Why are we still playing a beta?

Lynx7386

I'm seriously running out of patience with zenimax lately. I had high hopes for ESO, I preordered, beta tested, and then jumped right into the game as soon as it went live with early access... only to find myself still beta testing.

Bugs left and right, glitches that should have been caught in alpha, balance changes that seem entirely random, and too much focus on 'new' content when the 'old' content is still struggling.

Prior to the 1.3 patch, I had unsubscribed and was using my remaining subscription time to do nothing more than log in for trait researching on my crafters. I resubscribed after 1.3, expecting things to be drastically better (this was supposed to be the patch to rule all patches, after all). I was appeased by the dye system and rebalancing changes for all of a couple days before I was right back to trait researching while playing other games.

At one point, when my subscription ended, I became unable to post on the forums. I immediately assumed that this was because I lacked an active subscription (and I seriously get irked by MMO's that dont let you keep forum access when unsubscribed), so after renewing my subscription it was another 2 days and several tickets to customer service later before finally getting forum access back - even though it's supposed to be automatic within 24 hours once you renew.

We're still stuck with 4 boring classes. We're still stuck twirling sticks and running around in skirts. There's no such thing as "Play your way" unless you want to never experience pvp or endgame pve content. To top all of that off, this is the most alt-unfriendly MMO I've ever played, forcing you through the other faction's quest zones to gain veteran ranks. I dont want to play the same story (or stories) a dozen times over just to level two or three characters. Come up with some REAL endgame for vet ranks, not re-hashed level 1-50 quests. Doesnt even make sense going through the other factions from the start after hitting 50.

Melee skill lines are still terrible. The only one even worth using right now is sword and board, and only for the passive bonuses to blocking if you're a tank. Dual wield is half-decent for damage, but you're forced to choose between single target and AoE, while a staff wielder can have both and then some. Melee weapons scale off of an entirely different set of character stats than class skills, while staff lines use the same stats.

The two handed weapon line looks like it took all of the leftover, useless skill ideas after everything else was finished and threw them together, with no attempts to synergize between any of the abilities. You have no spammable damage abilities (which is entirely necessary in a game where you only have 5 abilities available at any one time, DOTS DO NOT WORK WITH THAT SYSTEM, why is that so hard to understand?). You have crap AoE, and your single target damage is entirely reliant on a cast-time ability (which, oddly enough, even the staff skill lines dont use) that doesnt even benefit from it's own damage boost. Momentum and it's morphs are entirely worthless, providing a fifth as much damage bonus as power extraction and forcing you to wait 20 seconds for the full effect (you never actually get to that full effect, though, because you're spamming the ability to get out of movement impairing effects, GREAT design there).

Bows suffer much the same issue with the lack of spammable damage abilities, though at least they've got snipe (buggy as it may be). Again we're left with a damage over time ability as the primary source of damage. Zenimax, please listen clearly: NOBODY wants to waste a skill slot spamming an ability when more than 50% of it's damage is done over the next twenty seconds. Up front damage is required in a game with such limited ability slots as this, especially when everything dies so quickly that DoT never comes into play to begin with.

Heavy armor got some cake with the patch, but cant really eat it. The passives still blow compared to light, or even medium, and even for a nightblade with so many class abilities using weapon critical it's still a better idea to go with light armor and a restoration staff.

Still no polearms, spears, or other iconic weapons of the elder scrolls IP available, either. Newsflash: skyrim was not the only elder scrolls game.




So here I sit, logging on for nothing more than trait research and watching patches go by not really fixing anything, and almost always introducing more problems than improvements.

What year do you think we'll actually get a real product, when will this beta end?

Stonesthrow

Having a blast, can't wait to re-up my 6 month sub. Also been playing since November Betas.

Just hit VR-12 on first guy last weekend. Did it the old fashioned way… quest by quest, zone by zone… slow and steady and all in order, with over 9200 achievement points to show for it.

I like damn near everything about this game, I like where they say they are going, I like the time I spend playing.

I'm not hardcore… HARDCORE! ...so that might have something to do with it.

I also don't take gaming as serious as I used to.

Sorry you are irked but it is far from Beta.

IceDread

The weapon swap and lag issues luckily do not happen a lot but when they happen it's very frustrating and takes away feeling from the game and if your really out of luck you might die.

The game got lots of issues for sure, but it has become better. Thou a bit to slow. It's also annoying when new bugs are introduced.. makes me wonder if they test their stuff or lets us test it but, it is progressing.

