[Column] Elder Scrolls Online: What Does Paul Sage's Departure Mean for the Future?

SBFord · June 2015

Just a mere three weeks after the console launch of the Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unchained, Paul Sage leaves the project to become Creative Director for an unknown project at Gearbox Software. If you’re not familiar with Gearbox Software they are the creators of the Borderlands series. But what does this mean for the future of ESOTU?

Read more of Ryan Getchell's Elder Scrolls Online: What Does Paul Sage's Departure Mean for the Future?

meonthissite · July 2015

What I find interesting is you mention that Arenanet gives you a deeper connection because Arenanet plays their own game however we see several problems with their game all of which pointing to their inexperience with designing an MMO. The decisions that Arenanet has made historically in the development of their game can only point to not only having very little experience with MMO games but also with what makes MMO gameplay fun.

Additionally you say you feel like you want devs to play the game because you feel connected to them when they do. As a player of BOTH games I have to say that what they are doing with ESO is far far superior to anything Arenanet has come out with. ESO is a beautiful world but it has the underpinnings of endless possibilities right out of the box, it has all of the conventional requirements that we would expect from an MMO and their decisions have been so far over the year it's been out on par with what you'd expect from a team that cares deeply about what their forums want. They don't have to post they don't have to play the game to get it. To me I'd much rather they be working on something big and post in the forums 1 time per month about what's coming that happens in ESO whereas with GW2 that doesn't happen. Getting information from GW2 dev team is like pulling teeth out of a drunk donkey.

I'd much rather the team be working on updates that mean something like their schedule to update PVP next rather than spending all their time in the game so people can see their icon. There simply isn't a valid argument otherwise.

Sovrath · July 2015

Originally posted by meonthissite
What I find interesting is you mention that Arenanet gives you a deeper connection because Arenanet plays their own game however we see several problems with their game all of which pointing to their inexperience with designing an MMO. The decisions that Arenanet has made historically in the development of their game can only point to not only having very little experience with MMO games but also with what makes MMO gameplay fun.

Additionally you say you feel like you want devs to play the game because you feel connected to them when they do. As a player of BOTH games I have to say that what they are doing with ESO is far far superior to anything Arenanet has come out with. ESO is a beautiful world but it has the underpinnings of endless possibilities right out of the box, it has all of the conventional requirements that we would expect from an MMO and their decisions have been so far over the year it's been out on par with what you'd expect from a team that cares deeply about what their forums want. They don't have to post they don't have to play the game to get it. To me I'd much rather they be working on something big and post in the forums 1 time per month about what's coming that happens in ESO whereas with GW2 that doesn't happen. Getting information from GW2 dev team is like pulling teeth out of a drunk donkey.

I'd much rather the team be working on updates that mean something like their schedule to update PVP next rather than spending all their time in the game so people can see their icon. There simply isn't a valid argument otherwise.

I'll have to disagree with you there.

You are basing your statements off of "there is a way to make an mmo and it's based on the things I like".

There is nothing wrong with Guild Wars 2 other than it is not made for everyone. There is no one size fits all mmo.

There are people who love the original Dark Fall, even though it had issues. Yet others would say that "open world pvp doesn't work why don't developers learn this".

And there are people who love WoW yet i have never been able t get a character beyond the 30's and I started at launch.

ArenaNet wants to make their game and I say kudos to them for creating something they want to play. It might not be for everyone but at least they have a vision and they have an audience.

curiousbug · July 2015

Developers not just dont play their own game,they even dont play any other

me sad

Reverielle · July 2015

I'm really hoping Rich actively engages with the community, through the official forums and other avenues. And I hope he encourages others on them team to do so too. But with that comes responsibility, they have to be very careful not to continue the trend of promising things and not delivering.

It's a chance for somewhat of a fresh start perhaps in relation to their interaction with their player-base. Let's hope the opportunity is taken.

Butch808 · July 2015

Maybe we'll start getting some decent updates soon.

