Feels like a single player game

mark2123

Playing ESO is much like playing other Elder Scrolls game.  So, they really need to sort this out before expecting people to play a monthly sub for a game that 90%+ of can be solod and it feels like you are soloing.

I am not bored yet, but unless they figure out who to give me benefits of being in a 'community' then I'll be looking elsewhere soon. 

You run around from map location to map location doing quests (that's all there is to do if you don't live the PvP) and you see NPCs standing around, so you assume everyone that moves is another character.  It's not that obvious though.  If you see they are on the same quest as you, you have no time to communicate with them before it's over i.e. target killed.  They most probably won't read the chat as people are just tearing around at 100 mph and if you just try to group, people mostly reject.

In fact, you don't need to be in a group to benefit from the quest completion - just hitting the target once will do as there is no tagging of the mobs, so there's little point in grouping.

Not done any more than one dungeon yet, which of course, it about a group, but it doesn't exactly encourage a community as the big server means you'll probably not see those guys again and even if you friend them, there's no reason to have to work with them again.

They just haven't got the MMO dynamics right and people should have to work together more as a team or at least there should be benefits.  Even in a guild, there's little activity in terms of working together, because people can get most things done either on their own, or, simply by being near thr quest target and waiting for someone to show up - but there's no interaction required for that.

It's the MMO bit that justifies people paying a sub - otherwise it's just a game.  Please can someone do something to make the game more interactive with other chars.  Speech bubbles would help so at least people can see your messages.

Solar_Prophet

You realize of course that you can actually start talking to people, right?

I will never understand why so many people bitch about the lack of community in today's MMOs, but absolutely refuse to attempt any sort of social interaction without being 'rewarded' for their efforts. Shouldn't the possibility of meeting like-minded people & players be enough?  Why does the game need to force people to be sociable?

A little effort goes a long way. Learn to use your chat bar.

SQTO

just play some pvp, because to me this game feels the opposite of  a single player game.

bobfish

The multiplayer part of an MMO for me has always been about Guilds. PUGs are an annoying thing I have to do when my friends aren't online or available.

 

Doesn't matter whether the game is old school Everquest, Planetside, World of Warcraft or Elder Scrolls Online... multiplayer is Guilds and entirely up to me to participate in.

Kyleran

This title bridges a weird gap, not enough social mechanics for fans of MMORPGs, too many MMO mechanics for fans of the single player games.

I guess creating bastardized hybrids limits the chance to really excel at one design or another.

MikeJezZ

Feels like a Sp game, and allmost anyone you see are real players :P

 

Well, All MMO's - even World of Warcraft  - feels like a MMORPG if you aren't in a guild. A guild makes the chat very alive and it is nice to have someone to talk to and play with.

As some others have said, PvP is defintely not feeling like a SP game

Gravarg

Any MMO is going to feel like a single player game unless you make it an MMO.  If you run around for 3-4 hours and don't say 2 words to anyone, then it's going to feel like that.  I always at least say hi or talk to random people I meet doing the same thing I am.  I find that most people want to talk, you just have initiate the conversation.  I've been at bosses camping them for items to deconstruct, before I leave we're talking about our adventures, real life, and everything between.  I've made many new friends in ESO doing that.  After you see someone a couple of times at different bosses, you get to know each other and they even say hi as you run by and you don't notice them, it's a good feeling.

Derros

One of the problems is the pace of MMOs today, everything is action oriented with very little or zero downtime.  If you stop to chat (type), you end up feeling like you're slowing down your group.

 

Thats why I just stick with my guild for socializing, we have voice chat so I can play efficiently and still talk.

Aroukos

Originally posted by Gravarg
Any MMO is going to feel like a single player game unless you make it an MMO.  If you run around for 3-4 hours and don't say 2 words to anyone, then it's going to feel like that.  I always at least say hi or talk to random people I meet doing the same thing I am.  I find that most people want to talk, you just have initiate the conversation.  I've been at bosses camping them for items to deconstruct, before I leave we're talking about our adventures, real life, and everything between.  I've made many new friends in ESO doing that.  After you see someone a couple of times at different bosses, you get to know each other and they even say hi as you run by and you don't notice them, it's a good feeling.

 

Nop. Mmo's are not about saying "HI" or speak to random ppl. If i want to socialize or speak, i have my kids, my wife and my friends. Mmo's are about GROUP PLAY. This doesn't mean you have to be friend with anyone.

Games have to give you content that REQUIRES a GROUP in order to access or finish it. None will make ever a group (except ofc if you are playing with friends) if he can do it alone. If raids and dungeons were soloable none will form a raid or dungeon party ever again.

So if you like a SocialMMO ask for some ingame coffee shops to hang around, drink coffee and chat. Else content that REQUIRES a Group is the only way.

*Btw i don't mean you must not say HI to ppl or don't chat with them. I mean that this doesn't make the mmo. Only Group Content does it.

ohioastro

You just don't get it.  I've chatted with other players, helped people out doing quests, and chipped in when they were in tough fights.  These things aren't possible in single player games and they're more social than my experience in numerous, say, exp grinding groups in other MMOs (where we're mechanically doing our tasks to slaughter a thousand mobs to get a level, a rare drop, or to spawn a boss.)

And PvP is, rather obviously, quite social by design (at least for a team that doesn't want to get slaughtered themselves.)

