Official Discussion Thread for "Reflecting on ESO's First Year"

ZOS_JasonLeavey

This is the official discussion thread for the web article, "Reflecting on ESO's First Year."

Our directors share their stories on the first year of The Elder Scrolls Online in our latest blog post.

cowboys12

woot first post

MorHawk

"staring with ESO's console launch" sounds a tad creepy.
#grammarnaziout

Karminathevamp

Do you think "Welker" forgot to do what is written on that Postit in her hair?

ZOS_JasonLeavey

You read too fast, @MorHawk! Fixed.

Ley

Seems like a rather thankless job, at least judging by all the negativity on the forums, but I really love where the game is at and where it appears to be going; I have high hopes for year number 2.

KhajitFurTrader

To the team who made it possible:

Thank you for your passion, your effort, your expertise, your work. Thank you for bringing your vision to life, and thank you for the enjoyment it gave and continues to give to me as a player. It's evident in many ways that ESO is made with Herzblut, and it deserves to be played with it just the same.

Donum-Dei

Well...

...I actually remember my firs time jumping into ESO, it was one of those Mmo's that really captivated me from the get go. I have been a E.S. fan since I play Oblivion for the first time, jumping into this game has been really enjoyable, even though I had to go because I din't have the time neither the money to spend on it each month. My most incredible memory was sharing an awful guild that was falling apart, and from that guild another guild emerge from the same people I share the other guild called "Burning Phoenix" (back in the day) I had a blast with those guys, each time we/I jump in to the game. Each experience was an awesome joy. We became "some kind of close" the fact that we where really active. And other moments that well... if I write them down I wouldn't finish writing. I miss those guys and gals. And the rest of the other friends I have had since this game launch that are no longer active

P.s. Cheers.

kevlarto_ESO

With all the testing I had done and pre-order I have been here a little more than a year now, has been and is still fun, I hope after the console release we start seeing some new content coming to the game.

I have one question any plans for an expansion, down the road, not talking small dlc's, I mean the full large scale expansion.

I would like to thank the staff for all the hard work an mmo is a beast that is seldom tamed, so many things going on at one time, boggles the mind.

tengri

All in all we had a good first year.

However... from what we have seen so far into the second one - big disappointment.
No matter how you want to look at it: all those performance problems are the killer of year two.

As of now the servers apparently can not handle the increased player numbers since Tamriel Unlimited began.
Z needs to up their game here and do something... and fast. Really fast.

Lindur

Thank you ZOS, you have created a wonderful game that I enjoy very much (I only wish my friend's computer was working)! I look forward to the coming year and hope things go well. Love dat fallout reference.

mertusta

Nothing – absolutely nothing

I absolutely agree with this part. Nothing changed in pvp for 1 year.

ItsGlaive

Nice article. Would've been nice to properly mark the occasion on the day with something in game, it's been a long and winding road to this point after all.

Xael

Reflecting on the first year?

Well after losing the majority of subscriptions and being forced into a free to play model, you probably share the notion (along with the majority of testers and early players) that you should have stayed in beta. Of course I don't expect a confession.

What is interesting about your first year, are the bugs and issues plaguing this game since the beta. Endless loading screens, random crashes, various login errors, guild bank not loading, and various other gameplay killers still live on. So technically we have 2 years of issues that have yet to be fixed.

Do I like this game? Yes, I do. Was it a good year? You were forced into free to play and tons of players made a mass exodus out of this game never to return. Spin it however you want, but this year was a bad one. Though it's not like we are expecting transparency and a "We are sorry, we failed" announcement regarding the premature launch.

While my response is polar opposite to the white knights, fanboys, and the get-along-gang, it is objective and honest.
For what it's worth, I do enjoy the game, enough to keep a sub... for now.

