My Ongoing Impressions of Elder Scrolls Online

RZetlin

I am currently downloading Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) onto my computer and I am excited to try out this game.

 

Why ESO?

• Why ESO was announced last year, I had no interest this game especially with the monthly subscription. 
• When the monthly subscription was dropped, this caught my interest.  
• I love playing Elder Scrolls Oblivion and Skyrim with its open world and the ability to wear and carry any gear you wish.
• I am getting tried of the shallow material found in F2P.  It is always go “kill/gather x creature” in F2P quests. I am hoping a paid game offered better content.
• I had considered Final Fantasy XIV, but they had a monthly subscription.
• I had considered Guild Wars 2, but the game is not on Steam due to a business decision from the developers.
• ESO have implemented the right business model by having the consumer pay the game outright without a monthly subscription fee.  The game does cost more than other retail games ($99 for the Imperial Edition), but I hope this would ensure quality content compared to other F2P games.

 

I will update my post once I have downloaded the game and played it.

 

Words of warning, if you downloaded the game through Steam, do not verify integrity of game cache.  Steam will delete the entire 48 GB content and re-download the game again.  I learn that the hard way, as I am reloading the game the second time.   The ESO game client has its own repair option.

thark

Originally posted by RZetlin

I am currently downloading Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) onto my computer and I am excited to try out this game.

 

Why ESO?

• Why ESO was announced last year, I had no interest this game especially with the monthly subscription. 
• When the monthly subscription was dropped, this caught my interest.  
• I love playing Elder Scrolls Oblivion and Skyrim with its open world and the ability to wear and carry any gear you wish.
• I am getting tried of the shallow material found in F2P.  It is always go “kill/gather x creature” in F2P quests. I am hoping a paid game offered better content.
• I had considered Final Fantasy XIV, but they had a monthly subscription.
• I had considered Guild Wars 2, but the game is not on Steam due to a business decision from the developers.
• ESO have implemented the right business model by having the consumer pay the game outright without a monthly subscription fee.  The game does cost more than other retail games ($99 for the Imperial Edition), but I hope this would ensure quality content compared to other F2P games.

 

I will update my post once I have downloaded the game and played it.

 

Words of warning, if you downloaded the game through Steam, do not verify integrity of game cache.  Steam will delete the entire 48 GB content and re-download the game again.  I learn that the hard way, as I am reloading the game the second time.   The ESO game client has its own repair option.

Hmm..Ok..So you didn't play the game because it had a subscription yet you complain on games that are FTP and the cheap production values they all hold. Thats right they are cheap and for a reason.

GW2 the ONLY PTP MMO created as such from the getgo is ALSO cheaper than a proper subscription game, it's not bad but the production value of ESO and SWTOR and The Secret World is MUCH higher, they knew they would get so and so much Money in return when releasing the game , so they could also spend more on the content at release.

Yes. PAID Products will ALWAYS hold better content, and yes if a game has a subscription it will most likely hold even better content , since the developers are getting paid on a more regular and secure basis, and do not have to rely on a store that sells pets or other flavor items.

 

It may sound like a qliche or something, but you will ALWAYS get what you pay for, you may argue that ESO is now a PTP game and content is great, but trust me, it would NOT be the game it is if it started as a PTP from the getgo.

 

RZetlin

ESO and SWTOR had monthly subscriptions at the beginning, but end it didn’t work out even though they had better content than F2P. 

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After downloading the 48 GB game, it took another 1 to 2 hours to update and patch the game.  

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 I have put about 20 hours into game so far with a level 10 Dragon Knight.

Does ESO capture the feeling of Elder Scrolls Game?  Yes

Quests and Story:  Like Oblivion and Skyrim, you start out an escaped prisoner who makes his/her way into the world of Tamriel.  Instead of the standard MMORPG quests of kill/gather x creatures, the developers have tried to make the quests interesting with a personally story woven into them. ESO there are dozens of quests to do - you can do the main storyline or do the side quests.  You can ignore the quests all together and spend your time crafting or exploring the sizable land of Tamriel.

