Ashes Of Creation Seeks To Recreate The Authentic Medieval Tavern Experience
There’s nothing quite like hanging out in a tavern with your buddies after completing a quest, guzzling down ale, while listening to crude tavern music, and eyeing that shady character in the corner. Or, you can jump up and down on the tables while going through your entire list of emotes. However you spend your time in the tavern, we can all probably agree that it’s an integral part of the MMORPG world and Ashes of Creation is dedicated to capturing that authentic tavern atmosphere as best as they can. Yes, even the music.
“Many adventures begin in a humble tavern. I’m sure many of you have memories from pen and paper adventures that begin in a small town, with a small town tavern and small town problems. Over time, it becomes a headquarters. You go there to rest, to eat, to hear gossip and meet friends. It’s a home away from home and your connection to the world when you’re not on a quest. What makes a dimly lit, odd smelling, drunk-patron-having tavern a great place? It’s the atmosphere, it’s the people, it’s the feeling you get, and it’s the memories. We’re going to try to capture this feeling of home best we can, and we have some cool ideas to make this happen.”
Taverns in Ashes of Creation, however, will be more than just places to goof around while looking or waiting for groups. They will be player-owned areas where other players will be able to purchase consumable food and drink and have access to a tavern-wide private chat, battle maps that they can use to plan attacks, rentable rooms, and parlor games. Players who spend enough time in the tavern will also get an experience boost when “rested”. “We want to include systems that have you staying inside the building, and enjoying what the owner has created,” says Intrepid. “It’s a nice reward for taking a break, and means that not being 'active' in the questing or hunting sense still lets you reap the rewards of having been so.”
Taverns will also have bulletin boards where the owner can post quests. Other players can also purchase a spot on the board for their own quests. The studio hopes that these systems will make taverns a hub of activity and a repository of information. “Since our maps don’t illuminate when a point of interest becomes active, Taverns act as a large source or regional information. A haunted tomb has been uncovered, a cave with kobolds (sound familiar, Tavern starters?) or a sprite-filled forest are all points of interest that will be passed by word of mouth in Taverns.”
You can head over to the Ashes of Creation official site for more info on taverns, or you can watch the Intrepid team and their Halloween shenanigans after the break.
