ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Athory wrote: »

• Does ZoS have plans to turn ESO into something like a Dark Souls-style game?
• Do they have any plan to push solo players out of the game?

To answer the core questions asked:

Q: Does ZoS have plans to turn ESO into something like a Dark Souls-style game?
A: No.

Q:Do they have any plan to push solo players out of the game?
A: No.

Just following up here generally. We hear the feedback from solo players about the Night Market content. We want to follow up with just few things.

We have no intention of pushing solo players out of the game. However, we started this year off by noting that we were going to try some new things. Night Market is one of them. While we always provide group players with trials, we also wanted to try something different. This was not to alienate solo players, but rather to add a new way to play. That being said, we do hear the feedback and have passed that on our teams for future consideration, especially for when Night Market comes back later in the year. Remember, part of the ethos of this event is to add to it over time.

As several have noted in this thread as well, we have a roadmap that is publicly available. The point of the roadmap is to showcase the content we have coming throughout the year. As is noted on the roadmap and current PTS testing, we have plenty of solo friendly content as well. Thieves Guild and Sheogorath Questlines, Favors system, Rumors system, Two Solo Dungeons, Sage's Vault, and the list can keep going. And that is all on top of existing content. We also understand that not every piece of content will be for everyone, and that is okay.

We know this may come off as a contentious statement, but it does bear repeating. While we are an Elder Scrolls game, we are also an MMO. Storytelling and the heart of solo adventure will always be an important part of ESO. However, some of our event/ event zone content will be focused on encouraging group play. It is the nature of the genre. Additionally, we know just like there are players who come for solo content, there are also players who come for group content and challenging group content. So we want to make sure we are providing new things for them as well.

We'll close with this. Last year, we saw many threads throughout the year asking us to address content and find new ways of renewing the gameplay experience, both in variety and challenge. We are in the first passes of this now with items like Night Market going live. But we will have content throughout the year to address both solo and group play within the community. The feedback is helpful to steer us on the right track. So thanks to everyone, both solo players and group players, who have given their constructive feedback regarding the Night Market. The team is taking a look at what can be done during this current running and what can be adjusted for the next run of the Night Market.

I just want to remind everyone, anyone, that MMO does NOT mean grouping. It never meant grouping. It meant shared map. It meant socializing. Using the term Massive Multi-player Online to provide an excuse to push grouping and guilds is trying too hard to validate attempting to change the way we play.

I just got done re-rolling 9 times. NOTHING popped that was possible to just solo.

I am disappointed at what the game is turning into. There is a lot of content and zones/DLCs to make a new character and run that solo. But the least they could do is give us the option to make a toggle to set Achievements either Account or per Character. Some of us understand that it is the Character that earned the Master Crafter title.

I also do not care for the " 5000 or NOTHING " approach.



Edit: whats the deal with the emoji change? suddenly they are huge so you get less of an assortment.

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

some of our event/ event zone content will be focused on encouraging group play

This content does not encourage group play, it enforces group play.

Encouraging involves inspiring, which can be done through providing benefits. Enforcing involves force, which can be pushing or by removing other options.

To give an example, consider Heresy of Ignorance. Strange Obelisks are scattered across the map, and you need to disrupt 3 of them and kill the boss. When in a group, you get credit for every Strange Obelisk any member of your group disrupts. This encourages group play because the quest is done more quickly in a group. If 3 Strange Obelisks had to be disrupted within 1 minute, it would be unfeasible for a solo player to do it, and thus this would enforce group play.

Likewise, Night Market does not encourage group play to gain the benefits of faster and smoother progress, it enforces group play by making progress unfeasible for solo play.

SilverBride wrote: »

OccultNerd wrote: »

I've seen people asking for a solo or easier version of NM, why? Especially after the majority of players wanted harder content!

The majority do not want harder content. It was a the same handful of players in the pinned overland thread asking for more difficulty. That is far from the majority of players.

Agreed. It is a Vocal Minority. And you can sometimes spot them as they run past every Overland mob at warp speed.

shadoza wrote: »

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Athory wrote: »

• Does ZoS have plans to turn ESO into something like a Dark Souls-style game?
• Do they have any plan to push solo players out of the game?

To answer the core questions asked:

Q: Does ZoS have plans to turn ESO into something like a Dark Souls-style game?
A: No.

Q:Do they have any plan to push solo players out of the game?
A: No.

Just following up here generally. We hear the feedback from solo players about the Night Market content. We want to follow up with just few things.

