Please rethink phasing

Lynx7386 · April 2014

The phasing system in this game seems to actively discourage grouping up with friends for levelling. Last night my brother finally got his game downloaded, and when he got online I grouped up with him to run through some quests together. Almost every quest area we went into, one of us would become invisible to the other due to quest phasing - because I'd already taken or finished one quest or another in that particular area.

We ended up giving up on the idea of grouping for levelling up just because we couldnt get on the same quests or see each others' characters half the time.

If you're in a group, phasing should set to the group lead, or perhaps to the person who has the lowest level of completion for quests in any particular area, so that the players who have already finished that area can re-do it to help their group member(s).

siuolly · April 2014

I agree. Alot of us here are playing the game with a friend or two and these really discourage the grouping.

Thybrinena · April 2014

You can always choose right click in group panel and travel to player? Or log out and in again? That aside, maybe I've been lucky, but I wouldn't agree with anyone indicating ESO discourages grouping more than any other recent MMO out there.

Twistedmind · April 2014

Lynx7386 wrote: »

If you're in a group, phasing should set to the group lead, or perhaps to the person who has the lowest level of completion for quests in any particular area, so that the players who have already finished that area can re-do it to help their group member(s).

I would want this, because yes it would benefit the group co-operation when you could help around on the mission.

icengr_ESO · April 2014

I've witnessed this problem. It's probably bugged like the rest of the game.

Teroh · April 2014

every zone has a dozen or so public dungeons, dozen or so world bosses and you have (3) 4 man dungeons each tier. Plenty to do with your friends.

Allumis · April 2014

I've totally abandoned playing with my brother I started a day ahead of him and simply couldn't phase into his quests because I had already done them and altered the world.

I'm really disappointed by this and as a result my brothers stopped playing at level 9, he wanted to adventure with me and work together to solve quests and explore but the game keeps pulling in the opposite direction. I'm hopeful he will pick up the game again and give it another try even if we can't play together but at this moment in time its one player lost due to the frustration encountered with group phasing. (You can't always phase together if you're both in areas of the world that are different from one another as the result of a quest)

SexyVette07 · April 2014

I agree. An MMO who's mechanics discourage grouping. Kind of ironic really. On the beta forums, this was a huuuuuge issue. I believe they publicly acknowledged it and said they are working on it. At least the game is playable though. Like I said in another thread, the game was FUBAR up until a week before early access.

Morthur · April 2014

.

Kingslayer · April 2014

Travel to player fixes this if ever i find i am in a different phase to my group i do that and problem solved. Their maybe quests which mean in certain quest related parts of the map you maybe in different phases but that was your game choice. Let me posit an example Camlorn in glenumbra needs clearing of werewolves. One of you clears it the other doesn't This means one of you sees a clear town for the other their are werewolves all over. Zeni is limited with what they can do here.

KerinKor · April 2014

Kingslayer wrote: »

Travel to player fixes this if ever i find i am in a different phase to my group i do that and problem solved. Their maybe quests which mean in certain quest related parts of the map you maybe in different phases but that was your game choice. Let me posit an example Camlorn in glenumbra needs clearing of werewolves. One of you clears it the other doesn't This means one of you sees a clear town for the other their are werewolves all over. Zeni is limited with what they can do here.

What you're describing here is two different mechanics which you think are the same:

1) 'layering' I think it's called is what 'Travel To Player' deals with, the different 'incarnations' (I'd use the word 'instances' in the more usual English meaning but in a game it means something else) of the world zone you're in, that's caused by the server randomly putting players into different incarnations on different physical servers.

2) 'phasing' is different, it's caused by quest state and can't be 'fixed' by 'Travel To Player', your Werewolf case is an example of this.

WOW shows how bad things can become with over-complex use of phasing, WOW doesn't have layering, LOTRO has both and at times has the same problems as ESO.

Vikova · April 2014

It is easier to stay out of phase in the earlier levels. And as someone else said, there are plenty of dungeons and world bosses to work on. It also isn't that hard to enter a new zone at the exact same time as someone else if you are logged on a lot at the same time.

Another option is to both roll an alt that you don't play without the other one online. Have your solo character in AD and one that you only play when he is online in DC, then you will always be in the exact same spot with quests.

DanteYoda · April 2014

So that's why the world feels so dead

Thybrinena · April 2014

DanteYoda wrote: »

So that's why the world feels so dead

What do you mean exactly?

DFDelta · April 2014

Hirion wrote: »

DanteYoda wrote: »

So that's why the world feels so dead

What do you mean exactly?

I think what he means is that even if there are 50+ people in the same area and on the same channel/shard/instance (or whatever you want to call it) you won't see them if they are in another phase.

I guess it can feel kinda empty when you're in a "bad" phase.

I've had it happen that I've been in a quest chain and didn't see a single person for 20+ minutes, then I finished a quest, entered another phase and suddenly there are 20 guys around me.

DanteYoda · April 2014

DFDelta wrote: »

Hirion wrote: »

DanteYoda wrote: »

So that's why the world feels so dead

What do you mean exactly?

I think what he means is that even if there are 50+ people in the same area and on the same channel/shard/instance (or whatever you want to call it) you won't see them if they are in another phase.

I guess it can feel kinda empty when you're in a "bad" phase.

I've had it happen that I've been in a quest chain and didn't see a single person for 20+ minutes, then I finished a quest, entered another phase and suddenly there are 20 guys around me.

yes this and i don't think i've ever been in a good phase, except open dungeons seem to have packs of players in them killing everything, which is the direct opposite of what you want..

Seroczynski · April 2014

This happened the first time I grouped with my buddy. Once I traveled to his location it was fixed and since then we have had no problems. We actually talked about this last night on how much of an improvement it was coming from the beta.

Knootewoot · April 2014

I "divorced" my wife because of this. The game is still great, but when i am at work she plays. When i come at home her world is different then mine and we cannot group.

So i still join people do to stuff, but only if they are in the same phase. My mara rings are useless sitting in my bank now.

drzycki_ESO · April 2014

I agree. Trying to do quests with my friends and family is too frustrating because of this so we quest on our own. The only way we can play together is doing dungeons, hunting skyshards, and AvA.

Rastafariel · April 2014

They need to tie phasing to the guy in the group who is most behind so group members can help out.

The eception would be the main quest line, and guild guestlines. They want to force you to SP this. Why? Its an mmo. IMHO you should be able to scale those quests also for 1-4 players.

My 2 copper.

Sue_D_Nim · April 2014

Lynx7386 wrote: »

The phasing system in this game seems to actively discourage grouping up with friends for levelling. Last night my brother finally got his game downloaded, and when he got online I grouped up with him to run through some quests together. Almost every quest area we went into, one of us would become invisible to the other due to quest phasing - because I'd already taken or finished one quest or another in that particular area.

We ended up giving up on the idea of grouping for levelling up just because we couldnt get on the same quests or see each others' characters half the time.

If you're in a group, phasing should set to the group lead, or perhaps to the person who has the lowest level of completion for quests in any particular area, so that the players who have already finished that area can re-do it to help their group member(s).

I couldn't agree more. I've never before seen an MMO that actively discourages the MM part. From the looks of it, I'll never be able to quest with my friend unless we each reserve one character solely to play together, and agree to never, ever play that character except when we're together. Okay, I can do that. I have five slots for alts. But why should I have to?

Not to mention that it's impossible to repeat a quest with a lower level who needs your help.

[edited for spelling] (Yes, I am that sort.)