Q&A with Paul Sage on ESO Live #4

ZOS_GinaBruno

Hello everyone!

Our next ESO Live show will be this Friday, October 24th, and we'll be joined by ESO Creative Director Paul Sage for a live Q&A! If you're not able to join, you can still participate by posting your questions in this thread. We'll be choosing a few questions from this thread for Paul to answer, in addition to questions posted in the Twitch chatroom.

We hope you'll join us this Friday at 4:00pm EDT for the show!

Sotha_Sil

Hello,

With the arrival of the champion system and the end of Veteran Ranks in the near future, can we expect changes about the alliance population splitting system : for instance, could it be possible to gather all 3 alliances in PVE or are we going to be separated for eternity ?

Will new skills be added in the class trees ? (new morphs for example).
EDIT : was answered during the show - not going to happen for now.

Garbrac

Glad to see Paul Sage will be joining in on the ESO Live event. Going to be a good show.

Thank you in advance @ZOS_paulsage for taking the time to answer our questions.

Are there plans to allow Character Transfers to different factions, even if it is a Pay service.

With the implementation of the Justice system will we be seeing NPCs reacting to Vampire or Werewolf player characters?

Will we ever have a Ready Check implemented?

What protections are being put in place to ensure that Cyrodiil PvP will remain competitive and active when Imperial City is released. As it stands right now (least according to what we know) there is no mechanic that will remove a player from Imperial City. Even if they log out and login later they are still in Imperial City (even if they do not control the keeps for ownership). I foresee a lot of people not leaving this new zone as it will become a popular feature and the outside Cyrodiil combat will suffer due to this.

ESO has a large focus on player customization and having us build our characters the way we want to. Is there any plans on opening up the character stat sheet to display more information. For example, if I equip a Fire Resist ring, I will gain 120 resist, but I have no clue what my individual fire resist is, just my over all spell resist. This lack of information is very harmful to me as a player as it does not allow me to fully customize my character. Even if you do not wish to display this information natively would it be possible to have the API opened so we can create addons to display the stat page in as much or as little detail as we wish.

The current issue with Forward Camps are trolls placing them in locations that prevent active players from being able to defend/assault a keep to the best of their abilities. The change to FC coming in patch 1.5.x unfortunately won't stop this issue, if anything all it will do is hinder it for a short time. What are your thoughts on removing FC entirely, or opening up a campaign that does not allow FCs.

On the topic of Campaigns, are there any plans in the works that will address the "buff campaign" situation we've run into. Currently with the 5 Campaigns we have, each faction has one campaign that is considered a buff campaign. A camapign that is solely owned by a faction and used strictly to get the buffs. Can we expect the removal of 2 or 3 campaigns to keep players more localized and active within the campaigns. Look at Chillrend and how long we've had the emperorship LOL.....

Since we're discussing PvP, and the buffs. A concern that was brought up during the Guild Summit was the PvP buffs providing a large benefit to those who PvE competitively. There was discussion among the attendees about the possibility of removing the PvP buffs from Trials. Has anything about the PvP buffs been discussed internally?


EDIT

Currently with the PvP System, Alliance Points have no weight and mean almost nothing. AP only purpose is buy siege weapons and Gear (which if you wanted eventually could get for free). Are the any plans to make PvP Points feel like we are progressing. Perhaps I am looking at nostalgia but the Realm Rank system that was in DAoC has to be one of the best systems for PvP, and a variation of it would be something I'd like to see. That system offers the player a sense of accomplishment and progression. The more they pvP the better they get. In ESO, even though we have the Assault, Support and Emperor skill trees, once they are learned there is very little reason to PvP. Except for Faction pride which is almost non-existent in ESO. Will we see any massive changes to the way we progress in PvP. You're changing the PvE aspect of progression with the champion system, I would be ecstatic to see a overhaul done to the PvP progression.

Leijona

When will we see ingame events, like a celebration of the Moon Festival or other holidays?

When can we expect controller support for PC?

Can we expect to see a new main story some day, something bigger like the first main story? Or will we only have "zone stories" in the future?

LonePirate

It seems like the Cyrodiil/PVP element of the game is the unwanted stepchild of ESO. Fixes or resolutions to massive issues impacting all players there (such as game crashes, FPS drops, immense lag, broken doors, rampant exploiters/cheaters, unbreakable CC, poor itemization, broken skills and many other issues) often arrive months after intense player reporting and outrage. More often than not, solutions never arrive at all. When can subscribers like myself who spend the vast majority of our game time in Cyrodiil expect some attention to our issues and problems and have them addressed in a timely and satisfactory manner?

