It's weird that Hirelings email us...

Gidorick

Having an email system in which in-game characters email you things seems really strange to me. It would be like if you got an email from Razum-dar saying,

“This one would like you to meet Raz at Harbor Customs Hall in Velyn Harbor. There is much to discuss.”

It doesn’t really “fit”. I think the email system should ONLY be for player to player communication. Any NPC to Player communication should be handled in game somehow.

Does anyone else feel this way? What other ways could hirelings be handled?

I think maybe a hireling post in the cities that have our hireling’s items waiting for us with notes from them that can be read but not “taken” so they don’t clutter up our inventory. Perhaps this could be accomplished with the Banks where there is a Hireling Bank that we can remove items from but cannot deposit to.

Thoughts?

AlnilamE

I don't think of them as "email". I think of them as "letters" that come with the packages they send me.

tinythinker

There have always been couriers who deliver letters and packages in Elder Scrolls games. I take the in-game mail from NPCs as such correspondence.

Samadhi

Is it e-mail, or is it texting?

My hirelings often seemed to update me on the status of events right in the middle of the event happening.

Waiting for a "anyone who needs their hands to ride a horse is a terrible resource gatherer. Your components are included." Followed by a "I fell off my horse and was confined to a temple to heal my injuries. In the meanwhile, here are your components."

IrishGirlGamer

What gets me is how completely undependable they are! I have to be right there, every day, waiting for them or they forget to make deliveries. If I'm gone for a week, they start slacking and when I get back, I get next to nothing.

But yeah, the e-mail is fine. Having to drop what I'm doing to run to pick up a package may be more immersive - but receiving an message is no less immersive than teleporting halfway around Tamriel in the blink of an eye.

Gidorick

tinythinker wrote: »

There have always been couriers who deliver letters and packages in Elder Scrolls games. I take the in-game mail from NPCs as such correspondence.

But don't the couriers run up to you and hand you the items? That would be fine in ESO but the chance of them running up to you and you are out of bag space would be pretty high. We need an option that allows us to not accept the package right away.

Gidorick

Samadhi wrote: »

Is it e-mail, or is it texting?

My hirelings often seemed to update me on the status of events right in the middle of the event happening.

Waiting for a "anyone who needs their hands to ride a horse is a terrible resource gatherer. Your components are included." Followed by a "I fell off my horse and was confined to a temple to heal my injuries. In the meanwhile, here are your components."

If I could give you more than one "awesome" I would. That made me laugh pretty good.

cote-bmsb16_ESO

I sometimes need potions during dungeon runs, so no.. I dont wana stop and go visit a town to pick up a package.

Gidorick

cote-bmsb16_ESO wrote: »

I sometimes need potions during dungeon runs, so no.. I dont wana stop and go visit a town to pick up a package.

Do you use the emails as a sort of extra inventory space and only take the items you need from the emails that are sent to you by hirelings?

Gidorick

IrishGirlGamer wrote: »

What gets me is how completely undependable they are! I have to be right there, every day, waiting for them or they forget to make deliveries. If I'm gone for a week, they start slacking and when I get back, I get next to nothing.

But yeah, the e-mail is fine. Having to drop what I'm doing to run to pick up a page may be less immersive - but it's no less immersive than teleporting halfway around Tamriel in the blink of an eye.

Ahh... the battle between immersion and ease of play. My feelings is it is no less bothersome than having to find a crafting station on which to craft or seeking out NPCs to complete quests, but I agree having the mechanic CHANGE at this point would be annoying.

Personally I'm surprised they ever got the green-light to send hireling items through the email system. I'm surprised Bethesda didn't scoff at the design choice from the get-go.

cote-bmsb16_ESO

Gidorick wrote: »

cote-bmsb16_ESO wrote: »

I sometimes need potions during dungeon runs, so no.. I dont wana stop and go visit a town to pick up a package.

Do you use the emails as a sort of extra inventory space and only take the items you need from the emails that are sent to you by hirelings?

I dont have too much inventory problems anymore (spent over 150k on bag/bank space and a horse) and I empty my inventory often. I only use the mail system like that for my alts' gear or bounce mail off someone so I can research traits items on different characters.

tinythinker

Gidorick wrote: »

tinythinker wrote: »

There have always been couriers who deliver letters and packages in Elder Scrolls games. I take the in-game mail from NPCs as such correspondence.

