roam and grow in ferocity as civilization disrupts the natural order of things. From the location of towns to the size of cities, you will determine the landscape of your world. It will be unique in culture, ecology, and economy.[52]

Ashes of Creation is an upcoming MMORPG set in a world of high fantasy where player’s choices will shape and define the world around them.[53]

Ashes of Creation is a unique take on the MMO experience. Our world structure is dynamic and built to react to the actions of our players. Cities will rise and fall, their populations based on the history of the world as the players create it. Quests will unlock as these populations gather, their needs grow, and secrets are unlocked. As the world’s NPC structure is established in real time, players will have the ability to destroy what they’ve created, paving the way for new development, new populations, and real change. Political strife and intrigue will play a very real role in the structure of your world. Gone are the days of static worlds, change is here to stay.[52]
  • The developers are hoping for over a million concurrent users at launch.[55]

Alpha-1 playtest schedule

Hail and well met glorious Ashes of Creation testers. My name is Sean Farrens. I am the manager of quality assurance on Ashes of Creation and on behalf of the Ashes QA team I would like to extend a deep and heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in testing Ashes of Creation during the weekend of May 14 through May 16th for our Alpha 1 build. In spite of instability and uncertainty you have all proven to be invaluable in regards to your feedback and bug reports; and for that I cannot express my gratitude enough. As many of you know, developing an MMORPG is an epic endeavor that is filled with trials and tribulations that no other game will ever encounter; and your illustrated dedication has proven to our team that we are on a high road to the best MMORPG gaming experience to date. During this most recent testing period we received over 2,600 bug reports, which have been an absolute boon to our testing process. We review each report individually and I continue to be impressed with how detailed and helpful each of these reports has been. Like seriously you guys give repro steps and everything. Super duper handy. I greatly look forward to your feedback in the future and hope you enjoy our content so far, so thank you so much everybody.[56]Sean Farrens

While we will have specific spot tests for certain systems as we develop them post the Alpha one month, it should be expected and understood that after this Alpha one month there will be probably a significant amount of downtime where there won't be spot testing as we break apart a lot of systems, take what we learned from alpha one month and implement and iterate upon those learnings. So there's gonna be several months probably worth of significant downtime where there will not be access to spot testing, where we are going to go in and really rejigger a lot of systems[57]Steven Sharif

Phase Release Estimated/Actual date
Alpha-1 Alpha-1 early preview livestream.[58] March 27, 2020.[59]
Alpha-1 limited QA testing (NDA).[60][61] May 28, 2020.[62][63]
Alpha-1 preview pre-test 1 (NDA).[35] Dec 18 - Dec 21 2020.[35]
Alpha-1 preview pre-test 2 (NDA).[35] Feb 19 - Feb 22 2021.[64][65]
Alpha-1 preview intermittent spot testing (NDA).[66][67] Mar 19 - Jul 9 2021.[66][67]
Alpha-1 preview weekend (no NDA).[66] July 9 - July 11 2021.[68][69][66]
Alpha-1 (no NDA).[66] July 14 - August 15 2021.[70][49]

Read more...

The term "alpha" is a tricky one, and it typically has 2 meanings in gaming. The development meaning for alpha is a point in the process where we are ready to test the fundamental systems in their core form, without polish and without much of the content. Then, there is the external or "marketing" term for alpha. This is typically applied to Eastern-ported MMORPGs, when in fact that is a completed game being localized for a region, and not really indicative of a true development alpha. As you may know by now, game development has many stages - from the initial tech demos to the pre-production and pre-alpha states, then on to the alphas and betas and eventually launch.[35]Steven Sharif

I want to make emphatically clear, our alphas and betas are true development alphas and betas, and some have said I am crazy to allow these phases to be seen without an NDA…maybe I am crazy? lol… But I am trusting the community of gamers out there to get a glimpse into the process, and understand the long road ahead for what will eventually be worth the wait. Given time and talent, amazing things can happen, so make sure you help us in communicating that we are in open development which means people get to see the bare bones before the meat. And look, I know people see our 4K footage and say, "This looks better than most released games!", but trust me when I say, you ain't seen nothin’ yet.[35]Steven Sharif

Alpha-1 testing zone (Alpha island)

Map of Alpha-1 testing zone.[71][72] Image credit: Axiom: Angelcry

The Alpha One map including nodes, dungeons, quest givers, POI, teleporters, and camps will be explorable! Note that this is only a small portion of the world of Verra.[73]

Alpha-1 testing tropical zone featuring a war beast and a tribe of pigmy goblins.[74]

This is a rather large tropical area; and what we use some of the creatures for is establishing character for different parts of this tropical place. So that even though it's the same biome, it feels different when you are going from place to place based on what's there and how those things are interacting with the environment.[75]Jeffrey Bard