Gyudan

It is seeing these words: “I can't wait to get home today and play The Elder Scrolls Online." - Paul Sage, Creative Director

I like my job and I'm not looking forward to playing ESO in the evening.
Too bad there aren't any better games out there yet ...

nimander99

I CANT WAIT TO GET HOME AND PLAY ESO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jpatek0501ub17_ESO

Dose group finder work yet? Any Loot rewards for raids? Is PvP as repetitive and boring as the Justice system? Loved this game at beginning then it got so horribly dull and unsatisfying.

Davadin

Last pic. Is that the server status on screen? Is that Thornblade on the constantly-higher-than-average load? lol

Well, I simply like to say, happy birthday!

I love the game, and through thick and thin, at the end of the day, I still think about "oh man, I can't wait to boot up the game" afterall.

Well done, guys.

Cheers, and best wishes for the future!

Elsonso

.

Davadin wrote: »

Last pic. Is that the server status on screen? Is that Thornblade on the constantly-higher-than-average load? lol

I love the game, and through thick and thin, at the end of the day, I still think about "oh man, I can't wait to boot up the game" afterall.

Well done, guys.

Cheers, and best wishes for the future!

I think I would pay money to see what is on that screen in much more detail. I wonder if I drop by they would give me a tour.

Even though I am a fan of The Elder Scrolls series, I remember being rather unimpressed by the news of an Elder Scrolls MMO when I first heard about it. I largely ignored the whole thing until someone suggested that I try to get a key for the beta weekend in early March. Wow, what a ride that was! I played right up until they kicked me off. Of course, I got a key for the next beta later in March! I played that one until they kicked me off, too! My most memorable thing, what sold me on ESO, was watching hundreds Daggerfall Covenant players heading towards Chalman Keep, where the Ebonheart Pact was defending. No zerg, just a steady stream of players that took several minutes to get by my stealthed position next to the road. I am not a PVP person, but this was not PVP, this was a war.

This was not World of Warcraft, my main MMO at the time. This was not Morrowind, Oblivion, or Skyrim. This was something different. This was Elder Scrolls on a scale far beyond what I had ever imagined from the TES series. Gone was the impression that it was going to be a cheesy WoW clone. Forget TES 6 with cooperative online play. This was different, and I knew that I had to own the game. Not just own it, I knew that I had to be in the full 5 day Early Access.

Since then it has been a roller coaster ride. I won't say that the last year has not been without ups and downs, but it is definitely up from where it was at launch. If ZOS sticks with ESO, holds the line on P2W, and can deliver on the Cyrodiil that I saw in the beta weekend, I really think that this game will be around for a very long time. Sure, I have creative differences with some of the things that they have done, there have been no small amount of bumps and problems along the way, and the small nature of their development team shows, but what that development team has managed to do in the last year has been great. I think that ESO deserved to win the MMORPG Great MMO Face-Off last year.

I look forward to the things that they will deliver in the next year, the new areas, the new capabilities, and all the new content that they can fit into the game. For me, ZOS re-invented what it means to be an Elder Scrolls game and I want to see what more they can do.

I expect that I will be here in stop by next April 2016 to talk about the second year.

@lordrichter

TheRealMcKoy

I can't express enough the appreciation I have for this game and all of the work you all have put into it. I was excited about this game from the first moment I heard about it and saw the trailers for it. I remember signing up for the Beta invites and how excited I would get when I'd get the word that another round of invites was being sent out...and the disappointment when I didn't receive one. Finally I got one during the last two or three sessions and I was ecstatic. I played every available hour I could during each of the remaining sessions and had such a blast. I loved the graphics, I loved the stories, I loved the players...I loved it all. Yes, there were bugs, but I didn't care. To me, they were minor inconveniences. It inspired me to build my first computer (which is an awesome rig, btw) because I wanted to squeeze every beautiful pixel out the game and run it smooth as silk.

I also remember getting so frustrated with a lot of complaining in the chats, on forums and those youtubers who "speak for all gamers". I was so disappointed that they couldn't see the beauty of the game and enjoy it for what it was and what it could become--even today. I finally figured these were the kind of people who would *** if they were hung with a new rope and make their names selling vitriolic diatribes. I have seen enough of the issues addressed that have been brought up to have confidence that any major issues will be resolved in good time. On the flip side of this, I also remember grouping up with random folks and having a blast and how 99.9% were so easy going and friendly, helpful to the noob like myself, and they just made it a blast.