But don't the couriers run up to you and hand you the items? That would be fine in ESO but the chance of them running up to you and you are out of bag space would be pretty high. We need an option that allows us to not accept the package right away.

Hence getting them in the game mail. My point is that I don't see the messages from hirelings as odd, but as part of the usual courier system.

dodgehopper_ESO

If we got Skyrim style couriers though, that would be kind of cool.

rsciw

aye, would be fun seeing a courier running up to people in the midst of turning a keep flag, or in midst of trials ^^

whiteshadow711jppreub18_ESO

I actually liked the mail system in Neverwinter,

You would get a alert of mail but you wouldn't know what it was until you went to a postal kiosk in town to pick up your mail.

When you got the alert you would have to decide if it was important enough to stop what you were doing and go get it or get it later when you went to town..

In this way, if you have Hirelings, it could be based on time and not when we log in, so you wouldn't miss or have any deliveries stalled, they would be there when you went to pick them up..

This just kinda seemed more realistic to me..

Gidorick

tinythinker wrote: »

Gidorick wrote: »

tinythinker wrote: »

There have always been couriers who deliver letters and packages in Elder Scrolls games. I take the in-game mail from NPCs as such correspondence.

But don't the couriers run up to you and hand you the items? That would be fine in ESO but the chance of them running up to you and you are out of bag space would be pretty high. We need an option that allows us to not accept the package right away.

Hence getting them in the game mail. My point is that I don't see the messages from hirelings as odd, but as part of the usual courier system.

Our perspectives simply differ on this. To me, since the mail system isn't attached to an in-game mechanic, it shouldn't be used by in-game characters. It should be a player tool... not a character tool. If that makes sense.

I was thinking a compromise between the two would be just what I mentioned before, NPC couriers could run up to you when not in battle and deliver messages to you that would then show up in your in-box. That would be a cool little addition to make Tamriel in ESO feel a little more "alive".

Gidorick

whiteshadow711jppreub18_ESO wrote: »

I actually liked the mail system in Neverwinter,

You would get a alert of mail but you wouldn't know what it was until you went to a postal kiosk in town to pick up your mail.

When you got the alert you would have to decide if it was important enough to stop what you were doing and go get it or get it later when you went to town..

In this way, if you have Hirelings, it could be based on time and not when we log in, so you wouldn't miss or have any deliveries stalled, they would be there when you went to pick them up..

This just kinda seemed more realistic to me..

A system message in your email saying "There s a courier delivery from Valinka Stoneheaver for you at the bank" would be a good way to work it into Tamriel.

Maybe at the bank there would be an option to courier-forward your mail to you in the wild. So for... lets say 10 gold per delivery, a courier will bring the hireling delivery out to you. Nice immersion dynamic and a tiny gold sink.

IrishGirlGamer

Gidorick wrote: »

.. My feelings is it is no less bothersome than having to find a crafting station on which to craft or seeking out NPCs to complete quests, but I agree having the mechanic CHANGE at this point would be annoying...

The difference is I don't craft every day. But my hirelings become less efficient if I don't download their stuff every day - or more!

As to the couriers from Skyrim: I now have an image in my mind of me fighting daedra at an anchor, completely engrossed in saving myself and Tamriel from the hordes of Molag Bal ... when up runs a courier ...

"Excuse me, madame, mind signing for this delivery of three rocks of iron ore?"

Gidorick

IrishGirlGamer wrote: »

Gidorick wrote: »

.. My feelings is it is no less bothersome than having to find a crafting station on which to craft or seeking out NPCs to complete quests, but I agree having the mechanic CHANGE at this point would be annoying...

The difference is I don't craft every day. But my hirelings become less efficient if I don't download their stuff every day - or more!

As to the couriers from Skyrim: I now have an image in my mind of me fighting daedra at an anchor, completely engrossed in saving myself and Tamriel from the hordes of Molag Bal ... when up runs a courier ...

"Excuse me, madame, mind signing for this delivery of three rocks of iron ore?"