Braidas

Could you please add something to make pvp ranks meaningful? After you get combat frenzy 2, there's no point...I rlly like to have some kind of reward or something to work towards while I'm pvping....and no, rewards for the worthy are not rewards, they're a pita.

spoqster

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

Hello everyone!

Our next ESO Live show will be this Friday, October 24th, and we'll be joined by ESO Creative Director Paul Sage for a live Q&A! If you're not able to join, you can still participate by posting your questions in this thread. We'll be choosing a few questions from this thread for Paul to answer, in addition to questions posted in the Twitch chatroom.

We hope you'll join us this Friday at 4:00pm EDT for the show!

Great news! Will there be any way to send in well prepared, intelligent questions beforehand? That Twitch chat is a bit of a pain and it makes it virtually impossible to get an elaborate point across.

Leijona

spoqster wrote: »

Great news! Will there be any way to send in well prepared, intelligent questions beforehand?

Answer:

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

We'll be choosing a few questions from this thread for Paul to answer, in addition to questions posted in the Twitch chatroom.

Strange question ^^

Engwar

Garbrac wrote: »

On the topic of Campaigns, are there any plans in the works that will address the "buff campaign" situation we've run into. Currently with the 5 Campaigns we have, each faction has one campaign that is considered a buff campaign. A campaign that is solely owned by a faction and used strictly to get the buffs. Can we expect the removal of 2 or 3 campaigns to keep players more localized and active within the campaigns. Look at Chillrend and how long we've had the emperorship LOL.....

Based off this statement my question would be:

If every alliance is able to have their own "Buff Campaign" wouldn't that mean that Imperial City will ALWAYS be open to that alliance on that particular campaign? What incentive would I have to take keeps on another campaign in order to restrict access to Imperial City for a different alliance , if I already have Imperial City access on my "Buff Campaign"?

spoqster

Leijona wrote: »

spoqster wrote: »

Great news! Will there be any way to send in well prepared, intelligent questions beforehand?

Answer:

ZOS_GinaBruno wrote: »

We'll be choosing a few questions from this thread for Paul to answer, in addition to questions posted in the Twitch chatroom.

Strange question ^^

You're right, my bad. I didn't even read the full text before posting. The internet age is getting us all!

SantieClaws

What can you tell us about the provisioning revamp? I have heard that there will be less ingredients and recipes will no longer be regional. Does this mean less recipes overall? As a serious Tamriellic chef I have put a lot of effort into getting as many recipes as I can of all levels and regions. I would hate to think that the variety of foods available would lessen, even if overall numbers of ingredients must be thinned down.

Also is there any vague timescale as to when this revamp might be implemented? I need to know if I should start hoarding fish in the bank or not.

Also could perhaps do with a bit more variety in icons or animations so that the thing you have cooked looks a bit like the thing you have cooked ie why would honey brittle be eaten in a bowl with a spoon? I know that last bit isn't a question technically ....

WraithAzraiel

I've had an "Ask a Question" thread for about a week now, it's gotten over 2,000 views, and 2 pages worth of legitimate concerns, many of them request for an official response one way or the other, to no avail.

So I figure I'll post it here and hope the Great and Powerful Sage has something to add on the situation.

The question is:

Seeing as we're making the switch back to XP from VP, can we expect to be retroactively awarded all the XP for participating in activities that gave us NO VP toward our next Veteran Level with the release of Update 5?

IE: While leveling through the veteran zones, you continued to discover points of interest, unlock chests, discover wayshrines and caves and delves, few of these things granted progress toward our next Veteran Rank, will we see them added to our progress if we are below V14?

Also, it's been said that ZOS has been tracking XP gain behind the scenes. Please clarify.

Have you only been tracking the XP gained AFTER V14? Have you been tracking the XP in the background since launch?


All boils down to the simple question: will we be rewarded for the effort we port forth? Or should we all just sit on our hands until the new system goes live and pick up from there?

Here's the thread for those of you interested: http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/discussion/136484/when-update-5-drops#latest
and @ZOS_GinaBruno‌, if you could kindly take a look and toss this question to whoever can answer, I'd appreciate it greatly.

ShadowHvo

Thank you so much @ZOS_paulsage for taking the time to answer our questions!

In regards to the future of ESO, I'm not asking for date, progress or anything specific, but I simply would like to ask if you guys are working on either "Guild housing" or "Player housing" in any shape or form?

While I doubt you guys would have big news about it, a little teaser or something similar would be really nice =P

Dominoid

wenxue2222b16_ESO wrote: »

What can you tell us about the provisioning revamp? I have heard that there will be less ingredients and recipes will no longer be regional. Does this mean less recipes overall? As a serious Tamriellic chef I have put a lot of effort into getting as many recipes as I can of all levels and regions. I would hate to think that the variety of foods available would lessen, even if overall numbers of ingredients must be thinned down.

