[Megathread] Elder Scrolls Online

[DeltrusDisc]

Of course a thread about ESO has to turn into comparing graphics and gameplay of WoW to its competitors.

And no, Rift hasn't failed, why is it still succeeding and gaining NEW subscribers? Probably because it hasn't failed.

Rift looks a lot better than you guys are alluding to, maybe it's because your computers can't handle it, but they also severely updated the (needed it) low FX renderer for crap computers/laptops.

[hiragana]

I dont see why people dont just want both good gameplay and good graphics? Ive had great times in wow but ive never thought the graphics were impressive, i view it in kind of the same way that i still enjoy ps2 games, but kinda wish they looked like ps3 games. Also i suspect a lot of the hate towards other games animations is that were all so used to playing wow, when you actually look at the character animations they arent exactly impressive. Il be happy if TESO uses similar movement/animations to skyrim.

Edit. 1 thing i want from this mmo is to be able to choose my own log in menu setting, i know some people log in too fast to look at it, but for me it puts me in the mood for playing the game. Id love to be able to change it from snowy peaks to thick woodlands then maybe to a cosy inn, theres so many awesome looking areas in TES games. They could either include presets, or maybe include some way to record a short clip of an area, or just let people mod the login screen. Ive heard you can do this with wow but thats its against the ToS.

[Xargoth6634]

So I'm watching the "21 reasons" video, and I'm wondering how stealing from NPCs is going to work while playing with a whole world of other players, I definitely see some problems. Do they have respawn timers? If so, how long? Wouldn't they be camped? I've watched people play elder scrolls games and enjoyed it but never got around to playing myself, although it's been on my "to do" list. Excited about this game!

[hiragana]

. Do they have respawn timers? If so, how long? Wouldn't they be camped?

I wondered the same, surely you would get people on characters that are specifically designed for stealing, just so that they can clear out entire houses and sell the stuff off. Im guessing only the common stuff like iron bars or household crap like mugs would be available for stealing in large quantities. Though if they made it so that mining and such gave mats at a much faster rate then i guess if people want to camp mats on a long respawn timer that wouldnt be so bad.

[Pachycrocuta]

So far, my old complaint is the factions. I am getting so tired of factions in an MMO. It splits the potential social interactions, and in this case, only 33.3333% of players can play together. But I am sure it won't be too bad, hopefully.

As for the complaints of only being able to access 2 out of 4 regions... While it does suck, I am going to take a guess that each area will be extremely massive. And it helps cut down on sociopathic toxic interactions. Will cut down on the complaints of high levels 1-shotting people of much lower level. And being a single massive server, there would be an excessive amount of such complaints. It also helps to grow the number of people playing, as I am sure a lot of people giving this a try would instantly quit if they were to be instantly killed over and over by those "wonderful" people who get their jollies from ruining the play experience of others.

After playing a bit of Oblivion and starting up Skyrim, I am really looking forward to this game. And I really want it to succeed and be the best sandbox MMORPG. And hopefully people won't compare ESO with WoW, since they are completely different.

[JCrimson]

I always think to myself how great skyrim is but at the end of the day you are foreveralone.jpg. Im not asking for an mmo, simple co-op would make me happy but mmo sounds exciting!

[btf]

i wonder what kind of response they would get if they were to try a diff kind of subby method - - - - i mean, instead of having a monthly sub, or even a f2p and buying the extras u need, why not have a monthly sub to cater for what u need/want!!! - how about several diff fees which would cater to what you want out of the game

ie:- - the game starts with

10 areas
15 instances
3 raids
now
instead of a monthly fee/f2p u pay for what you want out of the game, for arguments sake(?) =
£3 p/m = 5 areas/5 instances/1 raid/gear rescricted(?)
£5 p/m = 7 areas/10 instances/2 raids/gear rescricted(?)
£7 p/m = all areas/all instances/all raids/all gear available

now obv this is just a very basic idea of what it could be, but i cant see why the dont go for this kind of payment method which would give most ppl an idea of how they could play the game, plus it gives a better number of how many subbys a game could have

