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Re: More on the Microsoft lay offs, it's grim.
Just a comment on various people saying it wouldn't make sense to cancel Blackbird if they thought it would be successful.
This is not actually how sound businesses necessarily make decisions, especially large publicly traded groups. The question isn't just will it be successful, but will it be more successful than X, Y and Z and therefore a good use of our capital, employee and management time (which is limited), does it cannibalise revenue or resources from our other products, does it fit with our broader strategy for the group and if not why are we doing it, etc, etc.
One very vivid example of this came up in the original discussions in MS of the Microsoft Courier (not the one that eventually came out, the original concept, which developed a bit of a cult status as the most amazing product never made). As the story goes, Bill Gates took one look at it and asked how it fitted with Windows, Office, etc, and that was the end of the project.
I'm not saying this to excuse the layoffs and the way they have been conducted sounds absolutely appalling and I have huge sympathy for everyone at ZOS, most especially because most of them will not have signed up for a culture like this.
I'm saying this only to shed some light on why "but this product would have made money" is quite often irrelevant to why layoffs happen, products get cancelled, and so on. This can be one of the disadvantages of operating in a large, publicly trade corporate group that makes decisions at a very macro level. And, yes, when handled as badly as this the human cost can be horrific and grim.
This is not actually how sound businesses necessarily make decisions, especially large publicly traded groups. The question isn't just will it be successful, but will it be more successful than X, Y and Z and therefore a good use of our capital, employee and management time (which is limited), does it cannibalise revenue or resources from our other products, does it fit with our broader strategy for the group and if not why are we doing it, etc, etc.
One very vivid example of this came up in the original discussions in MS of the Microsoft Courier (not the one that eventually came out, the original concept, which developed a bit of a cult status as the most amazing product never made). As the story goes, Bill Gates took one look at it and asked how it fitted with Windows, Office, etc, and that was the end of the project.
I'm not saying this to excuse the layoffs and the way they have been conducted sounds absolutely appalling and I have huge sympathy for everyone at ZOS, most especially because most of them will not have signed up for a culture like this.
I'm saying this only to shed some light on why "but this product would have made money" is quite often irrelevant to why layoffs happen, products get cancelled, and so on. This can be one of the disadvantages of operating in a large, publicly trade corporate group that makes decisions at a very macro level. And, yes, when handled as badly as this the human cost can be horrific and grim.
Re: More on the Microsoft lay offs, it's grim.
Well, the PvP is badly designed (BG), and the price for every little thing is ridiculous, but I hope the future ESO will be just "there". i got all the DLC years back and didn't play through them all yet on purpose to savor the story, I don't want to see it all gone one day LOLOL
there's alot of problem yes but comnn dont just run away, everyone is paying eso plus lmao
there's alot of problem yes but comnn dont just run away, everyone is paying eso plus lmao
Dock01
5
Re: More on the Microsoft lay offs, it's grim.
This is normal stuff in the game biz and the entertainment industry. I don't want to sound insensitive because of course I feel awful for anyone who loses their job. But what Microsoft is doing isn't inherently evil. Like Zenimax Media, they answer to their stakeholders. This is all par for the course in the entertainment industry.
I will never cease to be baffled (and, to some extent, disheartened) by people defending this horrid workplace and corporate culture.
Regardless of whether the layoffs made economic sense - while I doubt it, there is the theoretical possibility that they did - the style of firing people, how this is done, is just terrible.
And I really hope more people in that industry start unionising.
Varana
11
Re: Please take the taunt in Runic Jolt away from Arcanist!!
ElderSmitter wrote: »DenverRalphy wrote: »DPS arcanists that have Runic Jolt/Morphs slotted are most definitely not meta arcanists.
And what do you mean Arcanists don't need a taunt? Every class needs a taunt. Arcanists are allowed to play as a tank just like whatever class you're playing. And Runic Jolt sits right there at the top of the "Soldier of Apocrypha" skiill line, which is the skill line designed for tanking.
Your issue isn't Arcanists having a taunt. Your issue is you're playing with players who don't know what they're doing.
This has been an issue since day 1 when the Arcanist was born. It is just more common now that Arcanist is more Meta.