LOL! Exactly! I DID, however, suggest the couriers come up to you while not in-battle. I agree it would be a humorous dynamic for the couriers to be able to reach you wherever and whenever you are... but I kind of like the tongue-in-cheek nature to that. Couriers are these people with the skills to access any realm of oblivion at a whim.

"Neither snow nor rain nor daedric prince of doom stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."
-Tamriel Courier Service (TCS)

JKorr

I'm still trying to figure out the courier in Skyrim that would faithfully make his deliveries, even though he somehow ended up in only his underwear. I don't really want to think about where he was carrying that scroll.

Having the hirelings mail the items is fine for me; whether its hireling mail or items I've purchased, I might not have the inventory space free to accept everything.

If they had started a "drop zone" like in a crafting area or at the bank, you'd be getting complaints that people had to go find the town to pick up their stuff. The mail is less complicated.

Gidorick

JKorr wrote: »

I'm still trying to figure out the courier in Skyrim that would faithfully make his deliveries, even though he somehow ended up in only his underwear. I don't really want to think about where he was carrying that scroll.

Having the hirelings mail the items is fine for me; whether its hireling mail or items I've purchased, I might not have the inventory space free to accept everything.

If they had started a "drop zone" like in a crafting area or at the bank, you'd be getting complaints that people had to go find the town to pick up their stuff. The mail is less complicated.

If it had worked differently from day 1 it wouldn't have been a problem but we can't move to a system that is less convenient, that would be a disservice to the community.

It's kind of like... imagine you were always able to feed your horse no matter where you are. Every 12 hours, you can feed your horse, but then they change it to where you need to find stables to feed your horse. We would be in a tizzy about having to find a stable. Since we have had to find a stable since day 1, it's not really seen as a complication of the game mechanic, we just accept that as the mechanic's deign.

This is why I like the concept of adding a Courier Bank with the option of forwarding any deliverables to the user for a small 10 gold fee. Any mail with an attachment is delivered to the Courier Bank free of charge. If you have set the Courier Bank up to forward your mail via courier, an NPC courier shows up and deliverers your items and message to you. There could be different forwarding options so you could choose which mail gets forwarded to you, such as Store Purchases, Store Sales, Hirelings, & Personal. Any time you receive mail with an attachment that isn't forwarded, you receive an email message, "You have a package from Gidorick waiting for you at the Courier Bank." and you can just pick it up next time you're in town.

Gyudan

Gidorick wrote: »

Does anyone else feel this way? What other ways could hirelings be handled?

I love getting opening and deleting those 80 messages/day from hirelings, it's so much fun!
[/sarcasm]

A chest with a 24 hour expiration date for its content or a specific tab in the bank would be much more effective in my opinion.

Kreetar

perhaps it doesn't completely fit somehow, but I kind of like it. I had my first hireling "delivery" yesterday and I thought it was cute/funny. especially the part of the letter where they apologized for some blood splatter. the lengths they would go to for me...



EDIT: *for some grapes.

Elf_Boy

Magic cant deliver packages over vast spaces? You know, with portals?

Gidorick

Elf_Boy wrote: »

Magic cant deliver packages over vast spaces? You know, with portals?

It's not so much about the function as it is about the form. What other game-mechanic uses the in-game mail system? When the prophet wants to speak with us he appears to us... he doesn't send us an email. Similarly, it would be more within the constraints of the world if couriers approached us to give us items rather than send us email.

I know... I'm grasping as straws but in a game that is so concerned with lore that it refuses to allow a worldwide auction-house (which I applaud ZOS for sticking to their guns on that! I LOVE that there's no AH!) having material delivered to us by an NPC that is sending us an email feels a bit awkward. The same function could be delivered in a slightly different form and would make the whole hireling thing more in-line with the rest of the game.

We can still get the lighthearted notes and the same frequency of material deliveries just having them dropped into a courier bank and/or delivered by an actual courier would be better within the structure of this game.

I'm fine with the email system allowing players to email each-other and the chat to allow players from across Tamriel to chat, we need tools to communicate with each-other, but communication with NPCs really needs to be handled "in-game" and game mechanics need to stay out of the player communication tools.

That's all I'm saying... very long-windedly.

driosketch

Could be worst. The courier could be a zombie with a letter stitched to it's chest that tries to kill you, as in one of the main quests of TES II.

