Pleasantly surprised

Athisar

I saw the game available for £10/$15 including the Explorer's pack so thought I'd give it a try. I'd avoided it because I'd heard nothing but bad stories about it.

I've been surprised by how polished it looks. Admittedly I've started playing after several major updates. There's lots to do, the questing is fantastic (no fetch quests, etc), crafting is fun, graphics are very good. Has it really changed much since the launch? As I can't really understand why people dislike it.

There are some things I don't like of course - the lack of an auction house (the guild ones seem pretty useless), social aspects need improving, the UI is cleared aimed at consoles, and I've heard PvP is currently poor. One thing I really didn't like - the way mouths move when people speak - is being fixed completely in the next update, so I'm happy about that. I also like the way ZOS seems to listen to the community, and big updates are coming in regularly.

Grunim

Glad you are enjoying the game, so am I.

That's great you picked up a version with the Explorer's Pack so you aren't locked into 1 of 3 races for your alliance.   Good to know the Explorer's Pack can still be found.

I do have fun in PvP, though the performance issues I experience in ESO aren't any worse than my most recent MMOs such as GW2 and Aion.    I have yet to play an MMO that did not have performance issues with large scale PvP.   Maybe MOBAs and FPS games don't have those issues, but every MMO I play with PvP with tons of players always has some sort of problem.

I appreciate NOT having an Auction House because the game has less inflation and it's actually possible to find good deals on items you wish to buy.   Just join a good trading guild or two that prunes out inactive members fast and you'll find guild stores not so useless after all.

Callidor

Originally posted by Grunim

Glad you are enjoying the game, so am I.

That's great you picked up a version with the Explorer's Pack so you aren't locked into 1 of 3 races for your alliance.   Good to know the Explorer's Pack can still be found.

I do have fun in PvP, though the performance issues I experience in ESO aren't any worse than my most recent MMOs such as GW2 and Aion.    I have yet to play an MMO that did not have performance issues with large scale PvP.   Maybe MOBAs and FPS games don't have those issues, but every MMO I play with PvP with tons of players always has some sort of problem.

I appreciate NOT having an Auction House because the game has less inflation and it's actually possible to find good deals on items you wish to buy.   Just join a good trading guild or two that prunes out inactive members fast and you'll find guild stores not so useless after all.

I wouldnt mind gettin back into it, hows the population now?

 

skeaser

Originally posted by Callidor

Originally posted by Grunim

Glad you are enjoying the game, so am I.

That's great you picked up a version with the Explorer's Pack so you aren't locked into 1 of 3 races for your alliance.   Good to know the Explorer's Pack can still be found.

I do have fun in PvP, though the performance issues I experience in ESO aren't any worse than my most recent MMOs such as GW2 and Aion.    I have yet to play an MMO that did not have performance issues with large scale PvP.   Maybe MOBAs and FPS games don't have those issues, but every MMO I play with PvP with tons of players always has some sort of problem.

I appreciate NOT having an Auction House because the game has less inflation and it's actually possible to find good deals on items you wish to buy.   Just join a good trading guild or two that prunes out inactive members fast and you'll find guild stores not so useless after all.

I wouldnt mind gettin back into it, hows the population now?

 

With the megaserver merge it seems to be pretty lively.

Mardukk

I thought the graphics, performance and overall polish were very good.

 

The game breaker for me was the endless linear quest hubs.  Being ordered around by an NPC is not what I find fun in a supposed virtual world.  Not to mention there is zero risk.  With no risk I don't feel like there is reward.  Be it Darkfall open world PvP loot or EQ PvE corpse run danger, both are fine.  It is just too safe and dull running around doing errands for NPCs in a linear path.

SlyLoK

Originally posted by skeaser

Originally posted by Callidor

Originally posted by Grunim

Glad you are enjoying the game, so am I.

That's great you picked up a version with the Explorer's Pack so you aren't locked into 1 of 3 races for your alliance.   Good to know the Explorer's Pack can still be found.

