Climate

Ashes of Creation community empowered Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Alpha-2 dynamic weather change caused by the Beneath the Stone Shadows event.[1]

Since you instigated this event, which changed the weather, that will also now influence spawns nearby. You could potentially be spawning- well you are spawning side quests that relate to the rain, changes in enemies that relate to the rain, and that's driven on player action. So it is like a feedback loop.[2] – Skott B

Some environments (Biomes) have fixed climates and others are variable.[3][4][5] Dynamic weather of varying intensity can be triggered by certain events.[2][3][6][7]

During those weather events, the area of effect that the event is occurring in will likely have its climate descriptor overridden by whatever the event is specifically. So tornadoes might be windy, blizzards might be cold. And if an arctic dragon comes into a temperate climate it brings the cold weather with it; and that can be interacting with skills and abilities or other functions like farms.[8] – Steven Sharif
There are climate effects that occur from a buff standpoint. They can also affect skills like, let's say you're using a frost bolt in a winter climate. There's the ability for those effects to be enhanced and/or stronger in those climates.[11] – Steven Sharif
They affect crops and gatherables, vehicles, and mounts, ships, creatures; and loot tables change: their behaviors might change. Resistances and weaknesses or synergies might be relevant in certain seasons or weather systems. Targeting might change the AoE radius might grow for a fire effect if you're in the middle of summer, or it might shrink if you're in the middle of a storm.[12] – Steven Sharif
  • Some weather conditions can be hazardous to mobs and players.[1]
Weather events and encounters themselves can include hazards that can appear and shake things up. They can also help too, if you can kite enemies into the lightning strikes or whatever.[1] – Skott B

Seasons

Ashes of Creation Seasons in the Riverlands.[3]

Part of the triggers that can create seasonal change is not just time related for each of our biomes, but they are also indicated by events that occur on the server. Whether that be certain raid bosses forming, or a relic being acquired by a particular node and being activated to change potentially the weather out of a winter state into a spring state: and the reason why a node might have interest in doing that of course is because weather and the seasons also affect skills and abilities.[12] – Steven Sharif

Seasonal change teaser.[13]

Seasons affect different zones (environments/biomes) based on their location in the world.[13][14]

  • A majority of environments will experience either two or four seasons, excluding corrupted areas, which is considered a "season" itself.[15]
  • Some biomes will have seasons that are less (or more) temperate. For example: Northern, Southern and Tropical regions.[16] Other biomes will have fixed climates.[4]
    • Biomes that are affected by seasonal cycles may experience drastic visual differences between seasons.[13]
  • Events may radically change the current season a zone is in, or elongate it.[6][17] This includes weather changes.[14]
  • There will also be magical seasons where you might be in a tropical zone and suddenly it's snowing.[16]
  • Items, crop cycles, buildings, and crafting mechanics might gain certain buffs or debuffs in certain seasons.[6][18][14]
  • Ocean and underwater areas will not have seasonal changes.[19]
Winter might have a spawner that activates on a road that spawns at large fallen tree and players who see that will have an opportunity to go up and exert some type of one-time action that helps in removing that tree and it might require X number of people to do that before the tree gets removed; and that as an example is not beneficial for the transit of goods because as caravans require- well they don't require but they move better on roads and if that tree were present let's say blocking a road that led to a bridge per-se that they would have to off-road.[14] – Steven Sharif
  • Different seasons may affect access to various roads.[6][17][14]
    • Pathways that are open during summer may be closed during winter.[14]
    • Seasonal affects may cause obstacles or blockages to the transit of goods via caravan.[6][17][20]
    • Water turning to ice in winter, enabling players to walk over the water but blocking access to what is underneath.[14]
      • Ice will make roads bumpy and slippery.[21]
    • Seasonal flooding is something the developers are talking about internally, but will not be present in Alpha-2.[22]

Seasonal changes

Right now we're getting some rain which will usher in springtime and so you'll see all the flora that's growing up right now out of the ground.[23] – Brian Gans

Seasons change on a regular basis, but may also be triggered or elongated by certain events.[24][25][26]

  • Each season will be approximately one or two IRL weeks long.[24][25][26]
They might last longer if you don't deal with the dragon, or if you keep that relic active, but these on a cycle on a cyclical perspective as a normal season transition might be exist within a one week timeframe right and then it transitions over a period of hours.[25] – Steven Sharif
  • The final duration of seasonal cycles is subject to testing during Alpha-2.[27]
The weather systems, the season systems, that's going to be a obvious point of testing for Alpha 2 of course. We're going to play around with the different cycles and and times and how they impact the economy, the rotation of resources, the movement of goods: all of those things play into the purpose- one of the purposes of having seasonal systems. So that is something that we are going to play with during our Alpha 2 testing and will land on what feels both most comfortable- is visually appealing, but also has the impact on the economy that we desire to see on the design side.[27] – Steven Sharif
  • Environmental seasons are not to be confused with PvP seasons, which last for six months.[28]
In Ashes of Creation the world will change on a regular basis. Zones will progress in a seasonal cycle, which will alter the very nature of the environment around you. Snow may block pathways that are accessible in warmer months, spring may encourage creatures otherwise unseen to come to the surface, and fall might be the only time that certain crops thrive. This cycle can then take in the state of the world’s Nodes and shift depending on their progression.[20]