[Throren]

i wonder what kind of response they would get if they were to try a diff kind of subby method - - - - i mean, instead of having a monthly sub, or even a f2p and buying the extras u need, why not have a monthly sub to cater for what u need/want!!! - how about several diff fees which would cater to what you want out of the game

ie:- - the game starts with

10 areas
15 instances
3 raids
now
instead of a monthly fee/f2p u pay for what you want out of the game, for arguments sake(?) =
£3 p/m = 5 areas/5 instances/1 raid/gear rescricted(?)
£5 p/m = 7 areas/10 instances/2 raids/gear rescricted(?)
£7 p/m = all areas/all instances/all raids/all gear available

now obv this is just a very basic idea of what it could be, but i cant see why the dont go for this kind of payment method which would give most ppl an idea of how they could play the game, plus it gives a better number of how many subbys a game could have

Paying extra cash to access content in a game that should be available to everyone is flat out terrible and I can bet you we won;t see it in TESO (thank god)

[Pachycrocuta]

Paying extra cash to access content in a game that should be available to everyone is flat out terrible and I can bet you we won;t see it in TESO (thank god)

Yep, and people would rage about it being "pay to win", which would technically be correct since you are paying to access things other people don't have access to, thus probably giving you an advantage (especially in the way the person you quoted described)

[vizzle]

Who knows, we don't know what they're like yet. Nobody ever expected TOR to turn out the way TOR did (nobody enthusiastic about it at least).

[Iso]

Not expecting much from this...I've learned my lesson.

[Deleted]

will this game have 360 controller support? any details on this? i much prefered skyrim with controller than i did mouse/keyboard, but it might be a bit hard with the action bar.

[LCDArcade]

will this game have 360 controller support? any details on this? i much prefered skyrim with controller than i did mouse/keyboard, but it might be a bit hard with the action bar.

I don't think so. Maybe, but I doubt it.

---------- Post added 2013-01-19 at 05:12 PM ----------

Hey what's ups everyone, here is a bunch of updated compiled information I wrote myself so hoe you enjoy. Most info came from the internal alpha. Personally I think this game should have its own sub-forum here on MMO but it may still be a little early haha. Below I have compiled a bunch of information for the game to get started including official gameplay videos, links to websites, podcasts and a original written summary of the different elements for the game by me. Hope you enjoy and let the speculations being!

WHY ESO?

ESO is being developed by Zenimax Studios in association with Bethesta. The focal point and thought behind this game was to not just create another generic MMO but to take an already beloved franchise and combine elements of online MMO play to create the best of both worlds that will satisfy the casual and hardcore RPG player base. The goal is to create a 100% authentic single player Elder scrolls experience with that online element.

STORY

The Elder Scrolls Online is set 1000 years before the events of Skyrim (sorry no dragons guys) during the second age where 3 allied factions are competing for control over the land and center of it all the land of Cyrodiil. These three factions are the Daggerfal Covanent (men & woman, redguard, orcs), Aldmeri Dominion (high elvs, wood elvs, khajit) and Ebonheart pact (Nord, Dark Elfs, Argonian). Once in the game your main single player objective is to retrieve your stolen soul by going through anything and everything that gets in your way. Subplot again revolves around these three factions battling to gain control over various land.

GAMEPLAY

ESO plays very similarly to the Elder scrolls games you already know and love. You have health, magica, and stamina. Stamina plays a very pivotal role in ESO just like it does in past ES games. A player is given a very easy to use skill hotbar similar to Diablo 3 in which you are only allowed 5 skills at a time to play with an extra button for ultimate attacks and another extra button for potions and other miscellaneous things. The interface is very simple and clean and leaves a lot of room to view the immense open world.

CHARACTERS

Characters can use and wear anything no matter your class or race. A mage can use a bow or 2-handed axe with heavy armor if you so please. Although anything is usable by everyone, there are of course benefits to a mage use a staff with light armor over an axe which would more beneficial to a Dragon Knight. That is where skill points come in which work exactly as they do in Skyrim. The more you level up and unlock skill points to use, you can place them in various categories like stamina, health, weapon expertise etc, that will give you passive bonuses to your character to help you excel in your preferred play style.

COMBAT

In ESO you have your choice of various camera styles to help accentuate how you like to play. There are options for the classic 1st and 3rd person view angles, side angles and the generic scroll in and out MMO style camera view. As mentioned above your main abilities will be used via the action bar witch can be swapped in and out (no specific details on this just yet). Your other basic attacks function just as they do in a normal ES game meaning your left click will perform a basic swing attack, right click will work as a block or activate your secondary weapon/item. The combat system overall is very fast paced meaning your effectiveness is determined by your timing and awareness. AI in ESO will be like nothing you have ever seen before. Like any monster in any game, creatures will have varying skill sets, but how they will use those skill sets will be determined by you the player. If a oil barrel is tipped over and you are standing in it, a monster can cast a fire spell and start to burn you alive igniting the oil. A group of creatures can help each other by casting buffs on one of them while the other is attacking in various ways. The same will go for players as well, strategic gameplay elements are everything in this game. For example a Dragon Knight could cast a defensive bubble in which a mage could later absorb as special spell that can be casted back at the enemy (combo attacks or copulations).