NPCs:  Due to nature of MMORPGs, the ESO NPCs are more static compared to the Oblivion and Skyrim NPCs.  The ESO NPCs do not have a daily routines of getting up in the morning, going to work and then going back home to sleep.  The store vendors are stuck serving out their wares to the players.  Maybe the developers may consider have one NPC work the day shift and another NPC work the night shift.  There is an attempt to make the towns feel “alive” the NPCs are assigned different roles like chopping wood and cleaning the streets.  You can even hear them have short conversations with each other.

I will update more as I get further in the game.

RZetlin

I have spent 50 hours with this game and there are 3 downsides I found so far.

Inventory Management:  I spend a good time in the game managing my inventory.  If you decide to take a craft in the game, your inventory space runs out fast.  You can buy more inventory space in-game, but it cost a lot of gold.  My routine in the game is do a quest, manage inventory, do a quest and repeat.

Skills and Class:  One of the things I liked about Skyrim or Oblivion, is you can learn any skills you like.  If you want to be a Melee fighter that shoots out lightning, it can be done.  ESO is more restrictive in the skills you can use.   

Quests:  There is an illusion that you can go anywhere and do whatever quest you like.  This is not true.  Each country has a specific level.  The game leads you an a disguised linear destination with a dozen of quests to take.

Octagon7711

thark said:

Originally posted by RZetlin

I am currently downloading Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) onto my computer and I am excited to try out this game.

 

Why ESO?

• Why ESO was announced last year, I had no interest this game especially with the monthly subscription. 
• When the monthly subscription was dropped, this caught my interest.  
• I love playing Elder Scrolls Oblivion and Skyrim with its open world and the ability to wear and carry any gear you wish.
• I am getting tried of the shallow material found in F2P.  It is always go “kill/gather x creature” in F2P quests. I am hoping a paid game offered better content.
• I had considered Final Fantasy XIV, but they had a monthly subscription.
• I had considered Guild Wars 2, but the game is not on Steam due to a business decision from the developers.
• ESO have implemented the right business model by having the consumer pay the game outright without a monthly subscription fee.  The game does cost more than other retail games ($99 for the Imperial Edition), but I hope this would ensure quality content compared to other F2P games.

 

I will update my post once I have downloaded the game and played it.

 

Words of warning, if you downloaded the game through Steam, do not verify integrity of game cache.  Steam will delete the entire 48 GB content and re-download the game again.  I learn that the hard way, as I am reloading the game the second time.   The ESO game client has its own repair option.

Hmm..Ok..So you didn't play the game because it had a subscription yet you complain on games that are FTP and the cheap production values they all hold. Thats right they are cheap and for a reason.

GW2 the ONLY PTP MMO created as such from the getgo is ALSO cheaper than a proper subscription game, it's not bad but the production value of ESO and SWTOR and The Secret World is MUCH higher, they knew they would get so and so much Money in return when releasing the game , so they could also spend more on the content at release.

Yes. PAID Products will ALWAYS hold better content, and yes if a game has a subscription it will most likely hold even better content , since the developers are getting paid on a more regular and secure basis, and do not have to rely on a store that sells pets or other flavor items.

 

It may sound like a qliche or something, but you will ALWAYS get what you pay for, you may argue that ESO is now a PTP game and content is great, but trust me, it would NOT be the game it is if it started as a PTP from the getgo.

 

Based on what you're saying a sub game is so much better it should never have a reason to go f2o or b2p.

Octagon7711

RZetlin said:

I have spent 50 hours with this game and there are 3 downsides I found so far.

Inventory Management:  I spend a good time in the game managing my inventory.  If you decide to take a craft in the game, your inventory space runs out fast.  You can buy more inventory space in-game, but it cost a lot of gold.  My routine in the game is do a quest, manage inventory, do a quest and repeat.

Skills and Class:  One of the things I liked about Skyrim or Oblivion, is you can learn any skills you like.  If you want to be a Melee fighter that shoots out lightning, it can be done.  ESO is more restrictive in the skills you can use.   

Quests:  There is an illusion that you can go anywhere and do whatever quest you like.  This is not true.  Each country has a specific level.  The game leads you an a disguised linear destination with a dozen of quests to take.

I don't like the inventory mini myself.  Games that have good crafting systems should have a separate inventory.  Players are force to create alts just for inventory management.  

At least you can respect.  I heard they didn't want that at first.  It shouldn't be expensive either.  An exploration should encourage you to explore different skillsets.

