Update Vanilla Zone Quality

Iccotak

Started Vvardenfel today, the difference in quality between this chapter and the vanilla zones is staggering.
I think if new players traveled to any of the vanllia zones they would be disapointed after their experiences in higher quality chapter of Vvardenfel.

ZOS please look at visually updating the vanilla content, it will vastly help the game in the long run.
It will be better for the game in the long run to make each zone visually interesting and unique.

Suggestion #1: First thing I think would be best to tackle for now is to Re-design the landscape rocks. DLC zones are adorned with amazing, hand sculpted rock formations, whereas vanilla zones are stuck with simple rock meshes with tileable textures.

Vanilla Desert rocks


DLC desert Rock textures


Suggestion #2: Take what you did with Vvardenfel, accurately re-create game map, and apply that to Skyrim.

The reason Windhelm looks different in ESO, compared to TESV: Skyrim, is not because they are in different Eras.
It is because ESO was in development before Skyrim, so the version they developed came into existence before Skyrim's version did.
That being said. Skyrim's Windhelm would be more visually interesting in ESO than the current one we have.


ESO Windhelm front gate



Skyrim Windhelm front gate


The architecture seen in Skyrim clearly comes from an era when Ysgrammor was alive

Definitely take the time to tackle one zone at a time. It does not have to be done all at once.

This being said I appreciate how ZOS has continued to stick with it and have not given up on this project.
They have greatly improved things since release.

geonsocal

great post - agree 100%...

Iccotak

Latest DLC pictures released proving my point again.

Look at the detail on this Armor set.


And these Wonderfully sculpted rocks. This is what the rest of the Vanilla game Needs



Look at the realistically proportioned and non-cartoonish architecture!

Mioq_The_Thief

I'll happily agree with this thread.

It's also interesting to note how with vvardenfell, dinner have at least three architectual styles for one race. Meanwhile, all other races get exactly one.

andreasranasen

Yes! I agree with this post. Original base game looks rushed compared to DLC zones.

ArchMikem

andreasranasen wrote: »

Yes! I agree with this post. Original base game looks rushed compared to DLC zones.

It most likely was rushed. Most games tend to be rushed when trying to be launched. Just ask EA...

essi2

I'd love to see several update passes made on the vanilla zones both graphically and gameplay wise.

But it would be a large up front cost with no obvious way to recoup it, not to mention the delay it would incur on any planned DLC.

We're most likely years away from ESO getting a complete graphical overhaul, if ever.

The Uninvited

Was going to write the same post, but you beat me to it. Feels like a let down when travelling from VVardenfell to a base game zone.

Korah_Eaglecry

Im in total support of an overhaul of base game assets. Ive made threads before asking for overhauls of both race armors and horses.

Unfortunately they wont be going back to any of these until they either run out of locations to create with DLC/Chapters. Or they find a way to slowly refurbish all of this little by little with new DLC/Chapters. What I would love to see is less of the crappy old assets in older zones with newer content being released. I would like to see NPCs in Stonefalls, Deshaan and elsewhere to begin utilizing the newer Morrowind assets. Like costumes and decorations.

Morvane

Iccotak wrote: »

Started Vvardenfel today, the difference in quality between this chapter and the vanilla zones is staggering.
I think if new players traveled to any of the vanllia zones they would be disapointed after their experiences in higher quality chapter of Vvardenfel.

ZOS please look at visually updating the vanilla content, it will vastly help the game in the long run.
It will be better for the game in the long run to make each zone visually interesting and unique.

if u wanna see REAL difference between old and new locations go to World of Warcraft

slumber_sandb16_ESO

I'd love to see a visual update of older/painted on armour sets to bring them up to the same quality of current ones.

Agalloch

Yes ..even if they change the quality of the textures of the vanilla game would be great!.

An ESO Vanilla HD would be awesome!

MLGProPlayer

Too much work for no payoff.

Although I'd love it. The difference between the base game and DLC zones is MASSIVE. However, this is generally the case in 95% of games that release DLC content. As devs get more comfortable with an engine, they can get more out of it without impacting performance.

Faulgor

This has been brought up before, and they said they'd rather do new content than overhaul old one. So I really don't see a chance for this happening unless they can find a way to get money out of it.

Really wish they at least had updated old assets when they introduce new once, such as making Narsis actually a Hlaalu city now that the architecture is in game.

Doctordarkspawn

They wont.

Their more interested in your money and they cant reasonibly get you to pay for updated textures.

Iccotak

The Uninvited wrote: »

Was going to write the same post, but you beat me to it. Feels like a let down when travelling from VVardenfell to a base game zone.

This is the exact problem I pointed out Months ago

Magıc

andreasranasen wrote: »

Yes! I agree with this post. Original base game looks rushed compared to DLC zones.

Well yeah, the game was released before it was ready because they were desperate to release it so of course it's rushed.

Rohamad_Ali

Traveling Riften in Skyrim then loging in here is a big shock . I'd love to see over hauling of the base assets but MMOs never live up to single player titles .

Iccotak

MLGProPlayer wrote: »

Too much work for no payoff.

