The developers of Ashes of Creation recorded the first gameplay of the fortress battle during a livestream. Many viewers and fans of the MMORPG are praising it. However, there is also criticism – especially regarding the effects.
What kind of video is this? The Game Director Steven Sharif provided a first glimpse of the fortress battles in a video lasting about 30 minutes. He plays in the defending faction and tries to prevent the attackers from storming his fortress throughout the video.
Over 100 players participated in the battle, with a future battle planned for 250 versus 250 players.
At the beginning, the defenders fight against a huge dragon to gain a buff that helps in defense. This and other dragons were introduced in greater detail last month.
During the battle, control points are fought over and siege weapons are used. A ballista for defense and a trebuchet for the attackers can be seen. Towards the end of the video, a large number of defenders and attackers meet at a gate, with the defenders achieving a victory.
Fans are thrilled, but the effects cause concern
How is the video received? After about 48 hours, the video has over 58,000 views, received over 3,300 thumbs up and only 92 thumbs down. Below the video, there are several comments filled with praise:
- Valkios writes: “This was one of the best developer livestreams you have had so far. The game’s progress is visible every month. Keep up the great work, Intrepid!”
- YouTuber Vide0game Caster is totally enthusiastic: “This is it, folks. We might just have the MMO in our hands that we’ve all been waiting for. I had more fun watching the gameplay than playing any other MMO in the last 10 years.”
- Marubin feels transported into a real war: “Of all the games I’ve seen so far, this feels the most like a real war. It would be even cooler if the participants used some strategy and intrigue in the battle. I’m definitely looking forward to the alpha, even though I come from SEA.”
Even the Twitch streamer Asmongold, who recently strongly complained about in-game shops in MMORPGs and about the development of WoW, reacted very positively to the content shown in the livestream:
I think it’s the best so far, and the reason is that it shows content that most players were skeptical about. I think I spoke with Steven, and he mentioned they are planning 500v500. Now we’re talking about 250v250, and that should be doable, considering 500v500 was planned. And that would be incredibly good.
Asmongold (via YouTube)
What is being criticized? However, some points of criticism are also emerging below the video. Players are most concerned about the effects from abilities and siege weapons. While they look impressive, especially with many players, it leads to so-called effect storms, where it’s hard to see what’s happening around you.
Alongside this, concerns about the performance arise, which has surprised positively in the video. However, the video was recorded in a controlled scenario. Some doubt whether the performance will be as good in later live play with additional players.
Especially in terms of large-scale battles, there are many negative examples, such as Guild Wars 2 or ESO, both of which struggle with performance issues.
Other points of criticism were:
- Very jerky and robotic animations for the characters
- Unclear display names, making it hard to distinguish between friend and foe
- Some bugs that were visible in the video
Ashes of Creation is still in an early alpha stage. Many of the current testers do not expect it to release before 2023 or even 2024.
What do you think about the fortress battles and the video of Ashes of Creation? Are you excited about the new MMORPG or does it leave you cold? Let us know in the comments.