What I see as very disturbing are the weapon crit and spell crit that NB's DK's needs to have both of for their skills while sorcs only needs spell crit. This truly is not fair. With the new set bonuses thou weapon crit is a bit easier to come by than before, but sorcs has an unfair advantage to the other classes. This I hope they will change soon.
Who cares about spell or weapon crit, it should simply and only be crit, nothing divided. Then "playing as you want" would be a possibility and more fun.

Anastasia

Stonesthrow wrote: »

Having a blast, can't wait to re-up my 6 month sub. Also been playing since November Betas.

Just hit VR-12 on first guy last weekend. Did it the old fashioned way… quest by quest, zone by zone… slow and steady and all in order, with over 9200 achievement points to show for it.

I like damn near everything about this game, I like >>>>where they say they are going,<<<<???

I like the time I spend playing.

I'm not hardcore… HARDCORE! ...so that might have something to do with it.

I also don't take gaming as serious as I used to.

Sorry you are irked but it is far from Beta.

---

Seriously, nice positive post Stonesthrow. Especially since you say you have been involved since the November Beta's.

I am trying to be patient and enjoying PvP while I wait to see what, if anything will be done to provide some challenging, fun GROUP - motivating content for mid to upper level and through to endgame PvE content. I actually believe this MMO is well, just muddy.

If you can succintly tell me what TESO's real identity RIGHT NOW is and what the emphasis supposedly is on where its going in say three or four sentences, I'd love to read it.

Might give me something additional to feel optimistic about. I see a reed that was once in its development stages firm and facing sun-ward, now softening and blowin every which way in really, the softest of breezes.

poodlemasterb16_ESO

I been here since January and I'm have a lot of fun with this toy. I'm not sure what you people do to burn yourselves out and then camp the forums complaining.

A very nice adaptation of TES to an MMO and an ongoing commitment to an evolving game, is just what I like. It's an MMO, they will patch it till it dies.

MercyKilling

Short answer?

It's not a beta. Just because you're displeased with the product does not mean it's in beta testing.

Heck, I'm really peeved about the way some things are being implemented(looking right at YOU dye system and guild stores) but I'll get over it. Or I won't, and I'll cancel my sub and stop playing.

What I -won't- do is come here and make whiny posts about it. I make liberal use of the ingame /feedback system.

KhajitFurTrader

I'm with you, @Stonesthrow‌. In fact, you've expressed my current sentiments about ESO quite precisely.

Seems like "we" don't feel like we're still playing a beta, @Lynx7386‌. That isn't to say that some or all of the points you've raised aren't valid, not at all. It's just that the thread title seems to be deliberately chosen to sound provocatively in order to gain attention, and to give the impression that you're speaking for all of us, which clearly isn't the case.

(Unless, of course, you're royalty and chose to use the pluralis maiestatis. )

SirenofEntropy

Anastasia wrote: »

I am trying to be patient and enjoying PvP while I wait to see what, if anything will be done to provide some challenging, fun GROUP - motivating content for mid to upper level and through to endgame PvE content. I actually believe this MMO is well, just muddy.

If you can succintly tell me what TESO's real identity RIGHT NOW is and what the emphasis supposedly is on where its going in say three or four sentences, I'd love to read it.

Might give me something additional to feel optimistic about. I see a reed that was once in its development stages firm and facing sun-ward, now softening and blowin every which way in really, the softest of breezes.

Challenge is always nice, but throwing too much forced-grouping content into the game could be problematic. First, because a lot of people who play this game came not from other MMOs, but from other Elder Scrolls games and they're looking for that single-player experience. Obviously ESO is an MMO and not a single player RPG, but it seems as though a large portion of the player base is more interested in solo content. Second, while grouping can be fun and rewarding at times, it can also be frustrating if you become locked out of content because of inability to find a group. This is currently an issue with some of the Craglorn questing. Perhaps the solution to this that could please both sides is having mob difficulty scale depending on how many players are in your group. I don't know how that would work in a non-instanced game, though.

TESO is not a typical MMO, for sure. It's more of a hybrid of the MMO genre and the single player RGP genre. Which works really well for some people, myself included, and not so much for people who are used to the hardcore MMO experience of needing to group up and strategize to achieve anything. As somebody who has mostly played SP-RPG games and whose main MMO experience is with Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 (where you can solo basically everything once you become good at the game), ESO is a game that works for me. It may not be everybody's cup of tea, and that's fine, but I don't think people should insist that ESO change its base design and mechanics just to suit people who would probably be better off finding one of those hardcore MMOs they seem to long for.