Alpha-1 testing took place in a zone to the north west of the world map.[76] This zone has many islands and a mainland area.[77]

Alpha-1 participation

Alpha-1 testing was available to the following participants:

There were approximately 9,600 participants in Alpha-1 testing as of August, 2018.[86][87]

  • As of May 31, 2021, just under 5k additional participants have been added since Alpha-1 sales resumed. Less refunds and unclaimed codes, leaves a total of slightly over 13k testers.[86]
  • The weekend test of May 27, 2021 saw 5,300 unique logins over the 3 day period.[86]

There were roughly 9600 if I recall A1 participants prior to my closing the preorder packs in 2018. Since opening them up again there have been just under 5k additional participants added. And prolly around 300 refunds give or take. Of the roughly 14,000 a1 testers, there are still about 1k unredeemed ks codes which leaves a little over 13k testers? The weekend test saw 5300 unique logins over the 3-day period. And I think discord flags stand around 4k roughly?[86]Steven Sharif

Alpha-1 servers

Alpha-1 servers were provisioned in the following regions.[88]

info-orange.pngSome of the following information has not been recently confirmed by the developers and may not be on the current development roadmap.

Alpha-1 servers will support 1,500 concurrently connected users per server.[90][80][91]

Server wipes

Alpha and Beta servers will be wiped prior to launch.[92]

As a general rule, if the testing phase contains the word Alpha, it is safe to assume there will likely be wipes.[95]Steven Sharif

Alpha-1 NDA

Alpha-1, Alpha-2, Beta-1, Beta-2 releases are not covered by NDA (non-disclosure agreement).[96]

We may not always announce when the NDA testing is, because we're not definitive how that testing is going to influence the future testing schedule; and we don't want to set the wrong expectation from a broader audience perspective on what they should be expecting with regards to testing.[99]Steven Sharif

Alpha testing system requirements

Alpha-1 stress testing, March 17, 2021.[100]

These are fully operational NPCs. They have behavior trees, they have AI blackboards; they are functioning as an NPC would; and to my surprise, to everyone's surprise actually, the server handled it quite well: 5000 entities all within a very dense area.[101]Steven Sharif

Minimum and recommended computer specifications for Alpha-2.[102]

Minimum Specs - 1080p
  • Processor: Intel i5 8400 | AMD Ryzen 5 2600
  • Memory: 12GB
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 1070 or equivalent
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 100GB SSD Storage
  • Windows 10/11
Recommend Specs - 1440p
  • Processor: Intel i7 8700 | AMD Ryzen 5 3600
  • Memory: 16GB
  • Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 3070 or equivalent
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 100GB SSD Storage
  • Windows 10/11
Please note that these requirements will change throughout our testing phases.[102]

Castle sieges in Alpha-1

Trebuchets in the Alpha-1 preview castle siege attackers headquarter camp.[104]

Alpha-1 castle sieges are based on Ashes of Creation Apocalypse castle sieges.[36][38]

  • Players will be able to join guilds. These guilds can register for the siege events.[104]
  • Castle siege events will be 100v100 battles that occur daily and will last for three hours.[104]
  • Attackers will start on the opposite end of the map (from the defenders).[104]
  • Attackers will be able to use trebuchets to drive to and assault the castle.[104]
    • Trebuchets have a single primary fire that does a small amount of damage to players and heavy damage to buildings.[104]
    • Trebuchets will be fully physical when they are being driven.[104]
  • When the attackers have breached the castle they will be able to channel a cast on the relic in the throne room to try to capture the castle from the defenders.[104]
  • The victors of castle sieges will receive benefits, such as cloaks, flying mounts for guild leaders and potentially also for guild officers.[104]
  • Alpha-1 castle sieges are in a separate zone that is accessible via a NPC teleporter.[37][10][106]
    Currently the siege zone is actually in the open world, but separated by mountains and off in the sea a bit. There is actually no instancing in A1, although the siege zone will only be accessible in A1 through a registration NPC teleporter.[37]Steven Sharif
  • The opposing team is notified when these raid bosses are being attacked.[36]
  • Teams who get the last hit on these bosses will receive buffs that will help them in the siege battle.[36]

Last year, I spoke of attempting to incorporate sieges into the Alpha One experience. This has obviously been a goal of mine because it provides considerable data and a consistent event within the world that players can participate in to help stress test the deployment. Well, I am happy to say that it is appearing more and more likely by the day! Initial implementation of the Apocalypse siege code has been migrated into the Alpha One client, and we should begin internal testing next month. I will caveat this expectation with the fact that we are cutting it a bit close from an internal QA standpoint, but I have some confidence that the system will be online and capable of inclusion for the Alpha One test in the month of June. The siege component will obviously not be representative of what the siege system will be at launch, or even in Alpha Two.[38]Steven Sharif