Arcanists aren't any more meta than they were before subclassing. The "Herald of the Tome" skill line itself sure. But Runic Jolt and its morphs are in the "Soldier of Apocrypha" skill line, which none of the meta DPS builds are using.
Re: Please take the taunt in Runic Jolt away from Arcanist!!
What ZOS needs to do is introduce Undaunted Basic Training to explain what a taunt is, the value of orbs, don't stand in red, etc..
How would the average player ever learn these things?
I agree but also taunts do say "taunts the enemy to attack you" in the descriptions of skills.
ElderSmitter wrote: »It's getting more and more annoying Tanking with all META arcanists in PUG's stealing Taunt and not even knowing they are doing so. I just watch the taunt counter. I am letting them die now instead of taunting back the enemy, so they learn. Arcanist do not need a taunt...
They're not meta if they have a taunt slotted, that's not what meta means. It's also not even in the same line as beam... are you sure they're using runic sunder to taunt and not say, inner fire or something else?
Soarora
5
Re: Please take the taunt in Runic Jolt away from Arcanist!!
Some people say we should only balance around the top tier players. I'm not sure that's realistic. But, I would agree we shouldn't balance around players who don't even know what they're doing, or what skills they're running.
Re: Hard Group Checks in U47 Dungeons
Yeah that happens. Regardless, if you want to do it solo, ya gotta do whatever it takes. Again nothing really stopping a solo player from attempting this unless they are literally allergic by talking to people for like 2 seconds
If the pressure plate weight leaves, the instance resets and you are kicked out.
If the pressure plate weight ports out but stays grouped, you are grouped and your video recording will show that you did your "solo" run grouped.
And since you are not actually playing together, you have different agendas, different goals. Might be that the pressure plate weight wants to do something else than sit around in their home and go do some group activity. But they are stuck with being in a group but not really being in a group. If they leave the group, you get kicked out in the middle of your run.
And if you practice the same dungeon multiple times, porting in to a dungeon to stand on a pressure plate only to immediately port out every so often gets really old really fast. I'm not sure if I would want to ask any of my friends/guildies "hey, would you like to stay grouped with me for the next 4 hours and every 15 minutes port in to stand on a plate for a sec? No, I don't actually want to play with you, I just want to stay grouped."
Those are nice ideas you have but in reality not really practical.
Re: Dungeon Speed running is back . . . . ?
Speed running never went away.
This debate isn't worth having again.
This debate isn't worth having again.
allochthons
19
Re: More on the Microsoft lay offs, it's grim.
Personally I never peek behind the curtain of a company/game/movie/tv-show/etc. So I don't really care what goes on behind the scenes of a company, in this case ESO. That does not mean I don't feel bad for the people who were layed off, and I hope they will find their place elsewhere. But I just try to play the game and tune out everything around it.
The game itself has gotten so large, that not getting big new content for a while may actually be a good thing. Especially with everything that is already available, both zone-wise and system-wise. With all the new content, ZOS also painted themselves into a corner somewhat. As with every new chapter they also needed to add content for all those new systems they released over the years. Making a new chapter larger and larger(more expensive to create), for the same monetary return. This was/is not sustainable.
That said, due to the shift in business model from chapters to content pass, I am quite hesitant about spending money on ESO right now. Atleast before getting a proper new content/system roadmap for the coming year(s) for ESO. But I remain hopeful.
My other hope is ESO does cut some of the on-the-side stuff, like the CGI trailers for example. I never really cared for those things, and to me these felt like wasting money that does not directly get put back into the game itself.
The game itself has gotten so large, that not getting big new content for a while may actually be a good thing. Especially with everything that is already available, both zone-wise and system-wise. With all the new content, ZOS also painted themselves into a corner somewhat. As with every new chapter they also needed to add content for all those new systems they released over the years. Making a new chapter larger and larger(more expensive to create), for the same monetary return. This was/is not sustainable.
That said, due to the shift in business model from chapters to content pass, I am quite hesitant about spending money on ESO right now. Atleast before getting a proper new content/system roadmap for the coming year(s) for ESO. But I remain hopeful.
My other hope is ESO does cut some of the on-the-side stuff, like the CGI trailers for example. I never really cared for those things, and to me these felt like wasting money that does not directly get put back into the game itself.
Sarannah
7