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Bosses
Artificial intelligence
Ashes of Creation utilizes an adaptive artificial intelligence (AI), meaning different encounters with similar mobs and bosses will yield different player experiences.[2][3]
- Some NPC AI behaviors may be randomly selected at the time of initial engagement causing them to make decisions dynamically during an encounter.[2][4][5][6]
- NPCs performing "idle actions" to make the world seem more alive has been discussed by the developers but is not confirmed.[9]
- Part of the NPC encounter design is not always going to be the same behavior tree. There will be purposefully behaviors that exist for the boss that are rolled at the time of the initial engagement; and so that is in an effort to keep things emergent, to keep things different, to try to not keep a static monotonous engagement idea.[2] – Steven Sharif
There are AI systems that don't relate to controlling NPCs.[10]
- There are some additional AI parameters that are set that don't relate necessarily to controlling NPCs. There are AIs with regards to the development of the borders for nodes in the direction and also the decisions that are made of which lower nodes to enslave as vassal states. There's AI that relates to a little bit of the stock market that's going to be present in the economy. There's some AI systems that are going to be announced also that are pretty innovative I think with regards to the MMORPG genre and that's going to make the triggered event system very interesting I think; and that's with regards to how nodes develop and the environment reacts to that development by spawning these triggered events of a horde of zombies attacking a city or a legendary raid boss coming out of the mountain. I think there's a lot of opportunity for some of the innovations that's been in the AI sector of game development too to come out in Ashes.[10] – Steven Sharif
Adaptive content
New points of interest (such as dungeons, world bosses, and corrupted areas) spawn as nodes develop.[12][13] This content adapts to the node progression of the zone it is in.[11][14]
- Additional buildings will spawn.[11]
- Additional mobs will spawn.[11]
- Different antagonists/leaders with different story lines.[11][14]
- Populations will change.[14]
- Content difficulty will change.[14]
- The content may be different altogether.[14]
- Additional quest hooks.[11]
- Dungeons will be unlocked when certain nodes advance to certain stages.[15]
- Drop tables in areas and dungeons will be tied into the progression of certain areas.[15]
- POI events are events that relate to specific points-of-interest (POI).[19]
- The location of points of interest will be the same on each server, but some servers may have limited or no access to them.[20]
- Certain dungeons and other points of interest across the map will all be affected by the server’s node development. Some dungeons will only be unlocked if nodes are developed to certain stages. The storyline objectives for players inside dungeons will also be dependent on the story arc paths chosen through the node system. The drop tables in area and dungeons will also be tied into the progression of certain areas. For example, let’s say that the humans have developed a node in Region A, and a storyline has opened up that leads players to inspect the ruins (dungeon) of a nearby area. And let’s say that this node was developed in a scientific (crafting) zone… Well before the node developed, this dungeon was accessible… But now the dungeon has propagated new monster assets that include a drop table catering to a crafting emphasis because of the development of that academic node. And perhaps, a new boss appears in different rooms of the dungeon that includes different adventure quest starts, like a mysterious item with a storyline that can only be progressed if a node develops to the metropolis stage in a certain region, across the world. Our system is so vast, when it comes to interconnectivity and how the world reacts to the players.[15]
Player driven narrative
The world of Verra will be the same on each server, but Nodes will develop differently. Different servers will have different narratives. Things that happen on one server may not happen on another.[22]
- The overarching narrative of Ashes of Creation is that players are the returning children of Verra but they will not be characterized individually as "saviors".[23]
We want as many people as possible to experience the main server Narrative. These will branch at different scales, but largely at the personal level. Where things change is at the Node level – different parts of the story will be unlocked based on where and when Nodes grow. Unlocking a part of the story in a certain way locks out progression of the story in a different way. You’ll see different antagonists, different NPCs, and different calls to action depending on what’s happening with the server at that time.[24]
It redefines what the players will experience in an MMORPG to come into a wilderness that is devoid of really any structure outside of what the community creates themselves; and then what can be created can be changed, if they want to experience a storyline that's been seen on another server, but you're fighting a dragon because you're near a mountain and the other server's fighting a Kraken because they're near the coast and you want to fight that Kraken because of its drop table. If you want to meta it or because you just want that under your belt: to be the server first to take out that Kraken and you have yet to develop the node there, it's incumbent upon you to manifest that in the game.[25] – Steven Sharif
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Livestream, June 25, 2021 (21:24).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Interview, September 10, 2023 (34:51).
- ↑ About Ashes of Creation.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Interview, June 13, 2021 (22:20).
- ↑ Livestream, July 28, 2017 (43:57).
- ↑ Livestream, May 5, 2017 (11:55).
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Livestream, July 29, 2022 (1:23:56).
- ↑ Livestream, February 25, 2022 (1:03:32).
- ↑ Livestream, 2018-04-8 (PM) (3:56).
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Podcast, May 11, 2018 (24:23).
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Livestream, March 26, 2021 (50:33).
- ↑ Livestream, March 26, 2021 (22:53).
- ↑ Livestream, November 17, 2017 (36:22).
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Livestream, November 17, 2017 (18:29).
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 MMOGames interview, January 2017
- ↑
- ↑
- ↑ Livestream, July 25, 2020 (46:08).
- ↑ Livestream, April 29, 2022 (40:21).
- ↑
- ↑ Video, March 31, 2023 (28:11).
- ↑ Livestream, May 19, 2017 (37:03).
- ↑ Livestream, December 17, 2019 (1:10:30).
- ↑ Interview: Ashes of Creation on Building Their Virtual World, 2017-04-13.
- ↑ Livestream, May 22, 2017 (28:02).