Play Solo Mode

Dantonian_Rarstiana

I just need to get this off my chest.
This thread will probably be ignored or flamed out.
Whatever.

I played through ESO at launch and was summarily unimpressed. I completely lost interest after 1 week of Craglorn being out. It was utterly underwhelming as a themepark MMO.

However

Just a few days ago I started up a new character. Playing through it one quest at a time, listening to the dialogue, paying attention to the quests.... It is a much richer experience and I actually like the game in this way... However it is constantly shattered by hundreds of other people running around mashing buttons at everything.... Crowds of people running through a supposed "abandoned tomb"

I already know what you are thinking so let me just get all that out of the way before I can lay out what I think is an easy fix.

The "go play something else" argument. In the realm of 'GOOD' immersive single player games there are really only a handful. All of which most serious games have already played 3-4 times over.
When it comes to the Elder Scrolls universe, there is just 3. And pretty much any gamer worth anything has already blown through all the content and story several times over.

Now, lets be honest here, you and me.
ESO as a themepark game kind of sucks. It's not very fun, you don't feel powerful or that you have accomplished anything by playing through it. The community isn't very fun, guilds are little more than a chat room and an auction house, and if we are being brutally honest, other players are just dumb as bricks and twice as annoying.

Now the fix.

I doubt this would ever happen but I would love to see a "Play Solo Mode" that you can select at the character selection screen.

All it would do, is put you in your own instance of the world to quest in, by yourself. You would phase back into the public instances when you are in range of a town, public boss, or public dungeon. But just questing out in the world or doing a solo dungeon would be similar to the Harborage quests. Just you, the dialogue, and the story.

I think that would make the game amazing.

Lunerdog

Dantonian_Rarstiana wrote: »

I just need to get this off my chest.
This thread will probably be ignored or flamed out.
Whatever.

Indeed, que the "this is an MMO" posts from the small minded single trackers.




However, if there was a single player with co-op option for this game I'd be all over it some days.

Having the choice would be fantastic.

Soulshine

I am sorry that you feel this way about the entire community here at ESO.

My guild experience has been awesome in terms of the people I have met; even just random folks in game have been far from "dumb as bricks" or annoying - quite the opposite.

I don't think your idea would be implemented for the reasons I am sure you already know: we are here to share the world of Tamriel with other players. You can still complete many quests alone all the way to vr10, but no - you will not get the whole of the map to yourself in that matter.

Nox_Aeterna

I dont have anything against this , even if i would not use it myself.

While im a solo player also , i actually prefer to share the world with other players , even if i avoid grouping with them.

Personally i think that if i go back to skyrim/oblivion/morrowind again and add mods to it , it will be a hundred times better than ESO as a pure single player game even now.

AlexDougherty

Sorry but they won't do it, to do a seperate instance for everybody who wants to play solo would chew up server processor power.

And there would be quite a few who would want it, so it would require a few bit of extra processing power, which would raise the subscription price.

Dantonian_Rarstiana

AlexDougherty wrote: »

Sorry but they won't do it, to do a seperate instance for everybody who wants to play solo would chew up server processor power.

And there would be quite a few who would want it, so it would require a few bit of extra processing power, which would raise the subscription price.

If an old ass crappy game like Guild Wars can do it, I'm sure Zenimax could figure it out too.

Nox_Aeterna

Dantonian_Rarstiana wrote: »

AlexDougherty wrote: »

Sorry but they won't do it, to do a seperate instance for everybody who wants to play solo would chew up server processor power.

And there would be quite a few who would want it, so it would require a few bit of extra processing power, which would raise the subscription price.

If an old ass crappy game like Guild Wars can do it, I'm sure Zenimax could figure it out too.

I think you overestimate zen devs :P.

Psychobunni

I don't mind the people in the world around me so much. Mention again though when I'm working my way through a "solo" dungeon peacefully and 1-3 players come up behind slamming through everything or I'm killing that mob next to the plant/chest I want just so some heffer can fly in from behind and steal it......then I'd likely jump right on board LOL

AlexDougherty

christy8075b14_ESO wrote: »

I don't mind the people in the world around me so much. Mention again though when I'm working my way through a "solo" dungeon peacefully and 1-3 players come up behind slamming through everything or I'm killing that mob next to the plant/chest I want just so some heffer can fly in from behind and steal it......then I'd likely jump right on board LOL

yeah, been there, but didn't have enough for the T-shirt (because someone stole the contents of the chest).

Black_Wolf88

this game has already too much phasing and more to make most of the open world for ppl who prefer playing completely alone.....if you really want to play solo go back to those games you have played trough 5 times over like skyrim. at least there you wount be bothered by other players.
imo that would be a waste of time and resources to create a solo phase solution.

most content now is done trough solo play and you just have to deal with it if you meet 1-3 ppl in a group gong trough the content. either that or go somewhere else for 5-10 min.

Tapio75

Personally i dont mind people in the world outside like towns, villages and roads, even wilderness... There are players who annoy me like crazy material hoarders and steamroller zerg groups doing content but i dont see that too muc. People somewhat make world more living and my only hope for this outside world would be an option to log in to RP instance of it all.

Dungeons, caves, tomb, ruins and other similar places are completely other matter. There i wish i would never see another player again. They steamroll, they break my atmosphere, there is no fun in sneaking on these places since other playeres just ruin that experience. When i play my warrior which is purposefully made to deal low damage, i always try to do long batles with every enemy which again, is ruined by steamroillers rambling thrpough evereything, only leaving path of destruction behind them.

