How do you feel about pushing for new solo content?

LonePirate · February 2015

I am really surprised there is not more outrage from playets regarding the lack of new (solo) content in this game. ZOS unveiled a shiny new trinket (the Champion System) but not enough people complained about the inability to earn new Champion Points. Update 6 is going to be a massive shock to plenty of players.

RoCoL · February 2015

LonePirate wrote: »

I am really surprised there is not more outrage from playets regarding the lack of new (solo) content in this game. ZOS unveiled a shiny new trinket (the Champion System) but not enough people complained about the inability to earn new Champion Points. Update 6 is going to be a massive shock to plenty of players.

Lack of outrage is in part because myself and 6 of my buds quit after 6 months of bullsh!t. And with the recent b2p revelation, not one of us are planning on coming back.

Yes, I come to the forums about once a week simply because its like a running train wreck.

TehMagnus · February 2015

No. I think this game is really only about the group experience.

rawne1980b16_ESO wrote: »

TehMagnus wrote: »

Just because you've moved on from the genre it doesn't mean the genre has evolved. MMOs are for people who have a lot of time to invest in the game which is mostly young people that don't have as many responsibilities as "older" people.

If solo gaming/questing is what you like, solo games is what you should play instead of pretending the "genre" evolved conveniently just as your playing habits did.

A hell of a lot of people play MMO's solo.

There are not many games that require you to group to get through content.

It's not my problem you can't accept it's moved on without you. MMO's allow for a hell of a lot of solo play, it seems to me that it's you that just doesn't see it.

Nearly every MMO released in the past 10 years has a hell of a lot of solo players, the days of needing to group to go through the game are long since dead.

The genre has moved on.

It actually hasn't, it's still the same, level your char solo to learn the game then group for end game content or PVP.

Name one successful MMO that is centered on solo play.

Mercutio · February 2015

Yes. I prefer solo content to other aspects of the game.

What an interesting poll. I was surprised to see that the majority of responses mirrored my own feelings on the subject.

While I prefer solo play for a variety of reasons, some of them just plain practical (I hesitate to group oftentimes because I know I may be called to 'daddy duty' at any moment) I am really of the belief that the content needs to be as balanced as possible towards all play styles: solo, group, RP, PvP, whatever else I may have missed.

If solo play is the preferred style of 45% of the player base, then they should dedicated 45% of the new content towards that group.

But don't leave out the Groupers, RPers and PvPers. Address their desires as well at least in equal amounts to their percentage. If that means one update is heavily PvP-centric then so be it. No one demographic should have a monopoly.

That would be ideal in my eyes, but rarely is the ideal possible.

Merlin13KAGL · February 2015

firstdecan wrote: »

Why can't they make instanced content that scales to the number of players in the instance as well as their level? Is it really that difficult to scale between a 3 mob encounter for a solo dungeon and a 6-8 mob encounter for a group dungeon?

@firstdecan For the same reason Undaunted look at you and say "Go kill this big mean thing that is a threat to all around us..."

"...but you can only take four people."

Jeremy · February 2015

Bloodfang wrote: »

I fully support Content aimed at Solo Players.

However..It's not the same generic MMO as WoW or let's say FFXIV where quests are not voiced, where quests are just generic piece of garbage with no soul..

This is where ESO is having it's problem, to create a fully voiced quests for just 1 zone equals to MANY MONTHS of development.

Don't expect the quantity anymore, but expect quality to be on a much higher standard whenever Zones do get released.

Well said. This game actually takes it's quests seriously like a RPG should.

The writing and acting is excellent and the quests are interesting with well thought out plots. They are mountains above questing on those other games you mentioned - which are laughable by comparison. So soloist really have no floor to stand on when it comes to criticizing Elder Scrolls Online. The game offers the best solo experience of any MMORPG out there and it's the one thing this game does better than all the rest.
-
That being said: I would like to see this kind of content aimed at grouping or with at least the option to scale it upward to accommodate groups. In the end this is an MMORPG: and hence multiplayer needs to be the primary focus.

Jeremy · February 2015

TehMagnus wrote: »

rawne1980b16_ESO wrote: »

I've played MMO's solo for many years now, a lot of people do.

There are very few MMO's where grouping was needed to get through content. Those people who say "it's an MMO, you should have to group" seem to be unaware the genre has moved on and left them behind.