END GAME AND QUESTING

This game features the generic questing you would expect in any other game but with a twist. The quests feature phasing technology in which certain quests unlock various parts of the world and NPCs will react differently to you depending on what you have done. There are quest hubs but open world questing is a big part meaning you will not have to stick to a single area to progress; you see something interesting over in the distance, go check it out and complete that quest before continuing on. Dungeons, raids, world objectives, soloing, and world PvP are all part of the ESO experience.

WORLD PVP

PvP in ESO consists of a three faction war that takes place in the open world of Cyrodiil. There are no pre-designed battlegrounds or arenas in ESO, everything is world PvP which consists of numerous varying objectives including securing forts, collecting resources, repairing damages forts, and more with catapults and other various weaponry. Damaged forts that are taken control do not repair automatically and progress in real-time the longer a faction controls them. Territories are forced to deal with as various world events that take place that require action to be kept up to speed secured from the enemy. PvP and PvE will perform on a massive scale allowing over 200 players to be on screen at once.

MISC.

- Crafting is not in the game (could change who knows)
- Dungeon runs and mechanics change based on your last run through
- Possible to become ware wolves and vampires
- Scenery will BLOW YOUR MIND (screenshots and videos don't do it justice at all)

RELEASE & BETA

Currently ESO is slated to be released in the year 2013 with no specifics on a time frame. It has been announced the closed beta will take place in new couple of months (probably late February or March).

____________

Official Website - http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en
Official Announcement Trailer - http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en/media/videos/147
Official Gameplay Trailer - http://www.elderscrollsonline.com/en/media/videos/411

Below is a more in depth video I made to showcase my opinions and give a little more detail about the game.

[Dyros]

I know not to get too excited for MMO's these days, but honestly, Elder Scrolls is different enough and sports a big enough following to really hit it big. From what I've read and watched the company knows full well what its players don't want, and what to avoid in development. So long as they keep true to what previous games offered I think ESO will be fantastic.

[Poppincaps]

I have no idea if the end game will be any good, but I'm sure the questing experience will be worth the price of admission.

[Sterlin22]

Very interesting game, can't wait to play it. Little bummed out though by the lack of World PvP, just a PvP continent like in Guild Wars 2.

If you're in dire need of a game like this to play before the actual release of it, I advise Mortal Online, it's a freemium first person open world MMORPG with a lot of unique qualities.

[vizzle]

I know not to get too excited for MMO's these days, but honestly, Elder Scrolls is different enough and sports a big enough following to really hit it big. From what I've read and watched the company knows full well what its players don't want, and what to avoid in development. So long as they keep true to what previous games offered I think ESO will be fantastic.

Too bad they're not. You're not allowed to explore most of the world.

(Yes I will complain about this every chance I get.)

[Lazy Gecko]

I was casually optimistic about this game at first, but the more information that gets out the less excited I get. PvP only in Cyrodiil, factions restricted to their respective provinces, no alchemy... Doesn't help that I'm also fundamentally tired of theme park MMOs and I've already written off the cookie cutter PvE completely. The trend of raising questing standards to the same standards of single player, by literally turning them more into single player experience makes me feel developers have become so out of touch with what MMORPGs are supposed to be about in the first place.

The only future MMO I'm really looking forward to now is the next Everquest, which there's barely any info about but what they have said makes it sound infinitely more appealing than what the current competition is offering.

[Deleted]

The only future MMO I'm really looking forward to now is the next Everquest, which there's barely any info about but what they have said makes it sound infinitely more appealing than what the current competition is offering.

The road of high expectations leads only to bitter disappointment.

[Deleted]

The road of high expectations leads only to bitter disappointment.

Yeah I learned that from the last couple years. I made the mistake to jump onto the hype bandwaggon a lot. First was AION which turned out to be pretty crappy compared to the hype that was created. The following years had lots of MMOs thst got hyped so much but turned out to be kinda bad (SWTOR, Rift, AION, GW2).

So for TESO I kinda expext the worst so that the dissapointment isn't that big if it flops. Works well