Also is there any vague timescale as to when this revamp might be implemented? I need to know if I should start hoarding fish in the bank or not.

Also could perhaps do with a bit more variety in icons or animations so that the thing you have cooked looks a bit like the thing you have cooked ie why would honey brittle be eaten in a bowl with a spoon? I know that last bit isn't a question technically ....

The timing of the Provisioning Revamp was asked in chat of ESO Live Episode 2 and Gina replied:

Zos_gina_bruno: @Chaoskillerx7 we're currently aiming for Update 6 for a lot of the provisioning changes

WraithAzraiel

ShadowHvo wrote: »

Thank you so much @ZOS_paulsage for taking the time to answer our questions!

In regards to the future of ESO, I'm not asking for date, progress or anything specific, but I simply would like to ask if you guys are working on either "Guild housing" or "Player housing" in any shape or form?

While I doubt you guys would have big news about it, a little teaser or something similar would be really nice =P

They answered this already in an AMA with Paul Sage.

Long and the short of it is, don't expect to see anything in the way of housing until AT LEAST after the 1st anniversary of the game, likely closer to the 2nd anniversary.

Rune_Relic

Why are all class skills magicka based ?

Why can I spam magicka (class) combat skills at leisure and never run out of magicka, yet don't get the same invincibility whilst being a stamina based character (ie I run out of damage) ?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=LqlE1bFrmMI

The current system means, to be combat effective I have to use class skills and if I want to use class skills I must be a mage ?

Drazhar14

Any chance we will continue to see new ways to play the game in the future, such as mounted combat, underwater exploration, sailing, building player homes, minigames (like archery and gambling), etc? Adding new dungeons and land to explore is great, but people will get bored of the same combat system eventually. A good way to extend the life of a game is to add new ways to play it and new activities to do.

Razour

Questions for the Q&A with @ZOS_PaulSage:

Q1/ What do you see as being the biggest hurdles to overcome in achieving balance in ESO?

Q2/ How would you define or characterize success in relation to achieving balance in ESO and overcoming the challenges outlined by your response to Q1?

Q3/ How far along the path to achieving the definition of success (Q2) do you believe you are today and what is your estimation for when you'll fully achieve that goal?

Thanks in advance for considering these questions.

randolphbenoit

I one of those (crafting) players that wear a hood with heavy armor. Right now I forced to use a 'light' hood as there no heavy type ones. From images I seen the thieves guild and dark brotherhood gear have heavy gear with hoods (with face covering). I want be an enforcer when justice system comes. Will there be option open to me to craft those gear while following a path of the hero? Can we get more hood options for heavy gear wearers and with toggle face covering?

Caroloces

Some questions on Player Housing

Thank you, Mr. Sage, for taking our questions.

There has been a lot of interest in player housing. I'm sure it must be a topic of consideration amongst the working teams at ZOS. Can you fill us in as to the nature of the discussions on this topic, what elements are being considered, and what approximate time line do you see for adding it to the game?

More specifically: Many of us believe that crafting could be greatly enhanced by adding more crafts associated with player housing, such as carpentry. There is also the thought that many of the activities associated with player housing could directly add benefits to some of the crafting lines, e.g. a garden could be used to grow mats used for alchemy.

Is there a possibility that guild housing might be considered? As an example, a keep seems to be an appropriate type of housing for multiple players that constitute a guild. I probably don't need to enumerate all the possible activities that might take place within a guild keep, but one strikes me as particularly alluring: the possibility of doing modified PVP, commonly referred to as dueling, where players could test their class abilities and skills without fear of death. The way I see it, there would be a form of acquiescence that a beaten foe would take (as we see in many of the quest lines in which you must beat an NPC in some fight). This would go a long way in remedying the type of anguish one experiences in cyrodil when you go out to test a build, and then are killed immediately! By dueling with fellow guild mates, you can adjust builds and skill lines, modify weapon bars and armor sets, and then venture out into real PVP with at least some assurance that you've tried and tested your current build to the best of your ability.

Again, thank you for taking the time to consider these questions.

helediron

Drop rates? What's really happening with armor/jewelry sets, e.g. Warlocks and their drop rate? Is Sheogorath having fun with me by dropping seventh destructive mage ring? Is Hircine a leettle low on budget with DSA end price blue VR13 nightwood bows?

Audigy

Hi Paul,

MMO and especially ESO players love their sandbox elements as multiple polls at the official forum have shown. The positive votes are usually in the high 70s and I was wondering if you have any Sandbox elements planned in the upcoming months?

Might it be a house to store our trophies and where we can craft furniture, a garden that we can cultivate or a simple reputation system where we can work on the standings with specific NPCs? A system where every action leads to a reaction similar to Daggerfall (1996).