I do have fun in PvP, though the performance issues I experience in ESO aren't any worse than my most recent MMOs such as GW2 and Aion.    I have yet to play an MMO that did not have performance issues with large scale PvP.   Maybe MOBAs and FPS games don't have those issues, but every MMO I play with PvP with tons of players always has some sort of problem.

I appreciate NOT having an Auction House because the game has less inflation and it's actually possible to find good deals on items you wish to buy.   Just join a good trading guild or two that prunes out inactive members fast and you'll find guild stores not so useless after all.

I wouldnt mind gettin back into it, hows the population now?

 

With the megaserver merge it seems to be pretty lively.

ESO has always used a single mega server ( until moving EUs ) so I am not sure what merge you are talking about or are you just saying because of the mega server the population seems lively?

And OP ignore posts like the one above mine. " Hubs" are few and far between with them being mainly villages that you run across ( you dont finish quests in one town with the last sending you to the next town over and over again ) and many quests being out in the wilderness to find as you explore.

Quests are your main form of advancement but IMO they are definitely not set up in a linear fashion.

Azaron_Nightblade

That's pretty much why you should always make up your own mind about these things, rather than listening to some of the more vocal elements that try to jam their opinion down your throat.

Enjoy the game!

Arakazi

It's a decent game full of questionable design choices. It's by no means as bad as people have made out and to Zenimax's credit they did try to make a different sort of MMO. Problem is, it's kinda boring...

Athisar

From what I've seen so far it's not exactly linear - though each quest line you start is fairly long and itself is linear. As I said, the quests aren't go and kill rats and done, which I really like. I've found lots of other more or less self contained quests too.

I guess it can be a little slow compared to some games, it doesn't feel at all like an action game. It is somewhat easy so far, but that's just going on PvE experiences, I've not done any group stuff yet. I also notice you level slowly, which I like. I'm tired of MMOs where from levels 1-5 you gain a level every time you complete a very easy and quick quest.

Something else that stood out is how zones change in appearance depending on where you are in the quests. I've never seen that in an MMO before. I don't know if it's heavily instanced, or it dynamically changes the appearance of things.

One more thing - excellent music. Lots of people don't care about this, but I do. It changes the atmosphere so much for me. After playing ArcheAge and the absolutely dire ringtone style music that has, it's refreshing.

Nebulizer87

I feel looking back people will realize they were way too harsh on the game and its making good strides in the right direction. I'm still subbed and playing it casually, enjoying all my time when i do spend it there.

Azaron_Nightblade

Originally posted by Athisar

Something else that stood out is how zones change in appearance depending on where you are in the quests. I've never seen that in an MMO before. I don't know if it's heavily instanced, or it dynamically changes the appearance of things.

It's called "phasing". And WoW first introduced it with Cataclysm. (Unless there's another MMO that did it even sooner and that I never played)

Basically it puts you in a new instance of that place, one that's half wrecked for example because a huge battle just took place there. While the people who haven't done that part of the quest yet are still in the original instance where everything's still whole.

And yep, it's pretty cool. It makes it feel like what you're doing actually has an impact on the world. Similar to how singleplayer games often work. 

Athisar

Originally posted by Azaron_Nightblade

Originally posted by Athisar

Something else that stood out is how zones change in appearance depending on where you are in the quests. I've never seen that in an MMO before. I don't know if it's heavily instanced, or it dynamically changes the appearance of things.

It's called "phasing". And WoW first introduced it with Cataclysm. (Unless there's another MMO that did it even sooner and that I never played)

Basically it puts you in a new instance of that place, one that's half wrecked for example because a huge battle just took place there. While the people who haven't done that part of the quest yet are still in the original instance where everything's still whole.

And yep, it's pretty cool. It makes it feel like what you're doing actually has an impact on the world. Similar to how singleplayer games often work. 

Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking, it makes it feel like a single player game in that way. It's used a lot, during a quest line the same place might change 2-3 times. It's nice to see NPCs you've already dealt with disappear, etc.

starstar1

Glad you are enjoying it OP. I recently came back and am loving it. PvP is still a hog on my system, but as others mentioned with large scale battles it will happen, though many times not as bad as other games especially given how big the battles can actually be in ESO. Enjoy!

Scot

Joining a MMO after it has had several major updates is a lesson we should all learn, not saying I always do it, but it is the way to get the best experience from a MMO.

paul43

The game was doomed from the start. It only sold 3-400k copies, and a few months after launch they fired 300 from customer support and in the beginning of september they fired developers working on the game.

Millions tried out the game in Beta, I think they mentioned 5 million at one point, but a game need to offer more to have full box price and sub. and when they asked for 100$ for the extra race some people probably thought it was too much.

It was great to be part of the launch, lots of players, and easy to get teams for the 12-15 dungeons. I found them well balanced wearing green gear. But later on the dungeons became a joke. I remember the last normal dungeon at 48-49, I only did it once since I dinged Vr1 in it, but I never saw my health go down even once in it. The damage calculations were all wrong and had been too low since 35'ish.

I asked myself what the purpose behind the crafting was in the beta, but like in TSW I gave them the benefit of the doubt, I figured they had to have a plan it turned out they didn't. 

Athisar

Originally posted by paul43

The game was doomed from the start. It only sold 3-400k copies, and a few months after launch they fired 300 from customer support and in the beginning of september they fired developers working on the game.

Millions tried out the game in Beta, I think they mentioned 5 million at one point, but a game need to offer more to have full box price and sub. and when they asked for 100$ for the extra race some people probably thought it was too much.

It was great to be part of the launch, lots of players, and easy to get teams for the 12-15 dungeons. I found them well balanced wearing green gear. But later on the dungeons became a joke. I remember the last normal dungeon at 48-49, I only did it once since I dinged Vr1 in it, but I never saw my health go down even once in it. The damage calculations were all wrong and had been too low since 35'ish.

I asked myself what the purpose behind the crafting was in the beta, but like in TSW I gave them the benefit of the doubt, I figured they had to have a plan it turned out they didn't. 

It seems to be doing fine, far from "doomed", and it's getting more significant updates than any other MMO I know.

You seem to be talking only about the launch and not how the game is now.

Cliff1963

Joined the game during the last 3 beta tests and I'm still enjoying it very much. Sure there were plenty of bugs, but none that made my enjoyment any less. Also had faith in the devs and they delivered. The negative posts... trolls and players who made their mind about the game during the bugfest called betatest and couldn't see past the fact that things can change for the better after release.

gervaise1

Fundamentally no; the game hasn't changed.

And there were many good comments about the story at launch. So why the complaints?

• For a few it was the fact that the game wasn't "Elder Scrolls" online in their opinion.
• A few others were upset that Zen had talked a lot about "no pay walls" when justifying the sub and promptly introduced a few things that could be bought. Not a big deal but ....
• The biggie: the game had a rough launch. Server downtime; "security" issues; a bug that wiped people items; a bug that duplicated items; phasing issues; looting issues; many, many quest bugs; multiple over powered class abilities. There are long lists in the recent patch notes but it was death by a thousand cuts. Bottomline: the game hadn't been adequately tested. Launch date was set months earlier and the game launched ready or not. Scotts point above is well made. These type of issues were - and by and large have been - fixed or nerfed.
• Then there were some gripes - like with the auction house and crafting - that have become "fixes in progress".

Fundamentally though fixing these issues haven't changed the game.

 

There was, however, another "complaint" however - which is also still there. Many had a hope that TESO would offer a "lengthy" PvP campaign. The second coming of DAoC. It didn't. 

 

Despite the issues - and without exploits - the game had its first 50 in less than a day. Its first VR10 in a few days. And the first emperor on day 3 from memory. And so very quickly a freshly minted 50 was just cannon fodder in the campaigns. Those who really wanted to PvP found themselves with a lot of PvE grind. The campaigns ever really took off. 