A year later, I have finally gotten my wife off of WoW and into Tamriel, both my boys are playing it and two of their friends come over and play on my machine several times a week. My biggest problem now is that I don't have enough PCs to go around so everyone can play at the same time and I have to fight to get to my own computer!

If all of this makes me a "fanboy" so be it. I rather think of it as appreciating art...imperfections and all. You all have done a wonderful job at making this game a wonderful world in which to escape to and I thank you for all of your efforts.

P.S. On a side note, I think it would be awesome to do a "behind the scenes of an MMO" type documentary that shows folks just what it takes to design a game of this magnitude, test it, run it, fix it, maintain it, etc... As an IT systems analyst, I found myself wishing I could have been in your "war room" during launch to watch how it all went down. Yeah, I'm probably not normal, but what the hell, right? Thanks again!

zittylolb14_ESO

I started playing with a 6 month subscription, but stopped after 4 months because the pvp was spotting at best. Frame-rates so terrible it wasn't worth playing....well I have to admit the game is much more stable and for sure more fun.

Just a few requests....plz increase the extraction rates of the good stuff for crafting better gear. I am a casual player and the grind of exp is still to much for me.....the lack of information is terrible. I have seen positive changes like I was able to solo a dungeon in Cyrodill which I was unable to do at four months ago.

My biggest beef RIGHT NOW with this game is the lack of a real functioning auction house...it is really lame that I have to search and or sort thru 5 small auction houses and never find anything....for real do you not see this as a PROBLEM??????

Keep the improvements coming and I might just re-sub for the new content.
My best memory was playing in a great guild that was a go-do-it guild.
One night we stealthed into the scroll area were our guild found AD camping the re-spawning of the a scroll. When it re-spawned their dancing party was over.....not one person in that attack on our side died. We ran the scroll all the way back to our keep.......Now that was fun especially leading up to the scroll actually spawning
because we were watching the whole time at the great time AD thought they were having.....and BAM-OBOMBA-RAM....they got ganked......wooooooooooooooot

Rizenath

I have been playing this game since the second Beta night and I feverishly awaited its launch last year in April. I have worked in the gaming industry as a QA Engineer for another company and know firsthand how much a launch takes out of you. And then all the work that comes afterwards. But you all mastered this with bravado. Even the bots were done away with thanks to your persistence.

ESO is the most intense, complete MMO I have ever played. Every time I load it up after work at night I just love being in game. I filled my 8 character slots quickly so I could explore all regions and classes/races at my leisure. Looking at the chat sometimes you'd think a lot of people hated the game, but I see them coming back day after day. After a few days they stop complaining. It's magic.

I became a subscriber before the official launch date and appreciate the extras you gave to us who stayed through thick and thin. Thank you for that. I love my Sencha Tiger mount. I will remain a loyal subscriber, too! I really look forward to seeing what opens up on the next map I come to, and the next, and the next.

Thank you for all your hard work.

Rizenath/Buttertoes/Doom-of-Daedra/D'art'anian/Ser Onyx/Darkstealer/Sings-of-Hope/B'eziah Ki

Gidorick

Happy Anniversary ESO. It's been a great year, here's to many, many more.

Sukenlihol

Thank you guys, thanks for your efforts.

sirston

well damn Zenimax I have been with you for a year now and to be honest even now there are some hiccups here and there, you and your game have came a long way from floating guards


PS. it was very good to see the "war room" As it ensured me that you guys actual listen to us.

Gidorick

Now I want a sandwich @sirston...

Betahkiin

The other night I was in my home, sitting in the garden, watching the stars and thinking.

In my life I went through many things, some very good and some very bad, every challenge helped me to beat, learning from successes and failures. At the beginning it was not easy, nobody gives anything for free and I have to earn it all with hard work and dedication.

