The first Ashes of Creation developer diary has been published on the official site. Called "A Reactive World", the blog examines the node system, first by describing AoC's unique take on them and how they will function in the game.
Node, Ashes of Creation style, will be pockets of "possibility", places that, when discovered, offer players the opportunity to develop and tame them. What makes the system so unique is that, as players venture in the vicinity of any given node, the location changes and progresses.
Every Node in our system operates as a kind of sponge, with each Node given purview over a predefined geographic area. Within this space (which we call a Node’s “zone of influence”) the Node tracks all player activity . This activity is then weighted and counted towards that particular Node’s own advancement track. By undertaking familiar MMO gameplay mainstays (questing, gathering, raiding, etc.) players will have agency in determining which Nodes in the world will develop.
Nodes will develop through six stepping stone levels: Expedition, Encampment, Village, Town, City, Metropolis, each one to be included in a specific regional Warhouse or Marketplace cluster. Further, each node has its own content that only becomes available after development.
The caveat is, of course, that nodes can be destroyed. Player actions in the area can "reset" progress that had been ongoing prior to their arrival. Whatever reason a player has to want a node destroyed is fair game leading to its demolition.
The team is hopeful that this type of system will appeal to players as it gives them a direct hand in the way the world around them develops. It is literally a game that is in the hands of players with nodes as the epicenter of a viable player-choice, player-created world.
Read the full developer blog on the Ashes of Creation site.