I loved grouping in Ultima, Everquest and DAoC but that was many years ago in my youth. Now I play games to relax, on my own when my wifes at work and the kids are out. It's my quiet time. I have a good enough social life, I don't need gaming for that.

I like to solo content because I don't want to be worrying about other people or having to rush or go too slow at another persons pace. I like to potter along at my own pace and do my own thing.

I like MMO's because they are persistent worlds, there is always something going on. You can only get so much out of single player game but there is always something to do in an MMO.

Yes, i'd love more solo content. There hasn't been any new content here for those of us that do solo at all yet. I can't see any coming in the near future. That's one of the main reasons I probably won't ever make this one of my main MMO's. Content comes out far too slowly in a highly competitive and saturated market.

Just because you've moved on from the genre it doesn't mean the genre has evolved. MMOs are for people who have a lot of time to invest in the game which is mostly young people that don't have as many responsibilities as "older" people.

If solo gaming/questing is what you like, solo games is what you should play instead of pretending the "genre" evolved conveniently just as your playing habits did.

I agree with you. I'm tired of this "I'm married or don't have time and just want to relax" argument being used to destroy the multiplayer functions of MMORPGs.

There are plenty of excellent single player games out there for people who don't want to play with others. MMORPGs need a strong multiplayer element to them.

Pmarsico9 · February 2015

Yes. I would enjoy playing more solo content.

Wrothgar can't come quickly enough. I don't always have the time or will to group up and having done Gold and Silver I either have to level my alt or do nothing.

Spellskar grind got old about 2 hours after I did it. So did farming and selling mats.

Emma_Overload · February 2015

Yes. I prefer solo content to other aspects of the game.

TehMagnus wrote: »

There are over 180h of solo content in this game. Let ZOS introduce proper group content to occupy us end game and then why not more solo content.

I don't hate questing but 180+h of solo quest vs 3 trials amongst which only one is a bit difficult and an Arena who was supposed to be insanely hard but they ended up nerfing is kinda unbalanced.

Yeah, but the problem is that all the BEST and highest level (VR12-VR14) content and items are trapped inside instances that are impossible to solo. Doesn't matter if the game has 180 hours of solo content if the player is blocked from 10 hours of stuff you needed to do to reach the "top" of the game.

Imagine how you would feel if you payed to play a round of golf at a new golf course (designed by Zenimax!): You have lots of fun playing the first 17 holes, but when you get to the 18th hole, there is no tee, but a frickin' BASEBALL DIAMOND instead! There's no way to "finish" the course without bringing a baseball team with you... it's so stupid. This is exactly what ESO is like.

Altair · February 2015

Yes. I prefer solo content to other aspects of the game.

I will level up one EP character, one AD character, and one DC character to experience the various zones. After that, if there isn't more single player content, I will retire the game.

I have zero interest in the time commitments required for veteran level end-game content. I got my fill of that back in the WoW days, and I'm never-ever-ever-ever going back to raiding and end-game gear grinding.

kieso · February 2015

Yes. I would enjoy playing more solo content.

I Like solo content but the issue is once you finish it; that's it the replay value usually isn't there.

Guppet · February 2015

Yes. I prefer solo content to other aspects of the game.

Mercutio wrote: »

What an interesting poll. I was surprised to see that the majority of responses mirrored my own feelings on the subject.

While I prefer solo play for a variety of reasons, some of them just plain practical (I hesitate to group oftentimes because I know I may be called to 'daddy duty' at any moment) I am really of the belief that the content needs to be as balanced as possible towards all play styles: solo, group, RP, PvP, whatever else I may have missed.

If solo play is the preferred style of 45% of the player base, then they should dedicated 45% of the new content towards that group.

But don't leave out the Groupers, RPers and PvPers. Address their desires as well at least in equal amounts to their percentage. If that means one update is heavily PvP-centric then so be it. No one demographic should have a monopoly.

That would be ideal in my eyes, but rarely is the ideal possible.

There's a hell of a lot of people that have been playing MMO's from the start. The majority now have more commitments outside of gaming than they did when they started. They are therefore more casual and more inclined to solo.

They still love MMO's and in fact they now probably have even more money they can chuck at them. These people have been looking for a home, ESO seems like it could be it. This place is full of old codgers.

On the other side of the coin are th players from that same era, that did not get decent jobs, did not get partners, did not have kids. They feel that games should be tailored to players like them, as they are the originals. They fail to see that they are now the minority from that original group, they are however very, very vocal.

The world has moved on, as has gaming, it is they who have not changed.

