Current Console Vampire / Werewolf Issue Requiring Attention

Mastodonials

I just felt the need to create a thread to post certain concerns within the community regarding the present Vampire / Werewolf system, and the dangerous precedent that it has created.

As most people realize- due to the limitations on the spawning, the increased number of players who show up only to kill the bloodfiends / werewolves, the fact that you can't stop them from doing so, the fact that many players have stopped advancing their characters due to a desire to do so only after acquiring their preferred supernatural path in order to level it as they progress, and the fact that people do have lives outside of the lunar cycles and simply can't "check in" every 5 or 6 hours to run around aimlessly looking for spawns- a severe bottleneck has been placed on the supply vs demand regarding this game content, and what's worse, is that this has reached the point where people are using PayPal and other methods to pay for bites, which, most of the time, end up being a scam. A scam that now costs individuals real money.

That being said, I realize there are going to be a lot of people who have nothing better to do than try to create debates within the forums, and many people won't separate an opinion- such as a person's opinion that their character, and thus the game, isn't worth actually playing until they have their vampirism or lycanthropy and can play it their way from a playstyle / role-playing perspective- from a fact- such as how it is a fact that the lack of supply to meet demand has reached a dangerous level when PayPal becomes involved, and needs to be addresses by Zenimax to keep people from being scammed out of their money.

My point being that regardless of the less important nuances that beg for a change in the system- such as playstyle- which Zenimax may choose to address depending on community opinion, there is, I would think, a mandatory need to roll out a solution to a growing problem when people in desperation are sending real money to who-only-knows via PayPal, being scammed, and creating a trend which could have serious repercussions eventually.

So here's my suggestion: allow individuals to buy their "bite" of choice in the crown store (for a reasonable amount- nothing heinous) if Zenimax is unwilling to adjust the spawns / spawn times, or have fixed monsters in the world that can bite players, even at lower levels, a-la every other Elder Scrolls game, if playing a supernatural character is their preferred route, especially seeing as how werewolves and vampires have great weakness in their own right, and are not omnipotent in pvp or pve. At least by adding it to the crown store, you alleviate the PayPal / real money exchange problem. Then, Zenimax, it will be up to you as to whether you want to fix the spawns and thus fix the constant, unruly scamming taking place with the in-game currency or not. Either way, the major real money trading / scamming issue will have been addressed.

Anyways, those are my suggestions based on the facts of the situation, and the opinions of most everyone I've talked to on the subject. I've never been scammed myself, but that's only because I'm not about to pay for something that should be as simple to attain on not attain as it is in every other Elder Scrolls game. I'm not going to engage in endless debate with the people who live and die within these threads, but I'd love to hear everyone else's opinion / solution, create a place for those opinions / solutions, and read what Zenimax has to say if they choose to post.

So what does everyone else think?

*Edit* I added console to the topic due to this being where the problem seemingly is the greatest. PC users have zone chat, as well as keyboard chat options, which give them far superior coordination regarding communication, whereas consoles have a flimsy short range area voice chat option. Essentially, this limitation not only makes it more difficult to locate the rare spawns to be bit, but also makes it far more difficult to find legitimate players in the game world - who may be somewhere else in the region doing quests - to pay in-game currency for a bite. As things stand on consoles, most people are forced to hang around the shrines in area voice chat, where they then meet only scam artists or others who are only there to take advantage of them.

leshpar

I can sell a ww bite in a couple days. ^_^

Its really not hard to find people to bite you. Post in zone chat in Mournhold (for EP) or your faction's capital for a few minutes and you'll usually get a bite during peak times. Sometimes longer during lower pop times.

Mastodonials

I should also state this is generally regarding consoles. Consoles lack Zone Chat, and, without any keyboard chat, lack much of the coordination of pc.

RedTalon

Let me give you some advice while wasting the masses move to those skill lines, get everything you can in fight guilds, and and evil hunter will be your friend, stiminia build and own people when all these vamps come to pvp and oh expecting the fighter guild stucff even with the passive to start effecting unshifted weres in the future .

There is a solid reason why a lot on pc switched from vampires to weres, but we will see when console players realize that.

Mastodonials

RedTalon wrote: »

Let me give you some advice while wasting the masses move to those skill lines, get everything you can in fight guilds, and and evil hunter will be your friend, stiminia build and own people when all these vamps come to pvp and oh expecting the fighter guild stucff even with the passive to start effecting unshifted weres in the future .

