A glowing blue portal sits in a courtyard.

Steam Announce and Play Test FAQ for Ashes of Creation Apocalypse

August 14, 2019

Glorious Ashes community - the Divine Gateways are opening once more for limited Apocalypse testing sessions, and we need YOUR help to try out the latest changes! On __Tuesday, August 20, 2019 from 11AM PDT to 11PM PDT__, all registered users will be able to log in and play the Battle Royale mode of Ashes of Creation Apocalypse. Solo and Squad game modes will be available for play on our North American (East), European (Central), and Asian (Singapore) servers.

This play test is open to all registered users, and you can register an account on our website here if you don’t already have one. The latest patch will be available from our website starting on Monday, August 19, so you can get ready for the play test that kicks off at 11AM PDT on Tuesday, August 20!
 

We are also excited to announce that during this play test, Ashes of Creation Apocalypse will become available for download on Steam! The Ashes of Creation Apocalypse Steam page will launch on __Monday, August 19, 2019__ so you can prepare in advance for Tuesday. As we move forward with play testing, we want to invite as many people as possible to push our back-end infrastructure to its limits, and Steam helps provide us with a platform where we can reach a broader community. Please note that you will still need an Intrepid account in order to launch and play the game via the Steam client - you can read more details in our Steam FAQ below.

As you’re playtesting, you may come across bugs - please help us squash them by reporting them to us on our Bug Reporting forum category here! Be sure to search for your bug first in that section before posting a new thread - if you have more details to share, please add it in a comment on the original thread instead of opening a new one for the same bug report. In addition, check the Known Issues list below or on the forums for the most up-to-date list of known bugs. If you’re not sure about what information to include in your bug report, check out this helpful thread here.

Your feedback is crucial to us during this playtest! With lots of new and updated features since our last test, there are a few key areas where we’d like you to provide feedback - such as combat & weapon balance, user interface & player experience, and game performance. Please leave your thoughts on these topics in our official forum thread after you’ve playtested!

Every piece of feedback you provide and bug you report during our Ashes of Creation Apocalypse play tests helps us move closer to the Alpha 1 phase of testing for the Ashes of Creation MMORPG. Whether it’s nailing down third-person action combat for integration into the hybrid combat system, experimenting with a broad range of ability interactions, or solidifying our back-end services like patching and authentication, these tests provide us data to aid us in making the right decisions for the MMORPG. As we work to master the three core fundamentals - character, control, and camera - everything we learn from player interactions in Apocalypse becomes part of our iterative process, and allows us to refine and polish for the MMORPG based on actual, live data. In addition, Apocalypse gives us the opportunity to test and validate key MMORPG systems in the form of new game modes (like Castle Siege and Horde Mode), so we can fine-tune our systems with data collected both internally from our QA team and externally from our community. When you jump in and play Apocalypse with us, you also help us with essential large-scale combat testing that allows us to optimize client and server performance - so we can build towards the huge battles and sieges you can expect to see in the Ashes of Creation MMORPG.

Read on below for answers to your frequently asked questions regarding this test session and Steam, as well as more detailed patch notes and a list of known issues. If you don’t see your question listed in the FAQs below, please reach out to us on Twitter or share it on our [official forums]() or Discord so we can help you further. 