If you have enough validation in real life you are less likely to seek it in a game. That's a bit harsh, but it's ultimatly true

Can you guess which camp those opposed to more casual solo content come from?

Xjcon · February 2015

Ysne58 wrote: »

They need to push more content period. Not just solo pve.

This. I would play new solo content, and I would play new group content. Buy they need to focus on new playable content or I'm done. Can't be bothered to keep doing the same thing over and over again for too long.

rawne1980b16_ESO · February 2015

Yes. I prefer solo content to other aspects of the game.

TehMagnus wrote: »

It actually hasn't, it's still the same, level your char solo to learn the game then group for end game content or PVP.

Name one successful MMO that is centered on solo play.

Wasn't always like that.

Way back in UO and Everquest you weren't going anywhere without a group.

End game doesn't matter, not everyone raids. That's only one part of an MMO.

Even PvP is pretty much a solo affair if you are solo player. Scouting, picking off stragglers to queuing solo for BG/Scenarios/Warfronts/whatever else have you.

UrQuan · February 2015

kieso wrote: »

I Like solo content but the issue is once you finish it; that's it the replay value usually isn't there.

Quoted for truth. PVP aside (which of course you can enjoy solo or in groups, and which not all primarily solo players and not all primarily group players enjoy), there really isn't any solo content with any replay value. The only content with real replay value are group dungeons (pledges), trials, and the arena.

Don't get me wrong: I think it's very important to have group content with replay value. Given how much of the content in ESO can be completed solo, I actually believe that it's more important to have group content with replay value than it is to have solo content with replay value. And that's even though I'm primarily a solo player. It would be nice to have some solo content with replay value, though.

Guppet · February 2015

Yes. I prefer solo content to other aspects of the game.

Random

delve

generator.

Repeatable solo content, with variety, that can be grouped if you wish. The tech to do that has existed for what 15+ years.

Emma_Overload · February 2015

Yes. I prefer solo content to other aspects of the game.

kieso wrote: »

I Like solo content but the issue is once you finish it; that's it the replay value usually isn't there.

This could be solved if ZoS treated made a proper "endgame" for solo players, complete with Trials and Leaderboards and progressive gear. There is NO good reason why there can't be Solo Trials.

Furthermore, there should also be proper 1v1 PVP. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion had an Arena where the player could take on single NPCs in mortal combat, why can't ESO have a "dueling" Arena where players can test their mettle against each other?

If ZoS added just these two elements, PVP duels and Solo PVE trials, I guarantee you there would be plenty of replay value for most players.

Vahrokh · February 2015

Yes. I would enjoy playing more solo content.

Prokonto wrote: »

do u maby remember Public Quest zones idea in War:AoR?
it not work perfectly & was allmost all time empty becuse all pve there was at second plan but if that idea could be smartly implemented & tweak for better in Eso it could be solution for your demands.

Please don't mention me WAR, it brings me so much pain thinking how much I loved that game and now it's no more.
THAT game (and DAoC) were THE PvP games. Besides EvE (but it got a vastly different way to do it) all the other MMOs PvP is utterly pathetic in comparison.

Vahrokh · February 2015

Yes. I would enjoy playing more solo content.

Guppet wrote: »

Random

delve

generator.

Repeatable solo content, with variety, that can be grouped if you wish. The tech to do that has existed for what 15+ years.

If you play all the dungeons in this game (and not just this game), you'll find out they are made of the same basic blocks. Almost every instance is made by permuting these blocks and changing the starting point with the aid of "smartly placed" walls.
So, if you'd implement a random generator, you'd just see a couple of new basic blocks permutations and that's it.
Also, human brain quickly learns, adaps to and gets bored with such stuff. After all, it's the same sections and rooms, just shuffled around.

Iluvrien · February 2015

Yes. I would enjoy playing more solo content.

Vahrokh wrote: »

So, if you'd implement a random generator, you'd just see a couple of new basic blocks permutations and that's it.
Also, human brain quickly learns, adapts to and gets bored with such stuff. After all, it's the same sections and rooms, just shuffled around.

But what if it wasn't just the same sections and rooms?

What if the devs actually sat down and thought through a system to create procedurally generated dungeons/delves that incorporated enough elements (especially those tied to the zone it was actually in) with enough major permutations that it actually felt like a new experience each time?