There is a solid reason why a lot on pc switched from vampires to weres, but we will see when console players realize that.

This isn't really the point of the topic- which tree is better etc. It's more to address the real money scamming epidemic, as well as solutions to the problem.

coryevans_3b14_ESO

This does not need ZOS's full attention. In fact, it doesn't even make it on the radar.

Mastodonials

coryevans_3b14_ESO wrote: »

This does not need ZOS's full attention. In fact, it doesn't even make it on the radar.

People sending real money over PayPal to other players, then being scammed out of it, doesn't make it on the radar? That deserves no attention? Kidding? Why is it that the third comment has to be the guy who lives and breathes to disagree with every post, no matter how foolish the disagreement?

Cry_Wolfe

kinda reminds me of how players were killing the mobs on PC so that they could inflate the price of selling a bite.

ZoS had this on their radar back then, guess as usual a lack of imagination leads to stale ideas sticking around.

Sandmanninja

#1) Why in the WORLD would anyone PAY REAL CURRENCY to another PLAYER in the game? I'm sorry, that just screams, "I want it and I want it NOW!!!"

#2) The bites are free. Just be patient and be in the right spot at the right time.

#3) Guilds can be a source of bites

#4) This is SOOO last year. PC Players were clamouring for a bite at launch last year. Quite a few people brought their toons from PC to Consoles and I'm sure some of them have bites to give away.
In a few months, it won't matter and bites will be free or affordable.

Elijah_Crow

This is only a limited time problem which will take care of itself and people will be giving bites away for free. Until then I say enjoy the other parts of the game and re-visit later when the rarity is subsided.

snowmanflvb14_ESO

Well why are they sending real money over paypal in the first place. A transaction such as that would be in violation of the Eula. Thus why should ZOS make it a priority besides banning those caught doing it.
It should also be pointed out that when the PC version went live we experienced a similar issue concering Vamp and WW bites. After a bit of time things settled down. I am sure the same will happen with the console versions of the game.

VanguardXSIN

Seeing this, in game, so many low leveled scrubs, using Reapers March etc.... as hang outs to get free bites, leech exp etc....... granted they payed for the game and want to do non-productive stuff like harass players for bites is funny. Wouldn't mind if they level locked zones. Never encountered this *** on pc ever at release or prior to port. As for people getting scammed, that's on them, I would Bite people for free just for the sake of giving it out, as I with my Vamp 3 days ago.

Mastodonials

Sandmanninja wrote: »

#1) Why in the WORLD would anyone PAY REAL CURRENCY to another PLAYER in the game? I'm sorry, that just screams, "I want it and I want it NOW!!!"

#2) The bites are free. Just be patient and be in the right spot at the right time.

#3) Guilds can be a source of bites

#4) This is SOOO last year. PC Players were clamouring for a bite at launch last year. Quite a few people brought their toons from PC to Consoles and I'm sure some of them have bites to give away.
In a few months, it won't matter and bites will be free or affordable.

I agree. It's foolish- but people are still engaging in that behavior. All you need to do is go into area voice chat around a shrine, and you'll hear countless desperate individuals being suckered into PayPal exchanges. If anything, this just needs to be addressed by Zenimax with a statement. Anything to discourage this behavior, as 90% of the facilitators are scammers.

Psychobunni

I don't know how quickly they could get that added to the crown store (if) they don't have it in the works for some reason already.

The thing is, it really is temporary in the long run. In a month or so, there should be free bites going round enough that no one has to even pay in game gold.

It is a growing pain that pc went through as well, so ZOS already knows it will pass. They could maybe send in some GM's on the down low to camp some spawn locations and ban out intentional griefers for a week or two.

On the flip side, no one should ever be paying real money for something attained in game freely, can't blame ZOS for if they get scammed.

Granz

Have someone bite you. I never could get the spawn. Some dude bit me for free. But other times I have seen it advertised for around 5k. I will vamp bite you if you want.

alps1979

I have just been enjoying the game.If I wind up with vampirism or lycanthropy at some point sweet,if not oh well.I've spent zero amount of time thinking about it much less seeking it out.However,I'm more into the pave aspect,so if it grants some kind of super cheat like abilities in pve that's not really something I care about at the moment.But I can see how people would if the live and breath pvp...maybe.

Mastodonials

Granz wrote: »

Have someone bite you. I never could get the spawn. Some dude bit me for free. But other times I have seen it advertised for around 5k. I will vamp bite you if you want.

