Skip Starter Island Option should be on Island

Foxhunt · April 2014

salla.hellbergeb17_ESO wrote: »

I don't care about the first impressions and going to a city all hero and whatnots, I just think it's misleading. There are so many players that haven't played beta or read about the change with the starter island thing that just don't know that you SHOULD go to the starter island or that such place exists. Then we have loads of people on our hands wondering why they die all the time and are under leveled in the area theyre' in, not knowing there is many levels to grind in the starter island before you should start the 'first area'.

Just like the Wailing Prison, when you've cleared it once and creating a new character you get the question if you want to skip the prison, the same way it should be done with the starting island too imo.

Exactly. They definitely should start you out at the starter island and allow you to skip the island if you want to instead of skipping the island by default.

curlyqloub14_ESO · April 2014

I'll add my vote to this one too.

I've been playing in beta since November, saw the way it used to be where you went from Coldharbour to the starter islands, then the city, and very much agree that should still be the flow. If people want to skip the starter island, fine, give them the option on the docks when they first arrive.

But everyone should be sent to the starter islands to start. It's a HUGE disservice to people who are new to the game. I don't know how many times I have already had this conversation with a new player who is struggling with levels and gear. Telling them about the island, showing them how to get there, and having them thank me later for guiding them to this content that they otherwise would have missed.

Eris · April 2014

I have to say, that I was actually a little disconcerted when I came out of the prison. Having played in beta, I was used to starting in the island. I was glad that the first contact I found was about getting back to the island, but it was like huh? what!

circilion · April 2014

haha, yea the starting in city screwed me too. Mostly because I have been a long time WoW player. (but quit 5 years ago) and as soon as I got dropped in the city I went outside to grind.

lol

I spent the evening running around collecting recourse nodes and getting my ass kicked by higher level mobs before I realized there must be something wrong and followed the quest line to the starter islands.

That being said, it was from Beta User response that they changed the start position from the islands to the city so... be careful what you ask for

Eris · April 2014

Yes, the beta testers asked, but really no MMO that I know of skips two areas and then has you go backward to get to them. Most start you in the original area and let you bypass them. It is just a logic failure. If they flow charted that particular course they would likely see it. I doubt many programmers flow chart applications anymore, and especially quests and dialog. Ah, the good ole days.

psychounz · April 2014

I agree

I like doing the starter islands and didn't think them too prescriptive. I was surprised when they changed it after hearing "so many people" thought it was too stringent. Just like you can choose whether or not to do Coldharbor again, I'd like the option to skip to be chosen on the start island as well

Perhaps submit a /feedback if you haven't already?

Anmaja · April 2014

As far as I remember the starting islands in the beta already had to option to 'evacuate early' to skip most of the starter area.. This option was given after completing one quest, it was clear it was meant to skip the area, and in my opinion it was fine and fitted the progression of the story.

Maybe an even faster option like direct transport to the city from the place you wake up would work as well (a teleport option by the prophet maybe, to transport you closer to him?).. but waking up in the city really breaks the story in my opinion.

I can think of many reasons why starting in the starting areas was better: The story progression, the hints to earlier quests and locations of the starting areas, the lame reasons why you would be transported to the main city, the dialogue of the prophet and other NPCs that doesn't really fit any more, all the cool NPCs and stories you'll miss, immersion (the big cities are quite chaotic at first), the sense of accomplishment when you first reach the city..

On top of that, for a new player it's not clear that the boat will transport you to a starting area you should better do to get used to the game.

Personally, I loved the starter island and would never skip them, even on alts (you finish them quickly anyway). If you think the way it was in the beta was too hard, then please think about another way of giving the option to skip the starting area to players, while keeping the storyline intact, and keeping first-time players in mind...

Zordrage · April 2014

I just bought the game

Still downloading

THANK GOD i know this now will be going to the island the 1st momment i get in game...........

btw what i read here it sure as hell sounds immersion breaking and makes the story confusing..........

caffeinesoul · April 2014

Zoliru wrote: »

btw what i read here it sure as hell sounds immersion breaking and makes the story confusing..........

Don't worry, in the grand scheme of things, the back-tracking won't have much of an effect on your experience (though I say this as someone who played in the beta weekends since they started, so I knew what to do/expect when I started). It's just an awkward lead in to a great experience.

curlyqloub14_ESO · April 2014

circilion wrote: »

...it was from Beta User response that they changed the start position from the islands to the city so... be careful what you ask for

I think the main request from Beta was more along the lines of just wanting to have the option to skip to the main city (for people making mules, alts, etc). In beta, you had to complete the quest line on the starter island before it was even possible to travel to the main city. People didn't like that, they wanted to be able to travel to the city at will, regardless of quest completion. Most people weren't really asking to start out in the main city by default, they just didn't like that you HAD to do two zones before even being able to access the city.

Plopping newbies right into the city was just how ZOS chose to implement this change.

AngryNord · April 2014

Amen to everything in this thread. It'd have been much better, and wouldn't break the storyline so much, if you got dumped on the starter islands and got the option to go to the mainland right away, and not the other way around... Also perhaps leveling could be slowed down a little on these islands, so you're not insanely over-leveled when you arrive in the main city...

foxsyd · April 2014

AngryNord wrote: »

Amen to everything in this thread. It'd have been much better, and wouldn't break the storyline so much, if you got dumped on the starter islands and got the option to go to the mainland right away, and not the other way around... Also perhaps leveling could be slowed down a little on these islands, so you're not insanely over-leveled when you arrive in the main city...

I do the islands, and have not felt over leveled at all. As a matter of fact, I struggle a bit on some mainland quests. Though the give up, and come back a little later to try again method is working for me. My Dark Elf is level 12 now, and my Breton is level 9.

Edit: Actually I wonder if those who do skip the island as result will have to do a lot of un-quest related grinding, just to get their levels up. Like kill a lot more mobs than a person who did the islands.

NeoXCS · May 2014

I feel like this order is very confusing. I played the islands during the beta and found myself confused when I started further in the story. I enjoyed the islands a lot. They do need to switch the order to going to the island first, then skipping if you wish to. The islands made me feel like a hero, and it flowed very nicely as a tutorial. I also feel it hurts the immersion a bit when they had to do a somewhat poor voice over impression for the Prophet, especially when they had such a well known voice actor for him to begin with.

nudel · May 2014

I applaud you for the attempt OP. However, we tried putting this argument forth in beta and it didn't get anywhere. Furthermore, ripping out the starter islands led to a lot of broken quests and issues in its own right.

I don't agree with the decision but it's been made. I'd rather they not break more quests trying to undo it.

Thete · May 2014

I don't see why the option exists at all. The stated reason, I believe, was that people in beta complained it was too linear. Well, it's no more linear than all of the other zones and it only takes an hour to do if you just bounce from quest to quest without smelling the roses along the way. It was just responding to complaints without engaging common sense.