  • Q: How do I get access to these limited testing sessions?
  • Q: Where and when can I download Ashes of Creation Apocalypse?
    •  A: Ashes of Creation Apocalypse will be available for download from the Ashes of Creation website and through Steam starting Monday, August 19, 2019.
  • Q: I already have Ashes of Creation Apocalypse downloaded from a prior test - can I run/update that version?
  • Q: When can I play Ashes of Creation Apocalypse?
  • Q: What regions and game modes are available during this playtest?
    • A: Solo and Squad game modes of Battle Royale will be available for play on our North American (East), European (Central), and Asian (Singapore) servers.
  • Q: Can I play with my friends if they’re in a different region?
    • A: Yes! For this play test, no matter where you download and play from, you will be able to queue up and play with your friends from around the world.
  • Q: How much does Ashes of Creation Apocalypse cost?
    • A: Ashes of Creation Apocalypse is available as a free download, and no purchase or subscription is required to play. Optional in-game purchases are available, but these are cosmetic items only - there is no P2W in Apocalypse or the MMORPG!
  • Q: Where do I share feedback during this playtest?
  • Q: How do I report a bug during this playtest?
  • Q: How can I get help with an account, purchase, technical, or other issue?
  • Q: What is the Adventure Path?
    • A: The Adventure Path enables you to level up and acquire cosmetic rewards as you gain experience in Ashes of Creation Apocalypse. You can get experience simply by completing matches, but you can earn much greater rewards if you survive longer than others, work well in a team, complete daily and weekly quests, or if you upgrade to the Legendary Path. You can upgrade to the Legendary Path at any time, and all items you would have earned up until that level will unlock automatically for you upon upgrading. All cosmetic items that you unlock in the Adventure Path can also be used in the MMORPG in the future.
  • Q: What happens to my previous Adventure Path progress during this test session?
    • A: While you will still have access to equip everything you earned previously from the Adventure Path, you will notice that your overall progress is reset, and a shorter “Test Compendium” is temporarily in place for this playtest. This Compendium is meant to help us test the leveling and item receipt feature in an accelerated way, so you will notice that you earn levels faster. The Adventure Path for this playtest only contains XP-related rewards, and the Legendary Path for this Test Compendium will be available for 1 Ember to all players for the duration of this playtest (you’ll receive 5 Embers from the first level of the Adventure Path, which you can use to unlock this). You can unlock your Legendary Path in-game by navigating to the “Adventure Path” tab from the main menu and selecting “Unlock” underneath the Legendary Path line. You will be able to continue making progress towards the items from your previous Adventure Path in an upcoming playtest.
  • Q: Can I level up my Adventure Path during this limited test session?
    • A: As mentioned above, there will be a shorter “Test Compendium” during this playtest, with an Adventure Path and Legendary Path that only contain XP-related rewards. This Compendium is meant to help us test the leveling and item receipt feature in an accelerated way. You will be able to continue making progress towards the items from your previous Adventure Path in an upcoming playtest.
  • Q: What happens to the items I earn from the Adventure Path during this test session?
    • A: The “Test Compendium” for this playtest only includes XP rewards as items - no progress or items will carry over after this playtest.
  • Q: What are Embers?
    • A: Embers are an in-game currency that can be purchased for real-world currency. You can use Embers to acquire cosmetic items or the Legendary Path in Ashes of Creation Apocalypse, and Embers will also be used in the MMORPG. Embers can be purchased directly in-game or separately through your platform of choice.
  • Q: Are the items I purchase and unlock in-game only usable in Ashes of Creation Apocalypse?
    • A: The cosmetic items you purchase or unlock in Ashes of Creation Apocalypse will also be available to you in the Ashes of Creation MMORPG in the future.
  • Q: How do I report someone for a fairplay violation?
    • A: If you see something, say something! If you spot someone in-game with an unfair advantage (ex. hacking, “teaming”) or violating our Terms in any other way, please share more details here so we can investigate further and take action.
  • Q: What are the system requirements to run Ashes of Creation Apocalypse?
  • Q: Can I stream or share screenshots during this limited test session?
    • A: Yes! Feel free to take and share screenshots from this test session, and you can also stream your gameplay if you'd like to show off all your glorious victories. Make sure that you're tagging "Ashes of Creation Apocalypse" as the game you're playing, and share your best shots with us on Twitter, Discord, and the forums!
  • Q: I'm an Intrepid user in an EU or CIS region - can I download and play via Steam?
    • A: Yes, however Steam will download the appropriate launcher based on your region. If you are in an EU or CIS region you will download the Gamecenter launcher, and for all other regions you will download the Intrepid launcher.
  • Q: Do I need to have an Intrepid account in order to play Ashes of Creation Apocalypse through Steam?
    • A: Yes, you will need to have a registered Intrepid account in order to play Ashes of Creation Apocalypse via Steam - [you can create one through our website here](https://accounts.ashesofcreation.com/register).
  • Q: Can I log into Ashes of Creation Apocalypse on Steam using an existing Intrepid account?
    • A: Yes, you can use your existing Intrepid account to log into Ashes of Creation Apocalypse via Steam - you will be prompted for your Intrepid login credentials upon launching the game in order to link your accounts.
  • Q: Can I trade or gift in-game items to my friends?
    • A: Items you purchase or unlock in-game are not able to be traded or gifted to other players.
  • Q: Can I unlink my Steam and Intrepid accounts once they’re connected?
    • A: At this time, there is no way for you to unlink your Steam and Intrepid accounts once they’re connected.
  • Q: Can I link more than one Intrepid account to my Steam account?
    • A: At this time, each Intrepid account you have will need to be linked to a separate Steam account.
  • Q: Since Ashes of Creation Apocalypse will be available on Steam, can we expect to see the Ashes of Creation MMORPG on Steam as well?
    • A: Currently we do not have plans to support Steam as a platform for the Ashes of Creation MMORPG.
       
  • Some players may get stuck with a white screen while loading into a match - this is being worked on as a high priority issue.
  • Adding someone to your party auto-queues you for Duos, which is not currently available during this play test. Please leave your party and queue for Solos (or Squads when it's available).
  • Users who have not properly installed the Unreal 4 prerequisite files may encounter a "System Error" while installing the game client. If this occurs, please run the file named UE4PrereqSetup_x64.exe located at (Steam Folder)\Ashes of Creation APOC\WindowsClient\Engine\Extras\Redist\en-us
  • Some graphical issues may be experienced with the character model while previewing mounts in the lobby shop.
  • On rare occasions players may encounter a blank lobby on their very first login. This can be resolved by clicking on the options menu button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
  • Players may experience some issues with in-game voice chat, specifically in regards to hearing other group members.
  • The ping display in the “Regions” section of the lobby may display a high/inaccurate ping number until the player clicks the refresh button.
  • Users running a 4:9 resolution may experience some issues with overlapping UI elements in the lobby.
  • Specific error messages are not being displayed for purchase errors (right now users will encounter a generic “Purchase Error” message).
  • The new UI section for the hot bar in a standard match has some display issues, primarily with the borders around the icons for item abilities.
  • Players may experience a slight delay when summoning a horse.
  • Players may continue to see some performance issues while entering a match due to the ongoing optimization of clouds (sky) during the deployment process.
  • Players using Windows 7 will encounter problems attempting to close the game client with Alt+F4 or through the Task Manager.

