Year 1 Observations and Opinions

GrumpyDuckling

It's been a little over 1 year since I began playing ESO on XBOX One. Here are my most notable year 1 observations and opinions:

1 - Crashing, performance, and lag is getting worse with each DLC.
The most important observation, which has been experienced by a good deal of players on these forums. DLCs are fun, but when they hurt game performance it becomes a love/hate experience each release. Not all players would agree, but I've spoken to a good deal of players who would rather wait longer for DLCs if it means being able to play the game more successfully.

2 - Having to buy "Riding Skills" on new characters is a drudge.
I get it, ZOS. Most players hate the time it takes to increase their riding skills on a new player, so you're banking on them spending real money via crowns to upgrade their riding skills. However, the 20 hour gate for 1 skill upgrade and the inclusion of riding skills for purchase in the crown store is disrespectful to the player base. Aesthetic, non-gameplay affecting mounts and costumes which are included in the crown store are there to make you money and I'm happy for you that people buy them, but riding skills affect gameplay and are too close to the "pay-to-win" line.

3 - Sneaking/Hidden range detection doesn't make sense in Cyrodiil.
Crouching in a wide-open, sun-drenched field in Cyrodiil currently allows players to be "invisible" to each other from 7 meters away. Such game mechanics encourages ganking - which is an important strategy, not a mechanic that should allow an entire army to hide in plain sight, 20 meters away, in an open field, in broad daylight.

4 - Having "locked," class-specific skill lines minimizes diversity, makes balance difficult, and divides players.
Most of us have very similar, if not identical, builds because we are limited by the constraints of classes - which must be balanced by developers who get scrutinized for their ability or inability to balance classes, which causes a class-divide amongst players. Removing classes would allow the balancing focus to be where it should be, on specific skills and skill lines, not an entire class as a whole. Right now there are "class-defining" skills (see: Radiant Destruction or Cloak). Removing classes and allowing players to choose their own 3 skill lines frees ZOS from the constraints of balancing a whole class, and instead allows them to focus on balancing skills and skill lines, specifically. For example, if Radiant Destruction is a problem, ZOS can more easily "fix" it without burying an entire class.

altemriel

1. I totally agree with you. I would not have a problem with one quarter without a new DLC content, when that quarter would be dedicated solely to removing bugs and most especially fixing lags and exploits and improving the ban system for hackers and botters and exploiters

2. wait, but riding skills are account based, if you create a new character and the riding skill is leveling for all your mounts and all your characters as far as I know

3. interresting point, but if it would be like you write, then it would be almost nowhere possible to get invisible using crouch, as there are not so many bushes or little trees or bigger plants to hide behind. so either ZOS would introduce more flora to hide to (where crouching would make you invisible) or we could forget about hiding


4. well no, I do not agree, I like the idea of classes and different play styles for each class. of course people use similar builds (the best ones). if classes would be removed, it would lead to even more similar builds I would say, as every one would use the best dps build, the best healer build, now there are at least class specific best builds

Nestor

@altemriel

Riding Skills are per character, not account. But, you don't have to train up each mount your character uses unlike at release when we had to train each horse on each character.

THEDKEXPERIENCE

You make some pretty good points in 1, 2, and 3. Unfortunately you probably undid all of them because this is about to be "Nerf Radiant Destuction Thread #12,649,528". Seriously, just use another example. Anything. I can't deal with more 400 post threads that can be summarized with ...

- It's OP.
- Here are 15 ways to counter it.
- But ... OP.
- No, it's not.
- Yes, it is.
- Poopie face.
- Meanie head.

GrumpyDuckling

danielpatrickkeaneub17_ESO wrote: »

You make some pretty good points in 1, 2, and 3. Unfortunately you probably undid all of them because this is about to be "Nerf Radiant Destuction Thread #12,649,528". Seriously, just use another example. Anything. I can't deal with more 400 post threads that can be summarized with ...

- It's OP.
- Here are 15 ways to counter it.
- But ... OP.
- No, it's not.
- Yes, it is.
- Poopie face.
- Meanie head.

Haha fair point. Perhaps I should have used Cloak or Breath of Life.

THEDKEXPERIENCE

GrumpyDuckling wrote: »

danielpatrickkeaneub17_ESO wrote: »

You make some pretty good points in 1, 2, and 3. Unfortunately you probably undid all of them because this is about to be "Nerf Radiant Destuction Thread #12,649,528". Seriously, just use another example. Anything. I can't deal with more 400 post threads that can be summarized with ...

- It's OP.
- Here are 15 ways to counter it.
- But ... OP.
- No, it's not.
- Yes, it is.
- Poopie face.
- Meanie head.

Haha fair point. Perhaps I should have used Cloak or Breath of Life.

Insightful!

Sandman929

I'm alright with everything except the degrading performance. I didn't have to live through whatever PC players had to deal with, but on console performance has steadily declined.

Sandman929

Shortly after console launch there were massive bridge fights, I don't think I even saw an enemy keep for a day or two. There was lag, but I don't remember getting booted every hour on the hour.

ArchMikem

Being able to buy your mount upgrades with Crowns is definitely crossing into Pay to Win territory. Cause then in PvP you get;

Player 1 on slow mount.
Player 2 uses faster crown upgraded mount to chase.
Player 2 gets within range.
Player 2 uses sneak to insta-demount.
Player 2 casts a ranged attack or gap closer.
Player 1 is knocked off.
Player 2 proceeds to gank.

kendellking_chaosb14_ESO

Number 3 for the win. One guy hiding mid field is okay an army is bull ***.

GrumpyDuckling

Sandman929 wrote: »

I'm alright with everything except the degrading performance. I didn't have to live through whatever PC players had to deal with, but on console performance has steadily declined.

Yes it has. I remember back at launch for console it was really difficult to get in to play the game because there was a large queue (so many people playing). But once I actually made it into the game, there wasn't any crashing or lag. The biggest issue was quest NPCs not appearing, but performance issues wasn't even a thing.

DjSolJAH

danielpatrickkeaneub17_ESO wrote: »

GrumpyDuckling wrote: »

danielpatrickkeaneub17_ESO wrote: »

You make some pretty good points in 1, 2, and 3. Unfortunately you probably undid all of them because this is about to be "Nerf Radiant Destuction Thread #12,649,528". Seriously, just use another example. Anything. I can't deal with more 400 post threads that can be summarized with ...

- It's OP.
- Here are 15 ways to counter it.
- But ... OP.
- No, it's not.
- Yes, it is.
- Poopie face.
- Meanie head.

Haha fair point. Perhaps I should have used Cloak or Breath of Life.

Insightful!

They make a button for that