After all, a zone is an area in which things are grouped in a generally thematic fashion and have mobs, npcs and layers of questing applied to it. Given the available computing resources it would be interesting to see if the same idea could be applied to creating repeatable solo content without it getting boring.

It would probably take a fair amount of time and resources to develop but the result might well be worth it... if it could be done at all.

Khivas_Carrick · February 2015

Yes. I would enjoy playing more solo content.

Solo Content = Content you do in between the time that you and your guilds aren't running trials or PvPing.

Really that simple, no reason it shouldn't exist in this game or any game that isn't pure multiplayer (CoD, Tekken, etc) for that matter.

Spiritreaver_ESO · February 2015

Yes. I would enjoy playing more solo content.

Bloodfang wrote: »

I fully support Content aimed at Solo Players.

However..It's not the same generic MMO as WoW or let's say FFXIV where quests are not voiced, where quests are just generic piece of garbage with no soul..

This is where ESO is having it's problem, to create a fully voiced quests for just 1 zone equals to MANY MONTHS of development.

Don't expect the quantity anymore, but expect quality to be on a much higher standard whenever Zones do get released.

I dunno, it would take some voice acting talent for sure, but that aside it really can't be that difficult. I mean take a look at some of the voiced player made mods for Skyrim. Those guys and gals are working for free and come up with studio quality stuff alot of the time. I have a hard time thinking ZoS couldn't match some of those community made mods...i mean if they actually tried too anyways.

Khivas_Carrick · February 2015

Yes. I would enjoy playing more solo content.

They could also go the swtor route, i.e use a line or two of voice then a pop up for the actual quest and details. Mind you the voice bits would pertain to the actual quest, and not some random bit.

Snowstrider · February 2015

Its good but i really wish they keep working on the grouping and the social aspect of the game.

AngryNord · February 2015

UrQuan wrote: »

the solo player who doesn't want to ever group

Then why the hell play a MULTIPLAYER game??

TehMagnus · February 2015

No. I think this game is really only about the group experience.

Emma_Eunjung wrote: »

TehMagnus wrote: »

There are over 180h of solo content in this game. Let ZOS introduce proper group content to occupy us end game and then why not more solo content.

I don't hate questing but 180+h of solo quest vs 3 trials amongst which only one is a bit difficult and an Arena who was supposed to be insanely hard but they ended up nerfing is kinda unbalanced.

Yeah, but the problem is that all the BEST and highest level (VR12-VR14) content and items are trapped inside instances that are impossible to solo. Doesn't matter if the game has 180 hours of solo content if the player is blocked from 10 hours of stuff you needed to do to reach the "top" of the game.

Imagine how you would feel if you payed to play a round of golf at a new golf course (designed by Zenimax!): You have lots of fun playing the first 17 holes, but when you get to the 18th hole, there is no tee, but a frickin' BASEBALL DIAMOND instead! There's no way to "finish" the course without bringing a baseball team with you... it's so stupid. This is exactly what ESO is like.

VR levels are disappearing in 1.7 so when you're level 50, you'll be at max level, no need for more solo content to reach the highest level since main quest will do that for you.

At last, you won't get items currently dropping on trials in solo content (if that's what you're referring to when talking about items trapped inside instances) no matter how much they add.

TehMagnus · February 2015

No. I think this game is really only about the group experience.

rawne1980b16_ESO wrote: »

TehMagnus wrote: »

It actually hasn't, it's still the same, level your char solo to learn the game then group for end game content or PVP.

Name one successful MMO that is centered on solo play.

Wasn't always like that.

Way back in UO and Everquest you weren't going anywhere without a group.

End game doesn't matter, not everyone raids. That's only one part of an MMO.

Even PvP is pretty much a solo affair if you are solo player. Scouting, picking off stragglers to queuing solo for BG/Scenarios/Warfronts/whatever else have you.

True, but most games ever since have been following the same pattern.

Main quest & side quests you can solo mostly, some you need to group, special instances where you need to group and then end game where you PVP and Raid.

Only time when solo content was added to those games was every 6 months to 2 years when major game updates came out with 10-20 more levels, continuation of main quest/character development and new group instances/raids.

Solo players have always have to wait for new content.

New solo content has been announced and is coming.

Just wait

.

What we do need is more trials and challenging group content which afaik hasn't been announced yet.

Edit: Where I do agree is that it sucks not being able to level to max without grouping, then again, ESO isn't bad when you compare it to some games where you can't level through pure questing and have to go kill mobs to level up (like most hack n slash Korean MMOs). When you compare this to 2 lousy VR levels you can grind in 3 days, then it's really really not bad at all.

