The Elder Scrolls Online

[Magician]

I'm starting a thread for this game because I'm mildly interested. Unfortunately, it sounds as though ZeniMax will be asking for a subscription fee. $15 a month in fact. Since the next-gen consoles will be getting a port of TESO I'll be on this for the 30-day free trial and then perhaps an additional month after that. But after that I probably won't return to it until it inevitably goes f2p.

 

[Mac91]

Excited by the 'Elder Scrolls' bit, not so much by the 'Online'.

 

[ViolentStorm]

I might have gone for £4.99 a month, but £9 a month is a bit much on top of the game price, that's over £150 ($230) in the first year.

 

[cannonball]

I see subscription fees as a good thing for MMORPGs. I have yet to play a F2P MMORPG that wasn't a second rate, generic, waste of time with all of the stupid microtransactions and core game mechanics built around siphoning money out of the players on a constant basis. At least with a sub based game you know they'll be putting their time into quality content and not microtrans.

 

[trenog]

I see subscription fees as a good thing for MMORPGs. I have yet to play a F2P MMORPG that wasn't a second rate, generic, waste of time with all of the stupid microtransactions and core game mechanics built around siphoning money out of the players on a constant basis. At least with a sub based game you know they'll be putting their time into quality content and not microtrans.

Sub into FTP usually works out best I think. Get all that consistent money down up front and then when the FTP switch hits you've got a game that was based on real production values, a core that gets set up nicely for their legacy accounts, and then the cheapos that spend more money then the monthly would have cost on cosmetic parts.

 

[Magician]

I'm just trying to wrap my head around the fact that this will be a TES that has been balanced for mmo play. The thing I love about the TES series is building a character that is borderline unstoppable. I know that won't be tolerated here. There's PvP, and so there must be checks and balances in the rpg system.

Building a character for party play and searching for proper guild support will be an unusual style of gaming for me.

 

[NeoSneth]

TES was never balanced, and this game wont be either.

Graphics are years behind.

This game is a mistake for the franchise.

I might try it anyways.

 

[Magician]

TES was never balanced, and this game wont be either.

Maybe. But I doubt you'll see players running around with 100% reflect melee damage, 100% resist magic, and/or 100% resist ailments.

 

[Ghost-Dog]

It just seems to me like taking TES, where your character is the badass, and turning it into an MMO where there will be thousands of others just like you takes some of the core appeal away.

 

[Magician]

Bump, for The Arrival CG trailer.

 

[Mac91]

After playing it on the beta, I think I'm not actually going to get it. I just couldn't get used to the MMORPG style.

 

[NeoSneth]

I did 4 beta sessions for ESO, and every bit of it is terrible. Every time I went back I expected things to get better, it just didnt happen. This is worse than most MMO's when it comes to early launches.

It's trying to be an MMO and an Elderscrolls game at the same time. That is where is flops.
In addition to that, it's trying to be a PC game and a Console game. It destroys the interface in the process.

The only way to make this game playable is to tell yourself it's Multiplayer Skyrim.

Your race locks you into a faction. Which means friends are going to be rerolling all over the place. Unless you pre order, then you can play any race and any faction. (hint, this means they realize this was poor game design)
You take the dreadful interface of skyrim, and make it worse. I assume this is to accommodate console gamers, but it feels like trying to hand-write a paper with your offhand. It's awkward, clunky, and ugly.
The open style of Elder Scrolls is gone. There's a clunky quest system instead.

Heed the warnings. Play something else.

 

[Fritz]

I see this going the way of AoC and the rest rather quickly. Admittedly I only made it to level 8, but I was also not overly impressed. I am really not looking to pour 100's of hours into an average or slightly above average MMO. Historically combat hasn't been elder scrolls strong suite so making a mmo / ES hybrid combat system may not be the best option. Graphically it doesn't hold up to skyrim.

 

[RBjakeSpecial]

Thank you for all of the info. I'm a big Elder Scrolls fan and was worried about this game. It's going be interesting to see the reaction to the official release and the possible negative effects it may have on the franchise as a whole.

