Trials of Ascension, Shady Practices and the Big Crowdfunding Debate

[Orange Joe]

I was not planning to get too much into a discussion, but to such a rational question im glad to join. Just searched the link. I hope i got the right one:
(can't post links yet) The Caretaker

Lets say first that those games are very different. First to me ToA seems to have better graphics, by far. Second , care taker is an action game and seemingly a single player, tho i haven't seen multi or single on the front page. Even if it got a multi player aspect it is still far from an MMO. They don't have achieved anything like ToA. ToA has a incomparably better combat system, with enormous potential to rise in the future because of it's freedom. It has prob much better crafting system , if Caretaker even has one. THe world in ToA will be dynamically changing and not by a script. Just these i mentioned are enormous differences in what a game asks to get created. They already have done a chunk, if you followed it on the forums.

I think the demo alone from ToA requires more work that the caretaker requires as a whole game. I'm even hoping we will be able to play the demo when it is ready ourselves from the site. That would be awesome to cut the time until it gets developed.


It would be much easier if people actually followed ToA's progress, it would be much easier to reference and compare.

Has a better combat system? Has would imply it's already made. Can you show me a video of said combat system?

[Kelimbror]

Has a better combat system? Has would imply it's already made. Can you show me a video of said combat system?

I've got four words for you: Double shield windmill arms. *drops mic*

[destia]

http://trialsofascension.com/store/product/dragon-helm this looks amazing i really want to buy them all now

[Yunru]

This looks almost totaly stolen from FOR RO DAH.

[Kyanion]

This is still my favorite thread over there in which people lose their shit over two god awful screenshots. Mainly that the 2nd screenshot just shows how bad the first one is, by the weird sand, the water clipping against the ground in the background and just how odd those armors look.

We've beaten to death our concerns with the games, and the posters from their forums just try to deflect things and ignore important issues. First of all if this game was being thought of 12 years ago they were looking to compete with Everquest and some of the other smaller MMOs from back then. But the important things I have tried to highlight is what happened with all of the stuff from back then? Where did the 'lore' go? Where do the written up history go? What had actually been done? Was it all destroyed? And if so, why?

Assuming that none of that stuff survived and they've been working on this stuff in Unity since last year, where is everything to show that progress is being made? As highlighted by Pizzaman199 on post 1475 there is very little work being shown. Podcasts and blogs are not evidence of work being done. I could make a blog and say "Man I wrote 300 pages of lore this month!" that does not mean I actually did a damn thing. And if you want to fall back on the combat video, dynamic spawning video and a handful of screenshots...well yeah that shows very little work in the past year.

[Edge-]

This is still my favorite thread over there in which people lose their shit over two god awful screenshots.\

I...um...what?

Yeah, I've been skeptical up till now at the claims that their forums are almost exclusively populated by devs, but now there's no way anything else can be true. Like...I may as well pull a few screenshots of various free assets from Unity or another game engine, overlay them in photoshop (or hell, MS paint would work) and throw it out to see if they'd praise it as much. Because that's just about as exciting as those screenshots.

[Kyanion]

I...um...what?

Yeah, I've been skeptical up till now at the claims that their forums are almost exclusively populated by devs, but now there's no way anything else can be true. Like...I may as well pull a few screenshots of various free assets from Unity or another game engine, overlay them in photoshop (or hell, MS paint would work) and throw it out to see if they'd praise it as much. Because that's just about as exciting as those screenshots.

I know right? Some of the posts are like that and they just eat up anything the devs put out with no care in the world about how most people would view that as something pretty bad in 2014.

[Fliptables]

Looks great! I'll have to turn down my graphics regardless, but the sky/clouds look gorgeous! Best sky I've seen in a game.

OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG

seriously this is SOOOOOO GOOOOD

I have no words to express what I feel seeing that. Gorgeous, just gorgeous.

I. Just. Shit. Myself.

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is just beyond ridiculous.

[Kyanion]

Same kind of thing in this thread when they see concept art for dragons. Yeah it is dragons, that is cool, it is concept art...not what they'd be like in game. But does not stop them from starting the love fest.

[Edge-]

This is just beyond ridiculous.

Yeah, I'm wondering who they think they're fooling at this point. It's like they're a parody of themselves.