Lynx7386

Just seems to me like ESO wanted to be innovative so badly that they mucked up all of the things that your MMO player takes for granted. Fair balance, smooth playing content, an interesting and somewhat deep skill system, and a half-decent interface that doesnt require you to download a few dozen addons from third parties to know what the game should be telling you up front.

PrinceBoru

I play on a Mac.
So toss aside hardware explanations.
It either works on a Mac after so & so a year or it doesn't.
Around mid April I dove in.
I've been logging hours daily despite bug after lightning bug.
Patches only seem to swap one hiccup for another.
I just want it to work.
This game is just a tiny part of my life.
My time is short for shite that doesn't work.

MasterSpatula

Oddly enough, I thoroughly enjoy the game and can't wait to play it whenever I get a chance--even though I agree with every one of OP's points. I guess, in the end, immersion and story win for me over all. I haven't recommended ESO to anyone (and have even warned people off it); I've told everyone the story is amazing but the gameplay is pretty bad.

Yet here I am, completely addicted. I guess I'm willing to be a total sucker on everything else when the storytelling is done well.

Lynx7386

Guess for me it's just the fact that there are better alternatives available. I really wanted ESO to be my next 'starwars galaxies' - the next sandbox mmo that would incite some nostalgia and give me something to waste away my free time in.

I'll agree that the story is awesome, the problem is that you get to level 50 and story goes out the window as you're suddenly put back to 'level 1' in another faction's zones. I dont like running the same story content twice, and for someone who likes to play alts that part of the game is just sorely lacking. I'd rather have no veteran ranks at all than have recycled content that makes absolutely no sense from a lore standpoint (why is everyone in this faction's zones crying about dark anchors when i've already slain molag bal and put an end to the planemeld?).

Ultimately, this game just doesnt hold true to the elder scrolls series for me. An elder scrolls game is all about freedom and ESO gives you none of it. I understand the setting, but it would have been a far better design choice to get rid of all 3 factions and let people pick where their loyalties lie. Instead of being part of the dominion, a player should have the choice to join a cult, the town guard, the thieves guild, the dark brotherhood, the morag tong, necromancers, vampire dens, or any other number of mini-factions which would determine their hostility towards other players. Hell even better, they should've just made player guilds the factions - create your own, pick if your'e lawful or unlawful or neither, set which other player guilds you're hostile or friendly to, and have your wars in the middle of the streets.

Cyrodiil was a great idea at first, but it's no longer about siege warfare and epic battles - it's all zergball bombing.

BBSooner

Been playing since beta, having a ton of fun still. If you're not I'd suggest moving on and enjoy the games you consider better alternatives.

Nox_Aeterna

Well , it is quite obvious zen is trying to get the game ready for the console launch , honestly , just looking at the state this game got released it was quite clear zen is just using us to beta test while paying lols.

If anything , i will be surprised if they actually manage to deliver a finished product by years end with the console release , by the looks of it , that on itself will require a miracle.

Anastasia

SirenofEntropy wrote: »

Anastasia wrote: »

I am trying to be patient and enjoying PvP while I wait to see what, if anything will be done to provide some challenging, fun GROUP - motivating content for mid to upper level and through to endgame PvE content. I actually believe this MMO is well, just muddy.

If you can succintly tell me what TESO's real identity RIGHT NOW is and what the emphasis supposedly is on where its going in say three or four sentences, I'd love to read it.

Might give me something additional to feel optimistic about. I see a reed that was once in its development stages firm and facing sun-ward, now softening and blowin every which way in really, the softest of breezes.

Challenge is always nice, but throwing too much forced-grouping content into the game could be problematic. First, because a lot of people who play this game came not from other MMOs, but from other Elder Scrolls games and they're looking for that single-player experience. Obviously ESO is an MMO and not a single player RPG, but it seems as though a large portion of the player base is more interested in solo content. Second, while grouping can be fun and rewarding at times, it can also be frustrating if you become locked out of content because of inability to find a group. This is currently an issue with some of the Craglorn questing. Perhaps the solution to this that could please both sides is having mob difficulty scale depending on how many players are in your group. I don't know how that would work in a non-instanced game, though.

TESO is not a typical MMO, for sure. It's more of a hybrid of the MMO genre and the single player RGP genre. Which works really well for some people, myself included, and not so much for people who are used to the hardcore MMO experience of needing to group up and strategize to achieve anything. As somebody who has mostly played SP-RPG games and whose main MMO experience is with Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2 (where you can solo basically everything once you become good at the game), ESO is a game that works for me. It may not be everybody's cup of tea, and that's fine, but I don't think people should insist that ESO change its base design and mechanics just to suit people who would probably be better off finding one of those hardcore MMOs they seem to long for.

