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[General Article] Elder Scrolls Online: An Alternate Opinion
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Our own Bill Murphy has a list of the good and bad from our recent preview weekend, and I’d encourage you to check it out. But, like a doctor judging a problematic patient, he’s also asked me to chime in with a second opinion. While we agree on a several areas about what makes ESO a blast to play, I’m a little concerned about some of the game’s more vital organs.
Read more of Gareth Harmer's Elder Scrolls Online: An Alternate Opinion.
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Comments
I really like what I'm learning about the engine/crafting/etc.
The main thing I dislike is the zone / quest rails. It looks like can't go anywhere and die or take risks outside the limits of that railroad track. If a L1 cant stumble into a L45 giant that scares the jute out of me, its not very real.
-WL
Werewolf Online(R) - Lead Developer
Nice article
I myself was kinda dissapointed with teso, and the biggest reasons was the UI (somehow it lacks) and it didnt felt as MMORPG to me, for me a big deal. Also ... I decided not to play or look forward to any mmorpg that is developer for pc and consoles together again, because I hate how it is whole game is ''dumbed'' down to be playable on console, the ui, the combat, tje social, the graphics etc.
But because I already pre purchased the game i will give it try and level to max level to see what end game is about.
But the minute Wildstar is released, I know for sure, that i drop every existing game and acitivites in rl and play that for as long as possible, untill i drop out and then for many many months? Hope years
Either you didn't really play this game, or its already changed significantly since you have. Almost everything you said about the starter zone is incorrect, and I just finished it myself yesterday. I didn't feel like I was running erands, I felt like I had to find and help all of the villagers before the Covenant attacked and killed everyone. There were lots of other real people running around, and I even got friend requests. I was able to immediately start crafting. The chat box was so busy I had to work hard to ignore it.
There are still some bugs. I'm sure some of the things you were looking for will be implemented. It just seems like in an effort for you guys to find a differing opinion, what you did instead was something ignorant.
I'm going to agree with this. This article just seems to reach for things to be negative about just for the sake of being negative. While I don't think TESO will hold my interest for long due to the other two heavy hitters releasing this year, I have definitely pre-ordered and I have no doubt that the time I do spend with it will be enjoyable.
well written.
-you explained the starter zone perfectly!
-Free 2 play sayers need to calm down - it would not work for this game.
- the game feels alot like 'elder scrolls' on the solo instances. but a bit odd seein tons of players gathered around one quest giver.
- we will see where this goes...
Any game with a decent character creator is a plus but, from what I've read, the opening/tutorial story line is the painfully generic and over-used: "you were dead but now -- ta-da!!! -- you're alive again, and you have to go save the world!"
First impressions count for a lot with me, and leading off with such a tired and familiar "epic tale" trope is a major negative for me.
"The social systems lack cohesion and feel incomplete:
ESO’s social problems begin with the inordinate amount of time spent in Starter Island Purgatory, watching the chat box sit there like a dead parrot. It only starts to become useful some five hours in, by which time you’ve probably decided that it’s probably not worth speaking to anyone anyway."
If being social in a MMO means talking on general chat then I pity you. By the time you are on the Starter island you should be in your guild and chatting away.
If the only way we could talk in a MMO was in general chat I would regard MMO's as some sort of hell.
Did you even play? That can happen and it doesn't feel as you say , "On Rails".
If you want to be negative about ESO. You shouldn't be grasping for straws.
You should just point out what is probably going to be the biggest flaw at launch.
Since it's a Bethseda game, it's probably going to be a bit of a bug filled mess at launch.
Gonna have to agree with Erikkennedy. This game has changed a lot, and a lot of these press reviews seemed to be based on older beta information. Even the opening/introductory quest line has changed vastly. Chat was indeed very busy all weekend in all the zones I played in, quests weren't hum drum if you actually read them (I know, we're trained just to click through and follow an arrow now, my fault.) And the linear pathing everyone is complaining about with quests... Town quest, walk five minutes, kill, walk 5 minutes, return. Yea, not once. Exploration is encouraged, and if you didn't walk off the beaten path then you missed anywhere from 3-5 quests along the way as you either stared at the sky or ground towards your quest marker.
