If there's one thing I've never really seen players complain about, it's a developer being too transparent. Oftentimes game development is shrouded in shadows, hidden behind an impenetrable curtain, for better or worse. But, in a new Reddit thread, Intrepid Studios, the developer of Ashes of Creation, has come under fire for publicly announcing its internal deadlines, some of which haven't yet been met. In response, creative director Steven Sharif has urged fans to keep a level head, noting that the team will maintain its transparent approach to development going forward, whether some players like it or not.
Following the team's latest reveal on Wednesday April 30, which showcased a slew of new material for Ashes of Creation's Alpha 2 test, some players have been quick to criticize the addition of gorgeous new ocean zone the Turquoise Sea, and the eerie Jundark Jungle.
While the MMORPG's update adds everything from ship sailing to a brand-new starting area, some players believe that Intrepid still hasn't fulfilled earlier promises, including the addition of Guild Banks, which was meant to happen late in Alpha 2 Phase 2, currently in progress and set to run until Monday August 4.
"For every system promise [Intrepid] fails to deliver on, something else gets pushed into the game that it didn't set any date for," writes one player on the game's official subreddit. "I don't believe Intrepid on promised dates at all anymore when it consistently overpromises but under-delivers on key system features."
Sharif explains that this is because different teams work on different parts of the game, leading to individual features shipping when they're ready. The original poster then replies "just stop giving dates for systems then please," noting that "I like being pleasantly surprised by y'all adding biomes without expected time releases, but providing expected dates for core systems to change multiple times over without actually changing them has left a bad taste for a lot of us. "
In response, Sharif doubles down on the team's decision to provide projected release dates, stating: "When we provide development updates, you will notice we always say that development is a moving train, and subject to change. This often gets overlooked by many who see our updates on features or roaps as 'promises' when in fact they are given as targets and goals. Some will hit, some will miss. That is the nature of open development.
"While you may wish we stop providing that level of insight, many do not. And we have made the deliberate choice to be open with our development, even when that means we miss some of those goals.
"There is an entire game development discipline devoted to production, in helping to bring order to chaos," Sharif continues. "An MMO is the most kind of chaos imaginable in game development, especially one as complex as Ashes is trying to be. This is why managing that development while also trying to showcase it in an open fashion can be difficult and at times a double-edged sword. But all in all, our scope is well defined and documented publicly on the Wiki."
As someone who's signed up to try Ashes of Creation but simply hasn't found the time, the new zones look absolutely gorgeous. Maybe Alpha 2 Phase 3 will be my time to shine – especially because you can now play as a Rogue – but we'll have to wait and see.
In the meantime, check out our list of all the best fantasy games if Ashes of Creation's high fantasy feel is what intrigues you.
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