Underwater swimming?

Will16

I'd love the idea of underwater swimming, just like there was in Skyrim. I really think players should be able to dive and swim around underwater. I mean, come on, the water in eso is beautiful and you never even really get to swim in it
Could also be quite interesting if occasionally there'd be things like chests or dead adventurers to loot.
Just a suggestion, but what does everyone else think about this idea??

vontariel

With a sunken dungeons and ships and more?
I`m in.

Will16

Thanks, I think you could get so much out of this and I dont see why it wasnt implemented...

Gyudan

This is a nice suggestion, even if it has been brought up countless times. I'd like to see it in the game at some point.

Will16 wrote: »

Thanks, I think you could get so much out of this and I dont see why it wasnt implemented...

Dev time, just like housing.

Terminus

One important thing to understand about water in ESO is how it actually works.

Basically, the water you see in-game is actually just a different textured ground layer that changes the way you move across it. As a result, if you can get far enough out to sea, the ocean will literally end and you'll fall onto the ocean floor, no longer drowning. Yes, you can walk around underneath the ocean without drowning, if you can get to that level through a clip glitch or getting to an unplayable area.

So basically, in order to make underwater exploration, they'd need to completely redo the way that the servers render the ocean to allow us to explore in it.

Source: I've been there, man. And I saw things, things nobody should see.

PlagueMonk

More primitive/older games have had underwater environments so why not ESO? This would be another alternate way of expanding the game in a new and exciting direction (including existing zones/areas with water)

(Would also make the Argonian 50% swimming ability actually worthwhile and then should be upgraded to breathing underwater)

StaticWax

I've always hated underwater activity in these types of games. Swimming in armor... gimme a break.

Gidorick

Terminus wrote: »

One important thing to understand about water in ESO is how it actually works.

Basically, the water you see in-game is actually just a different textured ground layer that changes the way you move across it. As a result, if you can get far enough out to sea, the ocean will literally end and you'll fall onto the ocean floor, no longer drowning. Yes, you can walk around underneath the ocean without drowning, if you can get to that level through a clip glitch or getting to an unplayable area.

So basically, in order to make underwater exploration, they'd need to completely redo the way that the servers render the ocean to allow us to explore in it.

Source: I've been there, man. And I saw things, things nobody should see.

I've been there man... It changed me.

Gidorick

I had a suggestion for a water system overhaul that would include this.

http://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/discussion/147216/water-overhaul-suggestion-written-prior-to-b2p-announcement

Personally I don't get why they didn't design ESO with this in mind... I mean, did they HONESTLY think we wouldn't want to explore underwater. Same with sitting in chairs and climbing ladders. It's quite the oversight.

ZeroNeonix

I've been saying this for a while. It would allow for new areas to explore, secrets to find, etc.

Would also be nice if we could use those seats in the taverns. I mean, come on. If you're going to make chairs uninteractable, you shouldn't fill the tables completely with them. Give us room to /sitchair. *Sigh*

Shunravi

Terminus wrote: »

One important thing to understand about water in ESO is how it actually works.

Basically, the water you see in-game is actually just a different textured ground layer that changes the way you move across it. As a result, if you can get far enough out to sea, the ocean will literally end and you'll fall onto the ocean floor, no longer drowning. Yes, you can walk around underneath the ocean without drowning, if you can get to that level through a clip glitch or getting to an unplayable area.

So basically, in order to make underwater exploration, they'd need to completely redo the way that the servers render the ocean to allow us to explore in it.

Source: I've been there, man. And I saw things, things nobody should see.

I also remember back in beta where it would not change your movement back sometimes, so you would swim through the air.

That was fun...

jasonquigley646_ESO

They didn't put anything down there for you to explore so there is no reason to go underwater, so they just saved you alot of time which alotted them time that they spent designing other stuff that actually is in the game.

Athas24

I'd love increased water elements to the game. For those who hate swimming in heavy armor, maybe there's a breathing or stamina penalty to doing so that would make you feel like it was more real but not over the top where it ends your exploration. Maybe Argonians wouldn't have said penalty along with breathing underwater etc. I'd love to explore and find bodies, materials, chests, sunken ships etc.

Gidorick

jasonquigley646_ESO wrote: »

They didn't put anything down there for you to explore so there is no reason to go underwater, so they just saved you alot of time which alotted them time that they spent designing other stuff that actually is in the game.

That's really the issue. Why didn't they? Underwater environments have been part of the elder scrolls experience since Morrowind. Did no one bring it up in design meetings? Did they discuss it and think we wouldn't care?

Merlin13KAGL

Gidorick wrote: »

jasonquigley646_ESO wrote: »

They didn't put anything down there for you to explore so there is no reason to go underwater, so they just saved you alot of time which alotted them time that they spent designing other stuff that actually is in the game.

That's really the issue. Why didn't they? Underwater environments have been part of the elder scrolls experience since Morrowind. Did no one bring it up in design meetings? Did they discuss it and think we wouldn't care?

@gidorick , they did kind of miss some opportunities on that one.

Part of it (in general) is the effects required for underwater environments. Many games avoid it, and I believe TES was one of the few brave enough to implement it (and implement it well). (think lightning, diffraction, etc). The effects don't have to be grand, TES III did this very well, in fact.