Thank You!

rophez_ESO

Garbrac wrote: »

Currently with the PvP System, Alliance Points have no weight and mean almost nothing. AP only purpose is buy siege weapons and Gear (which if you wanted eventually could get for free). Are the any plans to make PvP Points feel like we are progressing. Perhaps I am looking at nostalgia but the Realm Rank system that was in DAoC has to be one of the best systems for PvP, and a variation of it would be something I'd like to see. That system offers the player a sense of accomplishment and progression. The more they pvP the better they get. In ESO, even though we have the Assault, Support and Emperor skill trees, once they are learned there is very little reason to PvP. Except for Faction pride which is almost non-existent in ESO. Will we see any massive changes to the way we progress in PvP. You're changing the PvE aspect of progression with the champion system, I would be ecstatic to see a overhaul done to the PvP progression.

Please read this one carefully, Paul. It's a huge issue with everyone in my guild.

Edit: The bold is mine, not the person I quoted.

Sacadon

When will PvP become a priority?

Paul/ZOS,

Maybe your business model, vision, market analysis or other clearly indicates that investment in mostly PvE to date was wise. While that may or may not be true, you have a very large and dedicated PvP base that continues to shrink. I believe that simply a lack of communication, expectation setting and follow-up has contributed to this more than the issues.

Additional context on this are the major releases to date and how only one* benefited what is still a very real scale and fundamental design flaw with large combat performance in Cyrodiil. Yes another PvP addition is coming (Imperial City) but no solutions to Cyrodiil issues:

• PvE - Craglorn
• PvE - Dyes
• PvE - Upper Craglorn
• PvE - Trials
• PvE - Dragon Star Arena
• *PvP - PFX (goodness)
• *PvP - Imperial City (a carrot yes, but not holding breath)

Meager attempts to address PvP issues:

• Non-Veteran campaign
• Two 30 day campaigns (gave us another PvE buff campaign)
• Oil Pot nerf (this must have been a flag in a table otherwise waste of time IMO)
• FC rank purchase requirement (trolls will just get them emailed to them, so I must be missing why there's any purpose to investing anytime on this approach)
• PvP buffs local to campaign (the buffs are driven mostly by PvE not PvP, so not sure this addresses the incentive for a buff campaign)

---

I expect I did miss some key points, but doubt any of them would tip the scales such that PvP was getting the attention it needs (& I want).

I do believe that ZOS is aware of the fundamental flaws in the games mechanics and are working to address these with champion system etc... (guild summit output) and that the Imperial City has your attention. Hence, not much time for other things. But if this is the case, why not call that out and let us know in a more formal and/or direct manner as to how the current focus will benefit PvP (assuming of course it will) and when the other issues are targeted for resolution?

I do love the game and I trust that ZOS genuinely cares and is doing all they can to get this right. BUT, we need a clear roadmap on where PvP is going and you're not allowed to say Imperial City .

Thank you!

randolphbenoit

I miss the Daggerfall days where we had carts. If housing not possible how about allowing those with horses and crafting skills to build carts to store extra inventory until u reach a town. Instead of adding to junk tab it gets added to cart save/sell tab options. Sell option - items listed as sell can be bought by passing player while cart sits outside the dungeon. difference from guild trader is cart only works if player in logged online and not in a PvP zone. This makes for a more lively world and more options for crafters...

Grim13

Cloak - will it ever work more than 1/3rd of the time in PvP?

randolphbenoit

Will there be non-PvP (PvE) mode for Cyrodiil for those wishing to explorer/quest without dealing with PvP players... Right now I lvl 10 vet done with Cadwell silver/gold but feeling I no where to go unless I team up with people hows that make me feel like I am the hero? Unless things change I feel I am done with ESO atm.

Antirob

PVPers feel that were getting the short end of the stick. PVE has received multiple content updates while pvp has recieved none. The only thing that we know of thats going to change the pvp game is the imperial city which is down the road. We need something now and the problems need to be addressed. The forward camp "fix" is pitiful and will not change the trolling and mass zerging created by them. They need to be removed until an actual fix can be created.

tldr; remove camps and PVP needs more content updates.

edit: can alliance ranks and skill points be account wide post 50. Also any chance of race changes.

Quintal

Do you have plans about increasing actual levels, not Veteran Ranks?

Teiji

This is brilliant!

Question - I see many characters in the game, from those in Morrowind to those in Rivenspire, wearing Ashlander gear. Can we expect players to be able to obtain gear for all item slots for this specific style, sometime soon? As a drop only or perhaps an Ashlander motif?

Neizir

QUESTION FOR PAUL:
Can we expect to see expansion packs at some point in the future?