Righteous_Rock · July 2015

Hated the game when it came out, got over my cry baby tantrum here recently, been enjoying the game, I think the ship was headed in the right direction, there shouldn't just be one ship though, I think there is room for exploring... Something like Skyrim workshop or Neverwinter player Forge, Cryodil will need greater significance as well, probably centered around a faction Kingdom that creates more imbalance yet allows a single faction to remain in power, and less of a static Cryodil with no real long term consequences.

Nitth · July 2015

Im not saying that all the ESO developers should take time out of their day to play the game but it would be nice to know that they do play it, even if its a character on a test account. Theyre the developers they have the ability to give themselves gear, levels etc so why not go into cyrodiil solo and help fight at a choke point, defend a keep, or assault a keep. We dont even need to know which developer it is.

Because that kind of talk leads to accusations of favoritism.

Go ask the eve online devs how cool it is to have interactions with the players...

gervaise1 · July 2015

Originally posted by DMKano
250 devs is not a small team. Many games have been made by smaller number of devs.

Indeed. And as that number was given out in mid-2012 we can assume that there were zero CS staff in that number.

jgn77 · July 2015

I think this can only be a good thing. Either Paul was fumbling this game up and totally pissing off long time PC players intentionally, or he had huge pressure from the suits to keep the $ flowing in. Either way we will find out soon if he was the source of the problems or a diffuser of them. I tend to think Bethesda suits expect WoW type of money and when they don't get it, they make dumb moves that are not customer friendly.

parpin · July 2015

i do not think there is going to be much of change.. Matt Firor is still game's director..if game's director change then i would say we will see different stuff.

as for paul sage..he did right thing..smart move..gearbox is a good company.

Razeekster · July 2015

Originally posted by Sovrath
Originally posted by meonthissite
What I find interesting is you mention that Arenanet gives you a deeper connection because Arenanet plays their own game however we see several problems with their game all of which pointing to their inexperience with designing an MMO. The decisions that Arenanet has made historically in the development of their game can only point to not only having very little experience with MMO games but also with what makes MMO gameplay fun.

Additionally you say you feel like you want devs to play the game because you feel connected to them when they do. As a player of BOTH games I have to say that what they are doing with ESO is far far superior to anything Arenanet has come out with. ESO is a beautiful world but it has the underpinnings of endless possibilities right out of the box, it has all of the conventional requirements that we would expect from an MMO and their decisions have been so far over the year it's been out on par with what you'd expect from a team that cares deeply about what their forums want. They don't have to post they don't have to play the game to get it. To me I'd much rather they be working on something big and post in the forums 1 time per month about what's coming that happens in ESO whereas with GW2 that doesn't happen. Getting information from GW2 dev team is like pulling teeth out of a drunk donkey.

I'd much rather the team be working on updates that mean something like their schedule to update PVP next rather than spending all their time in the game so people can see their icon. There simply isn't a valid argument otherwise.

I'll have to disagree with you there.

You are basing your statements off of "there is a way to make an mmo and it's based on the things I like".

There is nothing wrong with Guild Wars 2 other than it is not made for everyone. There is no one size fits all mmo.

There are people who love the original Dark Fall, even though it had issues. Yet others would say that "open world pvp doesn't work why don't developers learn this".

And there are people who love WoW yet i have never been able t get a character beyond the 30's and I started at launch.

ArenaNet wants to make their game and I say kudos to them for creating something they want to play. It might not be for everyone but at least they have a vision and they have an audience.

Nah, meonthissite is right, TESO is a better game than GW2. ArenaNet are not willing to listen to their players to the point of stubbornness. Whatever happened to ArenaNet from GW1 is a real head scratcher. I'm betting it's not even ArenaNet anymore, I just can't believe that the people who did GW1 have anything to do with GW2, at least not now.

Tekaelon · July 2015

Originally posted by Sovrath
Originally posted by meonthissite
What I find interesting is you mention that Arenanet gives you a deeper connection because Arenanet plays their own game however we see several problems with their game all of which pointing to their inexperience with designing an MMO. The decisions that Arenanet has made historically in the development of their game can only point to not only having very little experience with MMO games but also with what makes MMO gameplay fun.