Alpha-1 player flagging/corruption

Player corruption was implemented in early Alpha-1 tests but was subsequently disabled.[44]

Alpha-1 PvE content

PvE content in Alpha-1:

There's over 200 quests in the game right now. There's a bunch of dungeons. We've retooled all of the boss fights. Those dragons that you see in the siege are also in the world- part of the open-world too. There will be a slightly different- there are some extra mechanics in the siege versions versus the ones that are in the world, but there's plenty of cool things to get on both of them, so make sure you check them out and hunt them down.[10]Jeffrey Bard

Artisan classes in Alpha-1

Artisan classes (Gathering, Processing, Crafting) is expected to come online fully in Alpha-2 and the Betas.[30][31]

Crafting honestly will not come online in any sense of its true form until Alpha-2. Alpha-1 has essentially what are intended to be the core gameplay loop of crafting, meaning the collection of materials, the translation of those materials into processed goods, and the use of those processed goods into item acquisition. That's the core gameplay loop that is currently present in Alpha-1. But those are mostly facilitated piggy backing the merchant systems right now and not actually using the real crafting system; and that's because crafting hasn't been completed in a form that can be implemented in Alpha-1, but will be for Alpha-2. What's present in Alpha-1 doesn't even really scratch the surface for crafting.[31]Steven Sharif

Alpha-1 name reservation

info-orange.pngSome of the following information has not been recently confirmed by the developers and may not be on the current development roadmap.

Name reservations were slated to begin during Alpha-1.[12]

Alpha-1 account management

Account management systems revamped for Alpha-1 are expected to be launched on 2018-10-5.[108]

Two-factor authentication

info-orange.pngSome of the following information has not been recently confirmed by the developers and may not be on the current development roadmap.

Token-based two-factor authentication (2FA) was expected to be in place for Alpha-1.[109]