You're just trying to import things from other games because it's always been done that way.

Vapors

Originally posted by ohioastro

You just don't get it.  I've chatted with other players, helped people out doing quests, and chipped in when they were in tough fights.  These things aren't possible in single player games and they're more social than my experience in numerous, say, exp grinding groups in other MMOs (where we're mechanically doing our tasks to slaughter a thousand mobs to get a level, a rare drop, or to spawn a boss.)

And PvP is, rather obviously, quite social by design (at least for a team that doesn't want to get slaughtered themselves.)

You're just trying to import things from other games because it's always been done that way.

Yeah that's what I was doing aswell, I always wonder do this people who writes its a solo player game, use the chat? I am so often in a group just by randomly inviting people who walk the same path and then we're doing some stuff together talking abit. I am also impressed by the community which is very patient with time, it doesnt matter to them if u open a box in a doungen or not, it feel like they have endless time.

Also it's my best pug experience everytime I pugged for a group doungens I had an awesome group we had alot of fun and did even all 3 doungens together instead of one. After we mostly ended up as friends doing more content. Maybe it was luck to find these, or maybe the people who play this game are just more mature then in other games. Atleast this feel about mature people sometimes flies away after reading the globalchat trollings:p

Belgaraath

Hi. I'm antisocial and I want an MMO that forces me to be social so it doesn't feel solo even though it offers lots of group content. Is that what this thread is about? If you want to play it solo, you can, but there is a ton of stuff I've grouped with others when I don't want to solo such as Dark Anchors, Public Dungeons, Instanced Dungeons, Fissures, Skull and Crossbone areas on map, Veteran Stuff that requires grouping. In fact, I find this game even solo more challenging than other games. I have never died as much as I have in this game. It requires a lot more strategy in my eyes. If it feels too solo its because you choose to play it solo and avoid the group content or you are outleveling the group content making it feel more solo. Try to go Solo the PVP area.

Finally, this world doesn't feel nearly as static as just about any other themepark  MMO out there. GW2 despite it dynamic events outside of the city felt completely static. So did TOR, Rift, Neverwinter, etc.

Timzilla

Feels the farthest thing from single player as you can get to me. While the only thing i use chat for is to /ignore the occasional gold spammer, I'd be stuck in the mud completing a ton of quests without the adhoc co-op play with other players. Their presence is very obvious and necessary.

JHenry

I don't know about OP, but playing the public dungeon is so hard that my buddy and I have to die thrice in it. we were level 35/33's when we finished that level 30 public dungeon. The PvE content other than the World boss/public/instanced dungeon and dark anchor is hard IMO without playing with another person. Of course, it is debatable to what class you're playing.

CoffeeBreak

Originally posted by Timzilla
Feels the farthest thing from single player as you can get to me. While the only thing i use chat for is to /ignore the occasional gold spammer, I'd be stuck in the mud completing a ton of quests without the adhoc co-op play with other players. Their presence is very obvious and necessary.

It's the same as games like Rift, GW2, and FFXIV.

When they say "feels like a single player game" it means you don't have to group up and farm mobs just to level like in the pre-Wow days.

All these games have very multiple player aspects.  GW2 has DE.  Rift has rifts and invasions.  FFXIV has fates.  Eso has Dark Anchors, world boss mobs, and public dungeons.

Almost all of these events become zergs and eventhough they are extremely multiplayer they lack any kind of community and....intimacy(that a good word for it?)

RemyVorender

I disagree. I love the little ways they "force" interaction between players in this game, because talking in MMOs has become a lost art. The guild store idea, while in theory is great, but it needs a lot more refinement. I also like how deconstruction works in crafting. If you decon something you made, it will only give you, say 10 xp. But, if you decon something another player made, it will give you 100 xp. Stuff like that is what's going to get people talking and trading. Now, if they could just implement chat bubbles.

Rattenmann

The problem is not the lack of POSSIBLE communication,... the issue is the lack of reasons to interact with others. That and the slower progress if you group up compared to solo.

 

Face it: Forced grouping also forced people into the social game. Some might really hate that and that is fine. But there are countless people that need a little forcing into and then love it and never look back. Everquest 1 was a great example.

Distopia

AT this point soloable is as much an MMORPG trait as it is a single-player trait.

Distopia

Originally posted by Rattenmann

The problem is not the lack of POSSIBLE communication,... the issue is the lack of reasons to interact with others. That and the slower progress if you group up compared to solo.

 

Face it: Forced grouping also forced people into the social game. Some might really hate that and that is fine. But there are countless people that need a little forcing into and then love it and never look back. Everquest 1 was a great example.

Considering the games design, there's plenty of reason to communicate with others, trade, and coordination in PVP instantly come to mind. These two needs were prominent in SWG, it completely worked as an incentive.

sketocafe

If this feels like a single player game to you, then most of them will because your problem lies with you. Pretty much the entire time I've been leveling there have been other players alongside me, all killing the same tough quest baddie, clearing the anchors, hanging out at the skull and crossbones monsters until there are enough of us together to take them out, clearing the delves, doing the group dungeons, standing in the banks and shops and crafting locations. The only times this has felt like a single player game to me are when the game forces you into solo instances for guild and main storyline quests, everything else has been pure MMO.