Gradually I was forging a path where I could find friends and reveal enemies, I became someone better and try to convey to others what I knew as a way to give back all that time was able to give me. At times, everything seemed to collapse, there seemed no hope and was at that time used where the impossible come true.

It still I have a lot ahead, a long way to go, I also know that I'm not alone, I know many others stay with me regardless of the distances that separate us. I know it's up to me to change the course of everything that is wrong and affects my loved ones, they have my full support as I ever be able to betray them, give them back.

True, time passes and leaves its scars, but instead of allowing the luxury of inflicting pain in my soul, I will become a fortress ...

My name is Betahkiin and my time of rest for today as come ..

Esc ...

Logout ...

Quit ...



And this is how another day of adventure has its place in the lands of Tamriel. Thanks to the efforts and dedication of all of you is that wonders like this game come true.

You carry a blessing, the blessing of granting millions of people the opportunity to live a world of incredible fantasy. The passion to every detail is admirable and far from being a work project personally see as pure art.

Things do not always go as one would expect, there may be setbacks and unexpected things, but despite this the result is still admirable. In life nothing and nobody is perfect because perfection is not a point of arrival, but a way to walk a path as things can always do better.

As a team, from first to last, regardless of function were central to the creation of what now all the community can enjoy.

Thank You!

Elijah_Crow

I would just like to add a simple "thank you" for all you have done in the first year.

Cogo

The request for Jerkins (male model robe) in June and BLAM, one week later, it was worked and done by ZoS. That was kinda...impressive. Emotes created by players requests is cool, but the speed from scratch to product, was ..... cool!

"- Players: We want Jerkins! Now! Robe is ugly on my male Kajiit!"
"- ZoS: Sure! Bam! Here!"
"- Players: What the.... "


Now, can we have a PC version of Imperial City and Consoles gets its own?

*KaBLAM* and patch next week! *(And Oghur goes catapulting in the underground City?*)

Elderscrolls Online is awesome.
My "/played" stating 109 days played and the fact I still don't have a single second of boring play speaks for itself I think.

ESO have the "thing" that makes you speed home from work to log in and CATAPULT!

Zimnel

I've been here since the second closed beta and had a blast with the game : 3
As a Morrowind player I always wanted to see how the rest of tamrielic provinces were. We saw Cyrodiil in Oblivion and the home of the Nords in Skyrim. In ESO you even took it further and apart of offering an enormous map since day one, you took the action hundreds of years before, back in the second Era, a time full of interesting events and characters.

I made my main char a dunmer magic user, as always do in Elder Scrolls games! The game had its ins and outs at the beginning, but the thrill of exploring, opening hidden chests, discovering delves and finding M'aiq the Liar! That was priceless. The big effort you did bringing us update 6 with all that massive changes for the good, that had been impressive. I'm very thankful for that because I now enjoy the game much more. I absolutely adore the justice system and love earning new champion points and passives. Adding writs to the crafting system was a plus (yep, that happened before update 6 but for me was a very nice addition). I'd like to say changing the game model made some friends return to ESO and enjoy the new goodies too so... Thanks ZOS, for a year of work and dedication. Whilst my dunmer sorcerer says "I'll be watching you!", my khajiit chef says "May you walk in warm sands".

ArRashid

Now, if only you'd manage to fix the animation canceling abusing that's in game since beta, that was annoying so many people that it emptied your servers last summer.


I mean, it sure is nice to have a block available when you need it, but it's REALLY BAD for it to cancel the animation of previous ability WITHOUT cutting it's damage.
That just means the only viable dps strategy is to tap block after every single action, otherwise you're kicked off groups for doing too small dps.

IF you block, your ability's damage should reflect that you're actually blocking and not dealing damage. I don't know how to do it (it's certainly easier said than done), but even healing the enemy back up for the damage you just dealt (or removing a animation cancelled DoT from enemey) after you cancel animation with block would be better than this, which in my head is just cheating which is destroying any fun of the combat system.