We have no intention of pushing solo players out of the game. However, we started this year off by noting that we were going to try some new things. Night Market is one of them. While we always provide group players with trials, we also wanted to try something different. This was not to alienate solo players, but rather to add a new way to play. That being said, we do hear the feedback and have passed that on our teams for future consideration, especially for when Night Market comes back later in the year. Remember, part of the ethos of this event is to add to it over time.

As several have noted in this thread as well, we have a roadmap that is publicly available. The point of the roadmap is to showcase the content we have coming throughout the year. As is noted on the roadmap and current PTS testing, we have plenty of solo friendly content as well. Thieves Guild and Sheogorath Questlines, Favors system, Rumors system, Two Solo Dungeons, Sage's Vault, and the list can keep going. And that is all on top of existing content. We also understand that not every piece of content will be for everyone, and that is okay.

We know this may come off as a contentious statement, but it does bear repeating. While we are an Elder Scrolls game, we are also an MMO. Storytelling and the heart of solo adventure will always be an important part of ESO. However, some of our event/ event zone content will be focused on encouraging group play. It is the nature of the genre. Additionally, we know just like there are players who come for solo content, there are also players who come for group content and challenging group content. So we want to make sure we are providing new things for them as well.

We'll close with this. Last year, we saw many threads throughout the year asking us to address content and find new ways of renewing the gameplay experience, both in variety and challenge. We are in the first passes of this now with items like Night Market going live. But we will have content throughout the year to address both solo and group play within the community. The feedback is helpful to steer us on the right track. So thanks to everyone, both solo players and group players, who have given their constructive feedback regarding the Night Market. The team is taking a look at what can be done during this current running and what can be adjusted for the next run of the Night Market.

I just want to remind everyone, anyone, that MMO does NOT mean grouping. It never meant grouping. It meant shared map. It meant socializing. Using the term Massive Multi-player Online to provide an excuse to push grouping and guilds is trying too hard to validate attempting to change the way we play.

And at the same time it does not mean strictly solo only. An online game should have varying contents for all types of players. Not all activities in EO are meant for group or solo only. You are trying too hard not to try different content.

EDIT: Having a mix of content is healthy.

shadoza wrote: »

ZOS_Kevin wrote: »

Athory wrote: »

• Does ZoS have plans to turn ESO into something like a Dark Souls-style game?
• Do they have any plan to push solo players out of the game?

To answer the core questions asked:

Q: Does ZoS have plans to turn ESO into something like a Dark Souls-style game?
A: No.

Q:Do they have any plan to push solo players out of the game?
A: No.

Just following up here generally. We hear the feedback from solo players about the Night Market content. We want to follow up with just few things.

We have no intention of pushing solo players out of the game. However, we started this year off by noting that we were going to try some new things. Night Market is one of them. While we always provide group players with trials, we also wanted to try something different. This was not to alienate solo players, but rather to add a new way to play. That being said, we do hear the feedback and have passed that on our teams for future consideration, especially for when Night Market comes back later in the year. Remember, part of the ethos of this event is to add to it over time.

As several have noted in this thread as well, we have a roadmap that is publicly available. The point of the roadmap is to showcase the content we have coming throughout the year. As is noted on the roadmap and current PTS testing, we have plenty of solo friendly content as well. Thieves Guild and Sheogorath Questlines, Favors system, Rumors system, Two Solo Dungeons, Sage's Vault, and the list can keep going. And that is all on top of existing content. We also understand that not every piece of content will be for everyone, and that is okay.

We know this may come off as a contentious statement, but it does bear repeating. While we are an Elder Scrolls game, we are also an MMO. Storytelling and the heart of solo adventure will always be an important part of ESO. However, some of our event/ event zone content will be focused on encouraging group play. It is the nature of the genre. Additionally, we know just like there are players who come for solo content, there are also players who come for group content and challenging group content. So we want to make sure we are providing new things for them as well.

We'll close with this. Last year, we saw many threads throughout the year asking us to address content and find new ways of renewing the gameplay experience, both in variety and challenge. We are in the first passes of this now with items like Night Market going live. But we will have content throughout the year to address both solo and group play within the community. The feedback is helpful to steer us on the right track. So thanks to everyone, both solo players and group players, who have given their constructive feedback regarding the Night Market. The team is taking a look at what can be done during this current running and what can be adjusted for the next run of the Night Market.

I just want to remind everyone, anyone, that MMO does NOT mean grouping. It never meant grouping. It meant shared map. It meant socializing. Using the term Massive Multi-player Online to provide an excuse to push grouping and guilds is trying too hard to validate attempting to change the way we play.

