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A history of Alpha delays going back to 2018
Slapshot1188
Member LegendaryPosts: 17,649
The History of Alpha Delays
Q3 2018: https://www.mmorpg.com/interviews/ashes-of-creation-gamescom-2018-interview-responding-to-criticism-2000107685&page=2(article from Aug 27, 2018 - saying alpha 1 starts next month)
Q4 2018: https://www.mmorpg.com/news/taking-a-look-back-at-the-first-anniversary-of-kickstarter-2000098338
Q2 2019: "Our goal of reaching Alpha One in Q2 of 2019 for the MMORPG relied heavily on the architecture and backend work that Apocalypse was testing. In our last open stress test on February 7, 2019, we tested out some of our new infrastructure. This test was successful and allowed us to field 200 players in a single area with good performance on the server side. This was a great success, but we are going bigger for the massive battles we want in Ashes. The core point with Ashes of Creation, is making sure that it is done right. As a result of some of the needed changes from what we learned in testing Apocalypse, we will be pushing Alpha One back from the Q2 goal we had previously announced. We will be working on implementing these changes so we will be ready for the nearly 10,000 testers we have in Alpha One. We will be focusing on these changes to ensure that we are hitting the goals we want prior to Alpha One, and when we feel we are ready, we will share the new Alpha One date. I know you want a new date, and we’d love to be able to give a new date now, but we don’t want to throw one out there and have to take it back. The trust of our community is dear to us, and so we must be careful in promising what we can deliver. This means that when we do give you a new date, you can be assured that it is one that we have ultimate confidence in. In that spirit, we can say that this is not a delay in terms of years, but in terms of months, and that Alpha One will be in your hands before you know it!" - ( 2019-03-07-creative-director's-letter)
2020: https://ashesofcreation.com/news/2019-12-31-creative-directors-letter
Q4 2020: https://forums.ashesofcreation.com/discussion/46988/perpetual-failure-to-meet-stated-deadlines
April 6. 2021: https://ashesofcreation.com/news/2021-01-08-creative-directors-letter
June 1. 2021: https://ashesofcreation.com/news/2021-03-12-an-update-on-alpha-one-schedule
July 14. 2021: https://ashesofcreation.com/news/2021-05-10-alpha-one-schedule-update
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Thoughts? At what point is all credibility lost? At what point will those streamers making money from their referrals actually start to pose legitimate questions (and follow ups) to Stephen?
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
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Comments
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
Steven claims he is ok with criticism but this older video proves this has been a longtime issue.
Sadly i noticed It's Ziz has not posted a video in over a year,i hope he is alright with Covid and all.
Good video and very informative.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
1 Have a definitive plan for the design of your game.Take all feedback PRIOR to starting the game.
2Once the ball is rolling,DO NOT listen to gamers,build your dream game.
One perfect example is during the BR fiascal.For some god only knows reason he was listening to IDIOTS that wanted more of a ARPG than a mmorpg.
When you set out to build a mmorpg your vision should be VERY similar to mine plus or minus.An ACTION rpg RU serious..geesh.Somesaults,yep i saw the puny character doing a somersault flip in the air,geesh what is this gymnastics time?
So then we all remember there were 6 or so threads right here in this forum telling us that Intrepid wants our feedback.NO....NO....NO,geesus get a grip,doesn't he have prior knowledge of mmorpg's and what a good one SHOULD be like?Besides the obvious,what is he going to do just all of a sudden flip the switch and start over?
So my long winded point is this,POOR management,he obviously did NOT have a well laid out deisgn,he just began this by winging it and it shows.
I am not in the least stating that i think he is a scammer,i feel he is i guess somewhat like Chris Robert's or mark Jacobs an incompetent leader.I don't entirely blame him because i guess it was 30 million of his own money so he was definitely serious about this.If it was MY game i would do the same,i would want full control of all the decisions weather i was competent or not.
Too bad really,i feel he WANTS a good game,i feel he wants to be proud of his game but imo he doesn't have the overall knowledge and vision to make a great mmorpg.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
I think videos are built around what we WANT TO SEE, instead of what will be getting.
If so, it would be like "Cable World News" you can't believe anything. I'm getting ready to live like back in the 1800s. Keep guns load, hunt and fish and don't pay taxes.