I suspect much of their concern comes from swimming animations looking awkward and their fear of environmental clipping leading to either drowning or suddenly falling through the world under the underwater.

You also have rules for breathing, casting, fighting, etc, so the physics and the rules change.

NewBlacksmurf

Dear gosh...I hope they do not focus on this right now.

I recall in DAoC it resulted in an entire underwater expansion pack....then in WoW too.

Not saying any of this is bad but instead I'm saying....finish the game. Fix the post 50 and VR levels (remove this, snip that, adjust this, add that)

And Then...
Maybe do this later...which would be cool

Gidorick

So other MMOs started without underwater also?

I think I should just go away and come back to ESO in five years. Lol

Kaizxen

I'd love underwater exploration and/or combat, but I'm tired of games doing a half-hearted job of it (lookin' at you, GW2).

If they do implement it, hopefully they'll take their time and do it right.

cote-bmsb16_ESO

Yea, we were askin for this since last year.

Merlin13KAGL

Gidorick wrote: »

So other MMOs started without underwater also?

I think I should just go away and come back to ESO in five years. Lol

@gidorick , most games, MMO or otherwise, never go near it in the first place.

It's one of those things that's easy to do, just not easy to do well.

TheShadowScout

Underwater exploration?
Someday, sure. Not that it was ever a big part of TES games, but many had the possibility in small ways - lakebottoms or a wall that had to be jumped into to get something from under the water...
Right now though, there are dozends of things more important I would think... both those they are currently working on, and those they have on their to-do list...

Gidorick

Merlin13KAGL wrote: »

Gidorick wrote: »

So other MMOs started without underwater also?

I think I should just go away and come back to ESO in five years. Lol

@gidorick , most games, MMO or otherwise, never go near it in the first place.

It's one of those things that's easy to do, just not easy to do well.

And there's the rub.

Robbmrp

They could add this as an Argonian expansion DLC at a later time. That would be neat to see.

NewBlacksmurf

Robbmrp wrote: »

They could add this as an Argonian expansion DLC at a later time. That would be neat to see.

OK nice idea there...

Merlin13KAGL

TheShadowScout wrote: »

Underwater exploration?
Someday, sure. Not that it was ever a big part of TES games, but many had the possibility in small ways - lakebottoms or a wall that had to be jumped into to get something from under the water...
Right now though, there are dozends of things more important I would think... both those they are currently working on, and those they have on their to-do list...

@TheShadowScout , thinking you must have missed some outstanding content in both Morrowind and Oblivion then. There were some wonderful easter eggs to be found, including lost Daedric Shrines, ships, grottos, pearls, and treasure chests.

Athas24

Underwater elements can add a lot more immersion into a game. I remember when I played AOC years ago, I loved swimming underwater even though there was rarely anything down there. The sound effects being underwater and the way it refracted light were gorgeous. I long for that in this game too!

TheShadowScout

I was more trying to say, it was always a kinda "sidelines" thing as I remember. Yes, there were some nifty things to be found... (and a very good reason to always have a water breathing ring in your pack), but I can't recall any questing that demanded more then a very rare "grab that one item from underwater" (Off the top of my head, I can recall exactly two underwater excustions demanded by quests, one well to be dived in and one get-key-from-pool, though I possibly may have forgotten some, it has been a while).
That's the "not big part" - more like the occasional bonus. The occasional hidden surprise for those who liked to dive a lot.

I always enjoyed underwater pieces, but I can see why they may have preferred not to include it, save themselves the coding time.
Though I for one would love a "maomer" expansion opening up some underwater regions all around tamriel... (and maybe, some swimming changes so the knights finally have to take off their heavy armor before they can swim instead of sink )

Drawberrry

I think revamping the entire world to be explorable under-water is very unlikely to happen.

But it would be nice if there was a specific area where it was a feasible area of exploration, like was mentioned above with the Argonian adventure zone. There could be a specific item reward that allowed for underwater breathing, like the various trophies we already have only with a legit use. Or it could just be something integrated into that zone and the player would have a a new 'health' bar that indicates their air use while under water and once it empties your health would begin to decrease with each 'breath'. Similarly to Skyrim.

On another note; I'd really like to see what it looks like when you glitch out of the sea and fall down into it :0

Gidorick

Drawberrry wrote: »

I think revamping the entire world to be explorable under-water is very unlikely to happen.

THIS is why it bothers me that they didn't include it. Adding it after the fact would be considerably more difficult NOW than it would have been during initial development and design.

Same with chairs & ladders. These are core worldwide mechanics that should have been included but weren't because (Not good enough reasons).

Oh well....

TheShadowScout

Agreed. I am often also vexed by lack of sittable furniture or climbable envioronment. Not like older games haven't shown its quite doable... (I remember the occasional climbing locations in Age of Conan... what, three, years ago?)

But who knows, maybe some update in the future... hey, one can hope, right?

Drawberrry

They DID change a lot in terms of interacting with static world items previously, so I don't think that's as unlikely as revamping water stuff would be? :K my sneaky side sure would like to get up onto a roof or two...