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A Very Simple Solution...
Caliburn101
Member Posts: 636
There is a lot of hype about how any kind of compromise on explorability and faction lock is impossible at this stage and would require so much change it will never be done.
But the answer to more exploration and no other consequences is not a complicated one.
The war is already completely illogical - faction leaders fighting over who is emperor and then giving it away because of a vote of their minions?
Please...
Invisible walls; 'just add water' instant mountain ranges (that crumble to nothing in later times); Hadrians Wall Mk 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 ad nauseam... or however the absolute faction lock will 'work'.
The simple fact is - there are so many logical holes in the faction set-up already, why would intruducing another fairly mild one which consequently made TES-style exploration fans happier, be a problem?
Anyway...
... here it is.
1. Allow anyone to travel anywhere without being PvP flagged except in Cyrodil.
2. Add voiceovers which randomise a culturally flavoured insult or snide comment from guards and vendors whilst interracting with an enemy faction player. Make prices higher for enemy faction members etc.
"Come back here once we have beaten your faction in Cyrodil and I will shoot an arrow in YOUR knee - damn troll-brained Nords!"
3. Gate faction-only quests and dungeons (if and where they exist...)
"We need someone who has a chance of succeeding on this quest Bretonian, not some pint-sized southern weakling - now begone!"
Job done.
Easy.
The explanation? (as if the game really needs a logical one after the one used for the way the war works...)
The threat from Molag is too great to risk all-out, all-regional war. All the leaders agree. Thus outside of Cyrodil, enemies are bound not to fight one another. If orders from faction leaders isn't enough, let's say the Mages Guild did a ritual drawing on the power of Oblivion - a unique ability they have JUST FOR NOW as the anchors make the two realms closer than they have ever been. So magically, people can't fight except in Cyrodil, there Molag's proximity obstructs the ritual. Hell, maybe Molag set it up that way, maybe the Psijic Order did it with a Dwemer artefact - WHO CARES!
This is a relative doddle to program, makes about as much sense as any other part of the 'metaplot' already rolled out, and allows nearly full exploration without detracting from factional PvP one bit!
I for one will be at least as motivated to have 'factional pride' if the guards and vendors insults are good - probably more motivated than I would be just because the big bad enemy built some walls I wasn't allowed to go around...
Comments
I like this idea, good post.
I had a chat with my wife - who is herself a developer, and besides rolling her eyes and telling me there were still a fair number of variables, she said this would not be a big problem assuming (amongst a few lesser issues) that Zenimax's claim about most PvE content beng doable outside of questlines etc. was in fact accurate...
... and that the voice acting could be done within a month or two in parallel with other changes.
Or, you can assume that each "realm" will be as big as any other ES game (except Daggerfall lol) and that exploration will be there in spades. I've said it before, but you couldn't explore Elsewyr or Morrowind or Hammerfell in ES V: Skyrim. I was ok with that.
Balance. Alliance identity. Give it a chance. We can always bitch later (and probably will.)
http://www.mmorpg.com/blogs/PerfArt
It would be a vast improvement from my point of view.
But there is so much that is possible to improve the current design, doub't they are going to look at stuff like that. It falls too far outside their trying to copy DAOC design.
That was pretty much my solution as well.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
If Zenimax stated they would put in a server or megaserver shard with this set up within 6 months of launch I'd just about accept that.
I also suspect the migration to it would be HUGE...
Sorry but I simply get frustrated when people say changes cannot happen because of the time the game has been in development. If the game fails to work or has glaring problems, both gameplay or bugs, then things must be done. ANY project has a timeframe but at the same time you cannot ignore issues. The issues must be looked at and if neccessarry the project changed or even stopped.
The game is NOT too far along. Especially a damn MMO where development doesn't stop, even post release.
There will always be those who claim 'it cannot be done'.
Fortunately, human history is replete with those who didn't agree...
... and thus we aren't living in caves, fire-hardening sharp sticks which we just found over fires started accidentally by lightning - because we thought that sharpening sticks or starting fire ourselves 'couldn't be done'...
Yeah, working on projects and see them fail by project leads who have the same attitude gives me no tolerance for such narrowminded foolishness. At best their attitude wastes resources, at worse it makes a project fail or miss targets.
On such blinkered vision and casual arrogance are collapses of games companies based...