Well of course I'd take you up on that lol. My main needs a vampire bite. I already have an alt werewolf character in another faction, and therefore I know how often people will message me offering PayPal, which scares me to think to what degree a scammer could take them for a ride.

Sindarious

coryevans_3b14_ESO wrote: »

This does not need ZOS's full attention. In fact, it doesn't even make it on the radar.

I agree, they need to get the damn game running properly first. What the hell was I thinking going from PC to Xbox with this ahhh

Mastodonials

Sindarious wrote: »

coryevans_3b14_ESO wrote: »

This does not need ZOS's full attention. In fact, it doesn't even make it on the radar.

I agree, they need to get the damn game running properly first. What the hell was I thinking going from PC to Xbox with this ahhh

Should have gone ps4. I traded the xbox in after seeing how it handled Witcher. The console servers do need some work though certainly.

RedTalon

Mastodonials wrote: »

RedTalon wrote: »

Let me give you some advice while wasting the masses move to those skill lines, get everything you can in fight guilds, and and evil hunter will be your friend, stiminia build and own people when all these vamps come to pvp and oh expecting the fighter guild stucff even with the passive to start effecting unshifted weres in the future .

There is a solid reason why a lot on pc switched from vampires to weres, but we will see when console players realize that.

This isn't really the point of the topic- which tree is better etc. It's more to address the real money scamming epidemic, as well as solutions to the problem.

You need to report anyone you see trading money for anything in game to zos that is the only to stop it maybe cause its against the tos everyone agreed to, but yeah was a big problem for pc at start also and you all don't have good tools for reporting people either

alps1979

Why is everyone so hung *** on the monster bites?What do they do?

pecheckler

On PS4 I turned into a white werewolf at the shrine and received over 15 PSN messages within couple minutes asking for a bite. Followed shortly thereafter by 10 people asking how I got a panther mount.

Highest offer was 25,000g, but most people stopped at 15,000g. These are sub-level 20 players without mounts. Even though everyone wouldn't shut the hell up so I could decline their requests I'm just glad nobody was rude enough to make it so I couldn't target my guild member who was there to receive my bite. Somehow since then all these players found their way to Rawl'kha and are spamming area chat asking for bites.

I did my part by bringing over 3 ready bites from PC. From what I can tell the werewolf to vampire bites available ratio (from PC transfers) is about 10 werewolf to 1 vampire.

I'll tell you this though. Zenimax best get a policy on scams written in stone ASAP because there are players scamming gold, paypal offers, and apparently free game codes.

UrQuan

If you get scammed for gold, report the offending player. If you see anyone asking for real money (or anything outside of the game) for a bite, report the offending player. These things are against the TOS, and these people can be banned for it. Of course, if you're stupid enough to break the TOS yourself by sending someone real money for a bite, you deserve to be banned too.

If you're trying to become a werewolf at low levels in order to ensure that it's properly leveled by the time you're level 38-40ish (where it's intended to become available), you should know that there's no point in this. Once you become a werewolf, you can easily level the skill line to maximum within an hour. All you have to do is stay in Hircine's realm after you become a werewolf by completing the quest, use your ultimate to transform, and then do a circuit grinding the mobs in there as they respawn. While within Hircine's realm you'll stay in werewolf form indefinitely, and the skill line is leveled by making kills while in WW form, not by earning XP.

If you're trying to become a vampire at low levels in order to ensure that it's properly leveled by the time you're level 38-40ish (again, where it's intended to become available), you should know that you're going to have to live with all of the vampire vulnerabilities and virtually none of the vampire benefits for a very long time. The skill line progresses based on XP earned while vampire skills are slotted, and because you're not really intended to get access to it until level 38-40ish it's designed around the amounts of XP you earn at those levels and higher. At lower levels it will take forever to level up your vampire skill line and get access to the skills that are actually worth using.

Frankly, the spawn campers and scammers are largely a self-correcting problem. As more and more people get bites, more and more bites will become available, and the market slips out of the control of the groups trying to maintain a monopoly and profit off it.

Mastodonials

UrQuan wrote: »

If you get scammed for gold, report the offending player. If you see anyone asking for real money (or anything outside of the game) for a bite, report the offending player. These things are against the TOS, and these people can be banned for it. Of course, if you're stupid enough to break the TOS yourself by sending someone real money for a bite, you deserve to be banned too.

