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[Dev Journal] Albion Online: How Albion Online is Combating the Zerg
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
As anyone who has played online games for any length of time will know, the territory comes with its ups and downs. One common issue, especially with resource-based open-world games that allow for PvP, is when players form into large groups and trample their respective countrysides (or space stations), obliterating everything in their path. Whether you know it as 'blobbing,' 'zerging' or by some other name, you're sure to have run into it in one form or another.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is not sponsored content. It's an exclusive given to us by the devs, and no money changed hands. Just keeping you in the loop!
Read more of Stefan "Bercilak" Wiezorek's exclusive developer diary, Albion Online: Eight Anti-Zerg Measures.
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Comments
Yet they have designed the game to be complete Gear based. If someone has a higher tear armor than you it is almost impossible to win. This is half because of the fact this game has a very low skill ceiling so gear matters more than player skill.
Buying in game currency / Grinding for gear matters more than player skill in Albion.
I always liked the concept of multi and solo zones which could evolve over time.
Solo can only be attacked by one person
Multi attacked by everyone
but no clear indication of where these borders are could keep things interesting.
Sway all day, butterfly flaps all the way!
One way to consider a counter to this is some form of group rating mechanic.
Group rating could be a sum of equipment stats + attack/defensive stats x number of players.
Take that number and compare it to another groups stats... so if it is a 10 vs 5 with all gear being equal the smaller group would receive a +50% damage bonus.
If the smaller group has the same score due to being higher geared/stats there would be no bonus as the group score would be the same.
This doesn't necessarily need to be tied to a group, it could be proximity, guild tags, "reds" in a close proximity that are clearly "up to no good"
This mechanic would only be triggered in general open world and potentially when defending a territory you own. This is so the offensive players need to have a clear battle plan and not just send waves of fodder trying to take over another guilds territory.
I can elaborate further, but I feel anyone who reads this will get the gyst and understand at least the underlying concept.. Is it exploitable... probably, but what the hell isn't...
What are your other Hobbies?
Gaming is Dirt Cheap compared to this...
Edit ^^^
This system also works because the difference between gear tiers are astounding... A smaller group in T6+ could decimate swarms of T4-
What are your other Hobbies?
Gaming is Dirt Cheap compared to this...
@Sketch 24
Hi Sketch,
we actually made a lot of changes to combat. It feels more and more like a MOBA. I can guarantee you that in a 5vs5 guild fight against one of the top guilds from our game even if they are 2 tiers lower they would still kick your ***.
Of course gear is very important and it is as a lot of sandbox games a key element.
However even more important than just gear is to have the right gear. If I know what you are bringing to the fight I can have the perfect counter for you, killing you a tier below you.
And in addition our tier has not an exponential progression but a linear one! So 10 people with T3 gear easily kill 4 T6 players. For example.
A medieval sandbox MMO
http://www.facebook.com/albiononline/
@Wighty
You have always calculate in the smartness of the hardcore guild. Your system is easily countered because they would come with two different groups from different guilds so suddenly it is 3 groups of 5 but two of them working together.
This is why we worked on an alorithem to detect these groups outside from "groups" or "guilds" by their actions. And then we are also thinking about adding such penalties.
Kr,
Stefan
A medieval sandbox MMO
http://www.facebook.com/albiononline/
That's why I said it could also be based on proximity and also acknowledged that nothing is unexploitable.
As a casualcore gold founder I'm sure I'll be able to find a way to play this game solo/small group, but I realize the limitations of this... It's just at 42 I refuse to have to pander as to why I'd be a valued member of some elite guild.
What are your other Hobbies?
Gaming is Dirt Cheap compared to this...
That is simply not true. If you look at Albion pvp videos the combat system you have is very simple and requires very little player skill. Infact the pvp videos that are on youtube right now probably hurt your sales pretty badly because of how bad it is.
You have the most simple, no skill combat of any mmo currently in development from what I've seen.
It's like if in eve online large ships could attack small ones ect. In Albion the more you grind or buy in game currency for real money the more powerful you are with no penalities to attacking people in lesser gear like eve online has with large ships not being effective vs small ships. It is a completely gear based combat system in the worst possible way.
There are hardly any abilities that require timing or have counters.
I'm sure you needed to make it simple to be played on phones and tablets but please don't spread lies to trick people into paying for a 50$ alpha to a game that will be free.
Hello Sketch240,
you are a pretty nice guy it seems. You probably just missed the part where I said "we changed" (past tense) the combat.
Here a video from our latest testing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qYgJHYIBlM
Our goal is normal MOBA like combat with skill shots and such but it is a very delegate topic. Since it is technically a huge difference if you are designing something for 5vs5 or for 100+vs100+.