Only place where i welcome other players are those public dungeons which are those larger dungeons that each zone only has 1 of them.

What i would wish is a checkbox in setting->gameplay where i could set all those areas as private instancews where other will not come unless i have them in my group. I dont want to do these areas with random people, i want to make them with selected group which purposefully holds back to make verything feel more epic.
'
PS: Games with similar system

-Star Trek Online. Basically every mission planet is private instance.
-Aion has solo dungeons that cant be done with oother people.
-Guild wars has every area outside hubs private instanced.
-SWTOR has every main story area private instanced
-Every game with group dungeons. Thousands of people do them alone. Each in separate instance.
-Propably many more.

poodlemasterb16_ESO

Dantonian_Rarstiana wrote: »

Now, lets be honest here, you and me.
ESO as a themepark game kind of sucks. It's not very fun, you don't feel powerful or that you have accomplished anything by playing through it. The community isn't very fun, guilds are little more than a chat room and an auction house, and if we are being brutally honest, other players are just dumb as bricks and twice as annoying.

Honest? What you talkin' 'bout Willis?

It's a great game on many levels. My Vampire Witch is a work of art and most definitely feels powerful. Not all powerful, but able to deal with all the content well above her level.

With a small army, spanning levels up to VR2, I have a good grip on this game. I have accomplished an assload of stuff with a full slate of crafters and four fighters.

We just got a one armed person through the Molag Bal test and that was a community effort that I'm sure many are pleased with.

You are the the poor person that fits your description of others so exactly, that irony will have to take a short vacation.

Xenite

I just want to see a PVE version of Cyrodil. Not everyone wants to pvp or get ganked just to collect skyshards.

Zarman

I can see it now Out Next Year. Elder Scrolls 6: The 3 alliance war.

CenturionExplorer

For me, this game is what i wanted somewhat, an Elder Scrolls game with online functions, it's true that you don't feel like that big hero as you do in other games.

In terms of the community and players, it has only been a positive experience for me, kind and friendly players, having some fantastic guildmates is awesome.

For me now that i have completed every quest on all my home continent, it's all about exploring public dungeons, and i find it awesome, running through a public dungeon. And then encounter another player. That often leads to a conversation and some grouping.

I have also met alot of players who will help you, if you just ask nicely.


Then i have some more negative experiences with bugs. But that's another topic

Kos

Dantonian_Rarstiana wrote: »

I just need to get this off my chest.
(...) The community isn't very fun (...) and if we are being brutally honest, other players are just dumb as bricks and twice as annoying.

I'm as dumb as a rock

yiasemi

Come and live in Asia. At weekends and holidays I can play through dungeon after dungeon, quest after quest with no mad racing players to be found. It's awesome, I've even started taking out dolmens singlehandedly (I'm a NB, so it's stealth, kill one and out, rinse/repeat). Who needs the group dungeons, you can stealth to any skyshards. Who needs friends? Who needs a life?

KariTR

Glad to hear delves are still populated at lower levels.

Personally, I really appreciated the traffic when I was first exploring them as it allowed me to take my time to poke my head into every corner and read all the books in relative safety.

As for the OP's request, I find it pretty outrageous. That's all.

Horrum

Dantonian_Rarstiana wrote: »

Now, lets be honest here, you and me.
ESO as a themepark game kind of sucks. It's not very fun, you don't feel powerful or that you have accomplished anything by playing through it. The community isn't very fun, guilds are little more than a chat room and an auction house, and if we are being brutally honest, other players are just dumb as bricks and twice as annoying.

Hoestly? Ok, I have been having a great time and have met some great people. I really enjoy this game, even though it needs some love.

As for the quoted part: You seem to believe that your opinion is/should be the opinion of others It really isn't. The diversity of humans will amaze you. I, for example, don't understand how you people can eat tomatoes. I mean... gross xD

RedShirtRob

AlexDougherty wrote: »

Sorry but they won't do it, to do a separate instance for everybody who wants to play solo would chew up server processor power.

And there would be quite a few who would want it, so it would require a few bit of extra processing power, which would raise the subscription price.

The server mostly tracks the players' states; almost everything else should be processed locally. So, if anything, this should free server resources, as players in single-player mode could be disregarded by the server so long as they are "off the grid". (I'm not sure how much, if any, client-server interaction is involved in allocating loot.) Not that I'm particularly fond of the OP's suggestions, though I do find it annoying that many players find it necessary to jump in on mobs I am fighting and start spamming AOEs like mad...

KitLightning

yiasemi wrote: »

... taking out dolmens singlehandedly (I'm a NB, so it's stealth, kill one and out, rinse/repeat)...

lol I've had that habit for quite some time :P still the silly goof to the Son of Molag Bal elopes me >:(

Pseudonym

They've already made so many sacrifices in order to make this game a multi-player one. That being said, I'm all for more options, and if people want to play on their own, so be it.

The only downside I see to this, is gold farmers having free reign over gathering and boss farming resources.

Dantonian_Rarstiana

I realize there are a lot of balancing issues this would create. Like I said, this will probably never happen. I just needed to get it out there.

Almost every quest's story is interesting in some way. Some writer somewhere really poured their heart into it. Some level designer spent hours making sure the set looked realistic and rustic... that the lighting was just right... that the actors responded correctly to the player... it shows when you take the time to see it...
And its all utterly wasted when crowds of other players are running from objective to objective.
The mystery is gone. The story is gone. Now you are just following the crowd, clicking on the things that have arrows on them until the game give you points and sends you on your way.

It seems like such a waste of a good game.