Can we please choose starting zone?

Yuffie91

I know it has come up a few times but as we get no reply I thought I would make another topic. Can we please choose starting zone on new alts? I would like to be able to do the coldharbour tutorial again..

Suna_Ye_Sunnabe

Agreed, it would be much easier on new players as well to be able to start the quests in a chronological order.

Yuffie91

Suna_Ye_Sunnabe wrote: »

Agreed, it would be much easier on new players as well to be able to start the quests in a chronological order.

Yes exactly. New characters should always start in coldharbour while second and on chars would get a choice imo

Danikat

I agree.

They already give players a choice between doing the tutorial or skipping it, so it's clearly possible to redirect the character based on choices made at that point, and even a lot of the UI work is already done - they could adapt the existing menu rather than having to build something new (which can take a lot of time and introduce new bugs). All those tutorials still exist too because they have to keep them just in case someone doesn't have all the chapters. Maybe most importantly though the current system consistently causes confusion for new players and frustration for more experienced ones.

New players expect to start the game at the start, like you would in any other game, so to start playing and find out actually they've been dumped into the latest release (and not even the start of that storyline, since ZOS started their year long content themes) is very confusing. I've lost count of how many people I've seen come to this forum to ask what the actual order is supposed to be and then delete and re-make their character to correct ZOS's mistake. Even worse (IMO) are the ones who don't realise what's going on and assume this game just has lots of semi-random unconnected quests which make no overall sense and if a character refers to events you don't understand or acts like you should know them when you've never seen them before it's just proof that it's poorly written because it's not WoW so it's not going to be up to their standards for lore or continuity.

More experienced players can at least correct the mistake immediately by getting out of the tutorial and going to their desired starting location, but it's still annoying. I always come up with extra backstory and dialogue and stuff for my characters so I'm fine with writing in my own reasons for why they went to various places but I really do not like having to pretend something which is in the game didn't actually happen, it feels like a badly patched hole in my story, a mistake I can never ignore even if I could present it in a way which makes it invisible to other people. But that's exactly what I had to do with my warden because there's absolutely no reason a breton ex-wyress would go to Morrowind and then immediately back to Daggerfall and no other choice available to me at the time. (I'd have needed to wait until this year to get anything close to a reasonable intro for her, and even that would be pushing it.)

Also I actually like the Elseweyr tutorial (for the right characters) and I only ever got to do the Summerset one once, on the PTS and now both of them (plus the Morrowind one) are inaccessible to me just because I've bought other chapters. I'd really like to be able to re-play them if I want to, as well as choosing the one which makes the most sense for my character.

Eifleber

I would also like characters to be able to start in their home area (race or alliance).

Not every new player is already familiar with the TES world.
Personally i didn' t find it very immersive to start in Elsewyr with my 1st char (Breton).

Jackey

This is a huge step in the right direction for new players. I've seen so many of them being confused because it's never really explained in game. Having the option after character creation would basically fix the issue.

It would also be nice if they added some sort of advanced tutorials that could explain more about the game. I feel that there's quite a large gap between the average player and the experienced player mainly because there's so much stuff to learn. Just look at those written new player guides or yt videos with an overwhelming amount of information.

TwinLamps

Would be a logical thing imho

Thrudra_Magia

I would like to see a choice based on the packages or chapters you have. For example, when you create the character you should be able to choose your starting story: Coldharbour, Summerset, Morrowind, or Greymoor. Each story has the same mechanics, but the story flows according to the player choice.

The only thing ZOS would need to do is add the story choice during character creation. They have all they other mechanics in place.

Nestor

First characters should start in Coldharbor. Then Alts have a choice where to start.

TheImperfect

This answers the question
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/456071/starting-zones-and-story-progression

Elsonso

Nestor wrote: »

First characters should start in Coldharbor. Then Alts have a choice where to start.

Yes. I get that they want players who buy "Greymoor" to be able to start in "Greymoor" but if they stick with the game, this is just the wrong thing to do. New accounts should start in Wailing Prison tutorial. After that, alts should be able to skip, or pick, the tutorial.

MistyRonin

Indeed. I have to help many of disoriented players because the nowadays system confuses them a lot.

The default option should be to start with the vanilla tutorial. And then have the option to do the chapter tutorials.

I understand the main issue is that the vanilla areas look quite dated, but the solution is simply to improve them to the Greymoor standard. Like what FF14 just did. Especially with the future new generation consoles version, and because is what most new players will see.

Athan1

Nestor wrote: »

First characters should start in Coldharbor. Then Alts have a choice where to start.

Yes, I fully agree! Starting the game in a random ship to Vvanderfell kinda ruined my experience. Being dumped in an open dlc zone was overwhelming. Something felt off so I had to look up online guides to figure out I needed to do the coldharbour quest first...

goldCoaster

I can't even imagine beginning anywhere other than Coldharbour.