I like the exploration in the game.  I was able to take low level characters to high level areas.  I got enough xp to level doing this and was able to mark waypoints along the way and do vamp and werewolf quests in high lvl areas with low lvl characters.

Lobotomist

I find the game suprisingly boring. I can really put my hand on it but here are few things that annoy me to no end:

1. Combat just lacks that "something" that makes combat fun. It feels like fighting with wet noodle

2. Quests are for most part your classic MMO quests , aka go from A to B than to A again , and repeat it 1000 times


Biggest problem is that the game could have been open ended sandbox like Elder Scrolls , but somewhere on the way they decided they have to go with EQ/WoW cookie cutter questing system and progression. And it really feels tackled on.

karat76

I am back to playing ESO off and on as well. I have Vet rank 11 DK. I do enjoy the crafting, the world is pretty, public dungeons a few are fun. Issues I have is after hitting 50 you do the other faction's quests for vet levels. I am normally an altaholic so this game really gives me no reason to try the other factions. I have a couple level 22 alts but don't think the way I would like to play them is viable. Recently purchased WoW Draenor expansion with the garrison and my young children and I can play it together. I guess for now I will just go back and forth until I can actually find a game I love. Over the years I have played UO, EQ, EQ2, AO, SB,DAoC, Rift, Warhammer,WoW, ToR, Terra and ESO.
I do dislike games with raiding treadmills and I do miss some of the great grouping experiences I had during EQ and DAoC. DAoC is the only game where I enjoyed the pvp. I do appreciate the ability to solo and think it should always be an option. Before the soloer flames start, no I don't think as a solo player I need the same rewards from dungeons. I don't see an issue with scaleable content where difficulty and reward change by size of the group.

Hariken

All the Elderscrolls single player games are just better than ESO. Once you get around level 20 you see that ESO is just a generic mmo.

karat76

I loved Skyrim. I have multiple characters with over 180 hours on each.

RZetlin

The more I play ESO, the more I find this game is lacking "the thing" that makes a good MMORPG.  ``The thing`` is the online experience in Elder Scrolls Online.

Solo Quests:  The rich storylines and quests found in the Elder Scrolls series like Skyrim is a strength and weakness in this game.  It is weakness because the quests are designed with the solo player in mind.  While you see a lot players in the city, none of them are interacting with each other.  If I wanted to play a solo experience, I would have played Skyrim.

No Commence:  There is no viable system in place to sell items to other players in the game.  You cannot setup your own stand and sell your wares.  If you are not part of a guild, you are locked out of selling your goods. 

No Events:  There is a lot of focus on the solo quests, but there are no timed events held in the game.  There is no incentive for players to gather together to work towards a common goal.  Unless you know friends outside the game, gathering a group together to go into a dungeon is non-existence.

I feel that ESO is work-in-progress game.  The developers have the cake, but not the icing that makes a good polished game. 

I am going to stop playing ESO for awhile to see how the game develops. 

I am very tempted to take a second look at Final Fantasy XIV to see if the online experience is better.



           

RZetlin

Quest Storyline Issues:  There are two types of story quests in the game - the main storyline and the local quests. 

The main storyline have you try and fight off the daedra forces that is trying to invade Tamriel.  The problem with the main storyline it is level dependent.  I finished off one of the quests in main storyline at level 10, but I had to wait until level 15 for the main storyline to continue again.  This breaks the immersion in the game. 

The storyline and quests are separated based on region.   I started out with the Ebonheart Pact and the story was getting interesting with the repelling of Covenant forces.  But the quest storyline just ends with no resolution to the conflict and you end up going to a different region with different characters and different set of problems.   Just as I was about to care about the characters and their struggles, the game pushes you do something else.  You end up going through the motions of going from point A to point B, not caring about the characters and the story anymore.   

seeker1

I have played ESO since BETA and have enjoyed it MOST of the time.  ZOS created and creats problems in the game they rarely fix.  Yet, they continue to add to the game.  Their equipment is getting older but they are putting more and more on the limited space.  The game crashes still.  It NEVER stopped crashing and their appears to be a bias as to which charater one should play.  They have OPed the NB to the point that most other characters are just cannon fodder.  I think they should fix some of the real software and hardware issues in this game.  One of my friends I play with just last night said if he was CEO of this company, there would be a real shock put to these mediocre programmers.