Seasonal resources

Gloomy Pross is a seasonal resource that is only gatherable in the winter.[29]

If a particular region moves into a season and that week you can't grow a particular type of good, but another region halfway across the world can grow that good; and you talk about moving those goods across regions so that they're relevant to either craft workbenches or you can sell them in the local economies: That is a major indicator of movement of goods and movement of goods carries risks; and risks can create political foes and friends... Something as simple as just a climate can have cascading consequences across the entirety of the game.[13] – Steven Sharif

Seasons affect crops and other herbology resources available for gathering or planting, including how crop rotation is managed.[30][31][14][32]

  • Seasonal variations in resource availability will impact the economy and necessitate the transit of goods between different regions.[31]
One of the things that is huge about the season system and how it affects crops and the gatherables in the game is the impact it will have on the economy. When a particular area no longer is capable for a week's period of time, or even potentially longer, of producing a certain type of crop or harvestable; and that has to change across the world regionally, now the transit system of those materials of those gatherables they become more relevant, and they're subject to potential risk; and the prices might go up in certain areas. It is something that is actually very instrumental in the overall design of the economy in the game.[31] – Steven Sharif
  • Seasons may not directly affect certain gatherables, such as veins of ore, but access to those resources may be blocked during certain weather conditions.[30][31]
It won't likely affect too much on certain resource spectrums like veins of ore. Those might not be affected by the seasons or weather systems, but there might be blockages to cave networks that house those types of ore veins. Alternatively it is going to be significant impact on any type of herbology or plant-based types of gatherables. It's going to have significant impacts on crops that players can plant themselves on their properties; and that they'll be able to harvest. They're going to need to time the crop placement and its maturity window so that it's harvestable and available to be harvest before the change of seasons that might adversely affect certain types of crops. And not every biome will experience the same type of effects caused by the seasonality of the world. The desert biome might instead of snow have significant more winds that pick up that could be damaging to more fragile types of crops if you have a freehold in that location.[30] – Steven Sharif

Elements

There are elements (such as Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Electrical) in Ashes of Creation each with their own resistances.[33][34][34][35][36][37]

  • There may be ley lines and strong magical places in the world that change or alter the way spells work.[40]
We've discussed a little bit about how the seasons and biomes will react with different types of skills. Like if you have a fireball and it's summer it might be a little bit different. If it's winter and you have a frost ability it might be different.[39] – Steven Sharif

Day and night cycle

Alpha-2 day/night cycle.[41]

Day and night cycles in Ashes of Creation are actually over the course of a few hours.[42] – Steven Sharif

There is a day/night cycle in Ashes of Creation.[43][44]

  • Day and night cycles occur over the course of a few hours.[45][42]
    • Fifteen IRL minutes may equate to one hour in game time but this is subject to change.[24][46]
    • Sunrise and sunset will last approximately 10 to 15 minutes.[47]
    • Day and night cycle tied to server time will be tested in Alpha-2.[48]
The day night cycle is tied to server time, yes. So there is a number of hours that exist between each of the cycles. That's something that we'll be fine-tuning of course during Alpha 2 as well, but it is intended for players to interact with certain systems even based on in-game time as well.[48] – Steven Sharif
  • The developers requested feedback on the intensity of illumination and darkness that will be present in Alpha-2.[49][50]
    • Based on feedback the developers increased the nighttime darkness.[45]
Certain creatures will react differently. Certain spawns react differently during night times and different day/night cycles. Those might also influence things like abilities and/or buff/debuff vulnerabilities. You'll have to find out based on the type of creature you're experiencing.[52] – Steven Sharif

Darkness

Alpha-2 Winstead node at night.[45]

You guys will probably notice that the nighttime is significantly darker than when you guys last saw our nighttime update. We saw feedback from the community that bringing in the field of vision through the lighting in the environment was something you guys wanted to see; and that's what we have adjusted a bit.[45] – Steven Sharif

Alpha-2 Darkness in the Sandsquall Desert.[57]

The fun is for me, and I know Chris will probably agree, is finding that balance of making it feel the inherent feeling of how we understand night and how we enjoy playing games, because nobody wants to play in complete darkness. So, yeah it was a lot of balancing on that end.[57] – Gabriel Ford

Darkness as an environmental obstacle is being considered as part of the game mechanics.[50][58]

  • The developers are requesting feedback on the intensity of illumination and darkness that will be present in Alpha-2.[45][49][50]
In more survival oriented games you're expected to have really dark night times because you utilize instruments like torches and lights that can be present, but when you think about an MMORPG and you think about the types of player numbers and player count you're expected to have in certain locations and dungeons, you need to be able to accommodate those types of visibility lines and those mechanics around that large multiplayer environment. So when you guys are giving feedback think about whether or not you want the outside night time to really be very dark, or if you want that to be reserved for specific locations in game, like certain dungeons and towers where we can utilize mechanics like different types of lighting mechanisms in order to facilitate that more dark feel.[50] – Steven Sharif

