Can the NEXT DLC be Improvements instead?

Technopium

Hey Zenimax!
So I was thinking maybe it's TIME to become a better game since the NEXT GEN consoles are coming out?
Take all those people who are working on the expansion and put them to good use to make the core game mechanics better.

Maybe add a simple (RAG DOLL) code to Enemies when they die? so its doesn't look like a cardboard cut out dying...
I mean it's a simple code that exists for years...
And it would make the game feel at least a little more up to date. Actually a lot more!

Maybe make the fighting animations more fluid instead of this wierd outdate anymation we're getting now?
Some times I feel like i am watching the kids on south park fighting...

Maybe add some of the GOOD add-ons that the PC players have as Options for console players? you know the ones...

Maybe... update the UGLY googly eyes that all players and npcs have... everyone looks...off. (And you know it!)

Anyways... I just hope you can make this game better and feel like a triple A game when the new consoles come out and NOT WASTE TIME on another DLC.

IMO

RebornV3x

I think after q4's DLC they need skip the Q1 2021 dungeon DLC and really give this game some much needed polish just a solid 2 or 3 months dedicated to improving the game we have from quality of life improvements, fixing some of the base game houses like Daggerfall Outlook, making official versions of popular add-ons for console players and just overall bug fixes the game desperately needs it has been nearly 6 years or so since the game came out so it wouldn't hurt and any team not directly fixing up the game will have extra time to develop more content. Then just release the Chapter a bit earlier with some major hype almost like a Homestead 2.0 or a Elder Scrolls Online Remastered or something....

Guyle

Most of these are cosmetic things though, I would say actually making the game functional would be a priority. Making some of the add-ons a part of the base game UI is a good idea, though I would say it should be for all platforms not just console - there are far too many things that are brain dead dumb expected to be in a MMO that are simply missing from this game and addons have to shore up the disrepancy. But like I always say, they are never going to spend a lot of time on adding things that addons currently do, because its basically free labor from addon creators and a scapegoat to blame when things go wrong.

GrimTheReaper45

I doubt they'll ever skip an update, feel like ive seen this for years on the forum. An update focusing on performance and quality of life changes would be great in my book.

ZaroktheImmortal

But why improve the game when the can find more stuff to sell us?

MashmalloMan

@Technopium I don't think you quite understand how game developement works. As with any business, there is multiple jobs and teams that help create content. Their jobs and roles are often what they went for post secondary education to learn and develope.

You can't just say "Alright level designers, modelers, animators, artists, writers, voice actors, combat balance and management teams, lets help code a better game this patch!"

You'd have tons of staff sitting around twirling their thumbs or learning how to code for 12 months of the year to "help". While it's great to know more than 1 type of aspect for game developement to make you more versatile, you're not necessarily required to be professionals at every aspect.

Futhermore..

More content = more players
More players = more money
More money = more content

If ZOS stops making content for the game, they lose money and they can no longer udpate their game. The technical issues at this point have most likely started to hurt sales and ZOS took notice in 2019 by creating actual, big changes to how the core system of this game runs.... which actually caused a lot more problems for players, but at least they're making a much larger and noticable effort.

Vote with your wallet, maybe then they can hire more staff to help deal with the workload, but pausing DLC won't ever happen.

tomofhyrule

Also don't forget - the DLC is started way in advance.

The next DLC pack should release in November, so it'll go up on PTS by the end of the month. It is surprising they haven't said anything about it yet, but a lot of it has already been datamined, so you can already find the name of the DLC, the location, and some of the items already. There is an absolute zero percent chance that it's going to get cancelled for any reason, since it's basically finished.

Heck, datamines have also already given us a decent idea of the Q2 DLC chapter for 2021, so we know that's decently in production already...and if that's a year-long story as well, we know that that entire year's worth of content is already being worked on. I'd bet the Q1 2021 dungeons are pretty close to being done, and the Q3 ones are already designed and scripted.

I suppose there's a chance that they could sub out the Q1 2022 DLC dungeons with something else, but that's probably the earliest thing that they could do something with...and that's assuming that the concept artists/modellers/writers are really programmers and bug testers - which they're not.

Oh, and the fact that improving the base game for the new consoles/newer PCs/etc. would also go to more compute cycles...which then shuts older consoles/PCs out. There's a reason that many MMO games don't have Crysis-level graphics and animations, since the fewer people that can run it, the fewer people that will play.

And also don't forget - what's "great improvements" to one person is "they ruined it" to others. After all, there are so many threads asking for vet overland...which ESO had and got rid of since nobody liked it at the time. We know they're thinking about doing something to CP, and you know that no matter what they do there'll be complaining all over the forums because of it.

ZaroktheImmortal

MashmalloMan wrote: »

@Technopium I don't think you quite understand how game developement works. As with any business, there is multiple jobs and teams that help create content. Their jobs and roles are often what they went for post secondary education to learn and develope.

You can't just say "Alright level designers, modelers, animators, artists, writers, voice actors, combat balance and management teams, lets help code a better game this patch!"

You'd have tons of staff sitting around twirling their thumbs or learning how to code for 12 months of the year to "help". While it's great to know more than 1 type of aspect for game developement to make you more versatile, you're not necessarily required to be professionals at every aspect.