Yeah, right at this point. It's pretty much all BS or smoke and mirrors going forward which the history of these endeavors has well proven.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
This is the result of us gamers not having any reasonably fair and unbiased reporting. There isn't a gaming "news" site or gaming "journalist" that isn't 100% dependent upon the access granted to them by these gaming companies and that access doesn't happen if you ask pointed, probing questions or hold people accountable. The fact that anyone in the gaming press would dare to call themselves a journalist is utterly pathetic. Add to that the strange fetish people have with live streamers, who literally make their money hyping games and you get the current state of our hobby. Dev teams can buy hype from streamers and buy glowing articles from the press.
This industry just sucks.
The other Alpha 1 projections come from real problems. One where they had to rework their entire combat system from what they discovered in the BR testing they did. That set them back almost a year.
The latest set of delays is again, some things they have found in their back end that needs to be fixed again. Its taking them longer then they thought. Should gamers be upset, sure a little.
But anyone who plays and knows MMOs knows. Its 3-8 years for any MMO to be made. We here all know thats a fact. Being outraged and shocked when we all know Steven was feeding us a line. Im not sure our response is fitting as a gaming community. I backed this game knowing it would be a 5+ year wait.
Steven seems to get this is hurting his business and is starting to see how he needs to respond. This delay, instead of saying fliler words like, we are working on polish. And we know thats marketing bull crap speak. He has listed a game plan and what they need to work on to get Alpha 1 launched. We need to hold them accountable for that and thats a large improvement on their part. Its a first.
Does this mean this is a SC? Does this mean he is scamming us with vaporwear? Does this mean this game does not look awesome for where it is in development? No. Does this mean we should tell IS how we feel about unrealistic time lines? Yes. Should we act like we dont know that we would be waiting 5 years + for this game to launch? No, we know better.
Company says something (well, 7 or so times). What the company says proves to be wrong. Community gets blamed for unrealistic expectations (that match what they were TOLD). WTF world is this?
Yes, I expect a company to do what they say. Yes, I will usually give them a pass the first time or two. But after years and years it is 100% the COMPANY'S issue.
I mean, you think it's fine to support someone that you KNOW was lying to you (feeding you a line as you say)? Just because you want a game? Wow. Simply.. Wow.
The argument is basically: Shame on you for believing the company. I knew they were lying so no big deal!
And that is IMHO a ridiculous argument.
Do you know what it is called when you KNOWINGLY lie in order to get something (money) from people? And that is exactly what you are saying happened here...
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
No matter where you look. We educate ourselves and learn how to know the truth of things even when fed a lie. Sure, something they catch us and we spend money would not have other wise. Yes thats upsetting.
Why I am saying on this community we should not be outraged. We are educated on MMOs. Everyone here knew it was a line. We all knew the projections were not real. We all knew we would be waiting 5+ years. Annoyed this is a problem, sure. Outraged? We cant change the system. We just can be smart consumers and ask the right questions.
Flip a lid on this topic if you like. They are no different then any developer. Promise the moon and hit somewhere between the moon and Earth horizon.
It's one thing to say "Hey they thought it would be 18 months and turned out to be 6 years..."
What you are saying "Hey they knew it would be 6 years but told us 18 months to try and milk money from us, and that's OK because I kind of knew they were lying"
That IMHO is a horrendous take on things and is what enables this situation to continue to get worse.
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
I now look at games and see their updates. Look at reviews. Read forums and watch select Youtube streamers. I judge not by just the information the company gives me. If you come up with a way to really change things, other then stop buying from every lyer on the planet. Im happy to hear it. If I stopped buying from every lier. It wont be long till I have no games to play, no food to eat and I will be naked on the street just waiting.
So no, I won't just casually accept lying by saying people should know better. That IS exactly why it continues.
All time classic MY NEW FAVORITE POST! (Keep laying those bricks)
"I should point out that no other company has shipped out a beta on a disc before this." - Official Mortal Online Lead Community Moderator
Proudly wearing the Harbinger badge since Dec 23, 2017.
Coined the phrase "Role-Playing a Development Team" January 2018
"Oddly Slap is the main reason I stay in these forums." - Mystichaze April 9th 2018
A fact of life perhaps?
Cheers Slap.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon