My impression is that it's another temporary game. I suspect the gameplay will be fun(if you like the action Skyrim style), and that it'll be fun to explore the world and read the lore books, etc. you can find(if you enjoy exploration/lore).
But, in the long run, I think it's one of those games that probably won't have any holding power over the players. I figure 2 or 3 months worth of play for the average customer.
Personally, I won't buy it at launch or anything. I'm definitely the "wait and see" mindset.
I expect it to be an entertaining single-player romp through a fun to explore world. It's not a game I'd be interested in paying full price and monthly fees for, but I could see a couple months' entertainment out of it.
On the bright side, I would expect the world to feel bigger and more beautiful than a game like SWTOR. It'll probably have tons of little caves and dungeons to stumble upon(in theory).
Lots a great reading here, thanks. Keep it coming.
Reading all of this i now really feel they are going to go F2P once the content dries out and subs start to dwindle, how long will they hold out though.
My faith is my shield! - Turalyon 2022
Your legend ends here and now! - (Battles Won Long Ago)
I have a lot of non-MMO playing friends that are extremely interested in this, so if anything I'll buy it to play with them a bit. Unlike the OP I don't have to purchase 5 of them so I'm just gonna pre-order as my friends have.
From all the videos i saw i am flabbergasted how Bethesda can have the balls releasing this pile of ..., i just hope they don't break their necks on this project, i want my Fallout 4 .
Bethesda should really think about firing everyone in the animation team and replace them with trained monkey's, i think this would improve their odds.
Elder Scrolls games have always been good but it seems like they are just trying to cash in on the overwhelming success of Skyrim. Kind of like when a movie does good at the box office and you see a cheap knockoff PS3 title that is complete garbage not long after. I hope i am wrong because the game has the potential to be good.
Originally posted by c0exist I completely agree OP, i will be purchasing the game. However, my gut is telling me this will fail miserably for me at least. Prove me wrong though ESO.
This is my hesitation, if i could feel confident in them to stick to their word, I'd order 5 in a flash. They ain't giving me much confidence with their wishy washy performance on every single topic. FF14 it's subs, bottom line, no discussion, this way or the highway, too bad so sad if you don't like it.
ESO, yes, no, maybe well yes again, wait no , errr maybe, ummm yes, uggg wait no. ffs boys.
I don't think they have even announced a final release date so i'm not sure if any opinion right now will still be the same in 5-6 months.
Be excited because he is more excited about this game than you will probably ever be over a game again in your life. Enjoyment of games has alot to do with the time in your life you experience them.
For me take DAoC for instance. I started playing at release, put in mad hours for years and have a ton of fond memories. No way in hell I could ever do that right now for any game, no matter how good.
Point being even if you think it sucks and he thinks its the best thing Evar then its well worth it to experience the excitement and thrill he will get by playing the game at release with his dad. Even if you are not feeling the same thing. Money is only worth so much, having this experience with your son and family is worth the cost of a few games IMO.
BTW I am a father as well, but my daughter is not into video games as a teen. Used to play WoW with her some when she was younger tho.
Play it and have fun with your kid. Who gives a shit what everyone else thinks about ESO as long as your getting some good times in with your kid
If your son can talk about Elder Scrolls for 3 hours... WTF are you doing? Doesn't he have anything more than ES in his life? Is he autistic? Seriously, WTF? Go outside and play soccer with him or something.
As far as the MMO goes, I believe your hunch may be correct. I hope for them they dont fail as bad as SW:ToR, but the game really sounds like another "how can any proud game designer mess that one up" type of game. Even my girlfriend, though not as big a fan as your son, is now paying more attention to Dragon Age 3 than ESO. It seems most MMO veterans see something is terribly wrong with the way they are managing things and only die hard fans at the moment are keeping their fingers crossed.
Up to now, the gameplay shown has been very average at best, however, there have been surprises! Some games actually do listen to people and change things if the community doesn't like it too much. My suggestion is this: Buy the game for your son since he seems like a fanboi, wait two months before joining in if it seems worth it. To me it looks like a ton of other games I already played and that I am not playing right now because I dont want to play like I'm in 2004.
Boycotting EA. Why? They suck, even moreso since 2008.
Bud I love the Elder Scrolls games. That said I have no intention of buying this at launch. There's just too much chance this will be F2P 6 mo out.
They have no delivered what the VAST majority of their fanbase wants. They just have not. They have pleased some of the PVP crowd and they have pleased some of the MMO doesn't matter it's shiney new crowd.
Their primary fan base is disillusioned and negative on this.
And don't use this website as your only research on this. Look at the silly number of websites that have posted exactly what I have just told you here.
All this being said if you want your kid to smile for a day or three because you got him a game then buy it. Grab another copy like that one poster told you cuz hell you can always buy more if I'm wrong and it's a great game.
Or you can teach your kid patience and wait and see if it pans out. If the family is going to play together then waiting 2 months wont matter a bit, you already have your party created just need to make the toons for it. Your kid might even learn a valuable life lesson about patience into the bargain.
Good luck on what ever you do choose to do.
GW
Never violate a woman, nor harm a child. Do not lie, cheat or steal. These things are for lesser men. Protect the weak against the evil strong. And never allow thoughts of gain to lead you into the pursuit of evil. Never back away from an enemy. Either fight or surrender. It is not enough to say I will not be evil. Evil must be fought wherever it is found.The Iron Code"
First off i'm buying the game so lets not take this as a troll, this is costing me mucho dollars.
I'll try and nutshell this.
My one son (early teen), lives, eats, breathes ESO, i send him every single thing i come across and he yaks my head off about it all the time. On my vacation i let him go without stopping him and he talked for 3 hours, THREE HOURS, thought my head was going to blow. Heck, i'm not even think negative about ESO around him, lol.
<snip>
Husvik,
I did not see in your post if you or anyone else in your family played any of the other ES games? If not then I would recommend you sitting down with your Son and have him give you a quick tour of Skyrim since he seems so enthused about the game. Once you have your tour, play a bit and give the major quest lines like the Dark Brotherhood Quest (my personal favorite), The Thieves Guild Quest and the Companions Quest a go. By then you will have a much better feel for what they are currently telling us how TESO will be like.
I would also like to recommend (if you have not already seen them) the vast library of ES videos on Youtube. A good source for Historical ES videos can be found on ShoddyCasts page here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7mFkx1Um4KJZKkUHsSV1uA Be sure to check out the "Elder Scrolls Lore" series.
While I am not a big fan of PvP (I know it's a shocker from all of you that have read my posts before hah), TESO offers what seems to me enough entertainment to offset the cost of the game ($60) and the subscription fee of $15/mo. I have over 800 hours played on Skyrim along and I'm still playing now. I've completed numerous quests but you know what? I'm still finding more quests that I've either overlooked somehow and I'm finding places I've never been to before and they beckon me to enter.
If you play as a Family group; I think, if nothing else, it will become a bonding experience for you all and that in itself is well worth the cost of the game.
IMO the collectors edition will not be worth it.. the game will be good for a once through but I doubt it will have much replay value unless he lives for PVP... but its definitely worth the price for the experience. I just wish they would put out some better videos.
From all the videos i saw i am flabbergasted how Bethesda can have the balls releasing this pile of ..., i just hope they don't break their necks on this project, i want my Fallout 4 .
Bethesda should really think about firing everyone in the animation team and replace them with trained monkey's, i think this would improve their odds.
FYI not one video out there does the game any justice.
I would suggest holding out for a beta invite or an open beta prior to launch. That way you can vote with your wallet. If your son is so into it, just buy him a copy and see if it is your cup of tea if you are unable to play before launch. I can tell you there is a beta. I can tell you I plan to purchase and play this game for launch.
Cheers!
MMO Vet since AOL Neverwinter Nights circa 1992. My MMO beat up your MMO. =S
I would suggest holding out for a beta invite or an open beta prior to launch. That way you can vote with your wallet. If your son is so into it, just buy him a copy and see if it is your cup of tea if you are unable to play before launch. I can tell you there is a beta. I can tell you I plan to purchase and play this game for launch.
Cheers!
First to the OP: Props on being a good dad. My daughter just turned 7 and she is playing Minecraft now, I really can't wait to do some more gaming with her.
For the quote: Best advice possible here. I would say, get two copies if the son is into it, that way Dad is there too, but allow the other kids to make toons on the father's account to see how well they like it as well.
My personal feelings on the matter: I am a long time mmo vet and a fan of the ESO series (Morrowind was my first game). If the game was B2P, I'd pick it up just because it's an ES game. So I am closely watching what ZO does with this, because as of right now I won't buy if there's a sub. I am invested into FF14, and ESO would be more of a casual gaming thing for me (much of what Skyrim has become for me).
Originally posted by olepi My feeling after, uh, seeing the game up close, is that it is an Elder Scrolls MMO. If you like Elder Scrolls games, you will probably like this, and if you like MMO's, you'll probably like this.
It is an MMO first and foremost. If this was set in Azeroth, it would play the same. Tamriel and its lore is about the only "Elder Scrollsy" thing in the game.
I just asked them to cancel my beta account and let someone else in to test that will enjoy the game. Maybe your son will get one sooner
Zenimax Studios have created a world that I have no desire to play in. Their requirement of racial hatred seeps into every aspect of the game. The starter area is all about fighting "evil dominion" folks and fleeing to another area under siege by the Dominion. 80% to 90% of the questing revolves around the ongoing war. If PvP is your thing, you will enjoy it. PvP is not an Elder Scrolls thing. I know... single player games do not have PvP. That is why PvP centric MMOs created from single player games suck.
I won't say anymore.
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse. - FARGIN_WAR
Seasoned bitter vet here. The era of me buying MMOs on day 1 is over. After countless mistakes (WAR, AoC, Rift, GW2, D3, MoP) I finally learned! Nowadays if the game isn't F2P I wait a few months after release to see how people feel about it when the hype has died down. If the game is great on day 1 it will be even better a few months later. A good indicator is its population: If it goes down after release I pass, if it steadily rises I might consider buying it. It's already paying off as I avoided another mistake (simcity 5).
I don't believe that any amount of experience justifies placing judgement on a game without getting at least one max level in said game. Though from a business point of view I'm slightly fearful in that they recently said that they wanted to make this like the next iteration of the Elder Scrolls, yet it's majority fanbase is used to buying the game and using microtransactions for additional content and not a monthly fee. How many computer only ESO fans are there when compared to console? To add to that, how many of those computer fans actually play MMOs? How many of those are willing to still pay monthly fees?
Those are actually questions and not simply questions that answer.
There must something that some of us aren't seeing here. Perhaps some information that hasn't been released yet.
Due to frequent travel in my youth, English isn't something I consider my primary language (and thus I obtained quirky ways of writing). German and French were always easier for me despite my family being U.S. citizens for over a century. Spanish I learned as a requirement in school, Japanese and Korean I acquired for my youthful desire of anime and gaming (and also work now). I only debate in English to help me work with it (and limit things). In addition, I'm not smart enough to remain fluent in everything and typically need exposure to get in the groove of things again if I haven't heard it in a while. If you understand Mandarin, I know a little, but it has actually been a challenge and could use some help.
Also, I thoroughly enjoy debates and have accounts on over a dozen sites for this. If you wish to engage in such, please put effort in a post and provide sources -- I will then do the same with what I already wrote (if I didn't) as well as with my responses to your own. Expanding my information on a subject makes my stance either change or strengthen the next time I speak of it or write a thesis. Allow me to thank you sincerely for your time.
First off i'm buying the game so lets not take this as a troll, this is costing me mucho dollars.
I'll try and nutshell this.
My one son (early teen), lives, eats, breathes ESO, i send him every single thing i come across and he yaks my head off about it all the time. On my vacation i let him go without stopping him and he talked for 3 hours, THREE HOURS, thought my head was going to blow. Heck, i'm not even think negative about ESO around him, lol.
Bottom line i just want to buy him the game at launch, he wants the collector and all. He still firmly believes he is going to get a beta invite, and man i really wish he would too as he might realize it ain't all that and save me some moola, but this is why he prolly isn't getting an invite, they don't want the general pop to know something about the game. My feeling again. Heck you know his email and mine are prolly in the top 10 i was there to sign him up the moment it went live, ffs. Later he got discouraged waiting for months and has went on to use his brothers, sisters, mom's, grand parents email and not a word from ESO. Yet he still is waiting checks his email every day and checks in with everyone else.
So what I'm hoping that instead of buying 5 copies for the fam, pay a couple months only to find it goes F2P i'm looking for seasoned gamers such as myself to give me their 2 cents on this games direction.
My two cents is that the boys over ESO are in way over their heads, they continually say one thing then completely back peddle and do another, go straight into damage control, so fear full of creating any more bad press it's well, spineless.
I get a total feeling they are winging it as they go along but are prepared for all scenarios, such as monthly sub, F2P cash shop, box, sub, cs. I dunno they announce it and the initial community feedback was pretty bad. Since then they seem to say, or do whatever cause s the least amount of backlash. There is Cash Shop, now there isn't one, or isn't one until it gores F2P. Looked like it was going to be F2P until the overwhelming posiotiove feedback to FFXIV:ARR and Wild Star having subs, boys at ESO hands go shooting into the air OOOOOOHHHHH! OOOOOOHHHHH! OOOOOOHHHHH! WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A SUB TOO!!!!
Then i watch the vids and listen to what they have to say and it just screams we are over 5 years late to the mmo party. You know we thought we'd make this pretty looking game and collect money off the ES name, but uuhhh we snoozed.
Overall, this whole thing is just screaming SWTOR 2. All hype and arse kissing.
Honestly...in my opinion...I have a gut feeling of a IP being exploded....(like WAR, SWTOR, STO, FF14-first go round, etc ) we all fell for in the past.. and I do have a "gut" feeling this is just another
I really hate to be a negative Nelly..but look at the games cranked out in the last half decade, and how everything is going to leaching cash shops.
I do hope to the Good Lord that I am wrong....a ESO "good" game would keep this middle aged man even more out of shape...but the lack of good stuff has gotten me away from the desk :-)
So without mentioning whether or not I am in the beta......
I believe that they have the best intentions with ESO however I do think that it end up as a game with a relatively small following after the first couple months.... From what i've "SEEN" (hint hint) the combat just doesn't have the same weight behind it and overall other players just detract from the elder scrolls experience. Imo a better option would have been ESVI w/drop in drop out coop and pvp arenas.
Originally posted by olepi My feeling after, uh, seeing the game up close, is that it is an Elder Scrolls MMO. If you like Elder Scrolls games, you will probably like this, and if you like MMO's, you'll probably like this.
It is an MMO first and foremost. If this was set in Azeroth, it would play the same. Tamriel and its lore is about the only "Elder Scrollsy" thing in the game.
I just asked them to cancel my beta account and let someone else in to test that will enjoy the game. Maybe your son will get one sooner
Zenimax Studios have created a world that I have no desire to play in. Their requirement of racial hatred seeps into every aspect of the game. The starter area is all about fighting "evil dominion" folks and fleeing to another area under siege by the Dominion. 80% to 90% of the questing revolves around the ongoing war. If PvP is your thing, you will enjoy it. PvP is not an Elder Scrolls thing. I know... single player games do not have PvP. That is why PvP centric MMOs created from single player games suck.