Man, that brings back memories. Good times.

Elsonso

MistyRonin wrote: »

Indeed. I have to help many of disoriented players because the nowadays system confuses them a lot.

The default option should be to start with the vanilla tutorial. And then have the option to do the chapter tutorials.

I understand the main issue is that the vanilla areas look quite dated, but the solution is simply to improve them to the Greymoor standard. Like what FF14 just did. Especially with the future new generation consoles version, and because is what most new players will see.

They actually said why they do it this way. When someone buys the game, they want that player to be able to immediately get into the content they just purchased, and not have to play through something else first.

Still the wrong decision.

Wildberryjack

I'd rather start in the Morrowind starting area tbh, I rather like that one. Really hate that any new character I make HAS to start in whatever the latest one is

Syldras

It really shouldn't be hard to implement a selection screen.

Scrollup

Yuffie91 wrote: »

I know it has come up a few times but as we get no reply I thought I would make another topic. Can we please choose starting zone on new alts? I would like to be able to do the coldharbour tutorial again..

Bro, you should have made a Poll with this thread. I feel most players would like this option.

Also, I've always feel ZOS is literally just lazy or not enough staffs? Like I heard they have roughly 250 developers internally.

Other MMORPG Developers have roughly the same and or they hire extra developers that creeps upward of 500 total so they are able to implement alot of QOL and options in the game.

Still I think ZOS should already include that. They definitely put all these features and options that if they don't deem benefiicial to revenue or time they either ignores it or put in the back burner.

richo262

Suna_Ye_Sunnabe wrote: »

Agreed, it would be much easier on new players as well to be able to start the quests in a chronological order.

Nestor wrote: »

First characters should start in Coldharbor. Then Alts have a choice where to start.

Every character should start in Cold Harbor, Alts should simply have a choice as to where you land after you escape.

Washed up near a light house - DBH
Saved in ocean by relic hunters - Murkmire (start half way through prologue)
'Saved' in ocean by slavers - Morrowind
Saved by caravan in desert - Elsweyr
Saved by caravan in snow - Wrothgar / Greymoor
Land in ruins - Summerset*
Saved in ocean by someone about to do a heist - TG
Standard EP/AD/DC start

I'd say no CWC start given its secret nature. Also if you have Morrowind, no SS start, given chronology. Dragonhold is a finale to Elsweyr, so also same as SS, no start there.

You essentially get asked, do you want to start at:
Plane Meld (EP/AD/DC)
Daedric War (Morrowind / Summerset, earliest takes priority)
Season of the Dragon (Elsweyr)
Dark Heart of Skyrim (West Skyrim)
Short stories : MM / DBH / TG / Wrothgar (Optional, I'd be fine with these not having starts either)

Syldras

It'd be easier just to let people choose freely.
Also, I don't think that any of the prologues will be reworked.

redgreensunset

Nestor wrote: »

First characters should start in Coldharbor. Then Alts have a choice where to start.

No. There could be a "recommended for new players" notification next to the original tutorial but either there should be free choice or no choice.

Elsonso

richo262 wrote: »

Suna_Ye_Sunnabe wrote: »

Agreed, it would be much easier on new players as well to be able to start the quests in a chronological order.

Nestor wrote: »

First characters should start in Coldharbor. Then Alts have a choice where to start.

Every character should start in Cold Harbor, Alts should simply have a choice as to where you land after you escape.

Washed up near a light house - DBH
Saved in ocean by relic hunters - Murkmire (start half way through prologue)
'Saved' in ocean by slavers - Morrowind
Saved by caravan in desert - Elsweyr
Saved by caravan in snow - Wrothgar / Greymoor
Land in ruins - Summerset*
Saved in ocean by someone about to do a heist - TG
Standard EP/AD/DC start

I'd say no CWC start given its secret nature. Also if you have Morrowind, no SS start, given chronology. Dragonhold is a finale to Elsweyr, so also same as SS, no start there.

You essentially get asked, do you want to start at:
Plane Meld (EP/AD/DC)
Daedric War (Morrowind / Summerset, earliest takes priority)
Season of the Dragon (Elsweyr)
Dark Heart of Skyrim (West Skyrim)
Short stories : MM / DBH / TG / Wrothgar (Optional, I'd be fine with these not having starts either)

Even a limited implementation of this approach would have been better than what we have today. All they really needed to do is update and modernize the Wailing Prison for each chapter, then drop off the character in the chapter's zone. They would, for the most part, have what they had today without nearly as much story and lore discontinuity. Plus, the chapter starting tutorials would not be throw-away zones that are only used until the next chapter installment.

The down side is that the Wailing Prison is not themed to the chapter, which probably breaks some obscure law in game design followed by ZOS.