Edit 2: Glad to see you couldn't prove that the "genre had evolved past it" by naming one successful MMO centered on solo play because we both know there aren't any.

rawne1980b16_ESO · February 2015

Yes. I prefer solo content to other aspects of the game.

AngryNord wrote: »

UrQuan wrote: »

the solo player who doesn't want to ever group

Then why the hell play a MULTIPLAYER game??

As has been said, MMO's have a lot of solo players.

There are quite a lot of people that don't do group content in MMO's for various reasons.

Personally I got burnt out on dungeon farming and raiding years ago and haven't set foot in one since. I play several MMO's and have no problems as a solo player.

Bloodfang · February 2015

Yes. I prefer solo content to other aspects of the game.

Spiritreaver_ESO wrote: »

Bloodfang wrote: »

I fully support Content aimed at Solo Players.

However..It's not the same generic MMO as WoW or let's say FFXIV where quests are not voiced, where quests are just generic piece of garbage with no soul..

This is where ESO is having it's problem, to create a fully voiced quests for just 1 zone equals to MANY MONTHS of development.

Don't expect the quantity anymore, but expect quality to be on a much higher standard whenever Zones do get released.

I dunno, it would take some voice acting talent for sure, but that aside it really can't be that difficult. I mean take a look at some of the voiced player made mods for Skyrim. Those guys and gals are working for free and come up with studio quality stuff alot of the time. I have a hard time thinking ZoS couldn't match some of those community made mods...i mean if they actually tried too anyways.

I didn't just make that statement up

That statement is actually from a game developer, who said that in one of the "ESO Live" shows. Apparently it is that time consuming.

About Skyrim though, I can't really think of any quality mods that included quests. The whole questing in Skyrim was already subpar ever since it came out anyway. I consider it the worst questing and story experience in the whole series, which says a lot.

And the last thing, Skyrim was in development for 3.5 years. I can imagine the most of this 3.5 years they've had the teams focused specifically on creating quests etc. But then again is there really that many quests in Skyrim? It certainly didn't feel like it.

My point is that an MMO like WoW can regularly put out "content" as in expansions which adds new Zones etc. Not only are the quests the same generic piece of crap every single time, the Zones themselves are also very barren and there is little to do in them. I won't even talk about the difficulty of the graphical design which they were using nearly the same for 10 years straight.

Spiritreaver_ESO · February 2015

Yes. I would enjoy playing more solo content.

Bloodfang wrote: »

Spiritreaver_ESO wrote: »

Bloodfang wrote: »

I fully support Content aimed at Solo Players.

However..It's not the same generic MMO as WoW or let's say FFXIV where quests are not voiced, where quests are just generic piece of garbage with no soul..

This is where ESO is having it's problem, to create a fully voiced quests for just 1 zone equals to MANY MONTHS of development.

Don't expect the quantity anymore, but expect quality to be on a much higher standard whenever Zones do get released.

I dunno, it would take some voice acting talent for sure, but that aside it really can't be that difficult. I mean take a look at some of the voiced player made mods for Skyrim. Those guys and gals are working for free and come up with studio quality stuff alot of the time. I have a hard time thinking ZoS couldn't match some of those community made mods...i mean if they actually tried too anyways.

I didn't just make that statement up

That statement is actually from a game developer, who said that in one of the "ESO Live" shows. Apparently it is that time consuming.

About Skyrim though, I can't really think of any quality mods that included quests. The whole questing in Skyrim was already subpar ever since it came out anyway. I consider it the worst questing and story experience in the whole series, which says a lot.

No dispute from me on the quality of the base TES V game. Out of the whole series thus far, i was seriously underwhelmed. They went for flash over substance and were sadly rewarded for it.

The mods i was thinking about were mostly some of the voiced follower mods. Some of them have very good acting, better than a good bit of that from the base game. Mods like Inigo and Sofia which i have used-they have tons of dialog. The later one i mention even has Sofia singing remixed versions of the npc's tavern songs drunk lol.

So yeah, time consuming yes, but not difficult. They have their engine and code already made. Would only be a matter of scripting the lines and getting some talent in for a day to deliver them in studio and then plugging the results into the game. Even allowing that there would need to be different language versions, they should still be able to put out an end result as good as what is done for free by enthusiasts.

Weeks? Probably. Months? I just don't buy it. My opinion anyways.