And I think I can say with each iteration combat gets more challenging. You are making pretty bold statements btw for not even having played the game!
A medieval sandbox MMO
http://www.facebook.com/albiononline/
You can't blame me for not wanting to pay 50$ for an alpha to a game that will be free to play and is so simple that it's also being developed for phones and tablets.
I have played every other sandbox pvp mmo, Darkfall, Mortal, Eve, UO. And none of these games were solely gear based like yours.
You can't have a system where you allow players to buy in game currency off others for real money to be more powerful than everyone who doesn't. If in Eve Online I could buy battleships with plex and kill everyone in anything smaller it wouldn't be much of a game. And that's exactly how you are designing Albion to be. In Eve I can't catch, or even shoot small ships in a battleship so people that aren't buying plexs can be competitive.
In Albion you buy the highest tier gear with real money and better pvpers can't compete with your wallet.
So everyone is equal?
But... Why???
I'd rather fear for what is out there.
Sway all day, butterfly flaps all the way!
How do you figure?
1) You can't buy weapons with real money ONLY cosmetics and premium
2) You can only trade gold (real money) for silver
3) You have to find someone to sell you high level weapons in the first place
4) People buying weapons from solo crafters will almost always be behind guilds with dedicated crafters
5) Even with unlimited silver from gold trades (not really possible) you can still only craft a certian amount or level a certian amount a day because of the new limits
6) The more gold that stays in the game the worse the conversion rate is
@Sketch420
It is quite obvious you are too ignorant to factor in the new features, aspects and mechanics of the game. Thus you're points that you made are totally invalid and point.less. You have not even played the game before yet you make stupid assumptions based on outdated Youtube videos and outdated website articles written in Jan/Feb that corresponded to the "Winter Alpha".
The Winter Alpha back in Jan/Feb is a whole different game to this upcoming June Summer Alpha. If you had some reading of updated information along on how the game actually functions and what has been updated / implemented, you wouldn't be making false assumptions, and not making yourself look like a whole new level of ignorance and stupidness. I am not trying to convince you of paying money to play the game nor is anybody else.
I am trying to convince you to stop making statements as if they are true and you've played the game before. Because in fact you have not.
Waiting for:
The Repopulation
Albion Online
1) You can purchase in game currency for real money.
2) You can trade that currency for more powerful gear than the casual player could obtain otherwise.
3) The game is gear based so better gear means you have a better chance at pvp with no adverse effect.
How do you figure? 1) You can't buy weapons with real money ONLY cosmetics and premium 2) You can only trade gold (real money) for silver 3) You have to find someone to sell you high level weapons in the first place 4) People buying weapons from solo crafters will almost always be behind guilds with dedicated crafters 5) Even with unlimited silver from gold trades (not really possible) you can still only craft a certian amount or level a certian amount a day because of the new limits 6) The more gold that stays in the game the worse the conversion rate is
1) You can purchase in game currency for real money.
2) You can trade that currency for more powerful gear than the casual player could obtain otherwise.
3) The game is gear based so better gear means you have a better chance at pvp with no adverse effect.
There is an adverse effect, you will attract wolves and you can die and lose all that gear you bought.
If people actually do start buying high tier gear I look forward to seeing ALODs for Albion.
Waiting for:
The Repopulation
Albion Online
FYI Sketch, you can buy silver all you want for your gold.
A. your money will become less and less valuable.
B. You can buy Tier 7+ gear all you want, but you cant use it.
C. Everyone knows a whale when they see one, and everyone will gladly KOS that whale for free T7 lewts.
1. You can buy gold with real money. You then must trade it to someone for silver. The more of it in the economy, the less silver you will get for gold. You must also assume that a) people have enough silver for you to buy and b) if they are even willing to sell it to you. I believe that you can no longer use gold to craft in the upcoming summer alpha.
2. You can have the best gear in game but you may not be able to use said gear unless you have unlocked it in the destiny board progression. It like a lvl 1 toon trying to equip lvl 60 raid gear. Just cant do it.
Also, all gear is crafted. Only the most dedicated guilds will be able to occupy red zones where all the best crafting materials are located. If I were a top guild, I would not be selling top end gear to anyone except guild members.As a member of a top end guild, you are mostly likely a premium account anyway (which is like $5-$6 a month) so you wouldn't really need to acquire gold. The silver is more important. It is needed to repair gear and from the looks of things, can get very expensive. Silver is also needed to maintain upkeep on buildings.
3. Better gear improves your odds of winning in PvP, yes, no arguments there. However, said gear is fully lootable, so once you die, (and you will die eventually), someone else will now have your OP gear to smash you harder with.