I won't say anymore.
I don't want to hijack this thread but this touched on a recently sensitive nerve so I'm just going to say this and have done with it. I'll not go into it further here.
I was perma-banned on Tamrial Foundry for trying to report to the Mod's that people wanted to actually capture, enslave, train and sell NPC Slaves in one of their posts. I reported it twice and the second time I told them I was going to email the NAACP concerning this issue since they seem indifferent to the subject. I'm a White 54 year old male from Alabama and this subject is like gas on a fire down here. All I wanted to do it to delete the offending post.
LOTRO isn't a horrible game, so don't get me wrong.
But before the announcement, the LOTRO hype was fairly big. It's a ~huge~ IP - probably on par with Star Wars as far as brand loyalty goes. It had a lot of neat "innovations" going for it - like the story mimicing the novels and capable of meeting notable characters from the story, the story going in chapters, the Hope/Dread mechanic, group Fellowship moves, monster play, and the ability to play musical instruments, among other things.
LOTRO did ok for a good while. It had a small but very tight knit community. It ultimately went F2P (being a Turbine title, it was one of the flagship initial F2P titles).
I won't say it's a better or worse game now, but I just feel that ESO will follow a similar trajectory to LOTRO - they both give me the same kind of vibe.
First to the OP: Props on being a good dad. My daughter just turned 7 and she is playing Minecraft now, I really can't wait to do some more gaming with her.
For the quote: Best advice possible here. I would say, get two copies if the son is into it, that way Dad is there too, but allow the other kids to make toons on the father's account to see how well they like it as well.
My personal feelings on the matter: I am a long time mmo vet and a fan of the ESO series (Morrowind was my first game). If the game was B2P, I'd pick it up just because it's an ES game. So I am closely watching what ZO does with this, because as of right now I won't buy if there's a sub. I am invested into FF14, and ESO would be more of a casual gaming thing for me (much of what Skyrim has become for me).
Kaneth,
Firstly ... I totally love your Avatar.
Secondly ... I saved a copy of it off since I collect Avatars I'm fond of.
My gut feeling started off nauseated and ended up vomiting. I've been playing MMOs for nearly 12 years now; this title has many bad indicators that have signaled utter disaster like SWToR (well.. it wasn't THAT bad... it was still a Godsend compared to Dark and Light, or Vanguard).
I've also played and enjoyed the TES titles since Morrowind and wasn't very enthused to hear about an MMO based on TES lore where the lure of TES titles, at least for me, has been the gameplay much more so than the story that is simply incompatible with being online.
The worst indicator for any upcoming MMO title is secrecy and a lack of open beta weekends, etc.: If the game is not good enough to get people to purchase it in a "free trial", then chances are the game is bad. WoW, GW2, Rift, The Secret World and a few of the other big titles that were either wildly, or modestly successful had free trials and/or beta weekends.
Another bad indicator for any upcoming MMO (in my humble opinion) is a lack of explicit divulging of game-play mechanics: if you can't find a list of the specific mechanics in the game, chances are they are not confident with peoples' receptions, or they are aware that they are terrible.
The nail in the coffin for me was the 150 hr announcement, even if it is per faction. That many hours is completely acceptable for me for a single-player game, but MMOs, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH SUB FEES, are meant to last for a digital eternity. I have to admit that the footage shown at the last event sort of threw me a curve ball, but after hearing about the 150 hr content... whatever speck of faith I had has been shaken.
TLDR: Product trials imply confidence in a product; a lack thereof usually the opposite. 150 hours per continent? Seriously?
Comments
My impression is that it's another temporary game. I suspect the gameplay will be fun(if you like the action Skyrim style), and that it'll be fun to explore the world and read the lore books, etc. you can find(if you enjoy exploration/lore).
But, in the long run, I think it's one of those games that probably won't have any holding power over the players. I figure 2 or 3 months worth of play for the average customer.