It also doesn't mean that only soloable content is released. Every MMO I've ever played had some focus on more difficult content, and sometimes there are patches with things I have no interest in doing in MMOs.

No one is entitled to development of only content they personally are interested in when they have to support diverse interests.

After deciding I wouldn't go in there at all, two of my guilds are running events later this week in the NM that interest me. The catch for one is that they want everyone attending to have completed the main quest for their faction. So I went in this morning to do that.

The zone definitely isn't for me, so I'm not going to say much. But there was nobody else in any of the districts. As you know, the main quest takes you all over each district. I didn't see a single other player. I got it done by using death to port myself across the map, otherwise it would have been impossible for me to do. As it was, two of the quest objectives were smack-dab in the middle of mobs, so it was impossible to sneak around and do them. Fortunately I managed to complete them because I was able to advance the quest before dying, though one location took three tries.

Based on my experience, I believe that something is up with the instancing. Why was I the only player in all three districts? Surely there was at least one instance somewhere with less than 36 players that I could have joined? So something's up with that. If I'd been dumped into an instance with other players, my experience may have been different.

It's definitely not my kind of content. The only reason I'm considering doing the events is that I know I can drop out and the guild will be understanding. Plus, one event has a fun theme, and the other one is with a guild I enjoy doing events with.

In summary, look into the instancing. For a zone like this, it should be a priority to put players into instances with other players. And I agree with the suggestion to increase the player cap. From what I saw, 36 isn't enough if you want players to run around the zone without having to explicitly group.

I wish to provide an update on my experience with the Night Market.

1) I think that most players were (are) frustrated because the Night Market was advertised as "New Area", when in fact it is basically a public dungeon at trial-level of difficulty. This could have been avoided if communication on this topic had been made clear from the start. Clearly, you cannot do a trial alone. Clearly.
2) I joined groups of 12 players using the group create/group finder, and we managed to kill bosses and complete skirmishes. However, it took long, especially since not all players are experienced, which reinforces the fact that this is a public trial dungeon, and it should be advertised as such. Mechanics were unknown, which complicated things.
3) When you die, you can respawn at the opposite side of the map. By the time you try to rejoin your group, you are dead again.
4) Very often, we could not even try to do a puzzle, because enemies would see us and attack us, making the whole enterprise impossible. This point has been raised by other players as well.
5) Receiving 50 pieces of the same weapon as a reward just because I have not learned it is annoying and useless. I cannot even try to sell it because everyone has got at least 20 copies of it. The rewards are hideous, as we said many times. Why can't you give some better rewards with variety, like furniture or some currency, we all wonder.
6) Instructions on how things work are missing and we are left looking for some information on the internet. Why can't you provide a guide on how things work?
7) I was very disappointed, and so were other players, to discover that the "secret areas" of the free house that you can unlock after obtaining the relics are 3 insignificant, ugly rooms without even a window. Not like the house in Northern Elsweyr, where each secret area revealed a magic place. No. Just 3 ugly rooms with no windows. By the way, it is time to fix the story about not having windows in houses. This is so claustrophobic.
8) I already shared my view that the Golden Pursuit rewards are undesirable and, as usual, only catering male players. I am still waiting for the time when you seriously start considering that there are female players who do not care about the nth mask or sword style page.
9) Finding the extra quests is a matter of pure luck, and the fact that they cannot be shared (already represented here by many of us) is only annoying. On which basis have you decided that those quests should not be shared?
10) Most players are unaware of the population cap, and so was I. For this reason, the maps are always empty: we are all in different instances.

The Night Market has got potential, but poor communication led to wrong expectations, and failure to take on board feedback received, before and after the lunch, is not the right way.

I know this is a thread for showing off our fashions, but I've gotta say that ZOS is really missing the mark on motifs. This game has been out as long as FFXIV and there are things I love about both games aesthetics, but man does FFXIV have ESO best on variations. This isn't a hate comment. I love ESO, but I can't help but be a bit envious of some of the things the FFXIV engine can handle opposed to ESO's. Armors with layers, various satchels, bags, knives on armor. Boot knives. Backpacks. Short capes and cloaks. I get that there's likely no way to substantially improve the old engine, but it blows me away how far apart the capabilities of these two engines of similar age are holding up.

At the very least we need more motifs that let us add things to make us look more like adventurers with functioning armor & equipment.

Because they think this game is Skyrim online.