Futhermore..

More content = more players
More players = more money
More money = more content

If ZOS stops making content for the game, they lose money and they can no longer udpate their game. The technical issues at this point have most likely started to hurt sales and ZOS took notice in 2019 by creating actual, big changes to how the core system of this game runs.... which actually caused a lot more problems for players, but at least they're making a much larger and noticable effort.

Vote with your wallet, maybe then they can hire more staff to help deal with the workload, but pausing DLC won't ever happen.

I mean I get they need to make money but....the game does need fixing. Mostly all the bugs, errors, lag, crashing. And seems every update just breaks the game more oh and they nerf things. That's what we seem to get in the way of "updates"

Recapitated

Skipping a DLC isn't going to happen and I don't care about the cosmetic improvements. The game runs poorly enough as is; before they add more complexity they need to fix the foundation or it will be pretty but unplayable.

Following the lead of add-on developers to bring back the (togglable) minimap and other no-brainers is important, although tbh if add-ons fill the gap just fine I'd prefer to see them focus on fixing what is already there (mind you I have the privilege of actually having add-ons unlike console players).

dcam86b14_ESO

considering they have most of the content for next year almost complete, i dont see how your suggestions are going to happen. Outside of the improvement road map and the cyro testing ZoS is booked solid for at least 2 years.

Cireous

Anyone have any guesses as to when they will start talking about the Q4 DLC?

Nairinhe

Cireous wrote: »

Anyone have any guesses as to when they will start talking about the Q4 DLC?

I'm expecting to see it on PTS in a week or two. I'm not sure how long is PTS cycle now and too lazy to go and count. And ESO Live around the same time showcasing new DLC (Murkmire and Dragonhold were right in the middle of September)

As for cosmetical polishing from OP - I'd gladly take TES 3 graphics if it means less bugs and good writing. I was very concerned by Greymoor quality, even more so considering the fact that it was supposed to be practically finished before the pandemic so, while that can explain abundance of bugs, there's no excuse for example, for that fact that player being a vampire or a WW has zero effect on story and dialogues =(

Orange_fire_dragon

a lot of these (if any) are not exactly improvements the game needs over issues like server performance, stable frame rate, abilities working as supposed to, UI improvements and stability (guild stores freezing etc)

if going towards visual improvements, yeah I guess animations could be better and update old armor looks but right now, visual improvements shouldn't be top priority when the game itself runs poorly.

and no rag dolls, just no, code may exist to make them be easily added but that 'easy' code makes them glitch out more often than not and I don't wanna see loot drop through the floor because rag doll on boss decided to clip through

Jaraal

ZaroktheImmortal wrote: »

But why improve the game when the can find more stuff to sell us?

This.

Base game improvements aren’t profitable. They will focus on new content that generates more money first.

sentientomega

With more and more people playing getting the Windows 10 2004 update forced on them, maybe they might actually want to think about making the game compatible with that update. Then I and others could actually play it again without having sudden and permanent fps drops after 30-60 mins only fixable by restarting the game.

Mayrael

Oh there will be improvements. New reskined mounts, improvements to crown store, new OP mechanics locked behind paywall that are going to get nerfed just before next update, and ofc fix to mudcrabs animations to improve performance which will end in lag increase.

Canned_Apples

More exclusive (stealth p2w) proc sets that heavily benefit from malacath.

While malacath is equipped, you deal 5000 damage every 0.01 seconds to any player within 10000000ft of you.

Guyle

There is a light at the end of this tunnel guys, its when we decide to move onto games that actually work.

E-Zekiel

Not gonna lie, if we had a patch that introduced cloth physics, I'd likely put most of my gaming time into this game.

No, I'm not being sarcastic. Physics adds a ton to the feel of a game, and the feel of a game adds a lot to my enjoyment of it.

craybest

This isn't how it works. There are different teams working on different things.
You can put them all to code and optimize the game.

Banana

We have had 9 months of performance improvements and look at the difference

Jaraal

Banana wrote: »

We have had 9 months of performance improvements and look at the difference

Indeed. Worse than 9 months ago. At least then your skills were usable. And they don't seem to be in a hurry (or perhaps don't even know how) to fix it.


Not very encouraging, is it?

Technopium

Thank for the replies. I just think at this stage a new players has months of content which means if zos focuses on the look and graphics and astetics and overall feel of the game, an released it they would get a whole bunch of new players. I have friend who started playing and just because he runs faster then his horse he stopped playing. Like stupid *** like that can be fixed easily. Forget balancing for a few month. Who cares. Most players play the solo mode or do dungeons. Especially new players. Which equals money. Take 1 year. Upgrade the game to next Gen. most people go to eso now because they are waiting for the next elder scrolls [snip] Anyway I can go on forever on this...

[Edited to remove Bashing]

SamanthaCarter

Even if I do a money transfer of 500 000 000 € to ZOS they will never improve our game with it

gatekeeper13

No more "improvements", plz. After the latest "performance improvement plan" that lasted 1 year, the game performs way worse than before.

What game needs is server upgrades.