Personally, I won't buy it at launch or anything. I'm definitely the "wait and see" mindset.
I expect it to be an entertaining single-player romp through a fun to explore world. It's not a game I'd be interested in paying full price and monthly fees for, but I could see a couple months' entertainment out of it.
On the bright side, I would expect the world to feel bigger and more beautiful than a game like SWTOR. It'll probably have tons of little caves and dungeons to stumble upon(in theory).
Lots a great reading here, thanks. Keep it coming.
Reading all of this i now really feel they are going to go F2P once the content dries out and subs start to dwindle, how long will they hold out though.
I am in love with Skyrim and all previous ES games. Sadly, my gut feeling says nothing good about ESO.
I really want it to succeed nonetheless, though, and will probably purchase the game anyway...
"Only in quiet waters do things mirror themselves undistorted.
Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world."
Hans Margolius
From all the videos i saw i am flabbergasted how Bethesda can have the balls releasing this pile of ..., i just hope they don't break their necks on this project, i want my Fallout 4
.
Bethesda should really think about firing everyone in the animation team and replace them with trained monkey's, i think this would improve their odds.
I don't think they have even announced a final release date so i'm not sure if any opinion right now will still be the same in 5-6 months.
Fixed it for ya.
This could end up being very interesting.
You should buy it and play it with your son.
Be excited because he is more excited about this game than you will probably ever be over a game again in your life. Enjoyment of games has alot to do with the time in your life you experience them.
For me take DAoC for instance. I started playing at release, put in mad hours for years and have a ton of fond memories. No way in hell I could ever do that right now for any game, no matter how good.
Point being even if you think it sucks and he thinks its the best thing Evar then its well worth it to experience the excitement and thrill he will get by playing the game at release with his dad. Even if you are not feeling the same thing. Money is only worth so much, having this experience with your son and family is worth the cost of a few games IMO.
BTW I am a father as well, but my daughter is not into video games as a teen. Used to play WoW with her some when she was younger tho.
Play it and have fun with your kid. Who gives a shit what everyone else thinks about ESO as long as your getting some good times in with your kid
OP.
If your son can talk about Elder Scrolls for 3 hours... WTF are you doing? Doesn't he have anything more than ES in his life? Is he autistic? Seriously, WTF? Go outside and play soccer with him or something.
As far as the MMO goes, I believe your hunch may be correct. I hope for them they dont fail as bad as SW:ToR, but the game really sounds like another "how can any proud game designer mess that one up" type of game. Even my girlfriend, though not as big a fan as your son, is now paying more attention to Dragon Age 3 than ESO. It seems most MMO veterans see something is terribly wrong with the way they are managing things and only die hard fans at the moment are keeping their fingers crossed.
Up to now, the gameplay shown has been very average at best, however, there have been surprises! Some games actually do listen to people and change things if the community doesn't like it too much. My suggestion is this: Buy the game for your son since he seems like a fanboi, wait two months before joining in if it seems worth it. To me it looks like a ton of other games I already played and that I am not playing right now because I dont want to play like I'm in 2004.
Boycotting EA. Why? They suck, even moreso since 2008.
@OP
Bud I love the Elder Scrolls games. That said I have no intention of buying this at launch. There's just too much chance this will be F2P 6 mo out.
They have no delivered what the VAST majority of their fanbase wants. They just have not. They have pleased some of the PVP crowd and they have pleased some of the MMO doesn't matter it's shiney new crowd.
Their primary fan base is disillusioned and negative on this.
And don't use this website as your only research on this. Look at the silly number of websites that have posted exactly what I have just told you here.
All this being said if you want your kid to smile for a day or three because you got him a game then buy it. Grab another copy like that one poster told you cuz hell you can always buy more if I'm wrong and it's a great game.
Or you can teach your kid patience and wait and see if it pans out. If the family is going to play together then waiting 2 months wont matter a bit, you already have your party created just need to make the toons for it. Your kid might even learn a valuable life lesson about patience into the bargain.