---

Siren, I see your position. I have friends who feel just as you do in the top paragraph of your post.

However,when I got to reading this part: "...but I don't think people should insist that ESO change its base design and mechanics just to suit people who would probably be better off finding one of those hardcore MMOs they seem to long for." Well, I just had to smile a little.

You are expressing almost the exact same sentiment I experience every day, but from the exact opposite point of view. Its so odd.

Did you and I read many of the same interviews from devs pre-launch? Did we see the same advertisements? Or the same promo's even???

The cumulative information I based my purchase of this MMO on and subsequent subscription was literally based on some two years of interactivity on fansites and while gathering every bit of information possible about the then, upcoming MMO - TESO. It most definitely DID advertise to MMO PvE and PvP veterans, it certainly was stated many times that this game would have lower level soloing fun, and mid to upper level challenging GROUPING-CENTRIC content leading the PvE endgame.

I have PvE and PvP raidforce experience in my background and enjoyed the hell out of it -- but I've also ventured off into several recent MMO subscription releases which provided a more rounded player style (*never hit a keystroke inside the online Warcraft franchise heh.) Games with emphasis on soloing, but still with a decent amount of grouping and good e x p/rewards for that grouping content, housing, indepth crafting with goals and reasons to enjoy it as a full time emphasis if desired. Mini/side games within, exploration paths, player-created content, shiney collections, lore-appropriate themed holiday events (*NOT irl commercial holidays ;o/), PvP gm-spawned happenings, and other stuff. I am far from a hardcore gamer. I'm a former U.S. Marine, so the difference between my definition of hardcore anything and some others might be considerable for that word anyhow ^-^.

I like variety in an MMO, I feel comfortable with a stable, working framework/infrastructure as the priority, decent balance among base classes/not perfectly balanced but enough so that I WANT to try each one! I also like enough 'new' stuff to look forward to in order to be jazzed about the future content ie the upcoming Justice System, other important Guilds getting integrated, the Imperial City - woo hoo!

I understand TESO is in its first year and still going through a bit of seasoning. Hehe that is probably one of the most confusing things I felt about the PvE Vet+ content Nerf in just three months -- basically done with little to no eye toward the consequences that would cause this MMO's PvE endgame.

Everyone cannot be everything all the time here -- just isn't working. I am not looking for deleveling or complete PvP loot scenario's here. Why does an MMO have to be hand-holding sparkly paths OR lose your booty, literally upon the tinest mistake???

There IS a middle ground though, and THAT was exactly what was advertised for this MMO...I'm still waiting for it. (*)

poodlemasterb16_ESO

Nox_Aeterna wrote: »

Well , it is quite obvious zen is trying to get the game ready for the console launch , honestly , just looking at the state this game got released it was quite clear zen is just using us to beta test while paying lols.

If anything , i will be surprised if they actually manage to deliver a finished product by years end with the console release , by the looks of it , that on itself will require a miracle.

I'm sure much of what happens is obvious to you. I'm not sure if it's not really just confusion though.

Draxuul

This is THE MMO that i`ve been waiting for , for the last 8 years or so . Eversince i quit WoW for so many reasons that i`m not gonna go into , i`ve been patiently waiting for an MMO that does not remind me of WoW in any way .

Finally an MMO where you don`t just watch a bunch of numbers appear on your screen everytime you hit something .

Finally an MMO where your class doesn`t determine the kind of gameplay you`ll have .

Finaly an MMO that doesn`t have a UI that covers your entire screen and where you can actually enjoy the view while you fight instead of watching health bars and casting bars and or ability bars and many other kinds of bars .

Finally an MMO where player skill actually counts for something , where blocking isn`t determined by a stupid percentage and where you actually have to aim at your target instead of Tabbing through targets and where your character doesn`t auto attack .

The fact that player skill is important to your success in this MMO means so much to me . Every other MMO i played was all gear and no skill . Now at least It`s mostly skill and not so much gear . Yeah of course your gear will help , but it won`t determine the outcome of a fight . And that to me is pure gold.

Also i have to say that animations are great as well as the graphics . I`ve never seen an MMO before this one that had such good fighting animations . They make fights seem much more realistic and much more immersive for me .

So yeah , i can definatly deal with a few bugs and glitches , though they are sometimes frustrating , the Devs are constantly working on them and all we need is a little patience .