Alpha-1 easter eggs

Alpha-1 videos

Alpha-1 screenshots

See also

References

  1. Video, July 14, 2021 (0:01).
  2. Livestream, October 30, 2020 (15:35).
  3. steven-a1-testing-leaks.png
  4. Livestream, March 26, 2021 (40:19).
  5. Livestream, March 28, 2020 (54:48).
  6. Video, April 5, 2018 (1:01:40).
  7. 7.0 7.1 Interview, January 14, 2022 (3:50).
  8. steven-alpha-1-map.png
  9. 9.0 9.1 Livestream, May 28, 2021 (1:13:05).
  10. 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 10.14 10.15 10.16 10.17 10.18 Livestream, April 30, 2021 (41:18).
  11. steven-launcher-leak.png
  12. 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 Newsletter, 2018-08-7
  13. Livestream, July 26, 2019 (1:10:44).
  14. 14.0 14.1 Livestream, September 1, 2018 (1:02:99).
  15. 15.0 15.1 Interview, October 17, 2020 (53:50).
  16. 16.0 16.1 steven-ranger.png
  17. Livestream, March 28, 2020 (1:41:11).
  18. Interview, October 20, 2018 (12:38).
  19. Interview, June 13, 2021 (31:24).
  20. Livestream, May 28, 2021 (1:48:14).
  21. 21.0 21.1 Livestream, May 28, 2021 (1:14:50).
  22. steven-combat-revamp-update.png
  23. Video, February 26, 2021 (6:17).
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 Livestream, March 26, 2021 (44:30).
  25. 25.0 25.1 Livestream, November 30, 2020 (37:16).
  26. alpha-1-nodes.png
  27. alpha-1-zoi.png
  28. 28.0 28.1 28.2 Livestream, March 26, 2021 (43:55).
  29. Interview, August 8, 2018 (19:02).
  30. 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 30.4 30.5 Livestream, March 26, 2021 (42:28).
  31. 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 31.5 31.6 Interview, February 7, 2021 (35:30).
  32. Podcast, May 11, 2018 (59:25).
  33. Livestream, January 30, 2020 (35:12).
  34. 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 34.4 34.5 Livestream, March 26, 2021 (39:08).
  35. 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 35.4 35.5 35.6 35.7 Blog: Creative Director's Letter, October 16 2020
  36. 36.0 36.1 36.2 36.3 36.4 36.5 36.6 36.7 Video, April 30, 2021 (13:02).
  37. 37.0 37.1 37.2 37.3 37.4 37.5 steven-siege-zone.png
  38. 38.0 38.1 38.2 38.3 38.4 38.5 Blog: Creative Director's Letter, April 14 2021
  39. Livestream, October 30, 2020 (20:40).
  40. Livestream, August 28, 2020 (1:29:17).
  41. 41.0 41.1 41.2 Livestream, November 30, 2020 (24:51).
  42. steven-naval.png
  43. Livestream, June 25, 2021 (29:09).
  44. 44.0 44.1 Interview, August 8, 2018 (18:55).
  45. 45.0 45.1 45.2 Livestream, April 30, 2021 (4:02).
  46. steven-alpha-1-sales.png
  47. steven-a1-upgrade.png
  48. crowdfunding-packs.png
  49. 49.0 49.1 49.2 release-dates.png
  50. 50.0 50.1 50.2 50.3 50.4 50.5 Ashes of Creation Store: May cosmetics.
  51. Video, April 30, 2017 (0:00).
  52. 52.0 52.1 Ashes of Creation MMO.
  53. A reactive world - Nodes.
  54. Podcast, April 11, 2021 (46:44).
  55. Livestream, October 14, 2022 (37:10).
  56. Livestream, May 28, 2021 (1:36:43).
  57. Livestream, July 30, 2021 (20:30).
  58. March 2020 newsletter.
  59. Video, March 23, 2020 (0:01).
  60. alpha-1-nda-2.png
  61. 61.0 61.1 alpha-1-nda-1.png
  62. steven-a1-testing-start.png
  63. Creative Director's Letter, 2020-04-1.
  64. Livestream, February 26, 2021 (14:58).
  65. Blog: Creative Director's Letter, January 2021.
  66. 66.0 66.1 66.2 66.3 66.4 Alpha One Schedule Update, May 10 2021.
  67. 67.0 67.1 An Update on Alpha One Schedule, March 12 2021
  68. steven-a1preview-end.png
  69. Ashes of Creation Twitter - Alpha-1 Preview Weekend Begins
  70. alpha-1-end.png
  71. Alpha-1 screenshot.
  72. toast-a1map.png
  73. Guide to Alpha One.
  74. 74.0 74.1 Livestream, November 30, 2020 (12:09).
  75. 75.0 75.1 75.2 75.3 75.4 Livestream, November 30, 2020 (22:43).
  76. 76.0 76.1 Livestream, November 30, 2020 (9:51).
  77. 77.0 77.1 alpha-1-map-size.png
  78. Livestream, March 26, 2021 (16:05).
  79. steven-a1-map.png
  80. 80.0 80.1 Interview, July 19, 2020 (1:21:49).
  81. Podcast, April 11, 2021 (53:01).
  82. Livestream, November 30, 2020 (25:45).
  83. steven-pi-not-alpha-island.png
  84. Livestream, January 29, 2021 (26:38).
  85. Livestream, October 16, 2017 (12:08).
  86. 86.0 86.1 86.2 86.3 steven-a1-participation.png
  87. Livestream, August 17, 2018 (24:07).
  88. 88.00 88.01 88.02 88.03 88.04 88.05 88.06 88.07 88.08 88.09 88.10 88.11 Alpha-1 screenshot.
  89. 89.0 89.1 89.2 89.3 89.4 89.5 89.6 Alpha-1 screenshot.
  90. alpha-1-participation.png
  91. alpha-1-phase-2.png
  92. server wipe.jpg
  93. Alpha one test schedule, Mar 12, 2021.
  94. Livestream, November 30, 2020 (7:27).
  95. 95.0 95.1 server-wipes.png
  96. Livestream, January 18, 2018 (49:26).
  97. Livestream, September 29, 2023 (55:34).
  98. Livestream, May 29, 2020 (31:37).
  99. 99.0 99.1 Interview, July 9, 2023 (26:35).
  100. steven-a1-stress-test.png
  101. Livestream, March 26, 2021 (12:34).
  102. 102.0 102.1 What are the minimum and recommend computer specifications for Alpha Two?
  103. Video, May 28, 2021 (24:44).
  104. 104.0 104.1 104.2 104.3 104.4 104.5 104.6 104.7 104.8 Video, April 30, 2021 (19:25).
  105. Video, May 28, 2021 (19:04).
  106. 106.0 106.1 Podcast, April 11, 2021 (49:40).
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  108. Livestream, September 1, 2018 (54:06).
  109. Interview, August 21, 2018 (40:44).
  110. 110.0 110.1 110.2 110.3 Ashes of Creation Twitter, April 4,2021.
  111. 111.0 111.1 Video, February 26, 2021 (11:03).
  112. 112.0 112.1 Livestream, May 29, 2020 (36:18).
  113. Livestream, March 26, 2021 (17:46).