Good luck on what ever you do choose to do.
GW
Never violate a woman, nor harm a child. Do not lie, cheat or steal. These things are for lesser men. Protect the weak against the evil strong. And never allow thoughts of gain to lead you into the pursuit of evil. Never back away from an enemy. Either fight or surrender. It is not enough to say I will not be evil. Evil must be fought wherever it is found.The Iron Code"
Husvik,
I did not see in your post if you or anyone else in your family played any of the other ES games? If not then I would recommend you sitting down with your Son and have him give you a quick tour of Skyrim since he seems so enthused about the game. Once you have your tour, play a bit and give the major quest lines like the Dark Brotherhood Quest (my personal favorite), The Thieves Guild Quest and the Companions Quest a go. By then you will have a much better feel for what they are currently telling us how TESO will be like.
I would also like to recommend (if you have not already seen them) the vast library of ES videos on Youtube. A good source for Historical ES videos can be found on ShoddyCasts page here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7mFkx1Um4KJZKkUHsSV1uA Be sure to check out the "Elder Scrolls Lore" series.
While I am not a big fan of PvP (I know it's a shocker from all of you that have read my posts before hah), TESO offers what seems to me enough entertainment to offset the cost of the game ($60) and the subscription fee of $15/mo. I have over 800 hours played on Skyrim along and I'm still playing now. I've completed numerous quests but you know what? I'm still finding more quests that I've either overlooked somehow and I'm finding places I've never been to before and they beckon me to enter.
If you play as a Family group; I think, if nothing else, it will become a bonding experience for you all and that in itself is well worth the cost of the game.
Ratero.
FYI not one video out there does the game any justice.
I would suggest holding out for a beta invite or an open beta prior to launch. That way you can vote with your wallet. If your son is so into it, just buy him a copy and see if it is your cup of tea if you are unable to play before launch. I can tell you there is a beta. I can tell you I plan to purchase and play this game for launch.
Cheers!
MMO Vet since AOL Neverwinter Nights circa 1992. My MMO beat up your MMO. =S
First to the OP: Props on being a good dad. My daughter just turned 7 and she is playing Minecraft now, I really can't wait to do some more gaming with her.
For the quote: Best advice possible here. I would say, get two copies if the son is into it, that way Dad is there too, but allow the other kids to make toons on the father's account to see how well they like it as well.
My personal feelings on the matter: I am a long time mmo vet and a fan of the ESO series (Morrowind was my first game). If the game was B2P, I'd pick it up just because it's an ES game. So I am closely watching what ZO does with this, because as of right now I won't buy if there's a sub. I am invested into FF14, and ESO would be more of a casual gaming thing for me (much of what Skyrim has become for me).
I just asked them to cancel my beta account and let someone else in to test that will enjoy the game. Maybe your son will get one sooner
Zenimax Studios have created a world that I have no desire to play in. Their requirement of racial hatred seeps into every aspect of the game. The starter area is all about fighting "evil dominion" folks and fleeing to another area under siege by the Dominion. 80% to 90% of the questing revolves around the ongoing war. If PvP is your thing, you will enjoy it. PvP is not an Elder Scrolls thing. I know... single player games do not have PvP. That is why PvP centric MMOs created from single player games suck.
I won't say anymore.
- Al
Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.- FARGIN_WAR
DAoC - Excalibur & Camlann
I don't believe that any amount of experience justifies placing judgement on a game without getting at least one max level in said game. Though from a business point of view I'm slightly fearful in that they recently said that they wanted to make this like the next iteration of the Elder Scrolls, yet it's majority fanbase is used to buying the game and using microtransactions for additional content and not a monthly fee. How many computer only ESO fans are there when compared to console? To add to that, how many of those computer fans actually play MMOs? How many of those are willing to still pay monthly fees?
Those are actually questions and not simply questions that answer.
There must something that some of us aren't seeing here. Perhaps some information that hasn't been released yet.