Are there bugs, yes, hopefully people are submitting bug reports in beta instead of just rushing back to their computers to blog about how bad a beta is. Yes I know it's near release, but some things aren't difficult to fix.
Fingers crossed it's less buggier than a Bethesda developed game. Not overly confident, Bethesda IS involved.
This links in a bit with how I feel.
Nor do I want subscription games to go free to play. I will choose the subscription game that is right for me and this is not it.
Nope, errand running. Follow the cat to the brother, wash the windows, throw pumpkins at hooligans, collect blasting fuses, open gates for townies....what is that but same old same old?
So a differing opinion that isn't yours and happens to be negative is ignorant? Hmmm...
Even though the game wasn't for me (Wish I could tell the positives but NDA) It has potential. wish i could say what those positives are, but it also needs more time to cook before serving to the masses. as it is if released right now, it would do fine but not great. it's needs more time maybe another 6 months to polish it up and possibly add player housing and some things which i can't tell you are missing due to NDA.
But it has potential but zenimax needs to eat some humble pie as well and either give everyone free access to imperial race and unlock all factions or public trust will not be there for them. first impressions count and they have started off on a bad foot with fans and new players alike. I just hope they put release off and give it more time it needs more flavor as it is right now it very bland.
"By all means, reach for the stars but you need to build the spaceship first"
I am still on the fence about this game. I really enjoy all the single player TES games since Morrowind, but this game simply is not like those games.
Combat has always been a major negative about TES games, as well as combat animations. That is something Bethesda (and now Zenimax) have always struggled with. They are very amateur at this. Skyrim had serious animation and combat issues that players fixed with mods. Oblivion had serious combat and animation issues that players fixed with mods. Morrowind had serious combat and animation issues that players fixed with mods....you get the idea. Players wont be able to fix this game, and that is a huge negative.
The fact that there is no physicality to combat is stark, and you get it as soon as you fight that first skeleton in the Molag tutorial zone. It's a sense of uneasiness that never leaves you as you progress through the game. That, and archery is awful. It's nothing like the single player games obviously and is a major let down to players wanting to shoot arrows at things....just an awful feeling, combat and archery while watching god awful animations.
The crafting system intrigues me, but that is not enough. Plus you have to wait until level 10 to start doing stuff....
There is something very SWTORish about this game, and that is not a good thing. They charge you for the box, and a monthly fee....and they have the nerve to put in "pre-order" race bonuses. The whole idea of charging people money for the game PLUS a sub is so you do not have to deal with this F2P cash shop mentality.
This game will go F2P. You can see it coming a mile away. It wont be the flop fest that SWTOR is/was because that game had massive expectations from a MMO perspective. There is very little expectation to this game. The same questions and feelings you had the day you heard about this game (several years ago) are still with you today.
I think your labelling the "hate" a little too strongly there fella. There's a difference between hate and letting the game pass by because its not for me.
Come April the 4th I will doing one of these:
Wildstar Beta
Playing WoW having preordered WOD in March
Playing some MOBA or FPS titles.
MISC 2 Months is a decent enough time for something else to come along!
This is where I think they messed up - they waited until you're done with the starter areas, of which there are a few to slog through, before it really opens up into the game it is. And by that time people have already quit and are filling up forum threads about how there is no exploration, is just linear, boring etc. And it's the player's fault somewhat for writing off the game before giving it a true shot (because the game truly does get exponentially better once done with the starter areas) but Zenimax really messed up by not making the starter areas more fun and for taking so long to get through them.
No offense to your tastes, but to be honest I wouldn't expect many players who show the interest in games you do to be someone that would enjoy ESO much.
Non taken.
My long haul games to play are things like Camelot Unchained, EQNext (maybe) and or Star Citizen/Elite Dangerous.
Everything else are just time fillers really.
WTF????
Every other post is either telling the OP he's dead on or telling the OP he's dead wrong.
Which is it?