If you're trying to become a werewolf at low levels in order to ensure that it's properly leveled by the time you're level 38-40ish (where it's intended to become available), you should know that there's no point in this. Once you become a werewolf, you can easily level the skill line to maximum within an hour. All you have to do is stay in Hircine's realm after you become a werewolf by completing the quest, use your ultimate to transform, and then do a circuit grinding the mobs in there as they respawn. While within Hircine's realm you'll stay in werewolf form indefinitely, and the skill line is leveled by making kills while in WW form, not by earning XP.

If you're trying to become a vampire at low levels in order to ensure that it's properly leveled by the time you're level 38-40ish (again, where it's intended to become available), you should know that you're going to have to live with all of the vampire vulnerabilities and virtually none of the vampire benefits for a very long time. The skill line progresses based on XP earned while vampire skills are slotted, and because you're not really intended to get access to it until level 38-40ish it's designed around the amounts of XP you earn at those levels and higher. At lower levels it will take forever to level up your vampire skill line and get access to the skills that are actually worth using.

Frankly, the spawn campers and scammers are largely a self-correcting problem. As more and more people get bites, more and more bites will become available, and the market slips out of the control of the groups trying to maintain a monopoly and profit off it.

This is true, and great advice. Although, while I do have a dominion werewolf that I'm not all that interested in playing due to the faction, I personally wouldn't mind living with the vampire weaknesses on my ebonheart pact character just based on the fact that I'd love to be one based on character design and personal preference. I'm not just trying to be as op as possible, otherwise, for example, I'd have never chosen to become a vampire in a game like skyrim etc. Generally, the negatives outweigh the positives. In this case, it's just the direction I want to take my particular character. I think that no matter what, however, it's going to be very hard to locate others to bite you without a zone or region wide text chat option. Small radius voice chat is nothing but noise that most people have disabled. You'll never know who is or isn't a vampire just by looking. I doubt this will be easy on consoles for a long, long while.

Elderwon

I try my very best to not harass people. I think it's annoying to message people begging for bites. Would I love to be s vampire? Sure. Will I wait hours for it. Yes. Would I pay gold for it? Probably- but post bite.
Real money is a scam. I plan on passing on free bites for hardworking after work adult players. Help the breadwinners out you know?
It's sad that there are scams. It's sad that people have to wait. But that's what makes it great. That's what makes it significant am worth it. I think it's part of the charm per say.

WarlordWoody22

One of my favorite quotes, "let those who would be deceived, be deceived"
I've got no sympathy for someone who's allowed themselves to be scammed, especially someone who'd actually pay money through such a notoriously sketchy way as using PayPal to get their chosen virus.

All you have to do is send someone an Xbox message you see is a vamp or doggy saying you'd pay x amount of gold if they would get back to you and work something out. Simple and if you get scammed its only gold your missing. Seriously don't see why Zenimax would care that you've lost money through your own ignorance, and think they have more serious topics that require their attention, like bug fixes that are altering the way they intended the game to be played, they can't patch ignorance I'm afraid.

Before you ask, yes I've been ripped off, not in any way related to gaming but, I've got no one but myself to blame and I accept that.

WarlordWoody22

Another point, people should realize, you don't have to kill them, let them hit you a few times contract virus and then deagro, saving them for all to be infected by

BuggeX

WarlordWoody22 wrote: »

Another point, people should realize, you don't have to kill them, let them hit you a few times contract virus and then deagro, saving them for all to be infected by

wasnt it that you have to be killed by the infected Mobs?

Germal

This is not a singleplayer RPG, so rare spawns are fine. No issue.

Mastodonials

Germal wrote: »

This is not a singleplayer RPG, so rare spawns are fine. No issue.

Sure- when they don't impede players from experiencing huge aspects of game content, and have some predictability. So far, people are setting their schedules by the night cycles, playing a guessing game on the moon cycle, the spawns locations, and as one needs to be hit by the mobs to catch the effect, they have to attempt to make contact before someone else kills it for the sake of griefing, all while competing with a mob of other players to see who gets hit before it's taken down.

There's a difference between a rare spawn and a ridiculous situation. It's not a single player rpg, but at least allow the bloodfiends that spawn in other zones with the daedra to infect as well, or just make werewolves a standard rare spawn in high level areas that players can hunt for as to their schedule. Some of us have a life, and we can't spend every 5 hours logging into a game to go on a wild goose chase.

requin02

Scamming people for in game gold should be considered role play in a game where you can already steal and plunder. I will demonstrate my vampires abilities before biting you for 20k.