I think all the fans ever wanted was a way to play Skyrim with 2-4 players and all play in the same world. I know there are some mods that allow it, but they looked unfinished. The ability to just load up your character and do some things in a friends game would be amazing and well worth Bethesda's time and energy to do it.

Silly game makers...

 

[Fritz]

I think all the fans ever wanted was a way to play Skyrim with 2-4 players and all play in the same world.

They are planning pvp battles involving 200 people, hence the need to keep the graphic requirements in check.

 

[NeoSneth]

Thank you for all of the info. I'm a big Elder Scrolls fan and was worried about this game. It's going be interesting to see the reaction to the official release and the possible negative effects it may have on the franchise as a whole.

I think all the fans ever wanted was a way to play Skyrim with 2-4 players and all play in the same world. I know there are some mods that allow it, but they looked unfinished. The ability to just load up your character and do some things in a friends game would be amazing and well worth Bethesda's time and energy to do it.


Silly game makers...

Modded Skyrim blows this game away.
I am worried this is the end of Elder Scrolls for at least a decade until the bitter taste is gone.

It's just fails as a game. I think there might be something playable there in 12 months, but I hate getting into an MMO so late in the game. At least at that point it will have gone free to play. No doubt.

 

[Mac91]

I think all the fans ever wanted was a way to play Skyrim with 2-4 players and all play in the same world.

I personally wouldn't, however I can see why lots of people would like that. Bethesda should do that though, it would keep the game it features in playable for a much longer time.

I'm a much more solitary person I suppose!

 

[2D_mastur]

If I can't be a practically unstoppable juggernaut, then it's really not the TES that I used to love.

 

[Mac91]

You know when you a on a quest and the minimap shows the exact place where you need to go? I want that gone. I don't even want 'Talk to Aelwyr in Riverwood Trader' shit, I just want it to be as ambiguous as possible. It's too easy; you're in a dungeon and you are told exactly which way to go.

 

[Jassin000]

Modded Skyrim blows this game away..

This!

Also, while I understand the point about F2P vs. Subscription quality... Paying a monthly fee for anything isn't cool, especially 15$ for a game thats 180$ a year! Fuucccck NO!

 

[MilkManX]

I would rather have had an Elder Scrolls that was like Diablo III/Phantasy Star Online. A party system and then group adventuring. So far no MMO has really grabbed me.

 

[cannonball]

I would rather have had an Elder Scrolls that was like Diablo III/Phantasy Star Online. A party system and then group adventuring. So far no MMO has really grabbed me.

An elder scrolls ARPG would be pretty amazing. I'd also rather see that than an MMORPG. ARPGs are in style right now after D3 and Path of Exile. It'd be the perfect time to strike.

 

[Jassin000]

Rumor has it they experimented with a few different gameplay styles (one of them being an overhead mouse a-la Diablo) before public outcry dictated it return to the series roots.

Honestly I think ESO has a great potential, but will ultimately fall flat for many (subscription fees being one) reasons. The only thing I (and I believe most other fans too) really wanted from the start was a multiplayer version of Skyrim. Maybe even uniting all previous locations from Daggerfall, Morrowind and Oblivion into one massive world map. Pushing the graphics engine even further, adding more items, time dependent/sensitive quests and group/team only quests.

 

[GutsDozer]

I'm interested but yeah the sub fees are a little to steep.

 

[MilkManX]

Rumor has it they experimented with a few different gameplay styles (one of them being an overhead mouse a-la Diablo) before public outcry dictated it return to the series roots.

Honestly I think ESO has a great potential, but will ultimately fall flat for many (subscription fees being one) reasons. The only thing I (and I believe most other fans too) really wanted from the start was a multiplayer version of Skyrim. Maybe even uniting all previous locations from Daggerfall, Morrowind and Oblivion into one massive world map. Pushing the graphics engine even further, adding more items, time dependent/sensitive quests and group/team only quests.

Well I don't mean change the "visual" look of it IE 1st person/3rd person. I just mean a 1-6 player co-op style P2P game would be awesome in the Elder Scrolls.