Additionally you say you feel like you want devs to play the game because you feel connected to them when they do. As a player of BOTH games I have to say that what they are doing with ESO is far far superior to anything Arenanet has come out with. ESO is a beautiful world but it has the underpinnings of endless possibilities right out of the box, it has all of the conventional requirements that we would expect from an MMO and their decisions have been so far over the year it's been out on par with what you'd expect from a team that cares deeply about what their forums want. They don't have to post they don't have to play the game to get it. To me I'd much rather they be working on something big and post in the forums 1 time per month about what's coming that happens in ESO whereas with GW2 that doesn't happen. Getting information from GW2 dev team is like pulling teeth out of a drunk donkey.

I'd much rather the team be working on updates that mean something like their schedule to update PVP next rather than spending all their time in the game so people can see their icon. There simply isn't a valid argument otherwise.

I'll have to disagree with you there.

You are basing your statements off of "there is a way to make an mmo and it's based on the things I like".

There is nothing wrong with Guild Wars 2 other than it is not made for everyone. There is no one size fits all mmo.

There are people who love the original Dark Fall, even though it had issues. Yet others would say that "open world pvp doesn't work why don't developers learn this".

And there are people who love WoW yet i have never been able t get a character beyond the 30's and I started at launch.

ArenaNet wants to make their game and I say kudos to them for creating something they want to play. It might not be for everyone but at least they have a vision and they have an audience.

Well...that is where we will disagree. GW2's biggest issue is that is a one size fits all kind of game. It was constructed from marketing research, apparently using test subjects that have no imagination. It is bland, devoid of a soul. Tyria no longer fills like a world of dark and ancient secrets. More like an icon of pop culture laced with a smattering of 8 bit graphics.

Why did Jeff Strain have to leave ANet???

Milkbzy · July 2015

So I guess this means Borderlands 3 is actually going to be a Destiny style "MMOish" game then. Seems like most people were expecting Gearbox to go that route, this pretty much confirms it.

SlyLoK · July 2015

I dont think it will be a negative but has a chance to be a positive. The person replacing him has Craglorn under his belt already ( not counting anything in Oblivion ) and Craglorn for me is some of the best content I have experienced in an MMO in quite awhile. It actually makes me look forward to future PvE additions even more.

Paul going to gearbox can only mean one thing... Borderlands is going more into the MMO genre.

Alomar · July 2015

Game had potential, unfortunately it will only be remembered as mediocre and very poorly handled by the developers.

Sovrath · July 2015

Originally posted by Tekaelon

Well...that is where we will disagree. GW2's biggest issue is that is a one size fits all kind of game. It was constructed from marketing research, apparently using test subjects that have no imagination. It is bland, devoid of a soul. Tyria no longer fills like a world of dark and ancient secrets. More like an icon of pop culture laced with a smattering of 8 bit graphics.

Why did Jeff Strain have to leave ANet???

I don't really view it as bland and no soul because I don't think it's "about that".

I sort of look at it as being a "crystalline little gem" over, say being soulful and earthy.

Almost like a little clockwork piece where everything is precisely placed and runs ad infinitum for eternity or until the developers replace a gear and move a lever and change something.

Maybe part of Guild War 2's problem is that players are looking for soul when they should be thinking of it as a set of wind chimes (or my aforementioned clock mechanism).

It's not "my" type of game though I view its world as a work of art, but there are people who definitely can appreciate it and sign into its game play.

Now, as far as the topic at hand, I'm not sure I really care about Paul Sage's departure. True, I didn't know the man but I did see him speak in person and he always came across as "slick" to me.

Though I think ESO is a fine game I think it could have been done better. Of course, the caveat to that "better" is I thatreally think "it should have been done differently".

Which brings us back to Guild Wars 2 as maybe people think it should be done differently but I'm not so sure different would be "better".

nimander99 · July 2015

So far, nothing noticeable has happened since Lambert came on, and he's been here (in his new position) since b2p went live, so I hear what the author is saying, but its not gonna happen as it hasn't happened.

SlyLoK · July 2015

Originally posted by nimander99
So far, nothing noticeable has happened since Lambert came on, and he's been here (in his new position) since b2p went live, so I hear what the author is saying, but its not gonna happen as it hasn't happened.