Gameplay

  • Horses: You can now find horses around the map - once you’ve found and collected one using E (default key), press and hold H (default key) to summon your steed!
  • Heroic Leap: You can now hold down Control (default key) while aiming at the sky to power up a heroic leap! Traverse difficult terrain, find a perch on top of a building, or give your team an eye in the sky - be creative!
  • Summon Gryphon: Press B (default key) while you’re high enough in the air to summon your gryphon! Leap from the Spire of Eremus and glide across the map, or summon it at the apex of a Heroic Leap to get the drop on your foes!
  • Weapon & Armor Abilities: Many weapon and armor abilities have had their effects, damage, or duration adjusted based on feedback from our previous external and internal play tests. Try them out and find out which combos and loadouts work best for you!
  • Blocking: You can now block during melee combat. Hold Tab (default key) while equipped with a melee weapon to block any other melee strikes. Remember though, you can’t block ranged shots!
  • After exiting the portal and mounting your gryphon, you can dive all the way to the ground without being forced to glide.
  • Players will no longer encounter a freeze or crash when a group member leaves their party in the middle of a match.
  • Compendium levels should now be selling for the appropriate amount during the play test.
  • Players should no longer encounter difficulty when attempting to leave a party while the party is in a live match.
  • The storm wall will no longer be invisible to players in a standard game match.
  • The ‘headshot’ area on a player-character has been revised and should now be somewhat less easy to hit.
  • Players are no longer able to heroic leap while in a downed state.
  • Pressing the F9 key should no longer cause the game client to hitch.
  • Pressing the ESC key will no longer open the settings menu while actively connecting to a game match.

User Interface

  • UI Overhaul: Both the lobby and in-game UI have undergone a massive overhaul for usability and performance.
  • Map and Mini-map: An updated and more detailed map and mini-map are now visible in-game, which should make buildings and roads more clear.
  • Players should no longer receive notifications stating ‘Unable to reach a game’ while they are in a group and not actively connecting to a match.
  • New notification windows for party invites have been added - players will no longer need to monitor their Friends window for updates.
  • Players will no longer crash occasionally while opening the map.
  • The Armory section of the lobby has been updated considerably and should now feature a variety of fixes, specifically with viewing your owned weapon skins.
  • Other player names will now be displayed correctly while a player is in a squad.
  • Player names should no longer be difficult to click from the lobby Friends menu.
  • The ‘Add Embers’ button should now refresh properly after a user purchases embers.
  • The ‘Create Account’ button has been fixed on the game launcher.
  • The ‘Forgot Your Password?’ button has been fixed on the game launcher.
  • Weapon previews from weapon bundles no longer need to be selected twice in order for the preview to be applied.
  • The ‘Add Embers’ page has undergone some general improvements and should no longer take a long time to load.
  • The ‘Press E to Revive’ notification will no longer remain visibly present after a party member has been revived.
  • Damage numbers will now be properly displayed when a player deals or receives damage.
  • Odd UI elements will no longer be displayed when a player is not victorious in a standard match.
  • Launching the game client through Steam should no longer temporarily display an odd patching notification.
  • Players may notice Network stats now displayed on their screen - this is for troubleshooting purposes.

Art

  • Root motion animations have been implemented for a better gameplay experience. 
  • Player surface angle additives were implemented. This will make it so characters will stand on hills correctly. 
  • Skin materials updated to reduce roughness. 
  • Implemented ponytail physics.
  • Some of Verra’s small creatures can now be found exploring around the map.  
  • Lobby lighting has been reduced to solve hotspot issues on player character. 
  • Emotes have facial animations! There may still be some issues with these, but we are working to resolve them. 
  • Horse animations have been improved and should look much better while making sharp turns and going up steep slopes.
  • Bright red particle effects will no longer be displayed when a player is on horseback in the storm.

Audio

  • Hitmarker Audio Feedback: You can now hear audio hitmarkers for both melee and ranged attacks, which will signal the difference between armor, no armor, and headshot hits. Headshot audio is present on ranged weapons only.
  • Distant Bow Shot Sounds: Audio has been updated to make more clear what direction distant bow shots are coming from.
  • Armor Break Audio: An audio cue now lets players know when their armor is depleted.
  • Out of Mana Audio: An audio cue now lets players know when their mana is depleted.
  • A bug that caused a sound to repeat endlessly while repeating the Darkness bow has been resolved.

Shop

  • Some items in the Shop have had their prices adjusted and now cost less. This includes the following items - Robes of the Azure Dragon, Platemail of the Light, Pyroclastic Barding, and Barding of the Skies. (Any users who have already purchased these will receieve their Embers refunded to their account at a later date. We'll notify everyone when this batch change occurs.)

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