... look at Funcom and their financial death-dive following the consistent lack of regard for the suggestions of AoC fans as a prime example.
Release is far more important than we give it credit for... remember AoC?
The thing that sucks is you couldn't explore all of Tamriel in Skyrim and when we finally get a game that makes it possible, they lock off the territories.
Even if Firor would make changes, which I doubt he would even consider. I honestly dont think he could.
Hes a 1 trick pony and DAOC is his rabbit in the hat.
10 years ago he helped make DAOC. Since he left Mythic, what other games has he developed? none. 10 years later, when he finally has a chance to Dev another game what does he do? Uses his old DAOC model.
Not only that, but he re-worked the already established IP he aquired to fit his DAOC model
To me that shows absolutely no creativity or artistic insight what-so-ever.
Hes like someone who plays the same patterns in chess because ONCE he won a game using that method
Bringer of Eternal Darkness and Despair, but also a Nutritious way to start your Morning.
Games Played: Too Many
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
I love Skyrim, and it does not bother me one little bit to me that there are three realms in ESO.
It's a plus.
I will have great fun playing three characters, one from each.
...from what I hear, it will be making a comeback in TES 6. I rather enjoyed that system as well but I don't think we'll see it in ESO.
Being able to explore...yeah that includes and can actually only mean just being able to look around. Why is that a problem?
I hope you're right. I loved that too.
Note: for those of you who may have forgotten... http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Magic_(Arena)
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
Yeah the spellmaking was one of my favorite parts too.
As for creativity, that comes from too much time, not enough information, the information we have so far being really uninspiring and a nasty feeling that the TES name is being used to try and release the only idea that Matt Frior has rattling around in that noggin of his. As with anything, if you see someone doing something and it makes you cringe it is natural to try and do something about it.
It's very lear you never played DAoC or you would understand how integral not being able to interact with the other side is to immersion, realm pride, and motivation to fight.
Yeah we're at war! But you can hang out in our bar and no one will do anything about it.
Absolutely moronic idea.
You could easily expand on that by having PvE quests originate on your Factions side, but must be done in the PvE areas of the other Factions. Spying, Sabotage, Assassinations, Theft, etc.
You could add the ability for the players of the enemy Faction to be able to "sight and verify" you and call for a roaming guard patrol to engage and take you out.
Now you would also have to make it so the main Faction cities are so fortified and the guards extremely tough as to avoid mass enemy PC zergs (limit the # of enemy PCs on opposing Faction sides per campaign/mirror), but you could make the outer areas closer to the other Factions borders less fortified and more accessable to enemy encounters.
Expand your mind and think outside that DAOC triangle. Its easy if you try.
Bringer of Eternal Darkness and Despair, but also a Nutritious way to start your Morning.
Games Played: Too Many
The game is named Elder Scrolls Online, not DAoC2. They made the decisions about this 'faction war' to fit that, not because of some overarcing great story or plot idea.
Where's your realm pride with my three alts in different regions so that I can see each area? I most likely will rarely be involved in the conflict in Cyrodil. Take that, Realm Pride!
Cookie cutter design.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.
I remember when I first played Daggerfall, I thought it was perhaps the most expansive game out there. When I got Morrowind, I was kinda disappointed that I was restricted to only 1 island, in 1 area Tamriel. The graphics (at the time) were far better however, and the story was pretty damn good as well.
The one thing that I kept thinking while playing Morrowind however was; man if they ever decided to go back to opening the entire world, that would be one hell of an MMO.
Then came Skyrim for me (didn't play much Oblivion really), and once again I thought that if they can put That level of detail, but into the entire world of Nirn, that would be a slam dunk.
Now we are looking at Teso, and I am finally able to once again explore the entirety of Tamriel...oh wait...I'm not really. Not unless I decide to roll 3 toons, on opposing factions. I am not pleased.
But, I will most likely check it out, it is elder scrolls after all, and they haven't done me too wrong with that franchise yet (I choose to forget Battlespire
)
'Just do all these changes', ignores both the difficulty of doing game re-development and the real world business issues.
Much as I'd like to see some of these ideas implemented, many of you really are just tremendously unaware of how serious that endevour would be.
If you are holding out for the perfect game, the only game you play will be the waiting one.