Winds

High winds, rain, and snow - our dynamic weather system has you covered![59]

Wind will influence the speed and direction that ships travel on the open sea (non-coastal areas of the map).[60][61]

  • Players will need to take wind direction (and strength) into consideration when navigating the open waters.[61]
Wind is an important component of the open sea- quote-unquote open seas- so that's all non-coastal areas; and that open sea, based on those the composition of wind and the open sea, will influence the speed directionally that a boat is traveling in, and how that speed gets influenced by the winds. That can be an important strategic component when discussing timing for trade runs, or timing for what your location is in relationship to your target out at the open sea; and it just creates a little bit more fluid and dynamic experience when you're at sea that. Like you're not in this cove and you always know how you're going to interact with the open water; and the speed that you have, so you can predict accurately what your intercept rate or distance will look like. If that is a variable and that variable changes, then you have to adapt your strategies for that variable; and I think that is very healthy and keeps things fresh from a perspective of a cat-and-mouse game that usually occurs between ships in the open waters.[61] – Steven Sharif

Tides

Waves on a beach by Michael Bacon.[62]

There won't be tidal patterns in the ocean, but the ocean will not be static content all the time. Unique content will be represented at certain times with regards to certain climates.[63]

Visuals

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Video, February 29, 2024 (16:34).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Video, February 29, 2024 (16:09).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Video, May 27, 2022 (2:21).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Livestream, July 18, 2017 (36:47).
  5. ↑ Livestream, June 1, 2017 (29:33).
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Podcast, April 11, 2021 (23:36).
  7. ↑ Livestream, July 28, 2017 (41:25).
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Livestream, February 25, 2022 (1:05:37).
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Livestream, February 29, 2024 (55:34).
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Livestream, May 27, 2022 (1:14:46).
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Livestream, September 30, 2020 (1:04:56).
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Video, May 27, 2022 (9:34).
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Livestream, April 29, 2022 (56:24).
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 Livestream, May 8, 2017 (20:27).
  15. ↑ Livestream, March 31, 2023 (58:27).
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Livestream, September 27, 2018 (41:33).
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Livestream, June 26, 2020 (1:29:06).
  18. ↑ Livestream, July 26, 2019 (1:32:40).
  19. ↑ Livestream, September 30, 2022 (1:25:56).
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Our immersive world - Environments.
  21. ↑ frosty-roads.png
  22. ↑ Livestream, June 30, 2022 (1:10:19).
  23. ↑ Video, May 27, 2022 (6:33).
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 Livestream, May 27, 2022 (1:13:39).
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Video, May 27, 2022 (12:50).
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 seasons.png
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Livestream, June 30, 2022 (2:57).
  28. ↑ Interview, July 18, 2020 (16:34).
  29. ↑ Video, October 28, 2022 (19:10).
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 Livestream, May 27, 2022 (55:47).
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 Video, May 27, 2022 (15:50).
  32. ↑ Steven Crops.PNG
  33. ↑ Fissure Description.png
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Livestream, April 7, 2023 (1:11:14).
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 Interview, July 18, 2020 (1:05:04).
  36. ↑ Livestream, May 24, 2017 (27:47).
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Livestream, 2018-04-8 (PM) (26:19).
  38. ↑ Video, September 30, 2022 (15:28).
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 Livestream, June 1, 2017 (20:23).
  40. ↑ Livestream, June 26, 2020 (1:32:16).
  41. ↑ Livestream, November 30, 2020 (41:49).
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Video, December 2, 2022 (11:11).
  43. ↑ Livestream, June 25, 2021 (29:58).
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 Livestream, May 12, 2017 (57:41).
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 45.2 45.3 45.4 Video, November 30, 2023 (35:28).
  46. ↑ time.jpg
  47. ↑ Livestream, April 30, 2024 (48:25).
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 Livestream, December 2, 2022 (1:07:29).
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 Livestream, December 2, 2022 (1:08:06).
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 50.2 50.3 Livestream, December 2, 2022 (53:01).
  51. ↑ Video, November 30, 2023 (34:36).
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 Livestream, December 2, 2022 (1:10:14).
  53. ↑ Podcast, April 11, 2021 (15:55).
  54. ↑ day cycle.jpg
  55. ↑ Video, April 30, 2024 (3:27).
  56. ↑ Livestream, December 2, 2022 (1:09:42).
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 Video, April 30, 2024 (6:29).
  58. ↑ Interview: Ashes of Creation on Building Their Virtual World, 2017-04-13.
  59. ↑ Twitter - Dynamic weather system.
  60. ↑ Livestream, September 30, 2022 (1:15:56).
  61. ↑ 61.0 61.1 61.2 Livestream, June 30, 2022 (1:04:30).
  62. ↑ Livestream, June 28, 2019 (42:55).
  63. ↑ Livestream, July 26, 2019 (1:02:49).
Retrieved from "https://ashesofcreation.wiki/index.php?title=Climate&oldid=125652"