Don't think too hard about the in-game mail system. You receive messages and game items from ZOS, can mail other players, and you get your PvP rewards through it as well. Your hirelings are just a skill point that supplies you with semi-random componets on log-in with a daily cool down. To add a little color, they added personalities and a narrative to the deliveries. It's not like your hirelings are actual NPCs you can meet in the world.

hammer_fella

The people who talk most about immersion often seem to have the least imagination.

They aren't emails; they are physical mail, as the context of the writing therein clearly indicates. That they arrive in your 'mail' is irrelevant (note that it is referred to as 'Mail' and not 'E-Mail' in game). This is for the sake of ease, convenience, and consistency, as all other (non-quest related) player rewards arrive in the same fashion. Just accept that your fantasy experience may occasionally have to confront the reality that this is an online game.

I, for one, really couldn't be bothered to meet face-to-face with 12 couriers a day, nor would I care to interrupt what I'm doing to run to a Hireling Board the second my hirelings became available again -- particularly if I was in the middle of a dungeon run or PvPing. But I can, however, save those hireling mails for a convenient moment when I have time to read them (if I so choose).

All you're suggesting is unnecessary tedium. Should I also be required to speak with Warlord Sorcalin to receive every individual alliance reward I earn? What about meeting one-on-one with Paul Sage every time I get a loyalty reward?

Gidorick

driosketch wrote: »

Could be worst. The courier could be a zombie with a letter stitched to it's chest that tries to kill you, as in one of the main quests of TES II.

Don't think too hard about the in-game mail system. You receive messages and game items from ZOS, can mail other players, and you get your PvP rewards through it as well. Your hirelings are just a skill point that supplies you with semi-random componets on log-in with a daily cool down. To add a little color, they added personalities and a narrative to the deliveries. It's not like your hirelings are actual NPCs you can meet in the world.

Yea... I know. The system is fine the way it is. I just feel there is bit of a jumbling of concepts. If the Hirelings didn't have those notes that talk about their adventures out in Tamriel I don't think I would have ever thought another thing about it. It was those delightful notes that made me think it's weird to be getting emails from NPCs.

And honestly, it would be awesome to have those couple of hireling NPCs randomly wandering Tamriel, giving you a very small chance of some day catching up with one of them. You could get an amulet or a trophy from them when you meet them. If they are your hireling they could have a conversation line about how they have enjoyed working for you and if not they could just tell you about what they do.

These things I'm suggesting I truly believe will add substance to the game and not just be trivial additions for an immersion junkie.

If I were just saying what "I" want, without consideration for the mechanics and value of the suggestion, I would have suggested that we have to visit a courier station to SEND items to people and that we would have to pay our hireling for their services and have to pay to send each package... but I'm not suggesting that because that would make the game worse. REPEAT... I'm NOT suggesting this. NOT suggesting! lol. :disagree:

Aoife32001

Gidorick wrote: »

Having an email system in which in-game characters email you things seems really strange to me. It would be like if you got an email from Razum-dar saying,

“This one would like you to meet Raz at Harbor Customs Hall in Velyn Harbor. There is much to discuss.”

It doesn’t really “fit”. I think the email system should ONLY be for player to player communication. Any NPC to Player communication should be handled in game somehow.

Does anyone else feel this way? What other ways could hirelings be handled?

I think maybe a hireling post in the cities that have our hireling’s items waiting for us with notes from them that can be read but not “taken” so they don’t clutter up our inventory. Perhaps this could be accomplished with the Banks where there is a Hireling Bank that we can remove items from but cannot deposit to.

Thoughts?

Sorry, but I have to disagree. I love getting the mail from the hirelings!

Vizier

I don't have an issue with it. Considering characters have no residence the mail system allows for me to pick up the item when I'm ready for it and or it is stored within the system for 30 days. That's a Win / Win in my book.

Gyudan

Vizier wrote: »

I don't have an issue with it. Considering characters have no residence the mail system allows for me to pick up the item when I'm ready for it and or it is stored within the system for 30 days. That's a Win / Win in my book.

With hirelings maxed, the mailbox gets filled in 24 hours. If I'm too lazy and don't open/delete everything quickly enough, nobody can message me ingame.
Not so much of a win/win imo