I think you mean since the console launch. I am pretty sure Paul stayed until then and maybe a little after.

Samhael · July 2015

"With this small team they’ve been able to produce arguably the best MMORPG on the market right now. "

I've never heard it argued that it was the best MMO on the market. I've heard people claim it was good and even great and fun. But I don't recall having read anyone claim it was the best. (now of course, someone will)

Anyway, I'm hoping for a drastic change in gameplay. ESO never felt like a MMO. It also never felt like an Elder Scrolls game either. I've given up on hoping for both so if they could pick one or the other, I might check the game out again.

nimander99 · July 2015

Originally posted by SlyLoK
Originally posted by nimander99
So far, nothing noticeable has happened since Lambert came on, and he's been here (in his new position) since b2p went live, so I hear what the author is saying, but its not gonna happen as it hasn't happened.

I think you mean since the console launch. I am pretty sure Paul stayed until then and maybe a little after.

Nope, he left right after B2P went live. We actually just discovered on forums that he had been gone several months, and made some posts to that effect 2 days ago, so I chuckled when I saw this article literally 2 days after we found he was gone according LinkedIn, then one of the mods confirmed it for us.

SlyLoK · July 2015

Originally posted by nimander99
Originally posted by SlyLoK
Originally posted by nimander99
So far, nothing noticeable has happened since Lambert came on, and he's been here (in his new position) since b2p went live, so I hear what the author is saying, but its not gonna happen as it hasn't happened.

I think you mean since the console launch. I am pretty sure Paul stayed until then and maybe a little after.

Nope, he left right after B2P went live. We actually just discovered on forums that he had been gone several months, and made some posts to that effect 2 days ago, so I chuckled when I saw this article literally 2 days after we found he was gone according LinkedIn, then one of the mods confirmed it for us.

http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/comment/1952643#Comment_1952643

This link and confirmation says after the console launch. Where did you see that he left months ago?

Iselin · July 2015

Originally posted by SlyLoK
Originally posted by nimander99
Originally posted by SlyLoK
Originally posted by nimander99
So far, nothing noticeable has happened since Lambert came on, and he's been here (in his new position) since b2p went live, so I hear what the author is saying, but its not gonna happen as it hasn't happened.

I think you mean since the console launch. I am pretty sure Paul stayed until then and maybe a little after.

Nope, he left right after B2P went live. We actually just discovered on forums that he had been gone several months, and made some posts to that effect 2 days ago, so I chuckled when I saw this article literally 2 days after we found he was gone according LinkedIn, then one of the mods confirmed it for us.

http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/comment/1952643#Comment_1952643

This link and confirmation says after the console launch. Where did you see that he left months ago?

He's probably confusing him with Nick Konkle who did leave a couple of months back. Sage left just a couple of weeks ago after he saw the console release through to launch.

Which just goes to show that people chuckle to themselves for absolutely no reason all the time... and most of those are not even in institutions.

Viper482 · July 2015

"arguably the best MMORPG on the market right now."

Emphasis on "arguably."

DAS1337 · July 2015

Does this mean it's going to go further towards or further away from the Elder Scrolls feel?

I'd personally love to see some housing. I'd also like to see the new player experience revamped. Allowing people to choose any race/class to start the game, progress through your choice of three starting areas (with the ability to port to another alliance area whenever), and be able to choose the alliance you'll fight for in AvA after, say, level 10. If you don't want to choose, then you won't PvP, but the game won't lock you into a faction, which is in-line with ES single player games. I'd like to see more of the lore front and center in the form of new quest lines and interesting locations. Wasn't there a whore house in one of the ES games? Can't that be tastefully redone? Remove Vet levels entirely. I'd like to see more non-combat content and activities in the game. ADD LOCATIONAL VOIP. Please!

But I fear they will take the game more towards typical themepark MMO.

Or maybe it means nothing.

Bladestrom · July 2015

If you get promoted in a company would you make changes or would you consider yourself simply a putz? someone involved in other elder scrolls being promoted is a good thing - better that that some bean counter.

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[Column] Elder Scrolls Online: What Does Paul Sage's Departure Mean for the Future?

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