Just FYI, I am not a fanboy. I have not played in any of the Alphas. I have not paid for any founders packages. I am keeping a close eye on the development however and I am doing adequate research on the game before jumping to conclusions and screaming false statements in a public forum. The game is an actual alpha. The combat is unimpressive to me as well but I understand they are still working on the game. It is not ready for the general public to play. From what I have seen, the devs are looking at the community feedback and trying to make a good game. The price tag on the founders packages goes to fund development of the game as they are an independent studio. No one is requiring you to buy in (I personally do not like the idea of paying to test a game, hence I have yet to buy a founders pack). It is there for you to buy if you so chose.
If you find the game to be too simplistic, then pass it along and find a game that suits your needs. This game is the closest I have seen come close to what UO (UO combat was VERY simplistic by the way,especially if you were not a mage) was like and it is why it has my interest.
This might be an unpopular opinion but that's how it should be in an RPG?
If i wanted a level playing field i wouldn't play in a genre based heavily on player progression through the use of stats or other such customizable attributes.
A level playing field to exercise your player "skill" is FPS, RTS or in current day MOBAS.
TSW - AoC - Aion - WOW - EVE - Fallen Earth - Co - Rift - || XNA C# Java Development
Heavily gear-based mobile phone game with character abilities based solely on gear, with full loot PvP. Nope! Any game designed so that you effectively lose the ability to play how you want because some asshole killed you and took all your stuff isn't worth the bandwidth to download it.
AN' DERE AIN'T NO SUCH FING AS ENUFF DAKKA, YA GROT! Enuff'z more than ya got an' less than too much an' there ain't no such fing as too much dakka. Say dere is, and me Squiggoff'z eatin' tonight!
We are born of the blood. Made men by the blood. Undone by the blood. Our eyes are yet to open. FEAR THE OLD BLOOD.
#IStandWithVic
I stopped listening when I realized criticisms were coming from people that haven't played the game. Also, crying about having to pay to test a F2P game (that you HAVEN'T actually dropped money for in the first place) seems like a complete waste of time. If you don't like the game, ignore it. If you like the game but don't like the price to test it, ignore it til it releases. If you don't like the game after it releases, you guessed it, IGNORE IT! Save yourself (and US) some stress by not paying attention to something you don't even like.
On the subject of the test having to be paid for while the release is gonna free. Has it not occurred to some people that the profit Sandbox Interactive, an indie developer without a lot of capital, gets from the tests allows them to be a little more flexible with the costs of the release? That's the way that I'VE rationalized the cost. Of course, again, if you don't like it, simply ignore the game. It's sad that Bercilak, as a business man as well as a game designer, had to even try to explain anything to naysayers. It's a helluva lot more than other game representatives would do.
I find it pretty awsome how a game dev actually came into the forum to interact with us, it was just unfortunate he spent his time having to fend of stupidity instead answering proper questions.
I haven't seen all the videos (old or recent) but the game looks interesting. Not enough for me to pay for a pack of some sorts to get into an alpha/beta, but intrigues me enough that I will keep my eye on it and do my research. The idea of being in a mmo where you can kill/be killed and either gain that players loot or lose your own is different and scary.
I have played games like Path of Exile and Diablo in hard core mode where death is permanent and you lose the ability to play that character forever or is brought down to the soft core tier. But those games are PVE with safe arena like PVP. This is open world PVP and losing all your hard earned gear is adrenalin pumping scary.
The cash shop is always something I am wary about (aka P2W) but will reserve judgement until I have read more about it.
I also like the whole crafting idea and the facebook like mini game of your own island safe away to customize and whatnot.
Will put this game on my watch/to play list.
Quick note on the payment model.
It is exactly like EVE, with the one exception that instead of a subscription it is a premium account. So you can buy Gold (our PLEX) for real money BUT you have to trade it with other players in the game for Silver (our ISK).
So we as a company are not selling any items! All of the items are coming from players who are fighting for it in the different zones and are crafting them.
Kr,
Stefan
A medieval sandbox MMO
http://www.facebook.com/albiononline/
Hey Bercilak
Love what your are doing with the game, and I look forward to see you ingame the 29!
Too many people on these forums with nothing else to do than bashing games they don´t want to play! Don´t waste too much energy on them! Just saying...
Yes I am a fanboy! So what??
Games Played: Anarchy Online,Star Wars Galaxies,WOW,Eve,Darkfall,Vanguard, Fallen Earth,SWTOR,GW2,Tera,ESO,Wildstar, Black Desert, Archeage & Albion Online
Now playing: Conan Exiles & Rocket League
Games looking forward to: Diablo 4! & Star Citizen?