So far , this MMO represents my vision of what MMO`s should`ve been since the start and i`m hoping as hell that they don`t choose to go a different direction in the futur .

They started this MMO with the perfect mindset in my opinion , i`m begging Zenimax to maintain that exact same mindset.

If some players are not happy about it , they can just go back to other MMO`s , those players have hundreds of MMO`s to choose from . I only have one and i will fight for it .

Draxuul

kevlarto_ESO

First year of any mmo is beta, I think some mmo's after several years are still in beta LOL,, I know my cell phone is beta, and it costs me more than my mmo

badmojo

psst, no game is ever bug free.

twev

MercyKilling wrote: »

Short answer?

It's not a beta. Just because you're displeased with the product does not mean it's in beta testing.

Heck, I'm really peeved about the way some things are being implemented(looking right at YOU dye system and guild stores) but I'll get over it. Or I won't, and I'll cancel my sub and stop playing.

What I -won't- do is come here and make whiny posts about it. I make liberal use of the ingame /feedback system.

Use the Forum how you wish, it's your choice not to discuss in public if you prefer. Keeping your opinion a secret from other people isn't always a great virtue when gathering information on matters that affect the masses. But one of the uses of a 'Forum' is to post opinions to discover people of like mind, and gather opinion, as it aids in finding extent of problems, and in some cases - solutions that others may have.

Forum:
1. The marketplace or public square of an ancient Roman city, the center of judicial and business affairs and a place of assembly for the people.
2. A court or tribunal: The forum of public opinion.
3. An assembly, meeting place, television program, etc., for the discussion of questions of public interest.

Fleymark

MasterSpatula wrote: »

Oddly enough, I thoroughly enjoy the game and can't wait to play it whenever I get a chance--even though I agree with every one of OP's points. I guess, in the end, immersion and story win for me over all. I haven't recommended ESO to anyone (and have even warned people off it); I've told everyone the story is amazing but the gameplay is pretty bad.

Yet here I am, completely addicted. I guess I'm willing to be a total sucker on everything else when the storytelling is done well.

Pretty much this. I enjoy the game too, but the OP is pretty spot on with a lot of his points.

No offense to anyone but "I'm having fun" or "There will always be patches in MMOs" really aren't counter arguments to the statement "we are still in beta."

I've had plenty of fun in some terrible games of all sorts just because there were one or two things I liked. Doesn't mean they weren't bad games that I would expect most other people to enjoy. There's no rule you can't have fun in a beta. I've had fun in plenty. And it goes without saying that MMOs get patched throughout their lifetimes. Duh. The difference is most MMOs patch in fixes and tweaks. When you have one patching in major content in the first 6 months it's not unreasonable to conclude that this content was intended for release and didn't make it.

To me, the biggest indication is the lack of balance between classes and builds. Sorting that out us precisely what beta is for yet here we are almost a half a year after release getting "incremental" tweaks to the most lopsided out of balance combat system I've, personally, ever seen in an MMO. Basic balance, forget about actual balance, is the core of any game's gameplay. The plan to entirely revamp the veteran system is another red flag.

So yeah, I like the game and am having fun, but it's definitely still in beta. Although I do disagree with the OP's assessment of bow abilities. The line suffers from problems like all stamina builds, but there are definitely spammable abilities and the value of the dot isn't the dot but the interrupt. The dot is just icing. And as much as I would prefer otherwise, I don't find snipe to be as useful as I would have liked, personally, although I hsvent used it much since the changes.

moxiesauce

MercyKilling wrote: »

Short answer?

It's not a beta. Just because you're displeased with the product does not mean it's in beta testing.

It's not in beta for PC, oh nay nay good sir. We're in beta for console, cause you know, that's where the money is

Thralgaf

Life is a beta.

Elsonso

Flawless? No. But, definitely not a beta.

I don't feel like a tester, and I know what that feels like.

moxiesauce

lordrichter wrote: »

Flawless? No. But, definitely not a beta.

I don't feel like a tester, and I know what that feels like.

I won't feel like a tester once console is released.

Elad13

The problem is the op is right...This game does have a lot of bugs and issues. But everyone defends the game and keeps playing...When subs drop they make some type of "sometime in the future, but we are not giving dates" hype to string people along. It is a game and it's fun to a point, but each person has to decide when it's not worth it for themselves....I feel if you unsubbed it's better to just move on...because the core game is going to be the same with a few new Shiney fluff things. IMHO.

