Ardoris needs an overhaul

I was just looking at the concept art for Ardoris and there is so much more detail shown for the city. But when walking through the streets in the game everything looks the same and the streets are empty.

It may be hard to include more items to make the city look more alive and detailed as Ardoris is the biggest city right now and there are some performance issues but an empty looking city is not what one of the biggest cities of Novia should look like...

 

Unless they completely revamp it, I know I won't be living there, that's for sure. The row housing repetition is the definition of boring. I mean, you can't even place a vendor outside if you don't use the default row house (stone? nope!) so no-one wants to use their other houses, even if they do have them. Result: every street has an overly familiar "wasn't I just here?" feel.

It's a silly place.

 

You can also use the stucco houses on the housing vendor (can't remember the exact name). I think they are much prettier and have a bit of a shop window.

 

So, based on this map of Ardoris, from build 378, R26, where is the shop "Magical Oddities" ?

This is the in-game map, btw, that you get from the boatman.

 

That's probably Digit's store. He sells gust balls and small oddly shaped skulls.

 

more players + more npc will do the trick
all in time

 

More players? Not in single player mode

I am also missing potted plants, vines and other items like vases etc. Also the streets look so bland. Maybe there should be different textures, some puddles of water etc. Simply more details.

 

good news on that, they just created a bunch of those assests with the artiface entrance, they could go back and add them else where now.

 

My point was more that the map is nigh unreadable, at any zoom level. (on the topic of overhaul)

 

Considering how many more towns they have to add before the land rush I can't see them spending much time on the old ones before then.

 

I would love to see NPC boatmen shuttling people around here and there in those little boats.

 

NPCs in general just need to be more lively all over.

 

I believe they have stated several times that each major city is a continuing WIP. Ardoris will (I hope!) receive some more love pre-wipe.

 

Like I said in my thread on NPC towns this is not an isolated thing, every city requires an overhaul. But, unfortunately between now and july this just seems like they do not have enough time.....even now and Dec seams like not enough time.

Now, NPC's are way to low in each town(yes there are more then in U7 but the towns are nowhere near the same size) and makes the town feel like an apocalypse happened.

Adoris is one of the more unique ones and one needing a lot of work.

 

I agree that Ardoris is missing....something.

One suggestion is to revisit the white pavers added in the main drag. While they do help as a city guide, and remind me of something in UO, they also seem just a little too starkly contrasting to me. Like they don't belong there. It gives me the sense that the local rulers moved in an added a small piece of their culture on top of what was there. If that is intended in the lore, then ok.

 

Also they are way too clean. As if someone would be constantly scrubbing them.

 

Ardoris is austere, has little greenery and could use some "pepping-up" to make it more vibrant. The only people I meet walking through town outside the main square are guards, who all look the same.

And yet...Ardoris is still my favorite town. Built on a island, the city founders had to make use of every square inch. The bridges you have to cross to get from one part of town to another remind me of Venice. Performance issues need to be addressed before more life is breathed into the town, but I am hopeful that over time, Ardoris will seem more alive.

 

Ardoris is probably one of the best cities so far. If anything I didn't really like the most recent tile "improvement" but oh well. There is still a lot of room to keep adding more stuff too.. Especially the side areas, the taverns area (SW area) and somehow all the players area.

There is probably a need for a mini sewers area as well?

 

Ardoris is described as "City of Sequanna, the Titan of Love. The port of Ardoris is a center commerce and culture, known for its majestic ancient canals."

Sorry, but where is the culture? There are zero cultural buildings, save for perhaps the Titan statue, which not a single NPC even knows what you're referring to, despite it being the centerpiece of the city.

Just shops and player housing and vendors and player housing and an empty tavern and player housing and two ghost-town unused palaces where nothing happens and did I mention there's player housing. And its majestic ancient canals are currently unused by anyone...except player housing. If this is the "Venice" of Novia, they have a ton more work to meet that real-world counterpart. This city needs to be bustling with activity for both commerce and culture. Here's hoping the polish they have scheduled in upcoming releases will make this city much more vibrant

 

I do feel like Ardoris is basically the Vesper of New Britannia, with more refined buildings. But it doesn't really feel the same with its island-to-island aesthetic, does it?

The housing does sort of feel like it took over a little.