[Kelimbror]

What's more hilarious is how he tries to portray what they are doing as advanced 3d rendering or something:

The physics based rendering/lighting really helps make the world pop because it bases its rendering properties off of, well, real life physics. A ray of light bounces, defracts, difusses into the environment around, and this rendering system simulates just that.

In case anyone didn't know, I made things that looked better than this is 3DS Max when I was in high school. To reference that time frame, we played original counter strike when the teacher wasn't paying attention.

[Kyanion]

Yeah, I'm wondering who they think they're fooling at this point. It's like they're a parody of themselves.

Yeah I mean some of these people are real of course and if they are really that fooled by this sort of thing...*shakes head* It is why I am starting to view those forums as some sort of cult.

[Sunaka]

To be fair, the sky does look pretty good, but I have no reason to believe it's their doing.

But ya, they still aren't doing much to really defend the points, just referring to the blog. And still referring to Kickstarter backer donations when comparing to the store. Kickstarter needs full funding before those gifts happen... ToA is taking money realtime without guaranteeing the purchase. Brax even said they're including taxes on the stuff, basically saying they're indeed purchases. Calling them charitable donations after that is...ya...

I give you credit for actually engaging us. Hopefully you can allow yourself enough objectivity to see that you were fed lies.

Objectivity leans toward Azrile, even if some of his claims aren't backed up.

[Kyanion]

To be fair, the sky does look pretty good, but I have no reason to believe it's their doing.

But ya, they still aren't doing much to really defend the points, just referring to the blog. And still referring to Kickstarter backer donations when comparing to the store. Kickstarter needs full funding before those gifts happen... ToA is taking money realtime without guaranteeing the purchase. Brax even said they're including taxes on the stuff, basically saying they're indeed purchases. Calling them charitable donations after that is...ya...

Yup I saw that as well. I'm not a person with any type of knowledge of how those laws work but "paying taxes on donations" seems like a grey area but factor in they are a for profit company and who really knows. I am curious if they are digging their own grave by some of those statements though.

[Deleted]

This is still my favorite thread over there in which people lose their shit over two god awful screenshots.

"Nice! This does bring about some questions: What will the system requirements be for ToA? Will it require a DX11 capable video card? How much RAM and what generation of CPU do you think will be needed? "

I nearly cried from laughing.

[Kyanion]

"Nice! This does bring about some questions: What will the system requirements be for ToA? Will it require a DX11 capable video card? How much RAM and what generation of CPU do you think will be needed? "

I nearly cried from laughing.

Haha I thought someone might notice that one. I love how it never gets answered as well. I am really curious to hear the answer so I can laugh some more.

[Deleted]

http://trialsofascension.com/store/product/dragon-helm this looks amazing i really want to buy them all now

ONLY 15 PER SERVER!!!!!!

"Better yet, buy the entire inventory for the server of your choice and be the ONLY one able to craft it!!"

I can't even.

[Kelimbror]

Haha I thought someone might notice that one. I love how it never gets answered as well. I am really curious to hear the answer so I can laugh some more.

I saw it, saw it go unanswered, and knew I could single out the only real poster in the thread. It was that guy. That poor guy.

[Juvencus]

We've beaten to death our concerns with the games, and the posters from their forums just try to deflect things and ignore important issues. First of all if this game was being thought of 12 years ago they were looking to compete with Everquest and some of the other smaller MMOs from back then. But the important things I have tried to highlight is what happened with all of the stuff from back then? Where did the 'lore' go? Where do the written up history go? What had actually been done? Was it all destroyed? And if so, why?

Assuming that none of that stuff survived and they've been working on this stuff in Unity since last year, where is everything to show that progress is being made? As highlighted by Pizzaman199 on post 1475 there is very little work being shown. Podcasts and blogs are not evidence of work being done. I could make a blog and say "Man I wrote 300 pages of lore this month!" that does not mean I actually did a damn thing. And if you want to fall back on the combat video, dynamic spawning video and a handful of screenshots...well yeah that shows very little work in the past year.

My guess is Hero Engine lawyers claimed all their "work" under copyright infringement.

No really, I have no idea, but if I had to guess it would be that :P

...or you know...there was nothing to move over to Unity >.>

[Fliptables]

Some might have missed this gem, this is the 1993 2013 kickstarter video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J92NKM79BUI

I'm still shaking from that sick man vs spider scene at 1:10 - 1:45, that was some over the top intense shit.

WoW killer hype!