UPrime

If you think the game should still be in beta, they don't play it until you think it's better. Wait 6 months and give it a try. Some of us though don't really see the problems so we still get to have fun. Win win.

SirenofEntropy

Draxuul wrote: »

This is THE MMO that i`ve been waiting for , for the last 8 years or so . Eversince i quit WoW for so many reasons that i`m not gonna go into , i`ve been patiently waiting for an MMO that does not remind me of WoW in any way .

Totally agree with everything you said here, Draxuul. I was a long-time player of the original Guild Wars, a game that was very solo-friendly but still had some fun group-centric content as well. Ever since that game's playerbase died off substantially I've been questing for a new MMO that would really grab my interest the way Guild Wars once did. I've tried several in the last few years and none of them interested me for longer than a month, not even Guild Wars 2 which I ended up finding very grind-heavy and boring.

ESO is the first to come along that really made me fall in love with it. I can overlook the performance issues, occasional quest bugs, and balance issues because I like everything else about the game. It has enough solo content to keep me interested because I cannot stand having to do everything in a group, which entails tons of waiting around to find said group, then potentially hours of getting ready, dealing with afk'ers, ragequitters, and elitists with a superiority complex about builds and class. That isn't my idea of fun at all. I'd rather just adventure by myself and group occasionally just for fun or for some more difficult content.

Grouping for regular questing, in my opinion, should be OPTIONAL. Never mandatory, with the obvious exception of some of the more high-tier stuff that would be absurd to solo (like Trials for example).

I sometimes feel that people who vehemently defend grouping and think it should be required for everything are people who already have a solid guild or group of people that they play with regularly. They don't take into consideration that many of us DON'T have that luxury, and we shouldn't be locked out of a good portion of content because of it.

And I know some of you may ask, "why bother playing an MMO at all if you just want to do stuff alone?". My answer to that is that I enjoy having other people around to talk to or just observe. I like the community aspect, the trading, the opportunity to potentially make some friends. I do not, however, want to be forced into a position where I can't complete a quest because I don't have anyone to group with. That just stalls progression and makes the game a lot less fun.

KhajitFurTrader

Draxuul wrote: »

So yeah , i can definatly deal with a few bugs and glitches , though they are sometimes frustrating , the Devs are constantly working on them and all we need is a little patience .

So far , this MMO represents my vision of what MMO`s should`ve been since the start and i`m hoping as hell that they don`t choose to go a different direction in the futur .

They started this MMO with the perfect mindset in my opinion , i`m begging Zenimax to maintain that exact same mindset.

I'm just quoting the key statements here, but I can strongly concur to everything you said in your post, @Draxuul. And I'm saying this despite (or because) I'm playing on the Mac client. The developers' vision of ESO has already been successful, since it polarizes the opinions of so many people about what to expect in an MMO, or rather, a TES game gone multiplayer. I hope and wish they stay true to their cause. ESO wouldn't survive its (hopefully never proposed) NGE for even one day.

Ninnghizhidda

Up to this very point ESO is quite simply a game designed for all those who really love to play "mages". I am sure they are thrilled at the options they have to make "perfect" characters that can face-roll everything.

So, for this particular category of players, indeed, ESO is THE game ever. For the others though... It is becoming ever increasingly irritating, especially when you have been a fanatic (not just a fan) for the real Elder Scrolls games, for almost 20 years.

There is no choice, no nothing. They grab you by the throat, and if you don't agree to be that "dress + broomstick" thing, you are guaranteed NOT to enjoy your gaming experience.

Not because the game does not have an awesome setting, environment, world, story, dialogues and all that. But because it only has pathetic, horribly designed "classes" that are just different variations of the same freaking M A G E.

I am still not sure if I should call this a Beta or an Alpha even, because how can you have a serious AAA world-class game that so obviously and blatantly forces people to one particular direction?

Yes, yes, I know they are hard working on "fixes", and yes I do see that they are good when they want, to make progress in particular areas. On the other hand, I am not sure I am willing to wait another couple of years until they will finally let me play a fooking "warrior character", in a few words, play the game as I want, and I am not even asking for anything more than the very obvious, having the choice to play an archetypal kind of character, available in each and every other Elder Scrolls title, and just about in any other game, since time immemorial. Period.

Skulclutter

Ninnghizhidda wrote: »

They grab you by the throat, and if you don't agree to be that "dress + broomstick" thing, you are guaranteed NOT to enjoy your gaming experience.

No, you're not "guaranteed". It's subjective. My main is a sword&board heavy armour user and I'm having lots of fun. I know plenty of others who feel the same.