Honestly...in my opinion...I have a gut feeling of a IP being exploded....(like WAR, SWTOR, STO, FF14-first go round, etc ) we all fell for in the past.. and I do have a "gut" feeling this is just another
I really hate to be a negative Nelly..but look at the games cranked out in the last half decade, and how everything is going to leaching cash shops.
I do hope to the Good Lord that I am wrong....a ESO "good" game would keep this middle aged man even more out of shape...but the lack of good stuff has gotten me away from the desk :-)
Just my 2 cents
So without mentioning whether or not I am in the beta......
I believe that they have the best intentions with ESO however I do think that it end up as a game with a relatively small following after the first couple months.... From what i've "SEEN" (hint hint) the combat just doesn't have the same weight behind it and overall other players just detract from the elder scrolls experience. Imo a better option would have been ESVI w/drop in drop out coop and pvp arenas.
Anyways just my quick two cents.
I don't want to hijack this thread but this touched on a recently sensitive nerve so I'm just going to say this and have done with it. I'll not go into it further here.
I was perma-banned on Tamrial Foundry for trying to report to the Mod's that people wanted to actually capture, enslave, train and sell NPC Slaves in one of their posts. I reported it twice and the second time I told them I was going to email the NAACP concerning this issue since they seem indifferent to the subject. I'm a White 54 year old male from Alabama and this subject is like gas on a fire down here. All I wanted to do it to delete the offending post.
Anyway... sorry for bringing that up here.
Ratero.
This whole thing smells a bit like LOTRO to me.
LOTRO isn't a horrible game, so don't get me wrong.
But before the announcement, the LOTRO hype was fairly big. It's a ~huge~ IP - probably on par with Star Wars as far as brand loyalty goes. It had a lot of neat "innovations" going for it - like the story mimicing the novels and capable of meeting notable characters from the story, the story going in chapters, the Hope/Dread mechanic, group Fellowship moves, monster play, and the ability to play musical instruments, among other things.
LOTRO did ok for a good while. It had a small but very tight knit community. It ultimately went F2P (being a Turbine title, it was one of the flagship initial F2P titles).
I won't say it's a better or worse game now, but I just feel that ESO will follow a similar trajectory to LOTRO - they both give me the same kind of vibe.
Kaneth,
Firstly ... I totally love your Avatar.
Secondly ... I saved a copy of it off since I collect Avatars I'm fond of.
Ratero.
My gut feeling started off nauseated and ended up vomiting. I've been playing MMOs for nearly 12 years now; this title has many bad indicators that have signaled utter disaster like SWToR (well.. it wasn't THAT bad... it was still a Godsend compared to Dark and Light, or Vanguard).
I've also played and enjoyed the TES titles since Morrowind and wasn't very enthused to hear about an MMO based on TES lore where the lure of TES titles, at least for me, has been the gameplay much more so than the story that is simply incompatible with being online.
The worst indicator for any upcoming MMO title is secrecy and a lack of open beta weekends, etc.: If the game is not good enough to get people to purchase it in a "free trial", then chances are the game is bad. WoW, GW2, Rift, The Secret World and a few of the other big titles that were either wildly, or modestly successful had free trials and/or beta weekends.
Another bad indicator for any upcoming MMO (in my humble opinion) is a lack of explicit divulging of game-play mechanics: if you can't find a list of the specific mechanics in the game, chances are they are not confident with peoples' receptions, or they are aware that they are terrible.
The nail in the coffin for me was the 150 hr announcement, even if it is per faction. That many hours is completely acceptable for me for a single-player game, but MMOs, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH SUB FEES, are meant to last for a digital eternity. I have to admit that the footage shown at the last event sort of threw me a curve ball, but after hearing about the 150 hr content... whatever speck of faith I had has been shaken.
TLDR: Product trials imply confidence in a product; a lack thereof usually the opposite. 150 hours per continent? Seriously?