 

They have tweaked the campaigns. They have tweaked the xp gains. They have added some more content, VR10 is now VR14, but the game hasn't "doubled" in size.

 

Fundamentally TESO is the same game today as it was at launch minus the rough edges.

 

As Scott says it is often best to skip launches - my take as well. 

 

You have spent $15. People who started on day 1 paid $60+ and have since paid a further c. $90. Will you?

azzamasin

Originally posted by Callidor

Originally posted by Grunim

Glad you are enjoying the game, so am I.

That's great you picked up a version with the Explorer's Pack so you aren't locked into 1 of 3 races for your alliance.   Good to know the Explorer's Pack can still be found.

I do have fun in PvP, though the performance issues I experience in ESO aren't any worse than my most recent MMOs such as GW2 and Aion.    I have yet to play an MMO that did not have performance issues with large scale PvP.   Maybe MOBAs and FPS games don't have those issues, but every MMO I play with PvP with tons of players always has some sort of problem.

I appreciate NOT having an Auction House because the game has less inflation and it's actually possible to find good deals on items you wish to buy.   Just join a good trading guild or two that prunes out inactive members fast and you'll find guild stores not so useless after all.

I wouldnt mind gettin back into it, hows the population now?

 

When I left a few weeks ago it was still healthy.  The only saving grace for the mega-server TBH.

 

I too enjoy the game and will come back when I got more free time.  Right now I can't juggle Hearthstone, Path of Exile and a few solo games I play due to my Real Life work commitment (64+ hours work weeks suck).

 

If your like me and treat the game like Skyrim, it does a relatively decent impression.  Grant it when I stopped playing I was only level 18 but that's about an hour or 2 every other day playing and I enjoyed it for the exploration centric Elder Scrolls style.

Eluwien

I paid for a multiplayer game. It was stated in the genre, that it would be one. I thought I could play with my wife, with my friends, do things together.

 

It wasn't a multiplayer game, and by the looks of it, it still isn't. Phasing, instancing and quest design literally force soloing. Class and ability design doesn't create benefits that would promote grouping. Infact efficiency dictates that any part of the content should be done alone, leaving Role Playing the only rewarding reason to group up.

 

So when I'm forced to solo, I rather play Skyrim. It's in all solo aspects ten times the game Elderscrolls Solo Online is.

Athisar

I'm glad I didn't play the beta or at launch, given the problems it had. Thankfully, coming in now, I'm only seeing a good game that is getting an enormous amount of dev work still going into it. I've just paid for a 3 month sub, now my free 30 days are coming to an end.

I don't think it's a solo game, it just caters more for solo players than most. They do need to do more things to improve grouping though, as well as better access to guild information. I've had random guild invitations, but there's no easy way to find out anything about them, other than look at forums.

 

Arglebargle

I was pleased enough playing it solo, but once I started trying to play with friends, it began to fail.  Two thirds of the time, teaming up just didn't work:  incompatible missions, phasing, having to go back through quest chains to try to get to the same steps in the story, etc.   Grouping should be easy.  Sadly....

 

So I just cancelled my sub.  Too bad, 'cause I had the best player name in the entire game.

k61977

The game itself was great to me.  I enjoyed all of it mostly.  The only thing that was off to me was that it was a mostly solo experience until they release what they considered endgame material that is pretty much group only.  So if you aren't grouping up now you should start so you can be ready for the end game.  I soloed all quest up to craglorn by myself, it didn't really seem like a multiplayer game up till then, I did do some of the group dungeons.  I did all the veteran quest everything before they changed anything which increased in difficulty which I liked but a lot of people complained so they made it to easy now.  But doing all the other alliance quest on one player kinda killed the wanting to make an alt to see the other stuff because you have already done it all except the main story line quest for the other alliances.  Overall it is a great game for what it is, I haven't played in a while but pop in every once in a while to see what has changed.