Although I'd love it. The difference between the base game and DLC zones is MASSIVE. However, this is generally the case is 95% of games that release DLC content. As devs get more comfortable with an engine, they can get more out of it without impacting performance.

While this may be true if ZOS wants to break themselves out of the mold that they are just any other MMO and remove initial impressions of the game from launch back in 2014, Then they need to go the extra mile and graphically overhaul the game.

Making the DLCs the only things that actually look like decent game makes the vanilla content insulting.
People are going to go to vanilla zones after Morrowind and feel let down.

Iccotak

WikileaksEU wrote: »

[snip]

A. Not my computer, google is your friend

B. Doesn't change the fact that the rock models in vanilla game look horrendous

C. As you can see from numerous replies, hardware doesn't matter, it is clear the vanilla zones are out of date.

[Edit for removed quoted comment]

MLGProPlayer

WikileaksEU wrote: »

[snip]

The difference in texture quality between base game and DLC zones is huge, regardless of your hardware (hardware doesn't change textures).

[Edit for removed quoted comment]

F7sus4

ArchMikem wrote: »

andreasranasen wrote: »

Yes! I agree with this post. Original base game looks rushed compared to DLC zones.

It most likely was rushed. Most games tend to be rushed when trying to be launched. Just ask EA...

No. It's simply 3 years old already. It's as easy as that and equally difficult for some people to realize.

chess1ukb16_ESO

this is a nice to have but should not happen because its far more critical to release new quality content which is slow enough coming as it is.

maboleth

MLGProPlayer wrote: »

WikileaksEU wrote: »

Are you playing on a potato? the quality of your pictures are bad, and it indicates that you are playing on a potato. Upgrade.

The difference in texture quality between base game and DLC zones is huge, regardless of your hardware (hardware doesn't change textures).

Vanilla textures are not nearly as bad as people tend to agonize here. In fact, they are still great and full of detail (Coldharbour, all major faction cities, dungeons etc. anyone?). Not to mention that the game is overall full of various props and tiny little details in every corner of the world. People tend to rush things and don't see it or take it for granted.

It's true that DLCs tend to be with more texture overall and advanced mechanics. Devs used all departments to develop a single zone, rather than the whole Tamriel. Also the timing - making a 2014/5 zone and 2017 should be more advanced.

That being said, I'm very pleased that Zeni used the same base models for all graphics out there, regardless of the age or art department - it makes the game look uniform. When I'm playing I really don't see things like that or think "oh, yes, this was made in 2014 and this in 2016..." Every zone has some very interesting places and quests.

Messy1

I noticed the difference in rock meshes and shape just the other day. It is especially noticeable in ColdHarbour

lientier

I a a very visual person. I really get what yu say with rock textures. But still The Rift and Eastmarch are still my favourite zones visually in ESO. I also loved the roughness of the Skyrim visuals (but could only play it with all the HD extra mods and loads of mods adressing textures and reflections and light.. )
Yeah rocks could be a little more polished, but water and sky for example are gorgeus in ESO.

Fischblut

Agree.

I also love how clear water is in all DLC zones - compared to it, in base game water is dull...

Gold Coast water, a pleasure to simply look at:



Auridon water... Only pleasure was two blue fish in a row



And I don't like ugly base game wolves and bears, compared to Wrothgar bears and Gold Coast wolves

staracino_ESO

The representation we got at launch for the Eastern part of Skyrim was extremely disappointing. I hope they do their homework before they bring out the Western half.

Reverb

I don't disagree, but that is extremely unlikely to happen. We'll be lucky to get bug fixes in the vanilla zones going forward. There's simply no money to be made by spending developer effort on old content.

Darkstorne

staracino_ESO wrote: »

The representation we got at launch for the Eastern part of Skyrim was extremely disappointing. I hope they do their homework before they bring out the Western half.

I think a big part of this is because they had to spread their time and resources out to develop parts of EVERY province in Tamriel for release. Whereas all the DLC afterwards has been highly focused on one location at a time, and the jump in quality and attention to detail (both architecturally and environmentally) is plain to see.

Makes me wish they'd created fewer zones to start with, and built the game around One Tamriel's exploration from the very beginning Poor Valenwood for example is already fully built, looks atrocious, nothing like the lore (or even the concept art) and there's no room for future DLC to do another section of Valenwood justice.

DMuehlhausen

Will it happen? Sure, but when? Who knows

I mean most other games don't get a visual overhaul for the vanilla content for quite some time. Blizzard didn't update the original zones or races and stuff until what Lich King, and even then they didn't do all of them and that was 6 years into the game. So it's probably going to be another 3-4 years before they will do anything like that.

This happens though not because it was rushed but the change in technology. When the game came out I think a 2gb video card was probably top of the line for a decent price. I think a 3GB was available but it was pushing 1k for just the card. Now you can pick up video cards twice as powerful for half the price.

4k gaming really wasn't even a thing when the game launched. It was being talked about a few extemely expensive and high end systems were doing it to test, but it wasn't really commercially available yet.

In 3-4 years the new DLC zones will look rushed to what they are putting out.